Warning: Adult Content

Monday I ventured back towards the Big-Ben/London Eye area to eat at a noodle buffet I had seen there the second day. I seem to organize my day around what I’ll find to eat. Then I walked to the Tate Modern, more an art gallery than a museum, which had some very interesting things. The gallery was full of many paintings that made you stop and stare for awhile, trying to decide what to make of it. For example, there were things from Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Jackson Pollock. I ended up having to leave earlier than I had wanted because they close quite early at 6:00 p.m.. I took a nap in the grass for a little while then headed back to the hostel. I had wanted to make it back in time to have more fish and chips but the place I like was closed, as were most of the others, by the time I made it back. So, I settled for pizza hut and resolved to have fish and chips tomorrow.

Tuesday morning I headed for the train station to take a 30 minute direct line to the Gatwick airport outside London. I was sad to be leaving the hostel just as I was starting to feel comfortable. I am constantly amazed at how quickly I (as anti-social as I can be) am able to make friends in hostels. All of the travelers are somewhat ‘stuck’ with their fellows, both physically and culturally, as we’re separated from the locals. At the airport I seem to be selected for intense scrutiny each time, maybe because of my short stays and travelling alone. I had to take off my shoes, which most didn’t, and they even specially tested my watch for any substances. The flight itself is very short, maybe 30 minutes in the air that’s not either taking off or landing. Upon arriving in Amsterdam I had to take another train to get into the actual city from Schiphol airport, another 30 minute ride. After getting to central station I wandered outside to take a tram from the main train station to my hostel area. Amsterdam is very spread out, although the tourist areas are very centralized. By this time I was exhausted and after checking in just went across the street to eat. I finally ate the fish and chips I had been craving, although in Amsterdam not London.

Wednesday I walked around the hostel area a bit and found a McDonalds (yay!). I have eaten more McDonalds in a month, because of the free internet, than I would normally eat in 6 months. After my healthy breakfast I decided to continue in that vein and headed to the Heineken experience. The experience was fun, but uber-touristy. You walk through the pre-set up history and boiler rooms with little videos. There is even a room with a ride like video taking you through the creation of beer. I learned that beer is at first sweet with the barley, then the bitterness is added for taste with the hops, which are actually the dried flower of a plant. I also learned that the yeast not only adds the alcohol via fermentation, but also carbon dioxide which is (apparently) essential. Also—apparently it was more informative than I thought—I learned you should maintain a foam layer on the top of the beer and tip it back so as to drink under it. The foam layer is crucial to keep the carbon dioxide in and the oxygen out. During the tour you get a half beer ‘taste’ and then two full beers at the end where you can relax in a nice bar area.

After the Heineken experience I headed to the nearby Rijks Museum. It was a let-down. It could be that the Louvre and free Tate Modern had ruined my palate for weak museums. Half the building was closed and the big draw was a painting by Rembrandt of some militia men, with nothing very spectacular or thought provoking about it. Also, when you first walk in the early rooms are Dutch history. So, the first painting is an arrogant looking Dutch man with a background of a savage looking black man holding gold and some islands out a window. The painting just screamed racism and imperialism and it left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the museum.

After the museum I wandered back to the hostel where one of the other guests was leaving for a walking tour of the red light district. The walking tour was very fun, the guide was light hearted and funny (plus the tour ended with a shot of yager). I learned that Amsterdam is basically an old port that was literally built up around the needs of sailors, thus the legal drugs and prostitution. As a side, apparently in the early 20th century the streets were lined with heroin addicts. I also learned that the early Dutch government wanted to intimidate people who were entering the port city to beware their power, so they improvised brutal ways of killing people and then displayed their bodies (common among imperial powers I think). Right next to the church, which used to be the old central square used for such displays, there is even a street called Bloedstraat, or blood street, because that’s where the blood would flow down and away. Anyway, the area is fun and lively for short periods, kinda like an extended bachelor party. I learned that the Dutch government is attempting to diminish the red light district by buying out the windows and using them for fashion or art displays. I also learned that there are different areas for different kinds of women, and that at one point the business owners attempted to have male prostitutes, so they recruited 5—from 2 million applications—and the media was in such a frenzy they had to stop after 30 minutes, although there had been 7 customers in that time. I was still with my hostel friend and at this point we split as I went in to watch a sex show, which was really just like a bad strip club with other things as you can imagine. After the show I made it back to the hostel and hung out with the other hostel guests; it was raining and no one was going out so it was a nice night in. Thursday morning I just woke up and headed back on the tram/train to the airport to head out. The US flight had its own separate security and they used the full body scanners. Also, the wheel broke on my luggage just as I was entering the airport, impeccable timing really.

And thus concluded my trip around part of Europe, next time Vietnam.

A Good Time in London

Thursday night I found an awesome little place to have dinner. I had fish and chips and the prices were very reasonable. Also, it must have been a hangout for the local cops because the place was full of them and they were having very amusing conversations. The British accent and quick quips were straight out of a movie. There was even man in the corner reading the paper and calling out stories, to which each person would have a comment.

Friday morning I got up early to have breakfast, still just bread and jam. Then I set out to walk around the city and ended up passing by some of the landmarks, Big Ben, the Parliament Building, and Buckingham Palace. I even found a gorgeous park across the street from the Palace and ‘had a nap.’ After getting back I again ate fish and chips, this time from a take-out place, and ate at the bar with some of the other hostel guests. After dinner a few of us headed towards the college section of town, which is about thirty minutes by bus. We found a cool underground club with 80s music. It was hilarious and fun to see all the crazy dancing to the old school songs like ‘Red Red Wine,’ ‘Grease Lightning,’ and of course the necessary Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing.’ The bars close at 3:00 a.m., which the two Brazilian hostel guests found very strange, to close so early!

