Wednesday, July 16 (Drogheda & Dublin, Ireland) – Somehow the day has arrived – the last day of my first edition of Stacy Takes Flight.  I can't believe I have to go back to New York today.  But honestly, it almost feels like any other day where I’m heading to the airport to embark on my next adventure (as this is going to be my 17th flight!), but in the back of my mind I know the flight will be longer than the rest and when the doors open, the familiar JetBlue terminal at JFK will welcome me home (Aer Lingus has a partnership with JetBlue).

I was lucky to be able to spend my final 24 hours with some of the people who helped shape me as a person while growing up.  I stayed with my childhood babysitter, Lucy, and her family.  I had seen them for a quick coffee when I first arrived in Dublin three months ago, which was our first meeting in close to 20 years, but this time I was able to stay with them!  It meant so much to spend my last night with them, reminisce about the past but also share highlights of my entire trip with them before anyone else.

They live in Drogheda which is a suburb of Dublin.  We spent most of our time together just hanging out and chatting, but this morning we did a bit of touring in the town, mainly because the town is known for something completely random that I have not seen anywhere else in my travels:  a preserved head.  Saint Oliver Plunkett was decapitated after being hanged in 1681, and after different body parts have made their way around the world, his head has been preserved and put on display at the (beautiful) local Saint Peter's Church.  It is pretty creepy, and kind of gross, but it was cool to see!

Then we went to a modern art gallery in a space that used to be another church.  The art was extremely modern and (no offense, art enthusiasts) brought us all closer together through laughing – especially their youngest, shyest daughter Mary.

After absorbing a bit of culture and grabbing a bite to eat, it was time to go to the airport.  It was such a strange feeling being in the car with people who made such an impact on my life, people I care about so much, people who were an important part of this trip, but also people who I honestly may never see again – or at least not for a long time. 

I believe people come in and out of your life for a reason and in addition to Lucy, Patrick and their family, I met so many incredible people along this journey who helped shape my experience one way or another – as I did for them as well.  

As we said our goodbyes at the airport, I had to fight to hold back tears – partly at saying goodbye to Lucy, and partly at saying goodbye to my trip.  I can’t begin to explain the mixture of feelings all hitting me at the same time, and I’m sure it is just the beginning of what will be an interesting transition back into ‘real life’.  I will continue to post after this trip – but not quite as frequently.  So for now… thanks for reading and see you in the States!

Monday, July 14 (Belfast, Northern Ireland) – From one set of friends from my Morocco trip to another! Yesterday I flew from England to Belfast in Northern Ireland to spend two of my final three days with Helen and Justin, another great couple I met on my Moroccan tour.  I had wanted to visit Giant’s Causeway and was bummed I didn’t get a chance on my first stint in Ireland, so the stars aligned when I realized I would have the chance again.

After watching three World Cup games in the country of the team playing (Switzerland, Germany and Portugal), I knew I had to watch the final in good company.  So I was thrilled to hear that Justin wanted to watch at a local pub with a bunch of football fanatics.

The pub we went to is the pub in town, clearly filled with locals.  In fact, when one of them (holding a beer in each hand) asked me a question twice and I did nothing but stare at him blankly because I couldn't understand his accent at all!  (I still have no idea what he actually said to me.)  It is so interesting how some accents in Northern Ireland sound like a completely different language.  

Here is a bit of a dictionary for anyone who may be journeying to Northern Ireland in the near future:

• Aye (pronounced "I") = Yes
• Bake = face / mouth
• Craic (pronounced "crack") = fun, a good time
• Dead on = alright, no problem, good
• Mucker = friend, mate
• Wee = small (used ALL the time)
• Keep her country = keep things simple, don't overcomplicate matters

Sawers Belfast

One of the best gourmet food stores I have come across, Sawers is in the heart of Belfast and features a variety of packaged and prepared food.  They have a lot of local goods like jams and chutneys, but they also have specialty goods from around the world, including some I have enjoyed on this trip (e.g. Turkish delights, paella ingredients and kits, my favorite Turkish apple tea, etc.)!

This is a great place to stop off to get some snacks, buy gifts or just poke around.

Titanic Museum

The famous Titanic was built in Belfast, so this is the city with the largest and most elaborate dedication to the ship.  The museum is relatively new, nine-gallery exhibition that covers the ins and outs of the Titanic, its creation, its passengers, and more.  

