Istanbul: From Europe to Asia

For my next trip after Berlin, I wanted to get as far away from Denmark as possible. Not because I don't love Denmark, but I wanted to go somewhere completely different (a place that wouldn't break the budget).

                                         

The answer was Istanbul, Turkey. Not only is it ranked as the 2nd largest city in the world (not metropolitan area) at 13 million people, but it remains as the center of European/Asian history over the last few thousand years. In the past, it has been the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Byzantine Empire as well as the Roman Empire. It has been one of the most sought out locations in human history as it was once the key to global economic power. Today, half of the city exists in Europe while the other half lies in Asia; it's quite interesting.
                           

We stayed at Sultan Hostel, which was located on a very touristy street due to its proximity to the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. It was quite a nice hostel with a fun restaurant in the front. Beside the horrible beds and awful women sleeping in the bunk above me, it was a pleasant stay.

Hagia Sophia

DAY 1

The first day, we set out to see as much of the city on foot as we could. 

Topkapi Palace

Blue Mosque

Crossing the Galata Bridge

Walking through the city, you would not believe to the extent that Islam is present. There are mosques everywhere; I mean everywhere. The most shocking aspect was the call to prayer, known as Adhan, initiated by the Muezzin five times a day. It is so loud that it can be clearly heard on top of the thousands of cars and millions of people conducting their daily lives.  

                                            
We made our way to the Galata Tower on the other side of the Galata bridge. The history of the tower is quite remarkable, but it was nothing compared to the views from the top.

That is Asia on the other side of the Bosphorus

My friends Ryan Murnighan on the left and Ryan Couto on the right

Afterwards, we ventured to Taksim Square, where massive riots took place in from May to July of this year.

This was back in July

This was our experience; a little bit different

What does this image remind you of? Cough cough...Any dictator of the last century

                             

Also, Turkish delight is amazing, and EVERYWHERE

Cats and dogs are EVERYWHERE as well. One was especially fond of me. 

                           

That night we spend too long looking for a restaurant, thus we settled for a kebab; which was amazing. 

After taking a break at the hostel, we headed out to the a few bars we heard fun. We ended up meeting a group of Turkish people who showed us around for the night. We had a great night, but it was ended earlier than expected after being hit with a unexpected and volatile bill for table service at a fancy night club. 

                         

                         

DAY 2

We had a late start on day two, but nevertheless, we made it out and about into the city. We stopped to get lunch first, at a place that proved to be overpriced and under par. 

                             

We made our way to the famous Spice Market...

Entrance to spice market

Pistachio baklava was incredible

Afterwards, we got some fresh squeezed pomegranate juice (extremely popular) and then made our way to the ferry which would take us to Asia. 

Not even a famous mosque, no joke

I would say that this ferry ride was my favorite part of the trip. While I can I show you pictures of the way the city looked as the sun set on it while we ventured off into the Bosphorus on our way to Asia, the memory itself is priceless. 

The Asian side of the city, I would say, was much less touristy. We definitely felt out of place. We found a restaurant behind the front counters in a fish market. It looked like a local favorite, so we decided to go for it. We were definitely the only tourists in the restaurant, but it was an interesting experience. Because alcohol is very frowned upon, many people were drinking fermented turnip juice, or Coca-Cola. The fish was great though. 

                     

DAY 3

Our last full day in Istanbul was not the most eventful day, but definitely enjoyable. We began the day by visiting the famous Blue Mosque. Because it is still a functioning mosque, unlike the Hagia Sophia, we had to take our shoes off and women had do wear Burqas to cover their hair. Both the exterior and interior was spectacular. 

Afterwards, we tried to go see the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest outdoor markets in the world, but it was unfortunately closed because it was Sunday. But we found one of the largest outdoor "garage" sales I have ever seen in my life. It was at this moment I felt that I could have been in Iran, Syria, Iraq, etc (minus the violence) and I would have no idea otherwise. While Istanbul is technically a European city, it is still very much in the middle east. 

