Day 184 - Duomo, Museums, and Window Shopping

Today Giulio took me on a brief tour of Milano, stopping by some of the most famous sights and shopping areas.  There are easy-to-use metros around the city, but we decided to walk the entire way since most of the main sites were situated in the center and easily walkable.

We briefly stopped by the Castello Sfortesco, a castle that was once the Renaissance residence of the Sfortza family in the 15th century. I read in wikitravel about some of the tactics some of the souvenir sellers use to sell their merchandise. There are usually people with small bracelets that come up to you and either hand one to you, tie one around your wrist, or lay it on your shoulder. You assume it is free, but then they insist that you pay after they have tied one around your wrist. I stealthily avoided their tactics as they hovered around the entrance to the castle.

Afterwards, we headed to the Duomo Cathedral so I could see what it looks like in daylight and also catch a glimpse inside the gigantic church. Along the way, I saw banners advertising the next World Expo in 2015, which will be held in Milano. I remember going to the one in Japan in 2007. It will bring many changes in the development of Milan. Giulio says Italy in general is reluctant to make too many changes to the country since there is so much history and ancient architecture that they wish to leave unchanged.

The church was so large inside and bare, since there weren't any services at the time we arrived. We looked at some of the stained glass artwork and some of the statues of  some of the saints. One of the statues was particularly interesting, because it was of a saint who had all of his skin peeled off his body, and he wore the skin over his shoulders, his bare muscles and bones shown freely. It was very creepy.

We headed towards the shopping area surround the Duomo where you could find some of the same shops you'd find in the USA. We stopped by a couple shops that had a bunch of creative design merchandise. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING there... I know by the end of my trip in Italy, I want to get something made of Italian leather or a pair of eyeglasses...I've been eyeing some simple wallets and wooden eyeglass frames, but nothing has been perfect, or the right price..

There was the luxury block of stores just a short walk away from the Duomo, where we managed to walk by 5 Dolce and Gabbana stores within a 1/4 km radius. It was pretty ridiculous, but I guess big name brands all have their stores in Milano to showcase the merchandise. Giorgio Armani is particular big here, where people refer to him as "King George."

The last stop of the day was the Museo del Novocento, which is a modern art museum showcasing some of Italy's most prominent artists. There was an exhibit that showcased Umberto Boccioni's Futurist and Cubist artwork, along with some of Picasso's abstract art. There were also some more interactive exhibits, including labyrinths for visitors to go through. One of them similated the feelings of disorientation a person would feel if he was in something relating to an insane asylum, where intense lights flashed intermittently. I definitely had a hard time walking through as my brain tried to reorient me to the surrounds each time the light shown once more.

Definitely an action packed day here in Milano!

Galleria Vittorio Emanuale II

Bike Share in Milan

Inside Duomo Cathedral - Notice the Skin Wrapped Around his Body

Umberto Boccioni - States of Mind

Museo del Novocento

Day 170 - Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge

The Prague Castle is probably one of the biggest tourist draws in all Prague. I must admit, I didn't have a clue what there really was to see in this city when I decided I would visit the city, but I got many suggestions from CSers to take a visit here. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the biggest ancient castle in the world.

We took the metro to the area and climbed some steps to the side of the castle since it is located on a hill overlooking the rest of the city. The entire castle grounds included St. Vitus Cathedral along with some museums and administrative buildings. We walked around, opting out of buying any entrance tickets since they had so many options for different parts of the castle, and the wikitravel guide noted that most of what is beautiful are the surrounding castle grounds and the cathedral, which was free to enter! 

Afterwards, we headed down to the Lesser Area (area surrounding the castle) and stopped by John Lennon Wall, which is a constantly changing wall of graffiti that symbolized the defiance and protest against the communistic government. Afterwards, we walked across the Charles Bridge, where the street is lined with musicians, street vendors, and beggars, along with various classic religious statues.

We stopped by a bunch of other famous sights including the National Theatre, the Philharmonic, and the Jewish Cemetery where Franz Kafka is buried, but didn't stay to explore inside. At night, we headed to another Czech restaurant where we had a sampler of 8 different types of beer, along with Roast Pork with Bohemian dumplings (which are practically included in every meal!)

