Best Trip of the Semester - Istanbul, Turkey

Hey all!

Sorry it has been a while... I've been slacking on catching up with my blog.  Anyway, here we go again!  This time, I'm going to talk about my four day trip to Istanbul, Turkey.  It was the longest trip I've taken since being here (unfortunately, I have class M, T, Th, and F so it's tough to get away for too many extended vacations) and was also the most rewarding.  Turkey was #1 on my list when I came to Europe, and I'm happy to have had the opportunity to visit!! 


DAY 1


I traveled to Istanbul with my friend Joe, the other American at our university.  He had a friend doing an exchange program in Jordan visiting, so our plan was to meet up with them.  We left Brno around 9am on a bus to Vienna Airport, as it was the closest airport with cheap, direct flights.  Once again, we used Student Agency for bus transportation... They are great!  We flew out of Vienna airport sometime early afternoon on Turkish Airlines.  Okay, me being an airplane nut, I must say... Turkish Airlines was GREAT!!!!!  It was only a 2 hour flight, yet we were served a full meal with free drinks by awesome flight attendants.  The round-trip flight cost us a little over $200.  It was overall one of the best flight experiences I have ever had (and I've done a lot of traveling!).  I would highly recommend Turkish Airlines to anyone looking to travel to Istanbul or anywhere else in that region!

We arrived into Istanbul around 5pm.  It took us a while to get into the city... First, we had to secure a visitor's visa.  In Turkey, everyone is required to have a visa.  This is really easily obtainable, as you can just purchase one in the airport... Pretty nice!  For Americans, the cost was $20 per visa.  They are good for up to 90 days and include re-entry.  After visa, we went through customs and passport control.  There were quite a few people visiting Istanbul so this process took another half hour or so. 

After getting out of the airport, we took public transportation to the city center, which took a good hour or so.  The city is HUGE!!!  We were told somewhere around 16 million people live there.  This is where Istanbul's primary attractions are found: The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia.  The hostel we stayed in was called Antique Hostel and located literally three minutes from the entrance to the Blue Mosque.  Definitely highly recommended for visitors!  A super friendly staff with nice, clean rooms and very affordable.  We didn't do much that night as it was pretty late by the time we finally made it to our hostel.

View of the Blue Mosque at night.

 View from our Hostel :)

View of Hagia Sofia at night, with some gorgeous fountains to go along with it!

Another shot of Hagia Sofia.


DAY 2


Our second day was filled by trips to Princes' Islands!  These are about an hour and a half ferry ride from the center of Istanbul.  It's pretty easy to find public transportation routes to where the ferries leave from, you'll just have to do a Google search to figure out the closest to you!  I believe the ferry was like $2 one way, so not bad at all.  We got a good night sleep and ended up departing sometime around 11am.

There are several islands that make up Princes' Islands, and four of them are stopped at along the ferry routes.  All four have small cities, and they are all gorgeous!  Automobiles are non-existent on the islands; the exceptions are for medical and construction vehicles.  However it is extremely rare to see one.  That was pretty cool for all of us! 

For the cost of maybe $10, we rented bicycles for the entire day on the fourth and final island stopped at by the ferry.  This is known as the actual "Princes' Island" and is the largest of them all.  We biked around the entire island, getting a good workout in the process!  We also embarked on our own little rock-climbing excursion at one point, climbing to one of the tallest points on the island so as to be able to see the entire city and surrounding sea.  It was DEFINITELY worth it!  Such an incredible view...  Istanbul appears to stretch forever, despite being quite a ways away and looking tiny.

After spending several hours on the island, we returned to Istanbul.  It was a pretty quiet night, involving some really good Turkish hookah and a cool hookah bar.  Suggestion:  If you go to Istanbul, you MUST go to Princes' Islands!!  They were incredible and gave me an entirely different impression of Istanbul than that which I had before this trip.  Here are a few pics of day #2:

View of one of the islands as we rode the ferry.

The food we ate on the island.  It was seriously some of the best food I've ever had!!!

View from part-way up the island.

 Street view of the town on Princes' Island.  No cars!