Saturday I woke up late and just did some souvenir shopping. At night two of the other hostel guests and I went to see a show, Danton’s Death, at a nearby theater. We ended up with great seats for only 10£ because we arrived slightly late. It was an interesting show, about the French Revolution and Robespierre’s friendship with Danton. The theater was small and it was a very personal experience. After the show we decided to walk back to the hostel, which was about three miles through town. It was a nice night though and we picked up some sandwiches for the walk back. After getting back to the hostel we all sat around talking for awhile, drinking wine that one of the others guests had bought, since they close the bar itself at 11:30 p.m.. I—once again—found myself in an existential conversation with one of the guests who had gone to the play, spurred on by the character of Danton’s views.

Sunday I again woke up late, starting to see a pattern here. I had a nice long talk with Kim and then headed out to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater to see King Henry IV part 2. The theater is a replica of Shakespeare’s theater which was taken down in 1644. I had to stand in the yard, which has the closest view, because all of the other seats were sold out. But, the yard tickets were only 5£ so I can’t complain. The show itself was just ok, not one of the best Shakespeare plays. After the show I walked to Trafalgar Square. The square is like any other, a large open area with statues, fountains, and a museum, but the people hanging out in the square were somewhat different. It was packed with kids sitting on the statues, some playing music, there was even an area with break dancing roller-bladers. From the square I walked to Piccadilly Circus. This area is much more about restaurants and bars, although most seemed to be closed at 11:00 p.m.. The area was lit by huge neon signs and was packed with people. I wandered down the side streets and ended up in the China-town sort of area. I found a little Vietnamese place and had some phở. By this time it was about midnight and I was curious if the trains were going to still be running to take me back to the hostel. So I headed for the nearest train stop but ran into a bus stop instead, which just so happened to be having a bus that was headed for my area at that exact time (they have 24 hr buses here). So, I hopped on the bus and made it back just as it started to rain.

From Mona Lisa to McDonalds

Wednesday morning I got up early and had a long talk with Kim before heading out to the Louvre. After taking the tram, returning to my hotel for my camera, and taking the tram again, I arrived at the mall under the Louvre. I had a nice lunch of beef wok with a spring roll, it was delicious and quite filling compared to some of the other European portions. Between the lunch counter and my seat I must have passed by people speaking five or six different languages. It is interesting to see the diversity of tourists that visit the Louvre, I assume on a daily basis since I visited on a Wednesday. I made it into the Louvre (after waiting in line) at about 1:30 p.m. and quickly got a headset and set off for the Mona Lisa. But, after discovering the crowd in that section of the museum I decided to wander into another area. The Louvre is amazing, everything begs for a picture or a long stare. I took plenty of pictures to remember the things I saw, although I’m sure a better print could be bought somewhere. My favorite thing was probably the Stone of Hamman (that may not be correct, this is all from memory), a seven foot black stone that is carved with the basis and epilogue for an ancient King, but the middle is all legal precedent, the oldest written legal text. It covers cutting out the tongue of an adopted child that claims he is not the parents, or divorcing an unfaithful wife (yea, divorce in ancient times). The Venus de Milo was also interesting, according to my audio info it should actually be called the Aphrodite de Milo since it is done in a Greek style. Also the Egyptian area itself was all incredible; there were sarcophagus and statues of ancient gods, and little sarcophagus for cats. Apparently the Ancient Egyptians had all sorts of animal cults, I feel like I knew this from some history class, but seeing a large collection together really made me appreciate the grandeur. But, as I could go on all day with the interesting things in the museum, I’ll leave it at that and encourage everyone I know to visit if they get a chance. The room with the Mona Lisa was quite stunning, although the portrait itself is over glorified. It is set off by two guards and a guardrail which separates a large space between tourists and Ms. Lisa. I think the beauty of the portrait is its subtlety, finding beauty in the simple. In setting off the portrait it looks somewhat fake, trying to gain a sort of glamour that the woman in the painting finds uncomfortable. Anyway, this time I really am done talking about the artwork. On my way out, or attempting to get out, I couldn’t help but be stopped again and again by pictures that required me to stop and look. But ultimately I made it out about 9:30 p.m. (closing time) and headed back to the hotel as it started to drizzle. The park (the same one from the day before) next to the Louvre is beautiful at night, the ferris wheel lights up, you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance, and there are still people out sitting in lawn chairs and just enjoying the evening. As I got back to my hotel, I realized I hadn’t eaten since lunch so I went looking for a restaurant, but the rain combined with the shady places and strip club promoters around my hotel led me to go into the McDonalds across the street and get some take-out for the night. I ate my McDonalds and watched the end of a Chinese movie with French sub-titles about false imprisonment, love, and dreams. It’s amazing how much you can get out of a movie just by the action, tone, and body language.

Thursday I didn’t have much time before my 12:00 p.m checkout and 2:00 p.m. train to do very much. I had a slow breakfast, it’s just bread and jam, but you can get tea or coffee. I took another short walk around my hotel and discovered the Moulin Rouge down the street and many more sex shops. The Moulin Rouge was a let-down. I did not go inside but the outside façade is just a plan storefront with a little windmill and a sign. Some of the sex theatres had better signs. I made it to the train station with my luggage; the tram stations don’t have elevators but go two or three floors under-ground. I had some lunch, a bagget (sp?) with chicken. The train from Paris to London went through some nice countryside and under the English Channel. The train goes into a tunnel and comes out of a tunnel in about twenty minutes, you never really even see the ocean.

