Sports in Europe

As part of my duty being an international reporter for Westminster's brillian newspaper, The Holcad, I was asked to write a feature article on the differences in sports between Europe and the US. So below is are the fruits of my labor for those of you who can't access the actual Holcad.

Over on this side of the pond, where the rain often falls and where people drive on the wrong side of the road, there abides a craze for a certain sport called football. Not the smash-mouthed hard-nosed big-hit football that we Americans have come to expect. This game of football actually involves feet the entire game. Speed and “touch” are the most important skills involved but so are strength, stamina, and aggression. This game, also played in America, is commonly called soccer.

It is neither the sport nor the name that differs so greatly from the States, it is the fans. Simply put, the soccer fans in Europe are insane. Steeler Nation, I’m sorry but you are not the world’s greatest fans. Not even close. I have never witnessed a sport in the US where 75,000 fans stand and jump in unison while chanting their teams fight song for 90 minutes straight. Only in European football is it common for fights to break out among opposing fans every single game. Penn State’s most successful “White-Outs” would be considered an average fan support at best in Europe.

However, it is not even the fans in the stadium that amaze me the most. It is the loyal British fan watching the games in the pub. In central London, I visited one pub in particular, the Sports Café, which is lined wall-to-wall with TVs covering the various football games. The building is packed like a can of sardines. Men and women alike are sipping on their pints of beer or cider while rooting on their team. A roar of cheers bursts from an entire section of the pub. Liverpool just scored against Barcelona and now has the lead. Cursing is heard from the small contingent of Barcelona fans that are outnumbered by their Liverpool counterparts. The Manchester United fans, that are winning their own game 3-nil, break up a fight in the pub.

After the night’s games, victorious fans celebrate by parading through the streets of London, often drunk, picking fights with fans that, bitter from their defeat, are equally as inebriated. Windows are broken, bottles are thrown, and victory chants can be heard throughout the streets. It’s a good thing everyone here uses public transportation instead of getting behind the wheel. Needless to say, nothing in America quite matches up to the craze possessed by European football fans.

Some critics argue that soccer is a soft sport, made for pansies etc. However, I encourage you to go watch one of WC’s soccer games and see how physical it actually is. Running, diving, heading, sliding, and shoulder charging for 90 minutes is not nearly as easy as it looks. Try it yourself if you don’t believe me.

But for those of you who still want something European that is as physical, solid, and hard-nosed as a game of American football, I suggest you watch a game of Rugby. Rugby operates similarly to American football, but with fewer rules. The goal is to score a “touchdown” or kick a field goal. However, forward passes are illegal, pads are non-existent, and the only rule for tackling is you can’t use a headlock. Rugby is Europe’s second most popular sport and is also very popular in Australia. It is also the only sport I know of where players sit out 3 months with liver and kidney injuries. Playing with a concussion is quite normal and players have been known to have their ears bitten off in the process of gang tackles. Rugby rivals the roughest play in American football and is not a sport for the timid.

There is one more sport in Europe that is rather foreign to the US. Cricket. It is Great Britain’s national sport and is widely popular especially in India. The only sport comparable is baseball but even baseball holds very little in common with Cricket.

I have been living in London for over a month and still have not fully grasped the terminology used in Cricket. From what I understand, the game sort of goes as follows: The pitcher, or “bowler”, throws the ball at a wicket. The batter hits the ball and runs with a teammate in a circle around the 22 yards-long “pitch” before the ball is returned to the bowler. Multiple runs can be scored with each lap made around the pitch. Outs can be recorded by either a fly-ball catch, or, if the bowler gets the ball back and knocks down a wicket before the batter and his running partner return to hit the ball again. There are a lot more rules and variations that I don’t – and probably never will – quite understand. I suggest you do further research if you are interested in learning more about cricket.

All in all, European sports are quite fascinating. Not only are the sports different than American sports, the fans differ as well. Europeans live and die with the success, or failure, of their teams. There is no such thing as a bandwagon because people here are so loyal to their teams. Getting involved in European sports has been one of my favorite experiences while here in Europe. If you ever find yourself in a foreign country, I encourage you to take this experience and add it to your own. Find a pub, watch some “football”, and you can also become a part of what it means to be a true sports fan.