DAY 3


We found ourselves visiting the Grand Bazaar, another Mosque, and Asia on Day 3!  We started off by walking from our hostel to the Bazaar.  From the Blue Mosque, it is only a 15-ish minute walk so no need to use public transit.  We were blown away at the sheer size of the market!  It consists of over 50 blocks of streets, all covered by roofing/canvas, with what seemed like millions of markets and goods.  You can literally find anything in there.. Souvenirs, swords, authentic Turkish clothing, lamps, even Beats by Dre.  Anything!  We spend a couple hours just walking around and taking everything in.  Joe bought himself a lamp. 

Inside the Grand Bazaar.

After the Grand Bazaar, we started walking back towards where the ferries were docked.  We were determined to go to Asia!!  If you didn't know, Istanbul is situated on both European and Asian soil.  2/3rds of the city is in Europe, including all the main attractions, airport, etc.  The other part of the city is across from the Bosphorus and technically in Asia.  Along the way, we found another very impressive Mosque and decided to check it out.  Its name is Süleymaniye Mosque and it was gorgeous!  A little off the beaten path, there were fewer tourists around it than the larger two in the center.  We checked it out for a good hour, then went on our way.

 Süleymaniye Mosque interior.

The Asia side of Istanbul was still gorgeous, but there was nothing super special to see.  We eventually ate food (naturally at McDonald's, just so we can all say we've eaten McD's in Asia!) and then went to a bar and hung out for a while.  That night, I believe we went to Taxim, which is one of the busiest and craziest parts of Istanbul!  Definitely worth checking out if you want to experience Istanbul night life.

Asia!


DAY 4


 Final day in Istanbul!!  Our flight left early afternoon, so we got as much done in the morning as possible.  The first thing we did was actually go inside Hagia Sophia... Unbelievable!!  Hagia Sophia is a legend in regards to architecture (for you architecture students/enthusiasts, you know that!) and definitely did not disappoint.  The entrance fee was not too bad... Maybe $10 or $15, I honestly can't remember.  There is so much history and stuff to see, you could be in there a while depending on how interested you are in the available information.  It was a beautiful piece of work!

The second, and final thing we did prior to heading to the airport, was visit the Galata Tower.  This tower gives you probably the best panoramic view of Istanbul!!  It was maybe another $10 to go up it, but again, totally worth the price.  The tower is quite old but has been renovated on the inside to include an elevator, as well as a restaurant and small club on the top floors.  You have to check it out when visiting!!

On the second floor inside Hagia Sophia.

Panorama view of Istanbul from above the Galata Tower.  The two large buildings you can see on the left are the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.

Final shot of the Blue Mosque from Istanbul... Until next time!  And don't worry, because there will definitely be a next time :)


Well, hope you enjoyed my little tour I gave of Istanbul!  We were there for two full days and two half days and saw a lot.  However, it would be super easy to spend a couple weeks in the city and still not see everything.  Things we didn't see that were on the list:  The wall, the aquaducts, more of the nightlife, the northern part of the Bosphorus (there are supposedly some great ruins that you can see with guided tours), and others.  It is also very easy to take tours to other Turkey attractions, including Troy and others, from Istanbul.  It was one of my favorite places I've ever visited and I HIGHLY recommend it to other travel enthusiasts! :)

Until next time!

-Jake

Day Trip to Bratislava, Slovakia

Hello again!

We decided to spend just one day in the capital of Slovakia... Bratislava.  No, it is NOT like how it's portrayed in the movie Euro Trip (actually that was somewhere in Prague!).  As you might be familiar with, the Czech Republic and Slovakia used to be the same country, prior to the early 1990's; Czechoslovakia.  The two countries are VERY similar, having mainly the same language (albeit a few small pronunciation and grammatical differences) and same traditions, etc.  Both are in the European Union, and while the Czech Republic decided to keep their currency (korun), Slovakia switched to the Euro.