The train station had a beautiful and quite large statue of a soldier kissing a woman. The weather here in London is actually somewhat cold, overcast with a breeze. The cabs actually do look like those funny station wagon type vehicles. I think London sets itself off as a ‘completely’ different place. The people drive on the other side of the road, the money is different, and even the atmosphere is somber. I feel like London is a pub, dreary and suspect of others, whereas the other places felt more like restaurants, welcoming and with a variety to offer. But, in defense of London, it could just be the extended trip and day of travel that has affected my perspective.

The people here speak English, but I’m not so sure they are any more accommodating because of it. The streets are clear and the people seem somewhat more conservative than those in Paris. The people at the pub where my hostel is were also somewhat antagonistic when I first walked in, as if I were an intruder. In retrospect I might have spent more time in Paris and less in London, but I’ll see what tomorrow has in store.

Last Few Days as a Group then on to Paris

Saturday, I was on a mission to send back some of my clothing and books, it ended up costing about the same as it would have to pay for the extra weight for the flight between London and Amsterdam. I wandered around trying to find a box, because the post office had told me they don’t give out boxes. But, in wondering I ran into a friend in the program, Mansur, who happens to be Egyptian and have friends in Strasbourg from Egypt. So, with Mansur and his friend’s help we went to the post office. There, Mansur’s friend translated from French to Arabic, then Mansur translated from Arabic to English for me. We eventually got the boxes (you had to pay in full up front), and I was very grateful for the help. After filling the boxes and lugging 21 kg, in three separate boxes, back to the post office, I encountered a less than courteous post office employee. But, as that happens anywhere, I didn’t hold it against ‘la poste.’ After getting back I ran into some other students who are headed to dinner, so I joined in and had some delicious pasta with duck meat. Then, just as I was getting home and ready to go to sleep early, Stephanie, one of the girls that lives in the same apt-hotel complex, came by and ‘told me’ we had to go out for the last night in Strasbourg. So I of course obliged and we picked up a few other people and went out for the last beer in Strasbourg. It was bittersweet knowing I will probably never see any of those people again, but I had a great time and I’m glad I got the opportunity to meet such great people.

Sunday my roommate and I got up early to go to mass at the cathedral. The interior is just as awesome as the exterior, with ornate detail and what looks like a lot of time and effort. The entire proceeding was in French, but there was a lot of singing and organ playing which is enjoyable in any language. I got the impression the service is just a stock reading for tourists, as the cathedral was pretty full of them, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. After mass I went back to study all day, literally. I went out for a quiet dinner by myself but quickly returned to studying.

Monday ended up being a long day, to start we had all of our finals. The questions were very easy* compared to what I have been used to on law school exams. I would venture to say that only three of the six questions were analysis questions which required any personal input. The other questions were very straightforward factual questions, more similar to an undergrad exam, albeit still asking for technical details. After exams I made my way back to the hotel and relaxed in the lounge/bar area for a couple hours waiting to leave for the train station. I had a few beers with some of the other students as we talked about the best and worst presidents (leave it to law students to generate exciting conversation). I ended up travelling to Paris with one of the guys who had stayed at the apt-hotel, Marc, because he managed to be on the same train. After getting to Paris my other roommate, John, was waiting at the train station, his train ended up being only 30 minutes before ours, and he helped me get back to the hotel we are sharing. I’m glad he was willing to wait around because Paris is a HUGE city and the public transportation sprawls in all directions. It is by far the largest city I have ever been in, at least as far as ‘city’ is concerned, suburbs not included. After dropping of our bags, John was dead set on seeing the Eiffel Tower again because he left the very next morning and did not have another chance. So, at about 11:30 p.m., we took the tram to the Tower. It was an amazing site. Although the tower itself is not as large as some other regular buildings, it is amazing (in part because of its age) because it feels like a much bigger structure. The steel beams and connections make the tower feel more like a bridge to the sky. Even though it was about 1:00 a.m. by the time we left the tower, there were still huge crowds hanging around, drinking/smoking and just laying on the grass in the park. Although, we discovered that the trams we needed don’t run that late, so we started to walk but decided a taxi was a better idea. It was a long day and a long night but once again, an invaluable experience.

Tuesday morning I went to the train station to see John off and buy my ticket to London. Afterwards I wandered out of the train station and into Paris. I followed interesting streets and ended up moving closer to the city center. I passed some interesting buildings and parks (took pictures). I have no idea what they were or of any significance but they were remarkable, both in the look but also in the sheer volume of interesting things down every street. I ended up going through a park and ending up by the Louvre. Although, after having walked for three hours, I discovered the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. The real treat was just wandering the city and feeling the atmosphere. I definitely could live in a big city.

Last Few Days with the Justice

Wednesday we continued our discussion on the use of precedent, focusing on one J. Alito’s recent dissents. He encouraged discussion of his approach, and again the class was varied as to their views. We also talked about the diverse ways other countries approach writing opinions and what benefits/detriments other systems offer, specifically the value or harm in writing a dissenting opinion. In the evening we went to a nice walkway along the river to watch a fireworks show for Bastille Day (a type of Independence Day in France). The fireworks were just ok, although there were some different types of fireworks than I am accustomed to. There were fireworks that looked like ghosts shooting up and slowly fading away, and another type that looked like gold confetti spreading, sort of appearing generally with no explosion or outward spreading. After the fireworks we returned to the same Sangria hut for some Cuban style food. I tried some sort of spiced meat with a tart kind of sauce, it was very good (but I was also starving).