Alice in Wonderland - Class Assignment

So our latest technology learned in class was about a little program called Alice. This isn't the same little girl in the story most of us are familiar with. This Alice was actually developed by some nerdy smart people at CMU. First let me start by saying it takes absolutely forever to download. However, once I downloaded it all night for 5 hours, it didn't even open the file. I tried getting it from someone's flash drive and that may have worked but I decided not to try because of reported viruses from the other computers by that same flash drive.

Anyway, on to the actual program. Basically, Alice is a nice little program that allows you to create your own animated movies. The detailed tutorial walks you through the entire process of how to make things move and how to time it and speed it up or slow down. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but once you get the hang of it, it can be quite fun.

I learned how to make an ice skater jump up and down and skate forwards and backwards. I also made a bunny, disturbed from a nap, jump and squash a cell phone. I also learned how to make penguins sing notes of my choice and then record the melody created. The possibilites are endless in combinations of what is available to use. I think programs like Alice are very fun but can be time consuming for even the simplest movements. I read online that they are coming out with a newer version - of which I'm eager to see what it has to offer.

While the graphics of the characters and movements aren't exactly realistic to say the least, it is mind boggling to imagine what the creators of computerized films (like Toy Story) must go through to just get through one scene. Overall, I'm glad I got to learn how to use Alice. I doubt I'll go make movies for fun unless I'm really bored. However, I do have a new appreciation for what it must take to animate films. I would recommend it to other people only if they have an interest in computer animation. Otherwise, save yourself the trouble of learning how to use something you probably won't make worth your time.

That's all I have for Alice. Apologies for being so late on my latest adventures of Paris and Switzerland Alps stories. I'll blog on those as soon as I get the chance. I also have a newspaper article to post about sports as well. Until then, I'll "ttyl" or talk to you later!

Class Blog - Twitter

Twitter. We all hear about it, yet most of us don't know what it is, or what it stands for. I was once a part of this group, however, thanks to my Computer Science class on the Internet, I have now learned what it takes to be a "tweeter". Twitter basically is a little update, limited to 140 characters, in which people post things about themselves, their lives, their thoughts, or even hold conversations back and forth with each other. I just began using my twitter account (twitter.com/miltiadisC) recently as part of a class requirement and I already understand what can cause its addiction.

One of the main reasons people tweet is because we can be followed by people, and in turn, follow others. As Dr. McMinn says, we are social creatures by nature. So this makes sense that people would enjoy being involved in other people's lives. Personally, I enjoy following people who I emulate such as Baltimore's Ray Lewis or even twitter health updates. It gives me an opportunity to follow and keep up with not only celebrities and sports stars but also friends and family. Likewise, people can follow me as well.

It's rather strange to be followed. Imagine a person who pretty much follows you everywhere they go. You would call that person a creeper right? However, it is comforting to know that I can limit what that person knows and sees about my life by simply censoring what I say. I do think it's a little creepy considering I have a follower who I have no clue who that person is. It is a little disturbing but if statistics from my psychology class are correct, that person is not likely to be a pedophile. I rest at peace.

So why do people tweet? That is the question of the hour. Now I could never actually record everything I do in life, however, I certainly would like to remember the little things I do each day. Twitter gives me that opportunity to record little tidbits of my day and be able to follow other people doing the same thing. Celebrities have Twitter and now I can be one of the first to hear about their comments on certain events and such. It's incredibly addicting, especially if you have constant Internet connection. I learned in class that thousands of people are both getting Twitter accounts, and using Internet connections with their cell phones each day. I think the technology as a whole is very interesting and that it does need to be carefully used. Twitter is a nice tool and an excellent way to get your opinions out there. However, one must be careful not to use it too much and become absorbed into the virtual world of the Internet.