We left for Bratislava sometime mid-morning using again the Student Agency bus.  The ride took approximately 2 hours and I think for round trip tickets, the cost was somewhere around 20 euros... Not too bad!  After getting into Bratislava, we went straight up to the main castle which is situated on a hill overlooking the city.  We spent probably an hour or two there (it's basically the only real attraction in the city) and then found some good, authentic Slovak food.  After that we still had a couple hours to kill, so we decided to check out some Slovak pubs :)

As I said, there really was not too much to see in main-stream Bratislava.  The castle overlooking the city is the "new" castle... Apparently there is an "old" castle a little outside the city, but we did not get to see it.  Here are a few pics of what we were able to see in Bratislava!

In conclusion, I determined Bratislava was a pretty nice place... Just without all that much to see.   You really only need three or four hours to see the city, unless you're looking at going somewhere outside the town of course.  It was definitely worth it though, and I can add Slovakia to my list of countries I've visited! :)

Until next time! 

-Jake

Weekend Trip to Vienna, Austria!

Hey all!

So I went on a weekend trip to Vienna, Austria a little bit ago and just wanted to share a little bit about the trip :)  It was only a two hour bus ride from Brno, and cost maybe 14 Euro (less than $20) for a round trip ticket.  We used the Student Agency for the bus, which actually works out pretty well!  You can reserve tickets online, then pick them up from the Student Agency office located right in the main center of Brno.  Here's a link to their website (in English):

http://www.studentagency.eu/

They are a great option for buses to Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, and many other places, so check them out if you are looking to travel around Europe!  Anyway, we took a very early bus and arrived at dawn in Vienna.  Basically we decided to look around a bit, get some breakfast, and find a nice park and sleep for a few hours since we pulled an all-nighter to get onto our bus.  We then spent the entire day exploring and looking around the main areas of the city.  And it was GORGEOUS!!  Probably one of the nicest large cities I have ever been to.  Here are a few pics of what we saw our first day:

There were so many places and gigantic palaces, I was not able to keep them all straight!  It was amazingly beautiful though.

The Underground was actually extremely convenient and easy to use.  We didn't really pay for any tickets.... Which makes me feel kind of guilty but we were just there for two days.... and the routes went all over the city making it very easy and convenient to go from place to place.

Our hostel was Hostel Hutteldorf, located in the Vienna suburb of Hutteldorf.  It was also a pretty nice hostel, and very large!  At least compared to the ones I had stayed in on previous trips to Europe.  It was definitely a young person's hostel, and we actually met another guy from America that was just on a 6 month "travel-around-the-world" tour and who seemed pretty cool.  Here's a link to the Hostel, if anyone would like to check it out :)


http://www.hostel.at/en/hostel-hutteldorf/


That night, we all went out to eat at this little local restaurant (I can't remember the name of it) next to Hostel Hutteldorf.  I had one of the BEST meals I've ever had in my life.... It was schnitzel with bacon and a bunch of other stuff on it, doused in some amazing sauce I've never had before.  We had some delicious local brew beer and I had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.  SOO GOOD!!! I wish I had taken a couple pics of our meals.  Then, later that night, we went to a place called "Museum's Quarter" which is this center with a couple gigantic museums, but turns into basically a gigantic party at night.  We had a great time there, and eventually made it back to our hostel!

The next day was the second day of sight-seeing in Vienna.  Our bus left that night at 8:00pm, so we wanted to check out as much stuff as we possibly could.  We saw a lot, including the gorgeous Schonbrunn Palace, the Rathaus, and some huge "Sports Festival" in the center of the Royal Apartments.  Here are a few pics of our sights we saw the second day:

It was quite the successful trip!!  While I showed several pics of our adventures, there are still many, many more.  Vienna is such a huge city... It is almost as if you run into a gigantic and impressive building everywhere you turn.  An amazing time, without question!  We made it back to our bus and back to Brno by that night.

Well, that's all for now!  Next, I'll post a quick blog with a few pics about my day trip to the Capital of Slovakia: Bratislava :)

Cheers!  (or, in Czech... Na zdravi!)

Update from Brno :)

Hey!

