I cannot believe I only have a month and one week left in Europe. A semester is just too short for something like this, but it is a good start :) Last weekend I was in Vienna, the capital of Austria. The entire student body of Salzburg College went, as this was considered part of our curriculum. So there were 42 of us or something... Everyone was assuming that we would have plenty of time in Vienna, but even 4 days was not long enough! There is just so much to do and see in Vienna... it is definitely the most beautiful city I have ever seen (it can boast, after all, the most trees of any European city) I went to 3 or 4 different museums, 3 wonderful concerts, and saw many other sights, such as Shonbrunn Palace. My favorite part of Vienna though was the Naschmarkt. In the old days of Vienna, the Naschmarkt was just as much of a social activity as a daily necessity. This was the place where one could buy the freshest meats, fish, produce, and fruits; but also, this was the place to hear the latest and hottest gossip. Although now the Naschmarkt is being run not entirely by Viennese people, the feeling of culture and society seems to live on. There was so much good food there, and it was also very fun to be able to barter with the various vendors, hehe. The Naschmarkt was also the place where I first discovered the friendlyness of the Viennese also. There were so many people, and although it was very crowded, there was a happy feeling about the place. Also at the concerts, and just roaming around, I encounted nothing but kindness. Also on the trip, we stopped at the UN building in Vienna, and two different monasteries (St. Florian and Melk) which are nearby.
This was just not enough time to see Vienna though... I slept very little while I was there, and I feel like I have seen and experienced only a little bit of what the city has the offer.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Back to "normal life"
I have been back in Salzburg for a week now. My goodness that is hard to believe. This week has really gone by quickly. Although I did not travel to as many destinations as I had originally planned, I had a wonderful holiday. I ended up spending the rest of my time in the town of Plakias on the island of Crete.. but I have no regrets about it. Most of the other students took a different route.. a different city every two days. Thus, many of them were sick and tired by the time they returned to Salzburg; I definitely have no regrets. One of my roommates, Derek, has been very sick lately... I really hope he is well soon, and I hope I remain healthy. Other than that, Salzburg has been good as always. We had some snow.. which many people resented... but it is all melted away now :/ That just means I can start riding a bike again though!!
I have been thinking about going back to Crete when the semester is over.. but I have not yet made that decision. I would like to see more of Europe, and it is highly probable that I would once again stay longer than I had planned in Crete... but it is still an option ;)
I was also able to get a lot of practice speaking and understanding the German language while in Plakias. I was fortunate to have made friends with some other travellers who were staying in the hostel, and they spoke German as their mother tongue. Although I did not understand half of their conversations... I have noticed a huge improvement in my German this past week. I speak it whenever possible, and it is finally paying off. I can finally have simple conversations now :) This will come in very handy.. this Friday I will be going with the rest of Salzburg College for our field trip to Vienna. It is a very large city.. I am bound to become disoriented at some point, and I will feel much more comfortable now that I can converse in German. It is also very nice that I am able to interract with my host father more. Previously, communication was possible, but it was extremely limited. Today I was watching the Salzburg vs. Ried soccer game with him. Salzburg is second in the league right now! ;)
Thanks everybody, I appreciate your care and concern for what I am up to. Stay safe and healthy!
Mach's gut!
joe
I have been thinking about going back to Crete when the semester is over.. but I have not yet made that decision. I would like to see more of Europe, and it is highly probable that I would once again stay longer than I had planned in Crete... but it is still an option ;)
I was also able to get a lot of practice speaking and understanding the German language while in Plakias. I was fortunate to have made friends with some other travellers who were staying in the hostel, and they spoke German as their mother tongue. Although I did not understand half of their conversations... I have noticed a huge improvement in my German this past week. I speak it whenever possible, and it is finally paying off. I can finally have simple conversations now :) This will come in very handy.. this Friday I will be going with the rest of Salzburg College for our field trip to Vienna. It is a very large city.. I am bound to become disoriented at some point, and I will feel much more comfortable now that I can converse in German. It is also very nice that I am able to interract with my host father more. Previously, communication was possible, but it was extremely limited. Today I was watching the Salzburg vs. Ried soccer game with him. Salzburg is second in the league right now! ;)
Thanks everybody, I appreciate your care and concern for what I am up to. Stay safe and healthy!