According to what I learned in my computer science class, Twitter is a form of what is coined as "microblogging". If you know your prefixes, micro means small/tiny, so basically If I could condense this entire blog into something small (say 140 characters), it could be considered a microblog. Microblogging is a newer craze that is just beginning to catch on. Most microblogging can be done through cell phones and this has been increasing popularity. However, I can only imagine what the future holds for microblogging. I think something using bluetooth technology and a Twitter-esque display would be interesting. Kind of like I can pick up nearby people's bluetooth signal and through that, maybe I could see their personal Twitter and as a result, reach a mutual understanding with them. For example, a guy walks into a pub and picks up the bluetooth of a girl who just posted how she wished Manchester United would stop under-achieving. The guy is a Man U fan and viola, there is an instant connection between two strangers. I think something of this type of form that would help form relationships, and thus satisfy the need to belong (in psychological terms), and make instant connections with random strangers. Like all new ideas, only time will tell.

In the end, I still don't know if I will continue using Twitter the way I have been as part of my class requirement, however, I at least will be more understanding when people say they need to get on Twitter every hour or so. It is something new and is worth giving a shot, even if you are as stubborn as I am. Only time will tell when and where the latest technological craze will happen. Until then, I will be more than happy to think about Paris this coming weekend. :) Au Revoir!

The Irish know their beers...

Let me just begin by saying Ireland is not known for its impressive buildings, its number of bridges, or even its rolling plains (Scotland takes that prize). However, everyone envies a thing or two about the Irish and it is all summed up on Saint Patrick's Day. Ireland is not defined by its cities or even its green countryside dotted with countless cows and sheep. Ireland gets its identity from its great people, its pubs, and Guinness beer.

We arrived in Dublin and bought one of the hop-on hop-off bus tours that take you around Dublin stopping at each sight-worthy place to be in London. Our first stop was at this little park where we began playing on the little swing set. A burly policeman came up to us. "how old are ya?" he asked. "19" we replied. "so you're not 4 or 5?" he said. "umm no, we answered" we answered. "well let me put this nicely, ADIOS" he said. Walking with a purpose, we walked quickly to our bus stop and hopped back on.

Our next main stop in Dublin was at the famous Guinness Factory. Imagine Willy Wonka's chocolate factory - with beer instead. It was very impressive. We learned how they grow the barley and roast it. How they use pure water from the mountains, and even some history on Sir Arthur Guinness. What I found astonishing is that Guinness is celebrating its 250 year anniversary. That makes it older than the Declaration of Independence! We got to learn how to taste beer (compliments the wine tasting we had in Italy), and also learned how to craft the perfect pint of Guinness. The Guinness factory is composed of 7 floors which makes it one of the highest buildings in Dublin (they have a height restriction). At the very top, we were able to sip on our pints of complimentary Guinness and get a good look of the city of Dublin. After our Guinness tour finally ended, we hopped back on a tour bus and made it back to the bus station in time to travel across Ireland to our next destination, Galway.

The 3 and a half hour bus ride was a bit uncomfortable but we eventually made it to the small town of Galway. Galway sits on the West end of Ireland near the Atlantic Ocean. We knew we were in Ireland when the directions from the bus station to our hostel gave us pub by pub directions. Irish people are very nice. They like to crack jokes on themselves first before they crack on other people. They are very welcoming and have no qualms with Americans, unlike some other countries in Europe.

Saturday was spent pretty much all day searching around the little shops for the famed Claddagh Ring which consists of a pair of arms as the band, the hands come together at the top of the ring holding a heart with a crown on top. The hands represent friendship, the heart, love, and the crown, loyalty. When a girl wears the ring with the point of the heart facing herself, it signifies the fact that she is in a relationship. If she wears it with the heart pointing outward, it means her heart is open to the world. After the girls found what they were looking for, we all headed out to find a good pub to celebrate Melinda's 20th birthday. We took the advice of one of the jewellers to cross the river and find an authentic pub with live music, which we did, and better prices.

The pub was rather crowded but we did find ourselves seats. I love how much the Irish drink and don't show any effects of it. I saw countless people go up for their 3rd pint, their 4th pint and even 7th and 8th pints without any problem whatsoever. Personally, I'm pretty much toast after 3 or 4. After the Irish band finished playing, we walked back home where Melinda got her birthday wish - a kiss by a true Irishman.