It's been a little while... I've been trying to get acquainted to my new home here!  Classes are going quite well.  My schedule is pretty relaxed, as I have one class a day, always in the afternoon.  The courses are not too difficult so far.  Luckily I have a bit of an advantage over the other ERASMUS students since my native language is English!  Here is a list of the classes I am taking:

• Java Programming Language
• Fundamentals of Artificial Intellligence
• Algorithms
• Czech History and Culture

I actually have it pretty easy compared to the other students.  I am taking the equivalent of 17 ECTS credits, which is the European standard.  A normal semester in Europe consists of about 30 ECTS, so basically it feels like I have a half load!  There are only a couple homework assignments per semester in each class, a project, and a final exam.  I am making myself study and keep up on the lecture notes though because if I don't, I know I will just fall behind and be in trouble at the end of the semester.  Been there, done that!

Brno is a pretty neat city.  It feels like a "large village."  The population is just below 400,000 (which to me, being from Montana, is HUGE) but at the same time, it as a small town feel to it.  Public transportation via buses and trams is excellent; easily the number one way to get around the city.

Pricing here is actually very cheap!  The Czech Republic uses the "koruna", or crown.  One U.S. dollar equals approx. 20 crowns.  The cost for a pizza, for example, is anywhere between 25 kc and 50 kc ... much cheaper than even a $5 hot-n-ready!  Beers are usually about 25 kc apiece.  Rent for the month, which included laundry, utilities, and internet, was 2,500 kc... $125.  Good luck finding housing in the States for that price!!

I will go ahead and post some pics from my university and from Brno...

This is the Faculty of Business and Management combined with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.  It is right next door to my dorms, and where the International Student Club (ISC) office is located.  A pretty new building!  My Czech History class is held in here.

This is my dorm.. Pod Palackeho.  The majority of where ERASMUS students are housed, it makes it very easy to meet up with friends and make plans (and of course, having little "after parties" in our rooms is pretty easy too (:  ).  Right next door to the FBM/FEEC, it is located next to the very last tram stop on lines 12 and 13, at Technology Park.

The yard outside my dorms.

Walkway from our tram stop to our dorms.  They are doing some hard-core construction to the right, so this walkway is to be taken out pretty soon... Or so I was told!

One of the main churches in Brno.

Inside the Colossal main cathedral in Brno.  It was very impressive!!!

Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, which is located on Petrov hill.  There are quite a few stories about how this came to be built here!

Overview of Brno from the summit of the Castle Spilberk.  The landscape in general is very hilly and green... We are too far away from the Alps to really have mountains, but it's still pretty here!

 

From atop Castle Spilberk.

Well, there are just a few of my pics of Brno.  It's a pretty nice city!  There are also a few really good night clubs and a million good bars (I'll leave those pics out) since it is considered a college city.

Other than that, I've taken a couple weekend trips to Vienna, Austria and to Bratislava, Slovakia.  Those pics are coming up!!  Possibly heading to Munich, Germany this weekend for Oktoberfest, and I already have my tickets booked for Istanbul, Turkey in two weeks!!  I am having a heck of a time here.  Traveling is very easy and convenient since I'm in the heart of central Europe, and everything is pretty manageable, price-wise.  I will do my best to keep this updated.. Hopefully I will be able to talk about my Vienna trip and throw some pics up by tomorrow or Wednesday!

Until later!

-Jake

Hello from Brno, Czech Republic!!!

Hello there!!

Sorry it's taken me a little bit to get back with y'all, but I just landed in Brno a few days ago and have had to do a little bit of work to get all my stuff figured out.  Anyway... I love it here!!!!  I was picked up by my new friend Mirek from the International Student Club (ISC) at the bus stop (I took a bus from Prague to Brno).  I have just been moving in and meeting new people since I got here.  We are all taking an intensive Czech language course from 1:30pm to 4:30pm every day this week so hopefully I will be able to speak and understand basic Czech when I'm done!

ISC organizes a ton of events for all the international ERASMUS exchange students here, including tours of Brno, party nights, boat and tram parties, etc. etc. and they do a great job of it.  Tonight is our "Welcome Party" at the bar/club right next to our dorms, so it should be a lot of fun!  I'm definitely looking forward to more events and opportunities through ISC throughout the semester. 