St. Vitus Cathedral

View from the Prague Castle

John Lennon Wall

Charles Bridge

Beer Sampler

Roast Pork with Bohemian Dumplings

Day 164 - Hiking to Uchisar Castle

While exploring Cappadocia for the past few days, I noticed one region in particular in the distance that was a lot higher in altitude than any other areas. I wondered what it was since I wanted to reach the top to get the best panoramic views. It happened to be Uchisar Castle or Landlord's Castle on top of a hill in the city of Uchisar. Zack and I set out around noontime on a hike to get there, since it was only supposed to take about an hour to walk there through Pigeon Valley. There are many hiking trails that tourists could take from Goreme to other areas, and I assumed we'd be able to just find any randomly marked trail to get there.

It ended up taking us around 2 hours to get there, as we walked along the top of a hill and noted that we needed to cross over 2 more hills to get to Uchisar. I guess we were taking the "off-the beaten path" trail to get there. It was a little more strenuous than I expected, but we were able to see some orchards and grape vines along the way, eating some of the sun-ripened grapes from the neglected 2nd harvest. They were perfectly sweet, nothing like what you would find in a raisin box at the grocery store.

It was a challenge to get to Uchisar as we were forced to find the safest paths to cross since there were so many walking paths in all directions, but we finally made it to the city. The tower at the top was an old castle and is the highest point in the vicinity. Again, another stunning sight to behold, enough so that I didn't think it would be worth it spend beaucoup bucks on a hot air balloon ride, since I had 360 degree views of everything right where I was!

Afterwards, we headed back to Goreme, figuring out what the best trail would be the best to take through the valleys while we were on top of the castle. And again, it took way longer than expected to get back. The maps that the tour offices gave us showed only one trail to take through the valleys, so we expected that we wouldn't have to make any choices that would steer us into unknown territory. There were numerous trails that led to different valleys, and again, we ended up in the wrong valley and stuck at a dead end on top of a cliff without any way to move forward. We ended up having to rock climb a little up and over some of the rock formations to get to a valley where we could move towards Goreme. It was still the wrong valley...but luckily it still led us to Goreme right after sunset. Success..., but it took way longer than expected.

Sun-Ripened Grapes/Raisins

Dinner with Zack and Junko at the Top Deck Restaurant

Day 156 - Kusadasi and Pigeon Island

I decided to stay one more full day in Kusadasi instead of painstakingly planning my next destination, whether it be Bodrum or Fethiye. Just like some of the days in my college years, nobody woke up until around noon, missing some classes that started earlier in the day. In fact, a couple of the girls ended up not going to class at all today, opting to play hooky to tour me around their city.

We walked around the city in the afternoon after the skies cleared and the warmth from the sun filled the air. There was a small island off the coast that we visited called Pigeon Island, which some call the symbol of Kusadasi. On the island lies the Byzantine Castle, which was used to protect the city from attacks from the sea.

The day was short, since we left the house around 3pm, and after our visit to the castle, we had dinner at one of the seaside restaurants. I ordered Balik Ekmek (Fish Sandwich) with Salgam Suyu (Turnip Juice). The sandwich was good, but the drink was too salty for my taste, although it is a popular drink to accompany any seafood meal. Afterwards, we headed to a tea shop popular with the university crowd, where we smoked Nargile (water pipe), drank tea, and played some Backgammon. The game is probably the most popular board game in Turkey, and I felt so slow when I played against Elif. She knew exactly where to place each piece whenever she moved, where I had to take my time counting the number of spaces to move based on my dice rolls. I learned a couple more strategies to take when playing though, things I never even considered when I played the game when I was younger.

At the end of the night, I decided I would head to Fethiye the next morning since I was running out of time and everyone told me I should try and get to Eastern Turkey to see some of the more "Middle Eastern" culture of Turkey.

Byzantine Castle on Pigeon Island

Helping Make Breakfast!

A Tense Game of Backgammon with 20 Lira on the Line