End of Strasbourg + Paris - Through Tuesday, June 20, 2010

And I've fallen behind yet again. But that's not surprising. How about an attempt at an update:

The last week of classes went well. As some of you know, the program included a week-long course in Contemporary Issues of Constitutional Interpretation from Supreme Court Justice Alito. I knew that it would be a great opportunity - I mean, how often do you get to meet a Supreme Court Justice, let alone have a week of classes with one? The fact that I don't agree with most of Alito's decisions and generally thought that he was not particularly interesting made me not quite excited as I would have been to meet another Justice, but I still really wanted the opportunity. He did not change my opinions - I still disagree with most of his decisions. But I was quite impressed and definitely gained respect for the man.

I don't think any of us really knew what to expect - Alito has never been a professor. Conversations with others who had been involved in this program before said that the different Justices that have participated behaved very differently. Justice Alito was not particularly social with us outside of class, but he was very willing to answer questions and would stay around for a bit after each class. One of my favorite aspects of the class was that he did not shy away from difficult/interesting topics. He could easily have explained to us the basics of textualism and the living constitution (different theories/styles of Constitutional interpretation) using politically neutral subjects, but he didn't. After the first day of introductions and discussions about the books we had to read by Justices Breyer and Scalia (different books) - which led into these different theories of interpretation - we talked about the Second Amendment, the death penalty for juveniles, life sentences for juveniles, unreasonable searches and seizures and US Supreme Court use of foreign and international law. These are not uncontroversial issues! He gave us cases to read that had literally been decided weeks before, and he had been involved in the majority of the decisions we read. While the focus of the class did put more weight on Justice Scalia's way of thinking, Justice Alito was respectful and open to criticism, comment and analysis and was in no way dismissive of other reasonable opinions. I was impressed.

On Monday night, we had a fancy-ish dinner with him and all our professors (who were still there) at a beautiful restaurant on the river. It was a fun excuse to dress up without wearing a suit. And of course, it was one of the few nights it rained. It was a bit of an adventure walking on cobble stones, in heals to the restaurant, but we made it. Not so sure about my shoes...


On Friday afternoon, we had a reception hosted by the Strasbourg Law School, where our classes were held. We got pictures and tried to look all lawyer-ly. Got a few for frames on office walls for "someday."

Guys trying to look...manly?...


The whole group:


The group from DU with Alito:


Yours Truly with Alito:


The weekend was spent in a mixture of studying, not studying and trying to figure out next plans. A few people were heading home directly after the program ended; most were going off somewhere for at least a while. Monday, we had 3 exams in a row - a bit tedious, but not too difficult (I say now)...lots of bitching about writing things by hand. Wow, we are spoiled! After the last final, a group of us who were still in Strasbourg went out for a last dinner.

It was really good - I believe the place specialized in potatoes of different kinds. I had chicken and really got a kick out of the plate it was served on:



That night (and at least one other) I watched a light show that they did at night on the cathedral. It was really fun - lights flashed in different colors and spots in time with music. Really beautiful - and fun to see all the people who turned out to see it each time.


On Tuesday, Laura, Anne and I all headed to Paris. Laura (new friend from CU Law) was meeting family for another week or so, Anne was meeting up with some guys from our program who started another program in Paris (crazy - it's their 3rd of the summer), and I spent a nice 6 hours in the city. There are definitely beautiful spots in Paris, but it's not my favorite city. The time I had there was nice - got to see a few sites again - and then got back on a night train to head to Spain. (You can't tell, but we're in front of Notre-Dame)


This program was a great experience. Lots of good people, lots of fun and I'm pretty sure I learned quite a lot. I have since realized that I did get spoiled by the hotels and (after the Hague) good breakfasts...but I keep reminding myself that I will have them again...

Time and Clocks

Isn't time a fascinating thing? Why does it change so much? Is there anything else that shows how important our perceptions are as clearly as time?

One of my friends commented to me that he found it very strange that I was complaining about sitting in hot classrooms at 2 in the morning...which it was for him. For me, it was a very unpleasant 10 am in a stifling room. Yet, we were still communicating. Why he was awake is another story.