Mach's gut!
joe
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Crete
Please excuse any mistakes or errors in this entry, i am typing under a short amount of time (paying for internet)
I have been in Crete since the 14th now. The ferry was around 8 hours long, but i slept most of the time so it was not bad. Also, the boat was more like a floating hotel!! Anyway, we spent the first day in Hraklio, at the temple of Knossos. Actually, we only spent half of a day there, then we went to Chania, on the western part of Crete. We stayed two days in Chania, and it was absolutely wonderful! We stayed in a Pension, it is something between the quality of a hotel and a hostel, so it was actually quite nice for the price. The food was great there! I had a lamb and yogurt dinner at an authentic Greek restaurant- it was amazing. I also went swimming in the Mediterranean! That was really cool.
Since the 16th or 17th,. i am not sure, I have been in Plakias. It is a very charmiong little town on ths south coast of Crete. Time just kind of slips away here.. it is thursday now, and i will stay until sunday, thus spending the remainder of my break time. I would highly recommend Crete, particularly Plakias, if you would like some quality time of relaxation in a very friendly atmosphere :) I love it!
Bye for now, thanks for reading!
-joe
I have been in Crete since the 14th now. The ferry was around 8 hours long, but i slept most of the time so it was not bad. Also, the boat was more like a floating hotel!! Anyway, we spent the first day in Hraklio, at the temple of Knossos. Actually, we only spent half of a day there, then we went to Chania, on the western part of Crete. We stayed two days in Chania, and it was absolutely wonderful! We stayed in a Pension, it is something between the quality of a hotel and a hostel, so it was actually quite nice for the price. The food was great there! I had a lamb and yogurt dinner at an authentic Greek restaurant- it was amazing. I also went swimming in the Mediterranean! That was really cool.
Since the 16th or 17th,. i am not sure, I have been in Plakias. It is a very charmiong little town on ths south coast of Crete. Time just kind of slips away here.. it is thursday now, and i will stay until sunday, thus spending the remainder of my break time. I would highly recommend Crete, particularly Plakias, if you would like some quality time of relaxation in a very friendly atmosphere :) I love it!
Bye for now, thanks for reading!
-joe
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Recent experiences
Hey everyone!
Since the 8th, I have been on my "independent study" break for school.. but really it is just for travelling :p After a grueling week of mid-terms, I then hopped on a train to Romania. Not the first place most people would choose to go for Spring Break, but my experience there was wonderful! I went there to see a friend who is volunteering with a program called Veritos, in Sighisoura, Romania. As you may have read in my earlier blogs, I found that the people in Spain are very kind, and very welcoming. I found this to be true also in Romania. In fact, I think the Translyvanian people are the nicest Europeans I have met thus far.
As you may know, Romania has only been free of communist rule since their Revolution in 1989.. so the country is really in a poor economic state right now. Nevertheless, they are the most kind, most generous people you would ever meet. I suppose I do not know if all Romanians are that way, but in Sighisoura they are certainly wonderful. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend reading a book called "The Hole in the Flag" It is about an exiled Romanian who returns to his home after the revolution. It was amazing to have the opportunity to learn about recent Romanian history from the people. In my lifetime, Romania has gone through, and is still going through great political and economic changes due to the revolution- it is really fascinating.
I was very sad to be leaving Romania actually.. it just felt so welcoming.. and i regret leaving after just meeting so many kind people.
Now I am in Athens, Greece. Today we saw the Acropolis, a couple of historical museums, the Agora, and the church on Lycabetus Hill(the tallest point in Athens). The city is crazy though!! I swear.. people never learned to obey the rules of the road.. or they just do not think it matters, haha. It is a big change from Salzburg or Sighisoura; Athens is bustling to say the least. Tomorrow we (me and my friend Ryan) will be going to Delphi, and in the evening we will sail to Crete.
Peace!
-joe
Since the 8th, I have been on my "independent study" break for school.. but really it is just for travelling :p After a grueling week of mid-terms, I then hopped on a train to Romania. Not the first place most people would choose to go for Spring Break, but my experience there was wonderful! I went there to see a friend who is volunteering with a program called Veritos, in Sighisoura, Romania. As you may have read in my earlier blogs, I found that the people in Spain are very kind, and very welcoming. I found this to be true also in Romania. In fact, I think the Translyvanian people are the nicest Europeans I have met thus far.