Thursday was our last day of class with J. Alito, and we discussed the interpretation of treaties and their effect on domestic courts. But, what was more interesting, we asked him questions about his personal stance and experience on the Court. He deflected some of the important questions, granted he is under public scrutiny. For instance, when asked what the most important case in history is, he gave the stock answer. But, when asked what was the most important case he had decided—he listed a few controversial ones, including some we had read in class: McDonald, Graham, Heller, Citizens, and the Guantanamo Cases. Also, on his first day on the job (right after being sworn in), he was given cases to read and vote on. The very first issue was a death penalty stay of execution. As a side, his wife is awesome. She has a fire-cracker personality, which is completely at odds with his. She has no problem airing her opinion or distaste (eg. the media), and in reference she calls the other Justices by their first name, which is a little odd for us to hear.

In the evening we had a reception for J. Alito at the Strasbourg school with wine, small sandwiches, desserts, and little fish assortments on crackers. It was a nice reception; we took a group picture and all had the opportunity to take one-on-one pictures. I also managed to sneak in a few minute personal conversation about court administrative issues. We talked about why the Chief Justice is appointed not voted on by the court, and what effects Kagan might have on the court’s composition. I would have loved to have a discussion on substantive issues, but J. Alito mostly had stayed away from pushing us into one opinion, i.e. arguing about the subject matter. After the reception a small group of us went out for a glass of wine with our Criminal Law professor, Mr. Mettraux. He has some very interesting stories as a defense attorney at the ICTY. Two of his clients were actually acquitted. His discussed how his first role is to the court, and he will not lie as an ethical obligation (although the international tribunals have little formal ethical standards). So, he tells his clients that he must tell the truth in court, and cannot represent a story that is false. To me, this seems to just place the stop-gap for ‘un-truth’ on the client rather than the attorney, to keep the lies to himself. Although, Mr. Mettraux was not naïve and admitted everything a client says is potentially a lie, so he establishes the entire story off concrete evidence. He had other interesting stories as well, about mandatory Swiss Army service (hanging out in a ladies barn doing radio drills and drinking wine) and the personal relationship—and its importance—that inevitably forms during two to ten year trials. Thursday evening three of us went to a water show in another part of the city. It was better than the fireworks. There were lasers, pictures portrayed on the water, and the whole thing was set to music. After the water show I had a beer in the city square, a nice end to a long, but good, day.

Friday was the last day of actual classes, we have finals on Monday. The classes were interesting and both professors received applause at the end. After class a small group of us went to a nearby city, although more like an offshoot, of Strasbourg. There we walked around some wineries and tasted many of the wines. I ended up buying three bottles; they were very cheap, only about 6 euro per bottle. The little town was very pretty, full of tiny little streets and short little homes, only the pictures can do it justice. The first winery we entered was literally a man’s home where he made wine in his garage. He sat us down in his home and even left us there alone to taste different wines while he ran outside to work. At one point a woman walked through with a baby, and a separate lady came to see how we were doing. After getting back I took a quick swim and had a nice long talk with Kim, a perfect way to end the week.

More Class with some Sangria.

Monday we had another interesting round of classes, continuing our discussion on the 8th amendment and the use of foreign decisions. We talked about the use of life imprisonment for a juvenile who committed a non-homicide crime. As an interesting note, J. Alito pointed out that a large majority of the most populous nations actually allow the death penalty, though the Court often focuses on western European nations when including foreign decisions as support to limit the death penalty. Later in the day we had a beautiful rain that cooled down the city (the umbrella came in handy), and in the evening, a very nice dinner with all of our professors. I had chicken with spatzle noodles, which were like the noodles from the German restaurant not the way Grandma makes them. After dinner we stopped by a bar with our TA’s and tried the sangria, which was delicious. Plus, the more you drank the cheaper the pitchers became, so of course we stayed a little while. The bar was a small place and the employees were very kind. I even had an employee come ‘check on me’ and start a conversation when I stepped out for some fresh air.

Tuesday we began our discussion of the fourth amendment and a search incident to an arrest, although we focused on the use of precedent in interpreting the Constitution. The discussion was again very interesting and there were many varying views in the class. I have noticed that J. Alito sometimes frames the question in a way that leans towards his own views; although this is probably a result of the way he views the issue in general. After class a few of us attempted to do a brewery tour, but there was a scheduling mistake and we ended up just doing some free beer tasting, which would have come at the end of the tour. Afterwards I was able to sneak in a quick swim and a talk with Kim, and now I’m off to do some reading.

Easy Weekend

Saturday morning I slept until 11 a.m.. It was amazing to finally sleep in. I had Pad Thai for lunch at a little place that was closed when we arrived. The owners had to turn on the kitchen area and made us some delicious food, they even had to unlock the door to let us back out after we ate. One of my roommates and I walked to a library (where they had a/c) and did some reading for class. We are still reading about 8th amendment issues and it’s easy to have discussion on the death penalty. We went to a pizza place that the Italian Professor’s wife had recommended as the best pizza she had ever had. As a side, the restaurant was right next to some old towers that were used to torture criminals. It was ok pizza, mostly just dough with a little sauce, then a separate heap of toppings like cheese balls and some lettuce type stuff. The restaurant had no available outside seating so we sat inside and it was very warm. After dinner it began to rain and we got soaked making it back to the hotel to go swimming for a bit. We added a bottle of wine and had a nice evening in the pool.

