Croatia I love you

I am Currently in Zagreb, Croatia and I've throughly enjoyed my time here in this beautiful country.  I started in Dubrovnik moved my way up the coast to Split and then over to the Capital Zagreb before I make my way over to Budapest, Hungary and then to Munich, Germany for the last weekend of Oktoberfest.  I've heard great things about the craziness that goes on during Oktoberfest, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Two words that represent the the people of Croatia "Super Friendly".  Time and time again they have gone overboard in making me feel welcomed in their country.  From making pizza orders, finding out what time the trains run, giving me free drinks because I play guitar at their hostel, and other things.  I can't say enough about the people here.  Their english level is great and it seems as though everyone speaks english and if they can't they do their best in trying to make do with their english capability.

So where to next?  Budapest, Hungary.  I am a month away from my music festival Oxjam in London, so I'm trying to see as much as possible by the time I make it there.  At each hostel I've been to, I've played music for the travelers making the experience awesome.  Everyone really seems to be enjoying my music and are eager to hear more.  I guess thats a good sign :) .   Today I played for 2 guatemalan girls that had overheard me the night before, but didn't get a chance to hear me sing.  Before they caught their train to Slovenia I promised I would play them a song.  After we got done touring the city of Zagreb, I pulled out the guitar and played them one of my tunes.  I decided to play them my song "The Wonder of Love."  After the song I looked up and saw one of the girls crying, she gave me a big hug, took a picture with me and asked if I would sign an autograph for her.  This was a special feeling that I really can't describe in words.  The ability to touch someone's heart with music is something that is special and a gift and for that I am very thankful.  It's been great here in Croatia.
Now onto Budapest.

 let the Good Vibes movement and spread of the Self-Discover Album continue


www.LiveGoodVibes.com

Alive and well

Its been a crazy week and a half.  I flew from Athens to Istanbul where I stayed for 3 nights enjoying the sites that Turkey had to offer.  I wish I could have stayed longer, but to see alot of Turkey you need a good amount of time because the country is so big.  While in Turkey I took a ferry around the Myanmar sea, checked out the famous Blue Mosque and dabbled in some Turkish ice-cream.  I had a good time, but was ready to get to eastern Europe!

I took a flight from Istanbul to Sarajevo, Bosnia.  I never ever thought I'd go to Bosnia, but let me tell you the city is freaking beautiful, the people are super friendly and the stories I heard were mind blowing. While busking on the streets of Sarajevo, I met a guy who was 13 years old during the war back in 1992 that lasted for 3 years.  Many of the Bosnian people fled as refugees, while others stayed back and took cover during the siege. My friend that I met on the street said, "We could hear bombs dropping everyday.  It became normal and a part of everyday life.  People left dead in the streets, It was horrible"  After hearing stories such as this I get a sense of realizing how lucky I am to live in a country where war isn't at our doorsteps each and everyday.  During my ride in from the airport you could see bullet holes all along the sides of buildings from the war reminding you of the fight that took place in Sarajevo roughly 20 years ago.

Now I am in Dubrovnik, Croatia.  A beautiful city that literally sits on the ocean.  More to come as I being these next few days.  Catch the web-series out Monday night at 7:30pm

www.LiveGoodVibes.com

3:00am bus to airport Greece-Turkey

3:00am, bags packed and ready to head to Istanbul, Turkey.  These past three days in Athens have been awesome.  Enjoying some more sight-seeing that I missed due to wanting to get to the Greek Isles, and let me tell you I missed alot.  I have nothing bad to say about Mykonos, but it was the island of Santorini where I stayed in the town of Thira where I can honestly say is probably one of the most amazing places on the planet.  While Trying to make a decision on where to go next, I ended up booking two extra nights and it was well wroth it.

If you ever go to Santorini and you want to stay in a Hostel, I would highly recommend Caveland hostel.  A  hostel that was an old wine cellar years and years ago before they closed it down and turned it into a hostel.  All I can really say is the place is amazing and it would blow your mind..

The decision is to head to Istanbul, after a difficult decision, hoping to make it from Israel to Turkey, Croatia and so on.  My best bet was to use my Frequent Flier miles after London and head to Israel towards the end of October then back the west for the rest of Europe.