Sunday we headed back to Galway and met back up with Mindy, Kate, and Kelly (who hung out with us in Galway) and went out to dinner. After dinner, we went to a Dublin pub (they also had live music) which had another awesome atmosphere filled with candlelight and rusticness. Nothing beats Irish pubs. I love the English ones but something about Irish pubs, the people, or maybe the Guinness beer, is special. Our weekend was coming to a close quickly so we had to figure out what to do with the rest of our time.

Alyssa and I had a 6:40am flight for Monday morning (which would have us back in time for our 9am math class) but much to our dismay, the earliest shuttle bus to the airport didn't leave until 7am. So we took our Rome experience with us and camped out for the night inside the airport. Unlike Rome, we found a nice little carpeted corner and had quite an enjoyable sleep, that is, until around 4:30am when it seemed that tons of people suddenly came to airport and made such a racket that sleep was impossible. So we woke up, hung out at the airport, and waited for our 2.5 hour-delayed flight to finally take off. That pretty much concludes my Ireland trip! Next up, my #2 country to see, Paris, France. A Beintot! Until next time!

ITALIA!

What an absolutely incredible 10 day stretch!
The notion of living in a completely foreign country for 10 days was definitely something, I must confess, I was a little uncomfortable with. However, after the past 10 days I just experienced in Italy, I cannot wait to travel again. I feel as if I've been bitten by the travel bug. I want to see new places, meet new people, eat new food, and learn more about other cultures.

It all started at the airport. We flew with British Airways (excellent service, I recommend them to anyone) into Fiumicino Airport outside of Rome on Thursday evening after Psychology class. Considering our limited student budgets, we all decided it would be cheaper to spend the night in the airport instead of booking an extra night with our hostel in Rome. By the time we landed and settled in the airport, all the seats were taken up so we found ourselves an abandoned corner that looked semi-clean and we camped out. That night was one of the coldest I have ever spent. No blanket and only my zip-up sweater between the cold tile and myself, I essentially slept curled up like a ball in a futile attempt to conserve as much body heat as possible. At 6:00AM, we were awaken rather suddenly by workers of the airport, so we stretched and hopped on the train towards our first destination. Rome.

We arrived at Rome, and checked into our hostel. The view from the balcony was of Saint Peter's Basilica. We were literally right across the street from the walls of the Vatican. The first day was the main tour of the Vatican. We walked through all of these chapels and little churches. We got to see the Vatican museum. The entire place was adorned with gold and silver and marble. You could almost smell the earthly riches in this place. After seeing painting after painting and fresco after fresco, sculpture after sculpture, we finally had reached the end of the road where we had been following the signs point to the "Capella Sistine". Actually, I felt a bit underwhelmed by the Sistine Chapel. Sure it was bigger than I expected, but I think that the entire trip could be shorter instead of following those signs for over an hour. It was very beautiful but I the beauty was ruined by all the tourists talking loudly and the guards trying to shush everyone while at the same time, yell "no photo!" at the tourists silly enough openly take pictures of the painted chapel.
By this time, our main group of eight had broken into twos and threes so Alyssa and I continued our journey from the Vatican City into Rome on foot. With only a tourist map from our hostel to guide us, we courageously went into the city. Our first stop was the Castle of Rome. We fell into a tourist trap here and took some pictures with guys dressed up like Roman soldiers and ended up having to pay a little fee. We then walked through the city seeing the big piazzas, the Pantheon, and random fountains. The next day, our group met back up again and we took the underground to see the Colosseum. This building is absolutely ancient. It used to seat between 50,000-75,000 people which blows my mind because professional stadiums hold people in that number. The place as a whole was pretty incredible. We then went next door to the Palantino, which was the palace of Caesar back in the day. It was an enormous layout of ground which I could hardly believe was dedicated to one man over a thousand years ago.
Our group then traversed the southern parts of Rome and we stumbled on one of the local food markets where be bought ourselves delicious fresh cheese and salami and two bottles of red wine to go along with it. It was a very inexpensive alternative to the restaurants and piazzarias that Rome has. We then went to Rome's most famous fountain, the Font de Trevi, and it lived up to every expectation. There were massive amounts of people just congregating in this place, tossing coins for good luck, and even touching the actual water. We explored the rest of Rome that we could feasibly walk. We left by underground and made it back to our hostel after we took a night walk to see Saint Peters Basilica.