Sunday I wanted to get up early to attend a mass at the cathedral. But, the night before my roommates and I had stayed up talking until very late, and without an alarm I didn’t wake up until 10 a.m.. I attempted to meet one of my friends at the cathedral at 11 a.m., but she had already left when I arrived (I was late as usual). So I met up with two of the people staying at the apartment-hotel and we went on a boat tour around the city. I learned that high ranking Catholic government officials refused to stay inside the city boundary because it was Protestant, and that a whole lot of torture went on in Strasbourg at one point. On the bright side, the boat had a/c. Odd I know, restaurants and hotels don’t have a/c, but boats do. After the tour I did some reading and made it out to a Spanish leaning bar for the Spain-Netherlands Final match. The game was pretty close and Spain won in extra time with (what I consider) a contested goal. But, more importantly, the crowd was awesome. When Spain won the whole place went crazy, there were people everywhere, even blocking the street. There were women wearing nothing but flags and guys hanging out car windows waving flags. The police drove by but must have thought better of removing the crowd so they quickly left. I was wearing a bright orange Netherlands shirt I had bought while in The Hague and received a few comments of ‘better luck next time.’ All in all, it was a good weekend.

First few days with Justice Alito

Wednesday we had our first day with Justice Alito. He quickly qualified his lecture by telling us he is not a professor, but he was an amazing teacher. His ‘lectures’ are more like the law classes I am used to, with lots of questions and no solid answers. He is (mostly) careful not to interject his own opinion. Although, it is easy enough to tell the argument he favors, his name is on the opinions. After class we made our way into Kehl, Germany to watch the semi-final game against Spain. We got to the venue—a large open area similar to a small concert—about two hours early to get seats. The place ended up getting incredibly packed, but everyone was nice and would move (especially if you were carrying four beers). Germany lost 1-0.

Thursday we talked with J. Alito about the second amendment. It was very pressing because there are few cases on the second amendment and two have recently come down, including one written by J. Alito. The talk was very interesting although many of the students are still hesitant to participate. I answered two questions the first day (both wrong), and have more trouble refraining from talking to avoid being ‘that guy.’ After classes I had planned to go swimming at the hotel, but while waiting our TAs came down and invited a few of us to go to dinner/drinks with our Criminal Law professor who is leaving after Friday. Our professor has a sometimes difficult accent (he is originally German) and is off to China for a three month teaching fellowship. We walked to a nice little place where I tried a tarte flambee with camembert cheese, which had quite a rank taste. I ordered a ‘biere morocco’ thinking it would be a nice dark beer. It ended up being beer mixed with soda that had a pink color. My TA poked fun at me, asking if it was mistakenly given to me instead of the girl in our group. The dinner was nice and our professor suggested the UN Office of Drug and Crime enforcement as an interesting career for international criminal law. On the way back to the hotel we came upon a light and music show of the cathedral, in combination with German children singing the world cup song. It was a neat experience, plus the cathedral is amazing all the time.

Friday we talked about the 8th amendment and how it can be interpreted: without or without international law, with/without judges’ opinions, and how to weigh objective evidence. As usual it was an interesting talk, and I managed to remind J. Alito’s of one of the ways the majority (the liberals side) viewed the objective evidence, although he was unwilling (time willing) to analyze the point. I also managed to answer a question correctly. It’s Friday afternoon and I hope to go swimming if possible because it’s very hot here. I am missing home but there are only 10 days of class left. I hope I can continue to get the most out of my time here, and I am looking forward to a nice weekend of doing nothing, except some reading.

Fourth of July and last court visit.

Sunday we celebrated Independence Day in true American fashion. We cooked hamburgers and (kinda) hotdogs, which we had to walk over a mile to find. Although, we did get guided all the way there by a kind old lady who apparently just wanted to help some Americans on the fourth. She had lived in New York for thirty younger years as a social worker. Five or six of our classmates came over and after lunch we proceeded to play some drinking games. Then most of us headed to the group hotel to swim in their indoor pool and relax in the sauna. Then, we walked to dinner at tiny little Italian place where we (I) must have drank more than expected as the conversation turned to metaphysics on high volume. The group of us at the apartment made it back pretty early and I was able to get in a nice talk with Kim, until my computer died, and get in some reading.

Monday morning was a long day as we had class and then a trip to the European Court of Human Rights. This court hears cases from states party to the Council of Europe, which is similar to the EU but with 47 states and a different treaty. The court is in an amazing building and we had a discussion with one of the early members of the Commission (before it was absorbed into the Court later). Long story short, the court hears some great Human Rights cases (and tons of them) and hands out fines to violating member states, although it has lately sought to enforce injunctions. This is the last court we will visit, and all in all I must say there are too many courts and too many varying treaties/rules. However, they are all worthwhile endeavors and when a stronger union emerges I’m sure pieces of each system will be incorporated. Monday night was really fun, two of the girls in our group that are staying our complex made lentil soup w/ sausages, chicken with peppers, and salad. Then we walked into the city and had gelato, which is amazing. It was a nice slow evening (again with a call to Kim and some reading).

Last few days in Luxembourg

Thursday we visited the European Court of Justice, which is the highest Court for the EU. They gave us a star treatment. We even got lunch and little visitors' packets. The Court is incredibly well funded, the building is amazing and you can tell there is a ton of financial weight behind the scenes. The translation teams are crazy as well. The EU has 27 states, but some 22 or 23 languages, all of which can be used at any one time. Although the official language of the Court is French, everyone has the right to use their own language. The court accepts complaints from anyone and evaluates them, so they are backlogged some 100k. When we returned I wasn’t feeling well so I stayed at the hotel and watched some X-Files episodes that another student had brought on DVD. Then I had a nice meal of lasagna from the hotel restaurant, along with a beer of course (it’s the most cost-efficient drink). I still ended up going to bed rather late after getting my reading done. The late setting of the sun is deceptive, every night it appears to be around 6pm but will usually be closer to 10, so that throws off my attempts at planning.