And Ryan bought this stupid leather hat for who knows what reason. 

The Blue Mosque looks even prettier at night though. 

                            

We had an amazing dinner at the restaurant across from our hotel. It was a Turkish play on "Steak and Frites" with crispy onions and potatoes, a tipi of seared steak covering it, and greek yogurt with pepper infused olive oil surrounding the middle. Amazing. 

I had an early flight the next morning, and therefore I decided to stay up the whole night so that I had no chance of missing my shuttle. To my surprise, I spent a few hours conversing with one of the guys staying in my room. He was a man from Libya, who was currently traveling in order to get his mind off of what was going on in his country. I learned a lot from this man, and to be honest, how lucky I am to live in a peaceful country with great connections around the world. He said he would love to travel to Europe, but because he is Libyan, most countries are very difficult to obtain a visa for. But he did tell me that he is a sportscaster for the Libyan soccer league. Therefore, he is actually famous in his home country; people definitely recognize him on the streets in Libya. He said that he travels a lot for this reason as well, because many people take advantage of him due to his fame. 

What I really learned from him though was how similar he was to me and probably to most Americans. He loves the NBA and knows WAY more than most NBA fans I know. He loves American movies and music; he even loves country music singers like Brad Paisley. It also taught me how the world is centered around the US even at a cultural level, at a certain level. It was a great experience. 

Buddy

Also, there was this dog that Ryan Couto and I had found one night, and he ended up following us back to our hostel from about half a mile away. We named him Buddy. Surprisingly, when I was waiting for my shuttle outside my hostel at 5:30 AM, I recognized him across the street and called him over. He ended up waiting with me for about 15 min until I left. What a great dog. 

Overall, Istanbul was a great experience. I learned so much in so many different ways. The history is incredible, including the way in which the city has developed over the last 100 years. I will not miss restaurant workers grabbing you and trying to convince you to eat at their restaurant, but I will miss the views overlooking the water with countless mosques in the background. If you have not visited, I would most definitely recommend it. 

                               
                             

                           

J-Day! Release of Tuborg's Christmas Brew

Every year, on the first Friday of November, Tuborg releases its famous Christmas brew, known as, Julebryg, as a symbol that the Christmas season is upon us. People line the streets as Tuborg trucks drive down hundreds of streets in central Copenhagen and deliver the Julebryg to the local bars. If you are lucky, you can even get a free one in one of the bars. 

Soon after the initial celebration, Anton and I, had to leave to bar tend the student bar, which on this night was a 24-hour J-dag celebration. When we got there, there were Tuborg employs unloading Julebryg into the bar; we knew it was going to be a fun night. Needless to say, we got as much of it as we wanted. 

                                                     

While bar tending is incredibly fun, I think if I ever got a job at a real bar, I would get fired for giving out too many free shots. Great night though. 

Field Trip to Organic Farm and Organic Brewery

I got back from Berlin late the night before. I was pretty tired, and to be honest, had no idea where the field trip for my "Currently Environmental Challenges for Denmark in a Historical Perspective" was headed to. It turned out to be a great day.

We piled into a bus, and drove about an hour West of Copenhagen to a small "municipality" (collection of villages) which is focusing on converting all conventional farms to organic farms. We visited an organic farmer who is currently raises cattle. His wife made us chocolate cake and coffee which we enjoyed while listening to the farmers and a local politician speak of their current goals for the "municipality".

It was a very small operation, but the farmer, the owner of the only fully-organic supermarket in the country, was quite knowledgeable about the issues and shed light on some very important aspects. 

                                              

Next, we headed off to a local organic brewery known as, Herslev Bryghus (Bryghus meaning brew house). 

The owner gave us a tour of the small factory, which only took about 15 min. They actually grow the barley in a field next door, which is the main connection I noticed to the beer being organic. Afterwards, we went to the main lobby area and got to taste one of the beers. Very good, I must admit. 