The next morning we stopped inside the Basilica to check it out for a Sunday morning and then hopped on our train to our next destination, Florence.


We arrived in Florence and checked into our hostel. We then walked around the city for a little bit. Evening was falling quickly so we didn't get to see much of Florence in the day time, however, seeing the Duomo (Florence's biggest church) was very impressive. Florence has a lot of leather goods in their markets and it smelled a little funny. Overall, Florence was cleaner looking, although not as impressive structurally, as Rome.

The next day, we discovered that museums are closed on Mondays which meant we could not go see the famous Da Vinci museum etc. Instead, we took the opportunity to go into the countryside on a tour of Tuscany which included wine-tasting :)
The Tuscan countryside is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in my entire life. The wine tasting guy was this hilarious, short, chubby Italian guy who spoke with broken English. After tasting some delicious wines, including the famous Chiante wine, we tasted some fresh olive oil and also some rare truffle oil. Our next stop on the tour was in an actual vineyard where we were taught how wine is actually made. It is here where we were treated to an Italian meal of pasta, bread, and delicious cheese and honey. We also got to relax and admire the beauty of the Tuscan countryside. We also visited a tiny little town which has won the world's best gelato (kind of like ice cream) 2 of the past 3 years. It was good but I'm not sure what distinguishes good gelato from great gelato.

Our final morning in Florence consisted of a walk to the Piazze del Michelangelo where we got the best view of all of Florence. This was my favorite part of Florence and well worth the walk to get to the vantage point. We walked to the train station and caught the train to our next destination, Venice.



We actually didn't stay IN Venice. We stayed in a tiny town called Vigonza. The description of the place was an 8 bedroom private shared bathroom. What we didn't realize was this place was actually a HOUSE. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was by far the most comfortable place we had stayed in thus far. The owners were Italian and didn't speak much English. However, they were incredibly nice and hospitable. They went and got us some oregano for our home cooked meal of pasta, olive oil, and fresh baked bread. The owners also owned a pizziaria and actually treated us to pizza the following night. It was an awesome experience - especially when the owner's wife tried to get Steve to marry their daughter ha ha.

Venice was my favorite city. It is so unique and so impressive in every way. From it's water canals to it's Venetian Murano glassware (Venice's most famous export), Venice was a city filled with charm and class. If you can deal with an occasional whiff of that fresh fish smell from the fish market, then Venice actually smells pretty nice as well. The Venetian architectural style is a cross between the Roman and Byzantine styles which gives it a unique identity as far as structure goes. It also has more bridges in the city than any other city in the world (Pittsburgh is number two on that list). We all walked around and explored the city of Venice. Like Rome and Florence, the city can be very touristy in most areas but we managed to find the places where the locals lived and got an inside perspective of the city. The highlight of the trip must be our ride on the famous Gondola. We had a Gondola man who looked like an Italian Antonio Bandaras give us the 25 minute ride through the canals of Venice which only gave us an even deeper appreciation for the city. I really loved Venice and it was an awesome experience.

From Venice, our group split, some of us went to Milan and flew back to London while the rest of us visited the smaller town of Verona. Verona, as you Shakespeare buffs would know, is where the story of Romeo and Juliette takes place. It also is famous for its ancient Arena, which is similar to that of Rome's Colosseum. The most famous part of Verona is Juliet's balcony where the famous lines "oh Romeo, oh Romeo, where art thou..." took place. leading into the place was a wall covered and smothered with little love notes from people all over the world. Verona was a very nice place and a very relaxing part of our trip.

From Verona, we took the train to Milan and caught our flight back to London. Italy as a whole was a very beautiful place and excellent for a 10 day vacation. I do plan on visiting southern Italy and Sicily next time I return. Until then, Ciao ITALIA!