The museum clearly took a lot of thought, time and money to build, but it falls a bit short in certain areas.  For an entire museum dedicated to the Titanic, there are surprisingly few actual artifacts or photographs of the ship.  Also, the 'ride' is an extremely poor attempt at showcasing how the ship was built.  The 'factory' sounds in the background overpower the explanations in the speakers overheard, so it is impossible to know what you are looking at.  I definitely recommend going even with the above in mind.  There is a lot to see in the nine different galleries, but there's a great museum cafeteria for a snack when you are done!

Crown Liquor Saloon

The Crown Liquor Saloon is one of the most notable pubs in Northern Ireland.  It has a long history of being a public house and was officially renovated and renamed in 1885.  The pub is known for its intricate Victorian design including stained glass, individual private booths and mosaics.

While the service left much to be desired, the clientele, decor and clover atop my Guinness made this pub a must-see!  Plus, it is across the street from the train station so it couldn't be more convenient to travelers.

Sunday, June 15 (Vienna) – I like museums, and sometimes I think they are a great way to learn about and explore a city.  But when I arrived in Vienna, and saw how beautiful the city is from the outside (architecture, parks, cafes), I thought I would try to make the most of my stay outdoors – or at least outside of the endless row of museums.

A Journey Through Time

I came across Time Travel Vienna while I was walking through the city.  I was intrigued by their interactive and fun approach to the city’s history, so I signed up for a short 45-minute tour.  A guide leads you through different rooms where 5D films, talking historical figures or waltzing seats bring to life the history of Vienna until the present day.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a really well-done exhibit and a much more interesting way to learn about the city than by reading plaques.

A Biking Tour of the City

Since there are no free walking tours in Vienna that I could find, I immediately opted for my other favorite type of tour: a biking tour.  I signed up for the Classic Vienna Tour with the company Pedal Power, and we took a three-hour ride throughout the city with plenty of stops to learn about what we were seeing.  I really enjoyed this, but a few things could have been improved upon.  There were no helmets, instructions on how to use the bikes or checks of the seat height before we began.  I was also the only English speaker in my tour and while the tour was bilingual, I felt as if the guide was sometimes skimping on her descriptions to me and that everyone was just waiting around for her to stop speaking English.  It ended up being okay but it was a bit uncomfortable at first and I’d recommend checking with the company ahead of time to see if it is a German-dominated group or if there is an English-speaking tour you can join.

The World's Largest Amusement Park

Vienna is home to the Weiner Prater public park which is twice the size of Central Park!  In it, you can find green areas, cafes, sports fields, and "Wurstelprater", the oldest amusement park in the world.  The amusement park has a few notable landmarks including the giant ferris wheel and the Praturturm, the world's largest high-flying swing!  There are also beer gardens and plenty of spots for eating and drinking in and around the amusement park.

An Endless Market (in a good way)

For fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and more, the Naschmarkt is the place to go.  It is a huge market (that also has a flea market on Saturdays) where people-watching from a cafe is as much fun as tasting the delicacies and looking at the region's specialties.  It is walking distance from the main ring downtown so it is a good place to start your touring.

A Horse Show

The Spanish School of Riding is the oldest classical equitation institution in the world, and a must-see for anyone interested in horses, dance or culture in Vienna.  (The ‘Spanish’ comes from the breed of horse which is a mix of Spanish, Arabian and Berber).  There are a variety of activities you can join from a stable tour to see the famous Lipizzaner stallions to a performance in the beautiful arena (which I did). I signed up for standing room tickets because they were much cheaper, and I definitely couldn’t see the full arena, but the riders are good about moving around the ring so everyone can see.  I enjoyed watching the riders on their extremely fancy and talented horses, and it made me want to ride and even learn dressage!  However, to be honest I think I preferred the performance in Jerez de la Frontera better.  I thought the show was more interesting and the seats had better views.  That said, I still think it is worth spending 90 minutes watching the incredible precision and grace of the horses and riders at this show.

The Opera

Vienna is a world hub for opera and classical music, so it is definitely the place to see a show.  There are so many venues that it is actually quite easy to secure tickets, and I heard you can often get tickets to a show at the main opera house for under 5 Euro if you stand in line the day of a performance!  I was extremely lucky to be invited to a premiere of the “Feuersnot” opera at the Volksoper, one of the other opera houses in the city, so this is another venue to keep in mind when looking for a show.

Wednesday, June 11 (Antalya) – Antalya is a region on the southern coast of Turkey with beach towns and ancient ruins scattered along the Mediterranean Sea.  After touring Istanbul and Cappadocia, I was ready for some relaxation so a stay in Antalya seemed perfect.  Tali and I decided to get a hotel in the old city (Kaleiçi) so we could be in the center of history, an old town to explore, and a variety of beaches.  TIP:  The Tuvana Hotel in the old city is great and highly recommended!  It has one of the area’s best restaurants, great service and a pool.

