Joe Schwa

New!!! The travel section...where I attempt to chronicle my experiences on the road. The idea is to click on a country flag in order to go to a new page with pics and commentary...(still in progress)

Lived there for a month with the Delapoulle family in Normandy, near St. Malo. Spent a lot of time on the beach or in the water: sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and trying to understand what everyone was saying. Spoke nothing but French during this time and ate like a champ.

Spent a week with an Army sponsor family in Stuttgart, with a side-trip to Munich. Traveled with Jason Paulsen and Paul Detar during Xmas, spent a lot of time drinking good beer, hot wine, and the best sausages I've ever had.

Stop #1 in a whirwind tour of Europe with a C-130 squadron while on summer cruise in Brunswick, Maine. Dined on fresh monkfish and Portugese red wine.

Stop #2 near Cambridge, stopped in a bar near a horse track that had a lot of (allegedly) famous jockeys hanging around. So we towered over them, drank warm beer and eventually hit the clubs all night. Then back on the C-130!

Stop #3, just a quickie in Aviano. Didn't really get to see much, so I need to go back...

Stop #4 was one day and night in Rota, just enough time to hit the beach, get some paella, and hit the clubs. My, those women could dance.

Just what the Hot Room (minus Dolly) needed: a week in Puerto Vallarta with young vibrant Spring Breakers to decompress before cruise. Damn those shot girls with their whistles- why did they make me drink so much tequila?

Funny how we were met by anti-nuke protesters, but welcomed warmly in all the establishments. Turns out everything in Japan is a little smaller, and the Karaoke bars are the best place to hang out. The Nagasaki peace museum was serene and sad.

Definitely one of my favorite ports- amazing views from Victoria Peak, the world's largest Buddha, stinky seafood markets and the naughty allure of dirty Wan Chai. What more do you need?

"Four floors of...", crazy cabbies that talk like Yoda, monkeys galore as well as "buy-me-drink" girls. Just gotta make sure it really is a girl at some point!

This tiny, filthy rich island country oddly reminded me of a 3rd-world Vegas. Great golf, decent food, and terrifying Arab cabbies. My advice: don't sit in the front seat and do haggle for a good 5 minutes (minimum) for almost anything you may want to buy.

***Favorite place I've visited yet. Granted, we stayed two weeks, during their summer/our winter, playing golf with kangaroos on the course, scuba diving the reefs, and surfing by day. The nightlife had a multitude of bands playing cool bars with friendly (hot) locals. Nearby- wine country. I'm amazed we didn't lose more of the crew.

Thanks to a flight delay on the way to Africa, I got a free night in Amsterdam, all expenses paid. Made some new friends and checked out the unique offerings of this fine city. I'd say the Dutch are the most hospitable people (as a group) I've met yet.

When a friend mentioned climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, I said "Sounds like fun, sign me up." Turns out it was cold, rigorous, and not a little dangerous, but definitely the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen: 19,340 feet on top of a volcano with a massive glacier...that's going to be hard to beat.

A state nonetheless, but far enough away and exotic enought to be conisdered foreign travel. 6 weeks on Oahu resulted in some of the best sunsets, scuba diving, and golf I have ever experienced. Not to mention the kind locals I befriended. Mahalo and Aloha!

Stockhom, Hemavan, and the dogs. During the Hot Room Eurotrip 06/07, Gupta and I relaxed in Stockholm before dogsledding near the arctic circle in northern Sweden. We also caught the Alfred Nobel Museum and ate a lot of reindeer.

In Prague, we met up with Little Willow, Atholton Alumnus and younger sibling of my classmate, Big Willow. He treated us right, helping us get the local experience and connecting us with other Americans and ex-pats. The highlight for me: the "Anatomical Clock" in the main church square :)

New Year's in Austria was unique and enriching. By night we ate shnitzel and sausage, washed down with gluwein and spiked hot cider. By day, we took in breathtaking scenes of central Europe's finest architectural specimens. Their idea of fireworks was totally different than ours: instead of a city-sponsored show, everyone brings their own and lights them off in the main town square! Dangerous, but fun.