As you may know, Romania has only been free of communist rule since their Revolution in 1989.. so the country is really in a poor economic state right now. Nevertheless, they are the most kind, most generous people you would ever meet. I suppose I do not know if all Romanians are that way, but in Sighisoura they are certainly wonderful. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend reading a book called "The Hole in the Flag" It is about an exiled Romanian who returns to his home after the revolution. It was amazing to have the opportunity to learn about recent Romanian history from the people. In my lifetime, Romania has gone through, and is still going through great political and economic changes due to the revolution- it is really fascinating.
I was very sad to be leaving Romania actually.. it just felt so welcoming.. and i regret leaving after just meeting so many kind people.
Now I am in Athens, Greece. Today we saw the Acropolis, a couple of historical museums, the Agora, and the church on Lycabetus Hill(the tallest point in Athens). The city is crazy though!! I swear.. people never learned to obey the rules of the road.. or they just do not think it matters, haha. It is a big change from Salzburg or Sighisoura; Athens is bustling to say the least. Tomorrow we (me and my friend Ryan) will be going to Delphi, and in the evening we will sail to Crete.
Peace!
-joe
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Lost in Paradise.
Last weekend I went to Barcelona, Spain to visit a friend. But.. my friend spent all of her money somehow (Europe is quite expensive it seems), and she could not make her way to Barcelona to meet me! I had already purchased my tickets for travelling, and it was much too late to return them, so I was off! Although it is sometimes a drag to travel alone, overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable and even more enlightening experience.
The first thing I learned was that travelling by train from Salzburg, Austria to Milan, Italy takes a very very long time. It was a beautiful ride.. but for the price I would never do it again. I arrived in Milan around 11am on Saturday, and my flight did not depart until 2:30. It is always good to have extra time when flying.. but that was also a long wait. As you can imagine, I was quite tired by this time, since I left from Salzburg at 9pm on Friday evening. By 4 o'clock I was safely on the ground in Barcelona, and I had already befriended a very kind Spanish citizen :)
My stay in Barcelona was not always easy, but it was not altogether difficult either. After some initial troubles finding my hostels, things went smoothly for the most part. Most of my time in Spain I spent walking. It is truly a beautiful town for sight seeing, and I think walking is the best way to do it. Perhaps if I can return in the future I would consider renting a bicycle, but that would have been simply dangerous for me since I did not know the city at all. I can truly say I have been "Lost in Paradise" now.. because Barcelona is gorgeous and I spent many hours wandering, if not entirely lost; but those were the best times :p
I would highly recommend a visit to Barcelona if you have the chance, it is great. The first couple of days you will most likely be a typical tourist and stay around "Las Ramblas", but when you are able to branch out and explore what life is really like in Spain, it is even better. The people there are very kind, especially in contrast to Germany and Austria. I would not say more kind I suppose.. just more open. It is a different type of friendliness. My favorite place I visited in Barcelona was "Parc Guell" It is an enormous park designed by the famous architect Gaudi. Also, the church "La Grada de Familia" by Gaudi is splendid.
Oh yes! And the cuisine. I did not try the local specialties like I planned to.. but I did have a wonderful dinner along the beach one evening. I had "Hake".. I think it is a type of Spanish fish.. maybe, i dont know. It was soo good though. Also, there was an open air market every day with fresh everything. The fruit is very cheap and really good to eat. My favorite were the dried figs, which come also from Spain.
Although I met a lot of cool people and learned many things in Spain, I was exceedingly glad to return to Austria. I never thought I would be so happy to hear people speaking German! Familiar things are always nice. Obviously I have been greatly enjoying the wonderful food back in Austria as well :)
Tschus!
-joe
The first thing I learned was that travelling by train from Salzburg, Austria to Milan, Italy takes a very very long time. It was a beautiful ride.. but for the price I would never do it again. I arrived in Milan around 11am on Saturday, and my flight did not depart until 2:30. It is always good to have extra time when flying.. but that was also a long wait. As you can imagine, I was quite tired by this time, since I left from Salzburg at 9pm on Friday evening. By 4 o'clock I was safely on the ground in Barcelona, and I had already befriended a very kind Spanish citizen :)
My stay in Barcelona was not always easy, but it was not altogether difficult either. After some initial troubles finding my hostels, things went smoothly for the most part. Most of my time in Spain I spent walking. It is truly a beautiful town for sight seeing, and I think walking is the best way to do it. Perhaps if I can return in the future I would consider renting a bicycle, but that would have been simply dangerous for me since I did not know the city at all. I can truly say I have been "Lost in Paradise" now.. because Barcelona is gorgeous and I spent many hours wandering, if not entirely lost; but those were the best times :p
I would highly recommend a visit to Barcelona if you have the chance, it is great. The first couple of days you will most likely be a typical tourist and stay around "Las Ramblas", but when you are able to branch out and explore what life is really like in Spain, it is even better. The people there are very kind, especially in contrast to Germany and Austria. I would not say more kind I suppose.. just more open. It is a different type of friendliness. My favorite place I visited in Barcelona was "Parc Guell" It is an enormous park designed by the famous architect Gaudi. Also, the church "La Grada de Familia" by Gaudi is splendid.
