Munich's Rathaus, illuminated.

Forty-eight hours, I admit, is a pathetic amount of time to spend in any city – particularly Munich.

Throw in the fact that it’s Christmastime and you’ve got a real tragedy. The season entails not only far more things to see, do, eat, drink and buy but also far more people, making it twice the challenge to work your way through the city, dine in its restaurants, ride its immaculate train system…you get the idea.

For flight reasons, Munich was the starting and ending point for a trip elsewhere. It seemed a sin, though, to miss it entirely, and so I gave myself the weekend before takeoff to get a tiny taste of this Bavarian beauty.

While Berlin, ever-growing in popularity, reminds you of what’s around the corner,  Munich reminds you of where you are. It’s Europe – in its architecture, pace and people and, while I wouldn’t advise taking it on like I did, here are a few ways to spend forty-eight fleeting hours.

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A French friend of mine recently speculated (in al lseriousness) that Americans prefer to drive cars with automatic transmission so they could have a free hand to eat. WELL JOIN THE CLUB!

Americans like to be “first” in everything, but this is one list on which it’d be better not to appear.  The World Health Organization recently published a list of the “World’s Fattest Countries” based on the percentage of overweight adults, and the United States, despite its reputation for girth (not that kind), places third.  The two fattest countries are, puzzlingly, tiny Pacific islands.  Europe is also well-represented in the Top Ten.  Germany, Bosnia, Croatia, and the U.K. are ranked fourth, sixth, ninth, and tenth  respectively.  The U.K.’s presence doesn’t surprise, and neither does Germany’s, with their steady diet of delicious sausage and finely-brewed beers, but Croatia?  I thought Croatians typified the Mediterranean diet, with their appetite for seafood and Italian-inspired cuisine.

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Bran Castle, home of the historical Dracula

I didn’t mean to sneak into Dracula’s Castle for free. I had just gotten off the train in Bran, Romania, and my eyes were fixed on the striking white turrets of Bran Castle, the medieval fortress famous as the setting for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I wanted desperately to get to the castle, which sat on a high hill a good fifteen-minute walk away, but I kept running into a fence. I didn’t know what it was protecting – it looked like some gardens or something – but I figured if I could just find my way around it, I could walk to the castle. I followed the fence as it ran in a very broad arc, never getting any closer to the castle and never seeming to end – until finally it hit me: the fence went around the castle.

“Fine,” I thought. “There must be a ticket booth here or something.” I searched for a gate, a booth, even a sign to indicate where I should go. I found nothing. Read the rest of this entry »

Lucy Skaer's The Seige 2008 and other works nominated for the Turner are on display in the Tate Modern until January 3. Photo: Channel 4

The winner of the 2009 Turner Prize will be announced tomorrow, upon which one of four contemporary artists will take home a pleasing amount of pounds for a work he or she has created in the past 12 months.

Since 1984, the Turner Prize has recognized a British contemporary  artist under the age of 50. Not intended to recognize the so called up-and-comings, previous awards have gone to Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili, Anish Kapoor and Steve McQueen, while famed figures like Tracy Emin and the Chapman brothers have graced the shortlists. It’s a group of full-fledged, controversial contemporaries indeed, and the competition is close.

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Copenhagen will focus on the environment this week

Headed to Copenhagen next week?  Be prepared – it will be a completely different Copenhagen than you would normally encounter.  Instead of Christmas bells and St. Nicolas, the focus of the city the next couple of weeks will be the future of the planet and its inhabitants.  That’s right: the UN Climate Conference (COP-15) will be happening from December 7 – 18 in Denmark.

If you’ve somehow been in the dark this past year and have no idea what I’m talking about, the Copenhagen Summit is the final conference in a string of conferences this year where 192 nations will come together to try and negotiate a new climate treaty to deal with global warming.

World leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown will gather at the summit and more than 15,000 delegates and diplomats are expected to attend as well.  But what does that mean for you, the student traveler?

Well first of all, security will be on high alert.  In fact, it will probably be at the highest alert possible.  The summit is supposed to be one of the largest international gatherings ever seen, so there will be plenty of police men and women lining the streets.  Just to be clear, this is not the week to go to Copenhagen to try anything funny or commit any minor wrongdoings – you will more likely than not end up in jail.  This is not a joke – the Danish government recently announced that they have turned several gyms and warehouses into temporary prisons, and a new law was just passed by parliament allowing the police to arrest anyone who they suspect might commit a breach of peace.

