Drifting through Istanbul, Turkey

Two weekends ago I had the great opportunity of taking a trip to Istanbul, Turkey. I have witnessed many Asian and European cultures, but somewhere like Turkey, a Middle Eastern culture was totally new. Istanbul is an interesting country situated on two different countries resulting in both a Europe side and an Asia side. I had no idea what to expect going to somewhere like Istanbul which is built upon different traditions, customs, and a deep history within the region.

I made the flight with one of my roommates (Jason) and three other classmates (Tyler, Phil, and Matt) who lived down the hall from us. Three hours later and a quick stop in Munich we were in Istanbul. Immediately upon arriving in the airport you could sense a different environment. Istanbul is a huge city with over 13 million residents and you could feel an intense rush in the atmosphere. Clothing styles were drastically different and shop signs were in Turkish or Arabic, a language style I had never really witnessed in person before. In many European languages you can make a good guess as to what some of the words could mean, in Turkish that wasn't going to happen. After looking around for transportation to our hostel in the city center we eventually were able to find a large bus to take us. Upon entering we thought purchasing a ticket meant you were reserved a seat. It really just bought you a spot to stand in the crowded and heated bus. A half hour later of standing we were at our station and tried out our first Turkish kebab which didn't disappoint. We eventually found our hostel a couple hours later after searching and getting distracted by the busy city center. Upon arriving at the hostel we were told that we would have to knock on the door after 10:00, because they would be shutting the lights and locking the doors up. This we learned was due to the increased police security measures put up after the protests that had occurred this summer. This also answered why there were so many cops with riot materials situated throughout the main square.

During our four days in Istanbul we traveled to a wide variety of locations that we wouldn't be able to venture into in Europe. This included the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia, Blue Sophia, Basilica Cisterns, and a ferry ride between Europe and Asia. Each was beautiful and unique in their own ways. I was much more excited to see the mosques after seeing so many churches the last few months. It was quite an experience learning about how the mosques are shut off to the public for certain periods throughout the day for people to come in and do their praying sessions. Sirens would go off throughout the city with a man chanting the prayers from the mosques. The Grand Bazaar was also an interesting experience. Here we practiced our bargaining skills out and found out how well we could really haggle with the merchants. The Grand Bazaar was filled with everything from gold, silver, textiles, silk goods, spices, to any item you could really think of. One item we all had on our wish list were the Tshalvar pants, aka Aladin pants. Eventually we came across a man who sold them and gave us a group discount price at 35 liras a piece. Not too shabby.

The Basilica Cisterns were an amazing sight to see. We were able to go down to the cisterns on our last night in Istanbul and were definitely surprised at what the stairs lead us down to when we initially entered. The cistern is made up a system of waterways that guide the river water underneath the city through a system of channels. The whole system is also supported by stone pillars which made the whole view even grander. There was a very eerie, mysterious feel when you walked around the cistern because of the dim lighting, humid atmosphere, and grandness of the whole system. After the Basilica Cisterns we decided to treat ourselves to a nice seafood restaurant that definitely quenched my desire for some great seafood. A sea bass, glass of red wine, and some additional shopping for the moms and we were on our way back to the hostel to hit the Turkish nightlife once again. Istanbul has a great nightlife and some of the hangouts provided some amazing views of the city.

Two things I will always remember about Istanbul are the friendliness of the Turkish people and the delicious street oysters which were always an early morning snack. My initial mindset of the Turkish people was that they would be cold and hesitant towards Westerners. I was definitely wrong. Anywhere we went someone would be willing to socialize with us, guide us in the right direction, or happily practice their English with you. They are a very receptive and open type of people that you could build many strong relationships with. As with the street oysters, Phil and I could never get enough of. Our first night was an initial purchase of 30 oysters, which then grew to 50, and 80 over the course of the next few nights. You can't find a much better 2 a.m. snack that will hit the spot as these oysters always did for us. Mixed with rice and spices this local Turkish specialty is something I highly recommend if you make your way through Istanbul.

Living it up in Praha

Things have been so busy around here that I find myself skipping meals throughout the day and instead venturing off to some new activity in this busy city. Every day I learn something new, make new friends, or discover something amazing that I would have never realized if I had never made this move to Prague. I have been in Europe now over two months and it's crazy to think that midterms are already sneaking up on us in a couple weeks. One of these weekends I am going to have to just settle down for a few days and get some real studying in to make up for all the studying I probably should have been doing all along. But hey, when your in Europe or some foreign country how can you not have the urge to travel to another country when you have four days off in a row. For me this is the best moment to see as much of Europe as I can and to make the most of it.

This past weekend I was in Amsterdam once again. I have decided Amsterdam to be my favorite city of all the city's I've been to so far. There is just something magical about that city, whether it be the kind people, city architecture, amazing history of the area, or endless amounts of activities to keep you busy with. I flew over with a few of my roommates for the Amsterdam Music Festival which is considered to be one of the biggest electronic music festivals in the world. It did not disappoint. The only negative factor about the trip was the long train ride back home. For you future travelers out there, if your to do a night train..Buy a couchette. A seat may seem like the cheapest way to go to get back, but you will find yourself in a bind trying to get a good nights sleep. Just my little piece of advice.