I am not having any truly profound or life-changing thoughts at the moment, so don't expect any. Today is Sunday. My finals and the official end of my program are tomorrow. Four weeks ago today I arrived in The Hague to start this part of the adventure. Four weeks is not very long...and in some ways, the time flew by. Yet, when I try to remember some of the things I "learned" in that first week, I come up with a disconcerting blank. Professor Nanda left us only 2 weeks ago...yet it feels like such a long time since I heard his reassuring and entertaining laugh. Reading over notes from his class, I hear his voice - and I wonder if the cadence of human rights will always have his tones from now on.

Why do we keep track of time? Outside of the US - the capitalist obsession with time is generally lessened. People care a bit less here and so so much less in Central America and many Arab countries. Also, this visit has proven that both my mind and body seem to care a lot more about the light outside than what "time" it actually is...when it doesn't approach dark until after 10pm, there simply is no going to sleep anytime before 11:30. I am thoroughly convinced that bedtime is a few hours after it gets dark - definitely not before then.

Yet of course, we humans have anyways been interested in knowing and controlling time. Here are some of the more lovely, or at least interesting, examples -

Train station in Istanbul:


Along the walk to Lake Zurich:


In a Nuremberg Square:


Also in Nuremberg, an older version:



In Bamberg, Germany:

The most important clock in Berlin - the one telling me when to get back on the metro:


I know it's a clock - but I can't figure out what it's trying to tell me about (in Amsterdam):


On the Peace Palace in The Hague - perhaps counting something more important than minutes:


Something simple from Brussels:

Inside Notre-Dame of Strasbourg:


And one more, from Colmar, France:

That may be it for my brief study in time...perhaps in clocks. I wonder if there is a better way to track time. In faces, perhaps...in things that are here and those that are missing. As always, I find it far more to tend towards the philosophical...but I really need to get back to the practical. Anyone want to help me study? What are some differences between the ICC, ICTY and ICTR? How about what rights does the European Convention on Human Rights protect? How can you enforce those rights? How do we understand what is cruel and unusual punishment? How does Scalia justify differentiating "treatment" of detained individuals from "punishment"? I suppose that one leads to a slightly philosophical train of thought...but guess what? I don't need to know that one! HA!

Miss you all...

Bern, Switzerland

Yesterday I took a day trip to Switzerland. Yup - day trip to Switzerland - that's crazy! We went to Bern. It's on a peninsula between bends of the River Aare and is actually the country's capital, though many (myself included) get that mistaken. It's a remarkably relaxing atmosphere - so much quieter and slower than Zurich or Strasbourg - and the medieval layout of the streets are almost entirely preserved. Cobblestones and trams mix rather seamlessly. And you get this view:


Bern is near the center of Switzerland, a bit north of the Bernese Alps, which you can just make out from certain parts of the city. A number of bridges cross the river at different points and there are some great photo spots.


There are also a ton of fountains - also with drinkable water - all along the main roads.


There is a fabulous clock with moving characters in the center of the old town.

Bern is also associated with the bear - it's mascot. There is a "bear pit" - an area near one part of the river where they kept bears for a long time. There is still one there now...I felt very sorry for him; he looked hot and lonely. I liked the bear on the wire better:


We visited Einstein's apartment from when he lived in the city - very interesting. We didn't make it to the Einstein museum, but a very nice woman at the apartment gave us some background information on his time in Bern. It was apparently both happy and very productive.


Without question, the best part of the day was playing in the river. It was hot - though not as bad as it was in Strasbourg - and the river was very inviting. The first place we jumped in was a bit difficult. The current is very strong and the river flows very quickly. Eventually, we wandered further up and found the local hangout. There is a free pool and hundreds of people - including fairly young kids and a lot of remarkable elderly people - walk up the side of the river, jump in and float down. Many have some sort of flotation devise with them, but many also just hang out. You move very quickly down the river, and it takes some real effort to get out at any of the many exit spots. But it is super fun! Absolutely required activity for visiting. It was the best workout I have had in a long time. We did take some pictures while we were actually in the water, but I don't have those yet. I'll try to post them soon (when I get them). But this will give you an idea.


We took 2 trains and about 2 1/2 hours to get there from Strasbourg - another day of my eurorail pass used, for an excellent cause. We got wine and chocolate from a shop we found that had all sorts of stuff from Italy. My desire to go back there is getting stronger, but I'm still resisting. My only complaint about Switzerland is how expensive it is. It really takes a lot of work to spend any amount of time there for cheap, but I managed okay. Also, how many times am I going to get the chance to take a day trip to Bern? ;) Gotta take advantage of the opportunities when you have them!

