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
Sunday, March 30, 2008
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
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