There are approximately 300 students here on exchange.... And only 2 Americans!  I've made friends from all over the place, including Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Greece, France, Russia, Australia, Bulgaria, and more.  Everyone here is really nice, and all the other exchange students love to have fun so it makes for a pretty good time! Most of us also live in the same building which makes it easy to get together and make plans.

My roommate is from Russia and he is studying the Czech language here full-time.  He is a little quiet, but a super nice guy... And he lets me use his WIFI!  One thing that surprised me, and all the other exchange students, is the fact that the internet is all via cable hook-up.  Several students brought their own routers though, which works perfectly well!

Well, I'll post a few pics of my room for you to check out...

Classes start this upcoming Monday.  My faculty, the Faculty of Information Technology, is a little bit of a walk away from where I live... About 30 minutes from what I was told.  Brno University of Technology seems to stretch throughout the entire city!  Trams and buses are both awesome ways to get around... I will probably just walk to FIT for my classes though.  It'll be good for me :)

Well, I better get going to my language course!  I am trying to get on a tour of underground Brno tomorrow... If I do, I will definitely post some pics!  I'm very happy to be here!!!


Na zdravi!! (Cheers)  :)

Ready to Go!

Well, I am FINALLY all ready to go (or at least I think).  My visa application was approved, after a little bit of a struggle... When submitting all of your required materials, you must ensure they are the originals.  The Consulate will not accept anything if they aren't!  For this reason, I had to have Brno University of Technology express me an additional copy of my application materials.  It took approx. 5 or 6 weeks to receive my Passport with the visa.  Needless to say, I was sweating a little!

I have also had a little difficulty securing the deposit payment of 260 euros for housing.  I spoke to my bank and they were able to wire transfer the amount to the bank in Brno.  All required bank information, including SWIFT and IBAN codes, are posted on the BUT website.  Make sure to get this done before the deadline (which is emailed out to you upon approval of your housing).

Well, other than that... I booked my ticket!!! :D  It might sound nerdy (well... it IS nerdy), but being an Aerospace Engineer from Embry-Riddle, I went through all the flights trying to get on the brand new 747-800.... Unfortunately the price was quite a bit higher to get on!  So I settled for a 777 instead :)  Here's my flight itinerary:

Traveler eTicket Number Frequent Flyer Seats MALSAM/JACOBTMR 0162336616223 13A/30F/44K/---/---/---/---

FLIGHT INFORMATION Day, Date Flight Class Departure City and Time Arrival City and Time Aircraft Meal Thu, 06SEP12 UA55341 H MISSOULA, MT (MSO) 6:40 AM DENVER, CO (DEN) 8:41 AM CRJ-200 Thu, 06SEP12 UA225 H DENVER, CO (DEN) 10:25 AM WASHINGTON, DC (IAD - DULLES) 3:47 PM 757-200 Purchase Thu, 06SEP12 UA916 H WASHINGTON, DC (IAD - DULLES) 5:26 PM FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 7:10 AM (07SEP) 777-200 Dinner Fri, 07SEP12 UA95822 H FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 10:20 AM PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (PRG) 11:25 AM 737-300 Sat, 22DEC12 UA93163 H PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (PRG) 2:40 PM FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 3:55 PM 737-500 Sun, 23DEC12 UA88784 H FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FRA) 10:35 AM DENVER, CO (DEN) 12:45 PM 747-400 Sun, 23DEC12 UA55195 H DENVER, CO (DEN) 1:55 PM MISSOULA, MT (MSO) 3:55 PM CRJ-200

I will be flying into Prague, and taking a bus to Brno.  From what I could find, it is pretty easy to navigate your way to a bus terminal and jump on one... And also quite cheap!!  I am not going to pre-book any tickets, just play it by ear. Apparently there are buses every half hour... Should not be that hard to get on one :)  Trains are also pretty common, and worst case scenario, the Czech airline operates a few flights daily between Prague and Brno.  It shouldn't come to that though!

Well, that's about all of an update I have for now.  I will continue packing throughout this next week and should be good to go for my Thursday morning departure.  I will update with a full list of what I packed on Wednesday evening!  Luckily, I've been through this before... So I do know some things to pack and to NOT pack (based off of experience).  Hopefully it will prove helpful to those in the future :)

Talk to ya later!