Antalya was said to have been built by the Greeks in about 150 B.C. and was later taken over by the Romans, so there are ruins of ancient cities across the region.  I visited Phaselis and Olympos – both are ancient cities dating far back, but have been preserved to different degrees over the years.

After exploring some ruins and enjoying some beach time (see my post on “Beach Hopping in Antalya” for more on that), we were headed to the site I was most excited about when planning the trip to Turkey:  Chimaera.  Chimaera is a rocky mountain in Olympos, near Çirali, that has a very unique quality.  Coming out of its crevices is fire!  It looks as if there are a dozen campfires set up along the mountain, but there are no sticks or stones, just mountain.  It is truly an incredible site to see this naturally and eternally burning fire, especially approaching sunset. 

The mountain is open until midnight and many locals come at night for a different experience.  TIP:  If you want to go at night, bring a flashlight and wear good shoes like hiking boots or sneakers.  The hike to the mountain is about 25-30 minutes and parts are steep / have slippery footing from worn-down rocks.

Monday, June 9 (Cappadocia) – On day two in Cappadocia, Tali and I thought we would rent a car and drive to a couple of the sites we wanted to see.  (Note: this is after our 3:40AM wake up for the hot air balloon trip, which ended at 7:00AM and is written about in a post of its own!)  But when the car arrived in the morning, we realized something pretttty important:  neither of us knows how to drive stick!  We stood there hopelessly for a few minutes and were then presented with another idea.  For 50 more Turkish lire (about $25) we could have a private driver for the day.  Done!

Rafet, our personal driver, arrived moments later.  Having been in the tourism industry for years, he was very familiar with the roads and with the sites we had in mind – as well as a few more that he recommended. 

We started at the Derinkuyu Underground City, the largest of 36 underground cities in Cappadocia that were built in the 8th - 7th centuries BC.  Derinkuyu goes down 85 meters and could hold thousands of people, livestock and food!  The  belief is that the underground cities were used as temporary homes or used for protection, but they weren't for permanent housing.  I was a bit nervous about going up to eight stories underground and navigate around tunnels, because I’m not a fan of small spaces.  But I went anyway and as we walked in, we soon realized we were next to an English-speaking tour so we secretly tagged along.  It was really interesting to see how these people lived, and simple things like where they cooked or poured wine.  But to be completely honest, while walking down what seemed to be an endless staircase where you have to duck to not hit the ceiling, I started panicking from claustrophobia and turned around.  I crawled back up the steps and finally found a landing to catch my breath… as well as a Greek woman who was in the same condition as I was!  We made it to the top together, through more tiny tunnels and waited for our partners at the top.  WTF?! I was able to fly in a hot air balloon but not go through a tunnel??

When Tali emerged from the underground city, I was over my traumatic experience and we continued along to the Ihlara Valley for a hike.  The Ihlara Valley is a 16km stretch of gorge that is famous for its rich history.  If you look up while walking through the gorge, you will notice tons of what look like windows and doors cut out of the rock.  These were created during the Byzantine empire as dwellings and churches.

Our hike led us to Belisirma, a restaurant where I had one of the best meals I had in Turkey.  We sat on the floor of a bridge that was hovering just a few inches from a stream.  It was very relaxing and the fresh fish we ate was delicious!  The restaurant was definitely touristy because the tourists are generally the ones hiking in the valley, but it didn’t take away from the food or atmosphere at all.

After the hike and lunch we were pretty tired and started heading back towards Goreme.  We made one stop along the way at a winery where we tasted and then purchased some local white wine that we enjoyed later in the evening.

Another great day in Cappadocia!

Friday, June 6 (Istanbul) - Throughout my travels, I have been extremely lucky with weather.  Other than a 10-minute rain and hailstorm in Ireland and short-lived downpour in Italy, I have had sunshine just about every day.  Then I arrived in Istanbul and the rain began.  I was originally going to take a trip over to the Asian side of Istanbul, but with the rain and choppy water, I felt that was not the best idea.  But there are a lot of things to do when it rains in this city, so here are my recommendations.  (I didn’t have time to do all of them, but they were all recommended!)

The Blue Mosque and Aga Sofya are both indoor sites, so those are good bets and must-sees, as long as you didn’t do them already.  There is a line at Aga Sofya because there is an admission fee (the Blue Mosque is free and no line) so keep that in mind if you are umbrella-less.  Fore more tips about these places and others, read this post about what to do in Istanbul.

