THE LOST LONDON VIDEO

I thought I lost this...the final video. Enjoy

Study Abroad - The Final Video.

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Greece – Yum

****Editors Note: This was written several weeks ago however due to technical problems Joe was unable to upload it.

Greece – Yum

Getting to Greece was difficult. Because of the Greek economic crisis and the myriad of violent riots that have been occurring in that country, my first flight was cancelled because of a nationwide strike. Determined to see Greece before I left Europe, I rescheduled my trip for early April – a day after my return to London from Scotland.

Again this was a trip in which no one from my London gang came with me on however I was not alone when I landed at Athens International Airport. Kristen Thiers, a good friend of mine from CUA, had been studying abroad there since January. It was so great to see her friendly face when I got off the plane in Athens. The first thing that struck me about the city was the airport and the train system. It was so modern! Apart from that it was very clean and efficient.

The first stop for Kristen and me was her place to put down my stuff. As we walked to her apartment, I quickly realized something about Athens. It is very, very hilly! I was very glad to see the door of her apartment for I was huffing and puffing.

She lived in a very nice place and had really great roommates and it was good to get to know them over the course of the weekend.

After a quick rest in the apartment, it was time to get some food. Of course, when you are talking about food in Greece you must be talking about the Gyro. Kristen took me to her favorite Gyro place and boy did I enjoy it!

After words it was time to take a trip around the city at night. I was struck by a few things:

1) It wasn’t as dirty of a city as people told me!

2) I love how orange and lemon trees grow on city streets

3) Athens has a large homeless dog population. Thankfully, I like dogs. If I didn’t I think I wouldn’t have liked Greece because there are so many wild dogs!

4) The Parliament is an impressive building and the changing of the guard is a very unique expierence.

With those initial impressions of the city behind me, Kristen and I grabbed some wine and sat and talked atop a hill near the Acropolis. It was definitely a nice evening.

Then it was time to head back to the apartment. For we had an early morning Ferry departure to Santorini island to look forward to.

Kristen and I woke up around 5AM in order to meet her friend Kate and board the boat. The ferry was very impressive however it was very long – 8 hours to our desitnation.

Thankfully we slept most of the journey however I did wake up to shoot a short video:

Upon arriving in Santorini, we quickly boarded a bus and headed to the city center. Our apartment was a short walk from there and when we got there we were shocked! For only 10 euros we got two nights in a fully furnished apartment. One big bed for the girls and a spacious single bed for me. One thing was clear: we wanted to rent an ATV immediately. And we did. For just 15 euros we rented an ATV to traverse the island. Here is a video of me on my ATV the next day before we visited the site of Ancient Thiera.

Visiting Santorini was amazing. I am so glad Kristen led me to that island because the isles are such an important part of life in Greece. The blue topped domes and the simple island living is definitely something to expierence. We had great food on the island as well – including incredible mousika ( A greek eggpland dish). Walking along the beach was a blast and the sunset was simply amazing. Because it was not tourist season, I felt like the island was ours and believe me we crusied the highways of Santorini as if the island was our own.

Our journey back to Athens was – well – interesting. We walked the 10 minutes to the bus station and then I realized I did not have my passport! I started running back to the apartment, hopped in a taxi, ran back to the room, tore up the place looking for it, then found out that Kristen found it in my backpack back at the station. Then the next drama was occurring – catching the bus! Thankfully I ran into it on one street corner and hopped on. We thought all the drama was over—not the case! When we got to the Ferry office they told us that it was sold out! Thankfully, Kristen used her charm at the Captain who let us on the boat. From there I embarked on the worst boat ride ever! The boat was so full I ended up having to miracoulosuly find a folding chair and then I sat in the corner and slept for the journey. A corner! It was certainly an expierence.

Upon arriving back at the Athena Port – Kristen and I headed back to apartment, rested a bit, and then we climbed Mt. Lickavitous! The spelling on that one is definitely wrong however the view from the top of that hill is remarkable. Here is Kristen and I at the sunset there and the amazing 360 views of the city that it offers.

Then it was dinner time again – my favorite as avid readers know. We went to a Teverna that offered a college discount and gave us unlimited food. YUM!

It was so great and I really thank Kristen and her gang for showing me this spot.

The final day was for exploring the final parts of the city I hadn’t seen yet including the Acropolis: Here is my video from there.

In conclusion, Greece was amazing. I am sad to hear about the recent riots there because it gives an incorrect view of the country. Greek people are very nice and their food is to die for. I recommend a trip to Greece for everyone but be sure to visit an isle when you go.

Blogging till next time,

Joe

Scotland - Simply Unbelievable

Scotland – Simply Unbelievable

****Editors Note. This was written several weeks ago however due to a computer malfunction it was unable to be updated to the blog.

I had to get to Scotland. I think that if I returned home without seeing the land where golf was invented I would always live with regret. However, after trying for months to organize a trip with some of the guys to the country, I came to the conclusion that I would have to do it alone. The next problem I had was scheduling – for it was already April and time was running out. The final problem was cost. After all, money was beginning to run low. So in order to accomplish everything that I wanted to do – that is explore the city of Edinburgh and play the Old Course at St. Andrews – I decided to take an overnight bus from London Victoria to Edinburgh, Scotland. Costing only 28 pounds, I knew sitting in a bus for 9 hours would be tough. However thanks to some sleeping pills, my Easter Sunday night megabus trip to Scotland was great. I actually slept and when I got into Edinburgh around 8AM on Easter Monday – I was ready to go.