This coming weekend my roommates and I have decided to make one last trip out of the Czech Lands before we hammer down on studying the next week. Our travels will take us through the Slovakian capital of Bratislava..through Hungary again and to the Serbian capital of Belgrade. We thought we'd take a challenge and venturer further down into southeast Europe which may seem treacherous to many. We thought about making it even more adventourous and tried renting a car to drive down to Belgrade. However, Serbia is not part of the European Union and we were told by the company we weren't allowed to drive there. So the car will have to wait for another trip.

As soon as I hit Slovakia I will post pics!

Life in Prague Thus Far..

Its crazy to think how fast time has flown by already when I initially flew in on September 4th. Its already been a month and it feels like to has been so much shorter than that. However, this past month has been filled with different activities and wild nights that have definitely made for some memorable times. Classes officially started last week and with it will come homework and projects to eat up some of my free time. This past month I also made sure to get in as much traveling as I could before school started. My roommates and I have traveled through Vienna, Budapest, and Munich for Oktoberfest. Each city was beautiful and had it's own distinct features to help you remember the good times you had there. I still have a long list of places I'd like to visit this semester so we'll see how many I can get to.

Life in Prague is definitely interesting, especially living in a cramped dorm with five other guys. I currently have two other roommates from Colorado and three from Calgary one of whom I share a room with. We have an extremely small kitchen for the amount of people we have and of course have to utilize the space we have the best we can. Our first week we did a ton of shopping at the shopping center called Kauffland, where we bought all the home necessities, bathroom materials, and food. We also stopped by Ikea a few times to pick up new bed covers, sheets, and desk items since the material provided was awful. This included coming across dead bugs in the bedding to blood stained sheets. However, now that we have settled in things have gotten much more comfortable and everyones been able to adjust quickly.

The Czech food is very bland, not much taste, and all potato based. Czech food form what we have come across is mostly beef/pork with a side of sour cabbage and "dumplings" which are nothing like Chinese dumplings. It's basically a few pieces of moist bread that mix in with the dish sauce. There is also gulash in every restaurant which is a beef soup and tar tar a dish that consists of raw meat, something I personally have yet to try. My roommates and I have however scouted out other good restraunts to eat at if we are not stacking up on grocery at the local Albert's or Kaufflands. Its amazing how quickly we eat our food and have to go back out within a couple days to buy another shopping cart full of food. The grocery shopping though has made for some great cooking experiences between all the roommates as we have experimented and made some delicious meals. For restaurants we have come across some nearby places that fit our budget, provide a decent meal, and have good priced beer. The beer here is great and have a great amount of options for us to select from. What's more enticing is beer is a third of the price of water and Czech people here have a problem with just giving you straight faucet water. They will always bring you a glass bottle for which they charge you of course.

Czech people are a mixed sort. Obviously wherever you go you will come across both friendly and unfriendly people. However, the Czech people are definitely a more reserved and self absorbed type who keep strictly to themselves. No one socializes on the trams or tries to engage with others. I believe it has to do with the cultural history of the country, having gone through so many social changes especially with the Communistic control. Many Czech people don't speak English either, especially the older generations who speak to you in some mixed type of sign language with each question you ask them. The younger generation are a bit more open and enjoy getting to practice their English when they have the chance. My Czech Language class will definitely come to use here this semester. A majority of my classes don't include Czech students which is a bit of a bummer, but at the same time I get to meet many other foreign students. I have made many new friends here and have met many other US students as well. Colorado definitely dominates as the state with the most students studying here.

I will update soon with photos of some of my journeys to the other countries soon and life in Prague again when I find a few mins to spare.

Beautiful Barcelona (Originally Aug 25 - 29)

My last destination together with my mother was Barcelona. I've always heard about the great architecture, amazing seafood, and exciting nightlife of Barcelona, so I was excited to see this for myself. When we landed in Barcelona you immediately felt the climate change and the appearance of palm trees gave you the signal that you were near the ocean. Growing up in Colorado is great, but one thing I would love to live by is the sea. Hopefully, that happens in the near future. After been dropped off at the wrong hotel by our taxi driver we had to figure out how to get to the right hotel. It was late already and we just wanted to get settled in. After a little assistance from the hotel and another taxi we were finally at our hotel.

Throughout our time in Barcelona we tried visiting as many of the Gaudi architectural pieces as we could. Gaudi designed numerous buildings throughout the city and they were all spread out. To track every one down would definitely take some time and effort. Gaudi's designs were incorporated  into everything from churches, business buildings, parks, restaurants, and living spaces. His work was definitely one of the most creative and artistically challenging I had seen on my trip so far.  We also visited the local Barcelona museum which gave a good insight on how the area developed and struggled under the Franco dictatorship. Barcelona actually resides under an autonomous community called Catalonia which has always seem itself as being an independent area from Spain. They also speak their own language or dialect of Spanish called Catalonian to make things even more interesting. We also ventured around the harbor to try out the local seafood. Every restaurant we went to made delicious seafood and some paella (a local delicacy with rice and mixed meat/vegetables). This is yet another reason why I must move near the sea.

Barcelona was a beautiful city. I didn't get to venture into the nightlife too much as I wanted, but that will be a trip I will make with friends someday. At this point I was headed to Portugal while my mom returned to the US. Last year I made many Portuguese friends while studying in Lithuania, so it was time to have a reunion with some amazing friends.