I really enjoyed Istanbul Modern Art Museum, especially their permanent exhibit “Past and Future” which looks at the evolution of contemporary and modern art in Turkey since its inception.  Not all of the pieces are what you would consider ‘modern art’ because it is more of a stroll through Turkish art history, so there is definitely something for everyone. 

One of their current exhibitions is a photography collection called “On the Road:  Images of Turkey from the Nar Photos Archive” that documents current events in Turkey – political, social, lifestyle – in unique, thought-provoking ways.  I wasn’t allowed to take any photos in that room, but some of the prints were extremely powerful.

Some other museums to check out (that I would have visited with more time) include the Istanbul Archeology Museum and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.

You may remember my post about my first Hamam experience in Morocco… well, I tried again on this rainy day in Istanbul.  Tali and I were recommended a place by a woman who worked at the café where we had breakfast, so we went to check it out.  Maybe we should have known by the dead cockroach on the floor, but it wasn’t the nicest of places.  Long story short, we sat in a hot, humid room with a bunch of men and women – including one towel-covered gentleman who was getting a soapy bath – for about 20 minutes before deciding to bail.  We will try again in a TripAdvisor-approved Hamam in either Cappadocia or Antalya.  BUT, there are tons of reputable, beautiful spas to get a Hamam treatment in Istanbul, and it is the perfect thing to do on a rainy day.  Just do your homework a little better than we did!

Istanbul – particularly the Taksim area – is filled with live music!  When the weather is dreary and you don’t want to sit outside, live music is a great reason to go inside and have fun.  Modern Turkish rock is really great and regardless of the genre, who doesn’t love a man with a guitar?

Thursday, June 5 (Istanbul) - Istanbul is awesome, I love it!  The city is huge and there are many different areas and neighborhoods, but overall it is a lot more modern than I expected, with delicious food, helpful and kind people, tons of live music, and a welcomingly different culture.

My good friend Tali met me in Istanbul for a week and a half of traveling throughout Turkey.  That may sound like a lot of time, but I already know it will barely scratch the surface of what Turkey has to offer.  On our first day in Istanbul, we checked out some of the main attractions including the Blue Mosque, Aga Sofya (or Hagia Sophia), the Grand Bazaar / Spice Market, and Galata Tower area.  After spending some time in the city, I have some highlights, tips and recommendations to share! 

Tuesday, June 3 (Rome) - Rome wasn't built in a day, and you certainly can't see it all in a day, but in the past 24 (actually more like 30 hours) I came pretty close!  I highly recommend spending more time in this great city if you can, but in case you only have a day, here is an action-packed, but doable itinerary.

There's no better welcome than a sweet, creamy, delicious gelato!  Some of the best in Rome:

• Ottaviani Antica Cremeria dal 1913 (near the Vatican)
• Il gelato di San Crispino (near the Trevi Fountain)
• Gelateria Valentino (near the Trevi Fountain)

New Rome Free Tour offers just that - a free tour of Rome.  Every day at 5:30, you can find a tour guide at the base of the Spanish Steps who is ready to walk you through some of the highlights of the city.  Andrea, our tour guide, was particularly passionate and interesting, and it was one of the best free tours I've been on!  Tour highlights include:

• Trevi Fountain
• Pantheon
• Saint Ignatius Church
  

One of the must-see's in Rome is the Colosseum, but sometimes people forget about the other sites that are included with the Colosseum ticket:  the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.  TIP:  Start at the Roman Forum and buy your ticket there as the line is much shorter than at the Colosseum itself, and it is the same exact ticket.  Also, if you DO happy to get on the line in front of the Colosseum, cut the line and go to ticket booth #10 to buy your ticket and the audioguide while everyone else waits in line.

Campo de' Fiori is a great outdoor market where you can find fresh fruits, olive oil and other Roman specialties.  The square is lined by restaurants, and I recommend a little panini shop on one of the corners called Aristocampo Campo de' Fiori that has a restaurant around the corner with big, delicious salads.

The Vatican is another must-see in Rome.  It is also another long-line to wait on, but like the Colosseum there is a bit of a shortcut.  TIPS:  If you enter through the Vatican Museums, you will likely have a much shorter line.  Also, make sure to have a scarf or sweater to cover your shoulders or you will not be allowed in the Sistine Chapel, the main site in the Vatican.  My favorite parts of the Vatican:

• The Sistine Chapel
• Padiglione delle Carrozze (aka the Popemobile museum)
• Pinacoteca (painting gallery)

The Spanish Steps are a good meeting point to walk around the upscale shops, do some touring or get a bite to eat.  After the Vatican I used this time to see all the remaining sites that I had missed and to walk around my favorites once more.