The web-series should be an interesting one so stay tuned for Monday nights episode.  The Video will be posted Monday night @ 7:30pm.  For a sneak peak, I've been meeting the locals and even had the chance to jam my song "Around The World"with a local musician on the street!  Thanks for watching and keep in touch

To view the web-series you must go to WWW.LIVEGOODVIBES.COM

To Greece We Go WEB SERIES VIDEO

It's Monday at 4:33pm and yes I am still in Santorini.  I thought I was leaving, but still wasn't quite ready to leave this beautiful place.  I head back to Athens Greece tomorrow afternoon and then it's to... Israel... I think I'm not sure it's been difficult finding a good way to get there where it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg.  No worries though,

 The first web-series video is now ready.  Visit www.LiveGoodVibes.com to view it.

www.LIVEGOODVIBES.COM

Island Hopping

It's almost been a week here in Greece.  I flew into Athens and stayed in the "Backpacker Athens" hostel which is about a 5 minute walk to the Acropolis ruins.  It was an awesome place to stay for a few days, where I met other travelers on "holiday" meaning they pretty much take the entire month of August off to go travel around, while others were traveling for 6 months because their new job didn't start until January of next year.  It's hard to wrap my head around 6 months of living a life out of a backpack.  It's only been a week out of my 3 months and so far it's been a non-stop adventure.  Waking up a 7 am when you've been out until 4am to catch a ferry to Mykonos is brutal, but that fades away as you approach the Island and see it's beauty.  Imagine this, a beautiful rocky island in the middle of the Mediterranean, crystal blue water, not a cloud in the sky, sitting at the beach enjoying a cold one.

I am currently in Santorini a Greek Island that sits around an active volcano.  Probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen.  Fera, the town we are staying in sits on top of a cliff that is 1,000s of feet from the Mediterranean.  It's pretty unbelievable to think how man has been able to construct a city so high up.  As I was riding in the public bus up to the Hostel all you can think about is that if this bus is to blow a tire and run off the side of the road then we are all done.  Thank god that didn't happen.

I woke up at 1:15pm this afternoon, and that my friends is an all-time record.  Typically I am up a 8:30am waking people up.  I guess my body just needed the sleep to rejuvenate who knows.  What's next? Turkey then Israel or Israel then Turkey....  still trying to make the decision. 

Stay tuned for the web-series on Monday

Buy a Good Vibes T-shirt and watch the web-series @ www.LiveGoodVibes.com
Buy the Self Discovery Album @ iTunes


www.LiveGoodVibes.com

Bound For Greece

It’s 3:17pm here in Philadelphia, PA as I sit in the food court munching on a chick-fil-a chicken sandwich getting ready for my flight bound for Greece at 4:20pm. It’s funny how the actual flight time is at 4:20, not sure everyone will get this, but if you do light one up for Big AL :).

Last night my flight from Charleston to Philadelphia was canceled due to miss Hurricane Irene causing problems in the northeast, but no worries I flew to Charlotte at 11:00am and then on to Philly before my 4:20 departure to Greece. It all worked out perfect because it actually allowed me to sleep in a few extra hours.



I have no idea what to expect when I arrive to Greece and have only been subjecting myself to online reviews and people I’ve met that have shared there stories with me, but from the sounds of it, Greece is gonna be a blast. I haven’t even booked a Hostel to stay in yet, so I’m sure my mom will be worried half to death.

p.s. Ma nothing to worry about, I’ll be ok :).

The flight from Philly to Greece is 17 hours long, so I’m praying that there will be online Wi-Fi so I can get everything situated and keep myself occupied.

Also, thank you to everyone who has purchased either my debut Album “Self Discovery” or a “Good Vibes” T-Shirt. Your support is much appreciated and I truly think you for this.

For info on where to buy my Album please go to iTunes and Search for
Allen Smith or Self Discovery

To buy a Good Vibes T-shirt please visit www.LiveGoodVibes.com and click on T-shirts

Boston and back!

My first trip to the city of Boston, MA was awesome.  My business partner and close friend Dan Greenberg lives in the North End, an area surrounded by history of over 300 years.  Paul Revere's Old North Church, Bunker Hill Monument, the U.S.S Constitution, and the site of the Boston Massacre were just a few of the historic sites I got to see.  I wish I would have been able to catch a Red Sox game, but there were busy beatin down the Kansas City Royals in KC, so no luck there.

As a first timer in Boston one thing I really noticed about the city was the sense of pride you felt to be an American.  It's really where America got started and walking on the same streets as some of the founding fathers was a so-real  experience.

Now back to the business... We've launched the www.LiveGoodVibes.com site, so be sure to be on the lookout for any updates we will begin to announce on there.  Athen's Greece in a week