It was a very fun day. Today, I am exhausted. I've made it out of the hotel for about an hour so far, but it is hot and humid and yucky and I'm really enjoying a day alone in my hotel room. My roommate went back to the Netherlands for the final world cup match and I am enjoying the room. So far I have managed to do most of my reading for tomorrow, taken at least 2 separate naps and watched 2 episodes of The X-Files (not nearly as cool without Mulder!)

Tomorrow, it's back to class for the final week of the program. Goals for the week: figure out how to ship books home, ask a few more individual questions of Alito, do a bit of souvenir shopping for friends (don't expect much - budget having issues!), probably go on a wine tour, possibly see a chocolate museum and get a few thoughts about classes on here. Wish me luck!

Afternoon in Colmar

Thursday afternoon after class, I went with a few people to Colmar - a smaller town about 25 minutes by train south of Strasbourg. It is along the "wine road." I tried a few wines, but not too many. Hopefully I'll get to do that another day. Colmar is the home town of Frederic Bartholdi, the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty. I believe there is a small one there, but we didn't see it. The Lauch River runs through the town and forms great little canals - and another "Little Venice."


It was a hot day, but not terrible. I really don't do humidity well. The facade of the houses in Colmar is really cool - there are cobble-stone streets and canal-side cafe's.


A cool staircase in Eglise Saint-Martin, Colmar's largest church:


For dinner, we found a little shop that's a lot like Noodles from home. That was fun - we could grab pasta to go for the train ride back. The signs showing what each dish had were pretty amusing.


A nice change of pace from Strasbourg - a cute spot. I believe wine tours leave from there fairly often. A random fact: Colmar was taken over by Sweden during the Thirty Years War, taken back by Louis XIV, annexed by Germany after the Franco-Prussian War, returned to France after WWI, re-taken by Germany during WWII and then reclaimed by France in 1945. This area sure changes hands frequently!

The next side trip is actually today (Saturday) - I am going down to Switzerland again, this time to Bern. Hopefully some cool things will result. :) I am pretty sure I'll be sleeping again on the train before too long...

Intro to Strasbourg

And I actually thought I would catch up with myself - hah!

It is currently a relaxing Friday afternoon. Classes this morning were followed by a pretty good lunch, an unintended nap and a dip in the pool. I am now sitting in the hotel lobby trying to come up with interesting bits to share.

Strasbourg is a lovely city. It's really comfortable, easy to navigate, great public transportation system, lovely parks and good restaurants. On our first day here - what was that? Saturday? - we went on a walking tour and got a good orientation. There is a beautiful section of the city called Petite-France - we're going to have a fancy(ish) dinner Monday night at a spot on the water there.


My favorite site is the Gothic Cathedral - it's huge and stunning. Notre-Dame of Strasbourg. Apparently it is the tallest medieval building. It's sandstone, so there is a constant renovation process as parts degrade.

The best part is that there is this crazy astronomical clock inside (I'm really into clocks this trip). It shows the position of the moon and sun and constellations and it's just crazy. It is supposed to show the sun time of Strasbourg - so that's about 30 minutes off time time. And Apollo points to the day it is. Very cool.


So - a fairly nice spot. We have classes at the law school here. They could do with a bit of AC upgrading. It's about a 25 minute walk or 10 minute tram ride from the hotel. People are generally friendly - only a few have been irritated by the fact that I don't speak French. I don't really understand that reaction, to be honest. I mean - I get it that Americans are silly for not speaking more languages, but it really isn't a personal flaw of mine that I don't speak French. I would love to. I can speak Spanish! But regardless...

Some of the old buildings are so cute! It's a really great area.


Alright - upcoming posts will include: walking to Germany, an afternoon in Colmar and having class with a Supreme Court Justice...

Anecdotes

An effort to share some of my more amusing experiences of this journey...

I have been told a few times - by a number of only fairly biased individuals - that I am quite funny, especially in regard to how I've told a number of stories recently. In light of that, I decided to share a few of these anecdotes with more people. However, I have a feeling they are not as funny in writing. You can let me know.