Friday we had our last Human Rights class (with this professor) outside under the trees, with a view of the ravine and beautiful homes across the way. It was a great way to end the session. We had started in the basement of The Hague hotel and the professor had said it was apropos for the study of Human Rights, because abuses tend to happen in dingy basements that appear normal from the outside. After class we walked to some caves under a small section of the city. Apparently they were used for defense in the 16th century. Although, they were very touristy, with lights and signs everywhere. Then we watched the Netherlands and Brazil soccer game at the local Hostel because a few of our group members were staying there. Afterwards we went to dinner at an awesome little Italian restaurant that our professor had recommended (he’s legit Italian). While walking back to the hotel we stopped and peaked in on the soccer game with Ghana and Uruguay. I eventually made it back to the hotel and got to bed, I hadn’t been feeling well and the inexpensive and prevalent beer and constant activity was wearing me down.

This brings me up to today, long day. We had the bus ride in the morning, which was nice because I had the back row and just slept the whole way. But here in Strasbourg it is blazing hot, around 90, and NONE of the places have a/c. Also, I am staying at an apartment-hotel with three other guys because it is very cheap and has a kitchen. So we had to walk a little with our baggage, next Europe trip I am going to bring less. Anyway, this afternoon we wandered around, which was hot and somewhat nauseating, because we were unable to check-in, just leave the luggage. We are in the Jewish section of town so everything was closed for the Sabbath. We eventually found a nice restaurant and had crepes on the terrace. We ate at the base of a huge cathedral (you’ll see it in the postcards), it was amazing. Half way through the meal a choir of children started singing in French. We might try to barbeque tomorrow at the group hotel for Independents Day, they have a swimming pool. Tonight should be a nice slow evening; I’ll once again try to get to bed early.

Slow but busy couple days.

After class we had a quick visit to the European Union Commission on our way out of town. The Commission is like the enforcement body of the EU (they bring cases against states), and they are also the only body able to introduce legislation. The speaker was interesting, just a spokesman for the EU, and very technical. We have not studied the EU directly. So, the lecture was quite confusing at first, talking away about various EU bodies, which we had never heard of. Although, after a half hour or so, things started to connect.

Right after the EU we headed for Luxemburg or Luxembourg. We stopped by Pizza Hut on the way out for a quick lunch, and the Pizza Hut was crazy. It’s a wanna-be fancy restaurant with nice seating and over-expensive food. Luxembourg is an amazing city. It’s very small but there is a large gorge through the middle of the city which creates a sort of town on the river (and) canyon feel. My view from the hotel is across the gorge, I can see homes down into the valley, a beautiful bridge, and castle structures across the way. The downtown area is amazing as well. Tonight we walked down for some Chinese food (also not good here), and there was a band playing movie theme songs in the middle of a large square full of terrace seating. We heard songs from Superman and James Bond movies while eating Gelato from a little stand, it was amazing (yes, third time I said it). There are not any soccer games on for the next couple days because it’s getting into the finals, so that has lessened my celebrating. Although, the beer in the vending machine(!) at the hotel is still the same price as water and soda.

When in Rome

Hello. Friday after class I went to a wonderful open air market with literally everything you could want. They had all kinds of fresh meats, clothes from everywhere, dvd’s, even used washing machines. I tried Baclava, and it was delicious. We walked back from the market through what is probably the real Hague. Instead of the more tourist destinations there were many more apartments and (cheaper) small businesses. Then Friday night we went out to eat at a Mexican food restaurant. It was the worst Mexican food I have ever tasted. The food was basically microwaveable pre-packaged food, if it had been sitting out for awhile. Anyway, after that we wondered into a one room bar with a pool table and watched a soccer game. We stayed there for a few hours as I progressively drank darker and stronger beers than I had planned (FYI-the Guinness in the Hague is horrible, it is very thin and they mix it in one cup at a time, so it takes awhile to get the finished drink). On the up side, one of the guys in our group proceeded to beat everyone in the bar at pool, an old man started hitting on the girls with us in Dutch and was kicked out, and the (not old creepy) locals seemed to enjoy our presence as much as we enjoyed theirs.

Saturday morning we woke up around 830 a.m., which was not fun after going to bed late, and headed into Amsterdam. It’s about a 45 minute train ride into Amsterdam through the countryside. Amsterdam itself is awesome. It’s a big city, entirely an urban area. We walked through most of the city, ending by the Rijk and Van Gogh museums. We didn’t go into the museums because we only had one day here in Amsterdam and a few of the people in the group had seen them already. In between the museums is a park area with a large outdoor pool and the I AMSTERDAM sign. We stopped to relax and cool off in the water, it felt very natural to stop for a bit and just relax in the water (Disneyland should add this feature). We then rented paddle boats and went around the city a bit. The whole city has small rivers that run in between the walkways/roads. While we were there, a Saturday, there were constantly ‘party boats’ going around the city with people playing music and dancing.