Didn't think I would ever go beer tasting with my environmental history class. Great Day in Denmark. 

Berlin: What a complex city

Berlin was quite the city, it is difficult to even know where to start. But I guess I will start with the beginning; that would make the most logical sense.

The train ride, once again, was a lot of fun. After 7 hours, we arrived in the notorious city of Berlin. 

After we settled in at our hostel, Wombats Hostel, we set out to explore the city a bit. 

Then we had a good time at the bar on the top story of hostel, as well as a few clubs. 

Day 2

The following day, we set out explore the city some more. My main site of interest was the Wall, of course. But this is what we saw along the way...

Damaged during the bombings of WWII

Karl Marx Memorial

The filming of a Vince Vaughn and Dave Franco movie, "The Business Trip", was being filmed in a central part of Berlin. Pretty cool. 

Don't know how this will be incorporated into the movie

Currywurst...Super popular in Berlin

Charlie's Checkpoint

Charlie's Checkpoint

The last remaining 100m of the Wall

Nazi Terror Museum...Difficult to go through

Holocaust Memorial

Many buildings that still stand from the war still have bullet and shrapnel damage

Then, we found out about the best Doner Kebab in the city (which were invented by Turkish immigrants in Berlin), known as Mustafa's . For those of you who watch Seinfeld, it reminds me of "the soup Nazi" which is something I should not have said out loud while inline (oops). We actually waited an hour to get one of these kebabs, but by far the best I have ever had. 

Chicken kebab meat, cucumbers, lettuce, bell peppers, onions, potatoes,
special tzatziki sauce, and feta cheese on almost a ciabatta bun

Day 3

I made the decision to take a morning tour to a concentration camp about an hour north of the city. Known to be the Nazi's model concentration camp, over 55,000 prisoners died at  Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp between 1940-1945 when it was liberated by Russian and Polish troops. 

Means "work makes (you) free" in German. It was motivation for prisoners to work harder. 

This is actually a very controversial memorial that was put up in 1961 by the Soviet controlled East German government. During WWII, those that were imprisoned her for being communist were given a red arrow to wear. This memorial only commemorates the communist prisoners that died, neglecting the Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, etc. The memorial commemorates the victory of communism over fascism. 

Gas chambers

Crematorium 

While it may not have been a happy tour, visiting Sachsenhausen was a great experience; what I learned that day was invaluable. 

Some interesting facts:

When the Soviets took control, instead of dissembling the camp, they actually continued to use it for their own political prisoners etc. where thousands more died. 

There was one portion of the camp that was specifically used for high profile prisoners. Stalin's son, who was a lieutenant in the Russian Military, was actually captured in battle and held here. At the time, Russian troops had captured a high ranking Nazi general. The Nazis offered a deal to exchange Stalin's son for the Nazi general. Stalin's response, "Why would I trade a lieutenant for a general?" Stalin's son ending up "committing suicide" at the camp a year later; he deliberately stepped into the "no man's land" and was shot from the guard tower. This proves how ruthless and little soul that Stalin had. 

Unfortunately, I got lost on my way back from the tour and ended up missing my bus with all of my friends to Prague. Instead of trying to waste money to get there in another way, I decided to stay in Berlin for Friday and Saturday night and hangout with the group of people I had met on the tour. One guy was from Melbourne, Australia, a girl from Perth, Australia, a girl from London, and a guy from Washington DC who goes to Clemson. They are all studying in Denmark's second largest city, Aarhus. 

I actually had a lot of fun with them. I got to see some of the sights again, which I really enjoyed because the history of Berlin is so complex and rich. 

Randomly saw this contraption on the last day. It is a "bicycle bar" where everyone is peddling while enjoying beers. It's crazy that this actually exists. Wish we could have done it. 

Overall, Berlin was an amazing city. I would really like to study the history in more depth in the future. I look forward to going back one day.