By now you've already had your gelato and your spaghetti, so for your final meal, it is pizza time!  I went to Grazie a Dio e'Venerdi (Thank God it's Friday) which is a small, low-key pizza shop by the Cavour metro.  They have a big variety of pizzas, starting at 5 Euros.  My pizza and local Birre Moreti was the perfect way to end a great 24 (or 30) hours in Rome.

Friday, May 30 (San Gimignano & Siena) – I received a lot of recommendations to go to San Gimignano and Siena (towns in Tuscany) as day trips from Florence, so when I found a day tour that went to both places, I signed up.  I’m not the biggest fan of guided tours, but thought this was the best way to do it in order to have proper transportation and the right balance of information and free time.

San Gimignano is a medieval village in Tuscany that is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Stepping foot inside the city walls makes you feel like you traveled back in time to the year 929 when the first record of San Gimignano was documented.  Somehow the town got the nickname “Manhattan of Italy” because of its multiple towers, but I think that is more than an exaggeration! 

Every shop and restaurant that lines the streets is geared towards foreigners, but I was assured that real people do live there!  Unfortunately I didn’t have much free time to get very far into the town, past this tourist-ridden area, but I definitely still got a taste of the neighborhood and these are my highlights:

I really liked Siena.  It is another medieval Tuscan city and UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Siena is known for the Palio horse race, which happens twice a year in July and August.  This race takes place in the main square (Il Campo) where the ancient cobblestone is covered with a dirt track for the horses.  17 riders compete – representing the 17 districts of Siena – by galloping their horses around the track three times, BAREBACK!  There are tight turns and no rules, so many races end up with men on the ground (and unfortunately some broken legs on the horses) but the tradition of the race has evolved over the years with better approaches for safety.

The town is also filled with shops, particularly art galleries and clothing boutiques, which is a nice change from the leather shop after leather shop in Florence.  Siena is known for certain types of pastries, which I enjoyed trying even though most of them were way too sweet for me!

Sunday, May 25 (Morocco & Milan) - One of the things that struck me the most throughout my tour of Morocco, was how the country seemed to be very traditional and what a westerner may consider 'old-fashioned' in its development and customs.  Although there are new parts of some cities like Marrakech – that house Starbucks, Zara, and the like – the vast majority of the country seemed to be decades or centuries behind.  Because I was on a guided tour, I am not sure if what I saw was the norm or if it is what the Moroccan government wants tourists to see, but either way, real people were living vastly different lives than I am used to.  It was a humbling and interesting experience for me, and I wanted to share some of the difference that stood out most.

TRANSPORTATION
While there are cars driving down many of the streets in Morocco, riding donkeys, mules and horses (in order of prevalence) is not abnormal.  Some animals pull carts, some carry men or boys and others are put to work carrying goods while the owners walk alongside to steer. 

For those who get around with a motor, scooters are extremely common and will often be seen carrying entire families, pets or colleagues.  These bikes are very dangerous for pedestrians as traffic laws seem not to apply, and I witnessed one crash into a local woman who was crossing the street.

HOUSING
Kashbahs, ksars and riads are common forms of housing with slightly different definitions.  The variations were a bit difficult to understand, but from what I gather, a kasbah is a multi-room house (or building or palace), usually for one large family.  A ksar is more of a village of houses (multiple families) that are inside a high wall for protection.  Riads are like kasbahs but they have a garden in the center, and the rooms are often rented out to guests. 

Traditionally, these are all made out of earth – clay, straw, rock – and take on a dull red color.  I visited a few of each of these types of housing, and some had tiled floors but others had the same clay-based floor as the walls and ceiling.  There was seldom much furniture, and not all of the homes had running water.

MARRIAGE
A very small percentage of people in Morocco marry for love.  Many marriages are arranged by parents as more of a family alliance or agreement.  For the younger generations, there is a split between seeing this type of arrangement as tradition to embrace and wanting to be in control of finding a mate for love.  I heard a story from someone on my trip of a Moroccan man leaving his country and family for Europe so he could find his own wife out of love – whereas his younger sister stayed in Morocco and expects her marriage to be arranged and wouldn’t leave with her brother. 

Additionally, in Morocco it is allowed by law for men to have more than one wife (as long as the first wife gives her consent!).

And finally, if a man from one village wants to propose marriage to a woman from another village, his entire family needs to go to the woman’s village with offerings such as sugar, tea and an animal as part of his proposal.  While this tradition clearly represents that he and his family have the means to take care of his bride, it is pretty interesting that it still exists and hasn’t been modernized over the years.