We eventually made it to the Rembrandt square area where they have a variety of nice restaurants, a coffee shop called Smokeys, and another smaller park area. We eventually walked through the red light district (during the day, there was not much activity), and watched the US and Ghana game at a local bar. By the time it was over it was night and the crowd had picked up quite a bit, also, the ladies windows had filled up. As a side, they have urinals on the street, literally little kiosks with three urinals facing outward on random street corners, it’s awesome. Also, there are coffee shops that serve marijuana and various pastries with marijuana all over the city. Although, the regular bars only serve alcohol and seem to look down on their counterparts in the coffee shops. But besides that, a ton of people roam the streets in the red light district at night, it reminds me of Mill Avenue on a crowded night, but with a different variety of businesses and clientele. There were some rowdy people, as expected, and the crowd was mostly guys, also as expected.

Anyway, to catch up to today, on Sunday morning we travelled to Bruxelles and took a walking tour of some of the downtown area of the city. There are amazing buildings here and it is the largest city of the three we have been in so far. Sunday night we walked back downtown and had a great dinner at a little Italian place, it may be a tourist set-up, but it still feels more authentic to go to an Italian place where the employees speak Italian. After dinner we all walked to a bar called Delirium. The bar has won world records and such for most beers, they usually have something like 2,004 at a time. They had a 1.5 inch book of available beers, with some 90 or so on tap. I had a Chimay, which they brew here in Belgium, and some 12% ABV beer which tasted incredibly good for the high alcohol content. The bar itself was exactly what you’d expect, lots of wood and dingy walls. The roof was covered in oversized tin bottle caps from different beers. Interestingly, the light weight tables and chairs, plus the sparse set-up, made me feel like a giant bar fight would break out at any moment, full of flying people and breaking furniture.

Anyway, after that we headed to another bar to watch the Argentina and Mexico soccer game. I have been going to a lot of bars, but it’s the best place to watch the soccer games. This bar was extremely hot because of the crowd, a lot of places don’t have a/c here. The weather, at first, in The Hague must have been around 60, now it’s more like 90, quite a change. After the game we got a little lost walking back to the hotel, which is in a bad part of town. We walked by quite a few shady looking places (under some bridges), with groups of guys sitting around staring at you as you walk by. But, there were five or six of us together and we made it back safely.

That brings me back up to today, we had class this morning at the University of Bruxelles. To get there we took the trains and trams which were very hot and crowded, though not quite as packed as the trains in China. The class room was like a dungeon: brick walls, no windows, and the door was two inch thick wood. It was interesting to see the little drawings and scribbles on some of the desks, just like students anywhere. Someone had written “I Love J,” which I’m sure was meant for me. So that’s that, I just had a gyro for lunch, the cheapest meal I’ve had so far, only 5 euro for a giant gyro and drink. Plus, the place was situated so that the wind blew right in through the windows and made it a beautiful little café to eat lunch. Then I did some reading and watched the Netherlands and Croatia soccer game while sitting at the hotel bar. If you got a Delirium brand beer you could bet on the exact score of the game and win a free 40 oz beer. So, a few of us bet on the score and in the last couple seconds (literally a penalty in extra time) my number came up. So I got a free beer and we split it. Then we headed off to a nice little dinner on the terrace of a waffle restaurant, and walked to the giant molecule that is famous in Bruxelles, built during some old world’s fair and just left up, because it looks cool. Hope everyone is doing well. Love, Jeff.

PS. I am not going to post pictures because I haven’t taken the time to figure out how to do it, without uploading them one at a time.

Thursday night out

[Yesterday] This morning we had class, The Future of International Criminal Justice. The professor for the class (with us for a short while) is actually the author of the textbook. He is very intelligent and has worked as defense counsel for some of the men on trial in the Yugoslavia Court. After class we visited the Peace Palace. Apparently it was originally called a peace temple and was built with donations from Carnegie. The place is gorgeous. The outside looks something like a church with security, and inside is all marble and works of art. The floor is mainly some kind of mosaic all assembled by hand. The floor is covered in paintings just like a chapel. There were Ming Dynasty vases, incredibly old Indian tapestries (which gave the rooms an odd smell), and a variety of other gifts from countries (including security and building ornaments). Unfortunately pictures inside the Palace are 'verboden.'

We received a presentation from one of the sitting judges of the International Court of Justice, which handles more like civil issues (arbitration and money reparations). The ICJ was started around 1948 and has heard about 100 very large cases. Apparently the ICJ is backed by the UN, and according to the judge no country has outright defied a decision by the ICJ, although the US has come close. Interestingly the ICJ has some teeth in that it can refer matters to the UN security council which could, at least on paper, use force to impose a judgment.

Anyway, I was able to stop by a café for a minute today and have a delicious sandwich with smoked salmon. Everything here comes in smaller sizes. Coke glasses, food, even alcohol is served in smaller servings. Also, the restaurants don’t come to your table unless you ask them to, which is oddly kinda nice. You can sit at your table all day if you wanted to and they would not ask you to leave or buy anything. However this also means the service is very slow, by our standards. At night a group of us went to the center of the city to walk around (the shops stay open late on Thursday night). We eventually ate outside, interestingly all the restaurants have outside seating so all of the seating runs together. We stayed for most of a soccer game between Holland and Camaru. It was fun to see all the people come together to root for their home team, it’s like the super bowl except it lasts a few weeks. The bars here are rowdy but everyone is very respectful. The atmosphere is festive but not hostile. Well, I’m learning a lot and having fun, hope everything is going well at home.

Interesting ICC, day three

I have a little more time today but no real internet access; I am sitting at a restaurant where you get 1mbps internet, intermittently. I am eating alone today because we have been travelling as a group for the last couple days and it’s kinda nice not to be making small talk.