First, let me tell you about the woman who cleaned our room in the Hague. We started out our stay there with 2 bars of soap in the bathroom. We opened one for the strange purpose of washing hands. The next day, it was gone. At first we thought that it was a very wasteful aspect of cleaning the room...but she did not replace the soap with another one. But we still had one, so we used that one. The next day, it was gone also! She kept stealing our soap. Why does she want our soap? My roommate went down to the reception to ask for more. Their response was: isn't it next to your sink? No. Okay, we'll send up more soap. They did so. And it was gone the next day. After that, I kept one bar of soap in our safe.

Second, let me complain briefly. I have had a...shortage...of male attention recently. That is, perhaps, related to the fact that I have been rather busy - but I would still appreciate a change in that area. However, I have more recently realized that it might also be partially related to my fairly high standards. At the moment, my ability to attract men is limited to those who speak no English. Yesterday, I managed to do laundry. This, in its self, is a wonderful accomplishment. Although I have been in very like company, it is not pleasant to be able to smell your clothes as soon as you open your bag. And you really can do only so well in a bathtub. So, one of the early necessities after arriving in Strasbourg was finding a laundromat. Well, I found one and shortly after putting my clothes in the washing machine, I met two male individuals. The first one was waiting outside for his clothes as well. He was a nice enough looking black man who looked to be about my age. He came up and started talking to me - in French - which, given my current location was reasonable. However, he knew only about as many words in English as I know in French. Not helpful. Spanish was slightly more successful, but really not much. And after a few minutes of realizing that we really weren't going to be able to communicate, the interaction should have ended. However, he didn't make that easy. So I attempted a few things - I had a map and tried to ask him what places he liked in Strasbourg; that resulted in both of us pointing aimlessly at the map for no apparent reason for about 5 minutes. Then I tried to ask him if he had any siblings. That question resulted in a discussion about his birthday - I have a small notebook that I carry around, in which I now have his birth date, name, age and phone number. I still have no idea if he has siblings. I eventually resorted to asking how to say random things in French. Honestly, though, when am I going to need to know the words for "green" or "shoes"? There aren't many interesting things to name in the laundromat parking lot. It was partially to get out of this fascinating conversation that I decided 10 minutes of drying was quite sufficient.

When I was taking my clothes out of the dryer, I met the second male individual. He was fabulously cute and babbled at me something I did not understand. I told him so, saying that I don't speak French. His father told me that I wouldn't understand him even if I did; he had turned 3 the day before and seemed to want to crawl into my dryer, but was too shy to tell me his name. His dad helped out with both: his name is Ramon and he didn't make it into the dryer.

I think that's it for the moment. More amusement to come. And I'll post some pictures of Strasbourg - hopefully later today.

Luxembourg - June 30 - July 2, 2010

Okay - I'm almost caught up. I am finally going to get to the point where I write about what happened _here_ and _today_. Of course, not quite yet, but almost!

Luxembourg was amazing. If you get a chance, go there. It is really beautiful. We got in Tuesday evening, had a relaxing night in a very comfortable hotel with amazing views.



Wednesday and Friday we had classes in the morning and the afternoons free to explore. Thursday we visited the European Court of Justice. That was an interesting day - that court clearly has the most money of any we've visited. We watched a hearing, had some more important people come talk to us, and had a nice lunch.

There are many spots of the city - at least the area we stayed in - that look like they fell out of a fairy tale. One of the most interesting spots were caves and tunnels called Casemates. I think they are from the 17th century and, in combination with the fortress above them, helped Luxembourg's military immensely.


It is very easy to get lost in the tunnels - they just go on and on and on. But it was a very welcome break from the heat. This is one group of us who went exploring.


Some of the areas were above ground - part of the fortress that is now mostly gone. The walls are very thick and drop down to the river valley below. I like the archways.


We weren't in Luxembourg long, but it was a very good stop. The hotel was comfortable - especially once we acquired a fan for our room - breakfast was great and it was very easy to walk into town. Everything was green - similar to the Hague and in contrast to Brussels. The only bad part was that Professor Nanda went home on Saturday before we left for Strasbourg. We have new professors in both classes starting tomorrow. Justice Alito arrives on Wednesday...I think everyone needs to catch up with some reading!