-Jake

Visa Submitted!

Hey everyone!

I FINALLY managed to submit my entire packet for the visa application.  Getting all the paperwork, signatures, translations, etc. was quite the process and took me a couple months.  If you are looking at doing this exchange, my best advice is.... Get started early!!!  I have been looking into DeSIRE^2 for a year now, and by February of 2012, I had decided I was for sure going through with it.  After multiple e-mail correspondences with Dr. Kornecki (he will assuredly vouch for how long our e-mail chain was!) I had managed to pick out my classes and decide on what program I was going to pursue by last Christmas.  Sometime in February, I informed Dr. Kornecki that I wished to submit all my application paperwork.  After that, it has been all about applying for my Visa.  Here are the documents requested from the Czech Republic Consulate General:

1.  Valid Passport

2.  Two recent Passport photographs attached to the application

3.  Student Visa Application

• Found on the Consulate's website, just follow the links to "Student Visa"

4.  $121 application fee

• This may or may not be required... If not, the Consulate will send it back along with your passport.  I did not receive a definite answer from them about the need for the fee, so I sent it along with my application just in case.

5. Documentation of Sufficient Financial Resources

• The requirements for "sufficient financial resources" vary per year in the Czech Republic.  For my exchange, you were required to have at least $3,000 USD.  You had to provide (1) a notarized copy of your credit/debit card(s) with numbers whited out, and (2) an official or notarized copy of a bank statement.  Seeing as how I do not currently have $3,000, I contacted the Consulate and asked about the confirmation of the $6,000 grant received through DeSIRE^2.  They told me documentation of the grant to be received would suffice for the application. 
• Also note, you will have to go to a public notary (tax firm, UPS, etc.) to have them notarize copies and other documents.  Banks are able to notarize documents with a specific title block for a notary public to sign (such as on the criminal history affidavit or a car title) but not other, miscellaneous documents.  At least that is how it works in Washington state :-)

6.  Document Confirming Purpose of Stay in the Czech Republic

• This will be provided from BUT and ERAU.  It includes your acceptance letter from BUT, and the original application materials from ERAU.  All will be stamped/signed in the Czech Republic and mailed over in a package.  You must submit both the english version and the Czech version; both will be mailed and e-mailed to you after you complete the program application process.

7.   Document Confirming Accommodation

• This is one that I struggled with a little bit.  I was not able to actually apply for housing at BUT until mid-may, which ended up being the final thing I was waiting for.  When you receive your Confirmation of Purpose of Stay from BUT, it will also state that housing has been guaranteed.  However, this does not suffice for the Czech Consulate when applying for the visa.  They need the original housing contract from BUT.  When applying online, make sure to give specific instructions to have the contract mailed to your home address after your request has been processed.  It takes a couple weeks to have stuff mailed to you from across the ocean, so make sure to jump on this as soon as possible!

8.  Criminal History Affidavit

• Just a quick form printed off from the Czech Consulate's website asking for your signature stating you have not been convicted of any criminal activity.  This must be notarized.

9.  Travel Medical Insurance

• The travel medical insurance requirements are listed on the Consulate's website.  I found mine through this website: sevencorners.com  It should be what they are looking for, and cost me approximately $150 for the three or four months I will be studying abroad.  If the Consulate has a problem with this particular insurance choice, I will be sure to post something in the future!

10.  Passport Return

•  Prepaid, Self addressed envelope to be submitted with the application so the Consulate can mail you your passport with attached Visa after it has been approved.

Well, that's pretty much all of it.  Quite a lot!  That is why I would highly recommend getting started as soon as possible on this process.  According to the Consulate, it takes a max of 60 days to process requests for Visa.  The earlier you submit yoru visa application, the more time you have to make any necessary corrections they require.  I have about 80 days until I leave, so I cut it a little close!

If you have any questions at all regarding this entire process, please let me know.  I have become a pro at it :-)

On my way to Boston for the weekend!  The joys of interning for an airline... Free flights!  Talk to you later,

Jake