Today we went to the International Criminal Court. I don’t have any pictures of the ICTY or ICC because the security is very tight and we are told not to bring anything we wouldn’t be willing to leave at the court if they decide we can’t take it in, pictures inside are prohibited anyway. Also, we are usually taken to a restricted area of the Court, just a meeting room or what not for our talks with the Court members. This court and the ICTY are guarded very heavily. Although, the ICC has better funding and actually has Jurassic Park type security, with electrified fences, tons of cameras, and electronic doors.

We were given presentations by a special counsel for the president, a prosecutor, and the president of the ICC. All of them were very interesting and hopeful for the future of an International Court that is entirely up to the voluntary participation of states, with no ‘teeth,’ or police type enforcement to back up decisions. This strikes me as ineffective, but the common and understandable refrain is that state sovereignty (when a state is ‘alive’ anyway) is too important to force any time of decision. A few of the speakers mentioned how militia members are currently refraining from hiring child soldiers, so the court is having some direct effect, but the wars and murders continue. Also, some men who have warrants from the court will outright defy them because there are very limited impacts (outside of diplomatic pressure and limited sanctions). But, the ICC is still new and the largest powers have yet to join (only somewhat participate), ie. China and the US.

The ICC is currently trying the first of its main cases since its birth in 2002, so we sat in for a little while on one of the court proceedings, questioning of a witness. It was very interesting. The witness had worked as a child soldier (under 15) in the militia of the man on trial, and he described how he stopped a military truck and killed all of the people inside, of whom were of a certain background. It is very interesting to see the men who are on trial, accused of crimes like genocide (they look so normal). The public room for viewing the trial is separated by a sound-proof glass partition, just like at the ICTY. A camera records the proceedings and you can see in through the large glass wall. Also, the entire proceedings is translated into English and French via little receivers and a team of two translators per language, which must be no easy feat considering everyone is speaking variations of African languages or French/English (sometimes) hybrids.

We then had class again, the usual reading and discussion, very interesting but focused mainly on small details. International law is very interesting, because there is no solid set of statutes or what not to which all countries agree. So, for the most part, an international court has to apply norms/customs that are ‘generally understood by most nations,’ then apply them somewhat retroactively to those who have committed massive (war) crimes. Interestingly, when small countries violate these norms (ie. torture), their leaders are prosecuted and imprisoned. But, when large and powerful countries (China/US) do similar things (not genocide but Human Rights violations), they are just ‘bullies’ who receive no repercussions.

Anyway, it is very interesting that no matter where in the world you are, so far from my experience, people are people. I am on the beach in The Hague, yet if I spoke the language it could be a beach in California. They may speak a different language, be war criminals, or beach bums, but they still have the same general attributes, needs, and a sort of common understanding.

Quick Day 2

First class today was very interesting. Our teacher has been involved with the UN and human rights for a long time and is very knowledgeable. Yet, befitting a human rights professor he is extremely kind and has a good sense of humor. We walked to the market today to buy some lunch food and of course some beer.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was very interesting. We had to sit in a separate room with armed guards. Then, when the witness entered they closed shades over the window, distorted his voice and image, and used a pseudonym. Crazy. Plus, we met with a presiding judge and one of the prosecutors who gave us special presentations in the prosecutor’s meeting area, an area of the court where the public is usually not allowed. It is actually a historic place where they decided to bring charges against the Yugoslavian political leaders for genocide, murder, and persecution. Plus, the prosecutor showed us some video they used as evidence; video of leaders and soldiers murdering people, it was very intense. Anyway, I have to get going, it’s late here and I still have to read.

First few days

This whole place is amazing. The Hague (or Den Haag) only has about 500,000 people and all of the architecture is gorgeous. People literally stay in beautiful homes inside of parks. Yesterday after dinner we slightly got lost walking back to the hotel, and wandered through a park (our hotel is in a park) with the homes of foreign diplomats, all of them were amazing. The people here are very nice, a few of them are somewhat snobby. I accidently nudged an older lady on the train coming from the airport, and I apologized but she gave me a ‘half’ rolling of her eyes, I didn’t merit the full roll. The younger generation is amazingly helpful for the most part, although many of the guys remind me of the movie “Snatch.” Everyone dresses very very well, suits and fancy shoes. According to our walking tour guide The Hague used to be made fun of in other cities for its people who put out fake hams or used thinly cut cheese to try to appear opulent; the symbol of the city is a stork—which is supposed to mean wealth.

Anyway, this morning’s breakfast at the hotel consisted of cold cuts, a half-boiled eggs, fruit, and beans, all delicious but an odd combination. We took a walking tour of the downtown city area where the government meets and where the old time kings and queens lived. I have pictures that will do the city more justice than I can here. Even in the middle of the ‘city,’ the buildings are surrounded by water and trees. Apparently a small river runs under the homes, and back in the day people would just dump their ‘extras’ into a small door in the floor and let the river take it away. It’s amazing, all of the buildings are from the 15-1700s yet people still live and work in them as casually as ever. Everyone here is very laid back, the shops open ‘around’ eleven and close around six, and the restaurants/bars stay open ‘til whenever. It doesn’t even start to get dark until about eleven then the sun is right back up at five.

This afternoon we started a crash course in the courts and institutions we will be visiting over the next couple weeks, all very interesting. This evening we took a walk along the beach boulevard again and through the neighborhoods. All the neighborhoods are kinda like San Francisco, but with shorter buildings and mostly narrow streets. Tomorrow we will be visiting the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia to watch some of the trial proceedings for one of the last two defendants to be prosecuted.

I will try to post and put up pictures when I can. There isn’t much extra time. Well, off to read for the night then bed, it’s 11:00 here but it's just now dusk.