Oh yes! And the cuisine. I did not try the local specialties like I planned to.. but I did have a wonderful dinner along the beach one evening. I had "Hake".. I think it is a type of Spanish fish.. maybe, i dont know. It was soo good though. Also, there was an open air market every day with fresh everything. The fruit is very cheap and really good to eat. My favorite were the dried figs, which come also from Spain.
Although I met a lot of cool people and learned many things in Spain, I was exceedingly glad to return to Austria. I never thought I would be so happy to hear people speaking German! Familiar things are always nice. Obviously I have been greatly enjoying the wonderful food back in Austria as well :)
Tschus!
-joe
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Recent happenings
Gross Gott!
I have been meaning to post a new blog about more recent happenings with my experience abroad. One particularly exciting adventure I have had lately was last weekend in Munich. I was not planning to travel last weekend, but I decided on Friday night I would go to Munich with some other students. I think my friends and family can testify to my proneness to last minute decisions. I was supposed to meet at the train station at 7:45 on Saturday morning.. but you see, there are two train stations in Salzburg. I ended getting to the station 5 minutes before the train to Munich departed. I thought my friends had purchased a group ticket, and I could just hop on the train with them, it turned out though, that I had to purchase a single 24 ticket.. it is now 2min until departure lol. I made it back to the platform with seconds to spare. After a morning like that, I had no doubts it would be an exciting day.
The first place we went was Dachau. A name that was feared and well-known throughout WWII, and a name today that brings to mind morbid and gruesome memories of hatrid towards innocent people. We were at the concentration camp memorial site for 3 hours at least.. there was just so much information. The longer I stayed, though, the harder it became to read of the atrocities which occurred in that place. I still cannot wrap my mind around the fact that the leaders of the camp, and those who carried out the mental and physical torture on the Jews, thought it was okay somehow to treat another human being that way... it is unbelievable. Although it is hard to take it all in, and I will never understand fully the oppression those people endured.. I think anyone who has the opportunity should go to a concentration camp memorial site.. it is a must do.
Ironically, after such a sobering and disheartening experience.. we went back to Munich to have dinner! ... it just seems so insensitive... count your blessings one by one. Anyway, in downtown Munich we stumbled upon a large gathering of people in the city square. It was easy to understand by the flags and the people chanting that it was some type of political rally. It did not seem dangerous in the slightest though.. for one thing, it had just started; and secondly, there were at least 3 times as many police around as there were protestors. It was really interesting for me to see though.. having been born and raised in Midwest smalltown America I have never seen anything like that. I saw some stickers around Salzburg promoting the rally.. they said: "Fight Capitalist War! Fight Capitalist Peace!" The message seems a bit ironic at first.. and I am not sure I agree with it.. but it is never a bad thing for people take the time to evaluate the state of their society and stand for what they think is correct.
The rest of my time there is not really worth recapping.. but I certainly felt like my trip to Munich was a great way to spend a Saturday.
I have been meaning to post a new blog about more recent happenings with my experience abroad. One particularly exciting adventure I have had lately was last weekend in Munich. I was not planning to travel last weekend, but I decided on Friday night I would go to Munich with some other students. I think my friends and family can testify to my proneness to last minute decisions. I was supposed to meet at the train station at 7:45 on Saturday morning.. but you see, there are two train stations in Salzburg. I ended getting to the station 5 minutes before the train to Munich departed. I thought my friends had purchased a group ticket, and I could just hop on the train with them, it turned out though, that I had to purchase a single 24 ticket.. it is now 2min until departure lol. I made it back to the platform with seconds to spare. After a morning like that, I had no doubts it would be an exciting day.