Yet aside from the crazy security protecting the thousands of leaders and politicians heading into town, there are plenty of reasons you might actually want to go to Copenhagen to participate – if you’re environmentally inclined, that is. Read the rest of this entry »

A pint of Guinness at the Gravity Bar overlooking Dublin's Fair City

Latest: My most recent European excursion took me to Switzerlandwhile traveling from one home in Ireland to another in China. As my first Swiss experience, this mere overnight stopover in Zurich was quite simply not enough. We had terrible weather – slushy, snowy, wintry and cold – which felt completely apropos for a March visit to Switzerland. My (then) boyfriend (now husband) was sick with a throat infection, limiting our experience even further. Nonetheless, we managed to check out some of Zurich’s coolest sites, such as the Grossmünster, a 12th-century cathedral founded by Charlemagne. I definitely want to go back to Switzerland to explore castles and go skiing.

Best: My heart does and always will belong to Ireland. The first time I visited the Emerald Isle was a backpacking trip with my best friend about 7 years ago, and at that time, I had a love at first sight experience with Connemara, the most rugged, western region of Ireland. I still love Connemara, but the year and a half I spent studying in Dublin between the last two years solidified my adoration of Dublin, a city that takes time to get used to. While my love affair with Connemara was instantaneous, it’s with Dublin that I have a steamy, simmering and altogether long lasting committed relationship. Read the rest of this entry »

The balcony of Juliet

Ah, Romance. It must be one of the best words to describe the history, beauty and magnificence of the continent of Europe. After Paris, the city of romance, the next stop for all you budding couples out there (or perhaps those of you looking to find the most romantic place in the world to meet your true love) must be Verona in Italy. Verona is the city in which Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is based.

But Verona has more to offer than just a look at the buildings, and of course the balcony, that inspired Shakespeare. Several annual shows and fairs as well as an impressive opera venue bring locals and tourists alike to the city of Verona at specific times of the year, especially when the sun is shining over summer as so many of these events are held outdoors. Read the rest of this entry »

Not only for kids: Adults enjoying the St. Nicholas Day festivities in Croatia

Happy St. Nicholas Day! Today is the day when many children around Europe will wake up to find their shoes filled with tiny gifts and sweets. A tradition that varies from country to country, children are told to leave their shoes near the fireplace, outside the front door, or even on the windowsill, so that St. Nicolas will fill them with them with treats. In some countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, Saint Nicholas’ Eve is still more important than Christmas, as it the primary day to pass out gifts.

A day celebrating the patron saint of children and sailors, because of his supposed secret gift giving; Saint Nicholas became the model of the modern day Santa Clause (derived from the Dutch word, Sinterklaas). What is now usually a day of festivities for children, it is not unusual to stumble across a celebration in the streets of cities or villages, where music is blaring and children are dancing.

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Hyde Park - Round Pond

With tennis and basketball courts, paddle boats and duck ponds, baseball and soccer fields, zoos and picnic areas, American parks are the epitome of recreation and relaxation.

It wasn’t until coming to London that I discovered another side to parks that distinguishes them from the American tradition. Aside from being larger than any park I’ve ever been in, the multi-faceted Hyde Park offers everything from history lessons to horseback riding lessons.

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Venice is one of the most popular cities in Italy, indeed in all of Europe, for tourists to visit. The canals of Venice really are the be all and end all of this great Italian city – the city is quite literally built around the canals, without a single car, bicycle or virtually any wheeled vehicle in sight. The only way to get around the city is by jumping in a boat or using your own two feet. Although not very wheelchair-friendly and not too kind to those of us who aren’t prepared to walk long distances, the walkways and canals are certainly a sight to see - radically different  what we are used to.

But Venice is far from the only city that operates with an extensive canal system. It may be one of the few that actually exclusively uses canals as a substitute for roads, but there are plenty of cities around the world where you can use a boat to get to several sights, attractions and even residential streets. Many also run water taxis or at least rental boats to give you a similar experience to winding through the waters of Venice. Though this being said, the complete canal nature of Venice and the history contained within it makes it extremely unique. Read the rest of this entry »