Sadly, I forgot my camera in the bus locker that I rented so I explored the city with very little documentation that I was there. However I can report that Edinburgh is one of the best cities I visited while in Europe. Despite the chilliness and cold weather, walking the streets of that city was amazing. I started my journey at the epic Edinburgh Castle – a World Heritage Site – and then went on the Whiskey Experience Tour that is right on the Royal Mile. I loved that tour! In fact I think it was one of the best tours I took while overseas. It made me fall in love with whiskey and I now like to think of myself as somewhat of an expert. After my whiskey tour it was time for lunch. In my case it was time for a Scottish Breakfast. Yum. I then continued to walk down the Royal Mile, checking out some of the unique sites and experiencing the culture along the way. At the end of the mile I went into the Palace of Hollyrose – the official Scottish Residence of the Queen located right across from the new Scottish Parliament. I then ventured up to the highest point of the city atop a hill and saw the incredible views that Edinburgh produces. And just like that it was time for me to head back to the bus station for I had to get to what would be the highlight of my trip.

Getting to St. Andrews felt like a pilgrimage – and it was. After all it took me about 11 hours to get there from London when you factored in the bus stops. When I got to St. Andrews Monday Evening – I immediately hopped out of the bus and started walking to the course. As I walked the hallowed streets, I knew I was in a golfing town. Every pub I passed seemed to have the Golf Channel on and every shop I passed seemed to have a golf theme to it. Then – there it was. The 18^th Green of the Home of Golf. It was so open – so accessible! After all, I was standing just 15 yards from the 1^st Tee. Indeed the Old Course is not hidden away like Augusta. It is meant to be seen and boy did I see it. From that point the sun had set and I had to get to my hostel. I stayed at St. Andrews Hostel, a low cost option that is nice if anyone is ever heading to St. Andrews. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the neighboring restaurant and then it was time for bed. For I had to get up early.

My alarm rang at 5AM. Why? Because I wanted to play the Old Course and since I did not have a tee time I would have to wait in line to see if the starter could fit me in sometime throughout the day. Since I did not want to travel all this way and not play the course-I ensured that I was the first in line. Getting there at 5:30AM was definitely an experience. I was the only one near the place! Around 6:30AM a Frenchman joined me, which seemed to help pass the time. The starter did not get there until 7AM and since I was first in line I had first crack at a tee time. The starter finally called my name at 7:55AM for the 8AM spot. I would go off with two members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club – sweet! Stepping up to the first tee, my handicap was the worst in the group however I did not care. After all, one was a professional Golfer in London and the other was a golf architect in Sweden. As I stepped to the tee where so many great players have started their round – I was a bit nervous. But that did not stop me from ripping a 300-yard drive right down the middle. Wow-this place is easy I thought! That confidence would soon subside. Without going into too much detail here are 5 thoughts I have about the course.

1) It is easy to play. They had tons of open times for single golfers to take advantage of. It certainly doesn’t have a Pebble Beach like waiting list. Even if you can’t get an advance reservation-there is a daily ballot each day which gives you another chance to play the course.

2) The course is not that long! Grant it the pros play from tees I couldn’t even see from my tee box, the regular tees make St. Andrews pretty short. I hit wedges into several greens and even almost drove a few holes!

3) Greens are tough. They are extremely fast and the toughest I ever played on.

4) Open! The course is very open. You can spray your drives (as I did) and get away with it. There are just small pockets of places throughout the course where if you hit into it you loose a shot for sure.

5) Weather. Let me empathize this one. Playing golf in Scotland requires one to know how to play with wind. Sometimes I would have to club up 3 or 4 clubs and aim 30 yards left or right of my target. Amazing.

All in all my time at St. Andrews was amazing. Although I shot 90-I will take it. If I could provide any tips to anyone wanting to play is go in early April. The cost is 40 pounds cheaper and you get to enjoy the course in its entirety just like the people do in June or July. The cost is cheaper in the Winter (you can play St. Andrews all year long) however you must hit off mats which as you know is not the true golf experience.

After my round it was time for a quick bite to eat and a visit to the British Golf Museum. The museum was sweet and I highly recommend it to anyone. Before I took the late afternoon bus back to Edinburgh I wanted to walk around the town of St. Andrews and see the cathedral and castle. It was amazing to walk around the town and I quickly discovered just how young it was. Turns out it has a thriving University and the students live in some pretty sweet homes and dorms. Good stuff. As I left St. Andrews I was still in shock that I played the course. As a golfer it was one of the biggest highlights of my trip and I urge everyone who loves the game to make a pilgrimage of their own to the Old Course.

Here is a video of me at St. Andrews. I am sorry for the poor quality.

It was time to head home after I got back to Edinburgh – concluding an amazing trip. While it is always nice to travel with people, I’m glad I did at least one trip on my own. After all, you learn a lot about yourself when you travel by your self.

Canary Island Video!

Wow---my updating has lacked. But thats why I tweet! For spring break I went to the canary islands off the coast of Africa. They are spanish owned and man were they cheap. Very beauitful there and great for young people. Enjoy the video!