The first place we went was Dachau. A name that was feared and well-known throughout WWII, and a name today that brings to mind morbid and gruesome memories of hatrid towards innocent people. We were at the concentration camp memorial site for 3 hours at least.. there was just so much information. The longer I stayed, though, the harder it became to read of the atrocities which occurred in that place. I still cannot wrap my mind around the fact that the leaders of the camp, and those who carried out the mental and physical torture on the Jews, thought it was okay somehow to treat another human being that way... it is unbelievable. Although it is hard to take it all in, and I will never understand fully the oppression those people endured.. I think anyone who has the opportunity should go to a concentration camp memorial site.. it is a must do.
Ironically, after such a sobering and disheartening experience.. we went back to Munich to have dinner! ... it just seems so insensitive... count your blessings one by one. Anyway, in downtown Munich we stumbled upon a large gathering of people in the city square. It was easy to understand by the flags and the people chanting that it was some type of political rally. It did not seem dangerous in the slightest though.. for one thing, it had just started; and secondly, there were at least 3 times as many police around as there were protestors. It was really interesting for me to see though.. having been born and raised in Midwest smalltown America I have never seen anything like that. I saw some stickers around Salzburg promoting the rally.. they said: "Fight Capitalist War! Fight Capitalist Peace!" The message seems a bit ironic at first.. and I am not sure I agree with it.. but it is never a bad thing for people take the time to evaluate the state of their society and stand for what they think is correct.
The rest of my time there is not really worth recapping.. but I certainly felt like my trip to Munich was a great way to spend a Saturday.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Germany field trip, in short
After my last post, I feel it would unecessary and disinteresting to try to recap everything I experienced that entire week in Germany.. so I will just post the itinerary for each day, and if anything is especially interesting to you, e-mail me! I would be more that happy to tell you about it :)
GERMANY FIELD TRIP
January 21-26, 2008
Monday January 21 Arrival in Frankfurt. Transfer to Trier, the oldest city of Germany.
Free time to explore the town on your own.
Tuesday January 22 Visit to Roman monuments of Trier. Drive through the Moselle Valley. Introduction to the culture of wine growing. Visit the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach with a look "behind the walls". Continue to Bonn.
Wednesday January 23 Day-trip to Cologne. Lecture at the cathedral. Time to explore the town on your own. Optional visits to Roman Germanic Museum and/or Museum Ludwig of Modern Art.
Thursday January 24 Lecture tour of the "Museum of the History of the Federal Republic" in Bonn. Drive along the Romantic Rhine Valley. See remains of medieval Jewish culture in Worms. Continue to Heidelberg.
Friday January 25 Tour of Heidelberg Old Town and Castle. Drive through the Neckar Valley to Rothenburg, the best preserved medieval town of Germany. Continue to Nuremberg.
January 26 City tour of old Nuremberg. See the Nuremberg Trials Court of Justice and the
Saturday Nazi Party Rally grounds. Visit to the exhibition "Fascination and Terror" in the Documentation Center. Continue to Salzburg.
Sunday January 27 Free day with your host families.
Monday January 28 Orientation day in Salzburg.
GERMANY FIELD TRIP
January 21-26, 2008
Monday January 21 Arrival in Frankfurt. Transfer to Trier, the oldest city of Germany.
Free time to explore the town on your own.
Tuesday January 22 Visit to Roman monuments of Trier. Drive through the Moselle Valley. Introduction to the culture of wine growing. Visit the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach with a look "behind the walls". Continue to Bonn.
Wednesday January 23 Day-trip to Cologne. Lecture at the cathedral. Time to explore the town on your own. Optional visits to Roman Germanic Museum and/or Museum Ludwig of Modern Art.
Thursday January 24 Lecture tour of the "Museum of the History of the Federal Republic" in Bonn. Drive along the Romantic Rhine Valley. See remains of medieval Jewish culture in Worms. Continue to Heidelberg.
Friday January 25 Tour of Heidelberg Old Town and Castle. Drive through the Neckar Valley to Rothenburg, the best preserved medieval town of Germany. Continue to Nuremberg.
January 26 City tour of old Nuremberg. See the Nuremberg Trials Court of Justice and the
Saturday Nazi Party Rally grounds. Visit to the exhibition "Fascination and Terror" in the Documentation Center. Continue to Salzburg.
Sunday January 27 Free day with your host families.
Monday January 28 Orientation day in Salzburg.
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