Birthday Trip to Kyoto

Kyoto was a city that I really wanted to visit. It was my first time ever to visit Japan. Since we didn't get to travel in the summer vacation, we wanted to celebrate my husband's birthday somewhere nice and inexpensive to get to. Flying on Peach air was very affordable. My review of Peach air is coming soon in an upcoming post of the best and the worst airlines I flew with.

We flew to Osaka, Kansai airport and from there took the shuttle bus from outside the terminal and got off at the train station. We took JR rapid train to Kyoto central station. It takes around 80 minutes. A one-day pass is 25$ per person for foreigners, you must show your passport. You can buy the pass from the train station.

If you arrive at Kyoto station at night the tourist information booth will be closed. You can find a wifi spot and look up Google maps for the place you want to go to on your smart phone or tablet.

Shocking Things I Found in Kyoto:

1- Not all ATMs there accept international cards. Most of the machines didn't accept Mastercard. The post office has ATMs that accept all cards which was nice after wandering around for 40 minutes trying to withdraw cash. That was shocking because Kyoto is a popular destination for westerners.

2- Many places didn't have wifi, which isn't that important unless you need to look up directions, which happened in our case.

Sleeping in Kyoto:

There are a lot of hotels near Kyoto station with different prices. Some are expensive and some are affordable. Staying near the station is a smart thing, as you would be near everything: trains, subway and buses.

We stayed at Kyoto Garden Palace. It's a nice hotel, pricey, more than I would usually pay, but again it was my husband's birthday trip and it was nice to stay at a good hotel. The room was fantastic, the bed and pillows were comfortable, the bathroom had a bidet which I loved. The room was clean and the staff were helpful. The only thing that I didn't like was that the TV didn't have any English channels, they all were in Japanese.

http://www.hotelgp-kyoto.com/english/

Things To Do in Kyoto:

1- Dress up like a geisha or a samurai and have a photo shoot. There are studios everywhere for this kind of thing. We booked a package with Shiki studio. You can choose which package you want to have. They have different prices and some packages are expensive. The make-up artists are very nice and professional. However, there are a lot of hidden expenses that weren't mentioned in the website. For a example, I chose a stroll package which cost around 80$ that should include the Japanese socks. We went there and filled the form and there were a lot of extra stuff they wanted me to pay for after paying 80$ already.

http://www.maiko-henshin.com/en/

2- Visit Gion neighborhood for some glances of the past and a walk through the old and beautiful buildings. You might get lucky and see a real geisha.

3- While in Gion you can stop by Gion Corner theater to watch a show about traditional Kyoto art and music. It costs 31$ but they had a special price for tourists of 25$ per ticket. They accept cash only. It worth watching the show. From Kyoto central bus terminal take bus 206 direct to Gion area, it takes about 15-20 minutes.

http://www.kyoto-gioncorner.com/global/en.html

4- Go to Fushimi Inari Shrine, such a beautiful place, free admission and easy to get to. From Kyoto station take the subway and get off at Inari station.

5- Visit Kyoto Imperial palace. It closes on weekends, which we didn't know, so we didn't get a chance to enter the palace. However, we walked in the garden. It was beautiful and peaceful. From Kyoto station take the subway for 4 stops and get off at Marutamachi station and walk for about 5 minutes.

6- Universal studios in Osaka. You might think it's hard to get to but it wasn't. From Kyoto station take the rapid train to Osaka station and from there take the subway to Universal City station, a few minutes ride. I know many people would love to go there and that why I'm including it on my list. As for me I found the studios very disappointing and poorly managed. Most of the space was taken by restaurants/cafes/gift shops, the space for the rides and theme parks weren't as big, which meant very long lines for each ride. The entrance ticket cost 65$ and that amount of money doesn't save you from standing for an hour in a long line. They sell an express ticket which cost 50$ extra according to a worker. This super expensive ticket would actually save you from standing in unmoving line until your back hurts. I didn't buy it because it's stealing. You know, you pay a price and then you have two options - pay them more money or stand for hours.

Eating in Kyoto:

The first thing you need to know about traditional Japanese restaurants there is that most of them are hidden behind wooden doors and the signs are all written in Japanese so you wouldn't even recognize the place as a restaurant. Eating in Kyoto was harder than I expected. I'm not talking about Kyoto central area.

Do not eat at the Gion area if you are on a budget. The prices there are very expensive.

Two restaurants in the Shijo area in the back streets refused to let us in and I believe it had something to do with racism. It was around 7:00pm we had long day walking around and exploring places. We got hungry and we really wanted to have sushi. One restaurant was open. We tried to get in and the waiter, who was standing near the door, told us that the place was closed despite the fact that the lights were on, the tables were set and the menu was outside. At the second restaurant, which was a few doors past the first one, people were in eating. Once we stepped in two waiters started shouting at us saying “No, No.” We looked around and there were 6 available seats on the bar and 2 available tables, we pointed at the empty places and they answered that it was reserved but there was no sign whatsoever say those seats were reserved. I hope they weren't racist to foreigners but it sure seemed like it and unfortunately those two restaurants' names were written in Japanese only, so I don't their names. The second one had a Japanese title followed by the word Miki.

1- Musashi Sushi: eating there was a treat. The best sushi that I've ever had. Each plate had the price on it so you would know how much you're spending.

http://www.sushinomusashi.com/

2- Eating in the Porta, which is underground in Kyoto station. It's a sort of food court. A lot of restaurant with different prices, you can pick affordable places or fast food places like a Subway branch there.

3- Cosme Kitchen Cafe in the Cube shopping mall, also in Kyoto station. I want to recommend this cafe with good coffee, good service.

How to Travel for Free

Yes, you heard right. There are ways to travel for free, there's no catch and there's no scam. However, you should know where to look and choose a legitimate source. I was one of the lucky people who traveled for free, I won a free ticket and free accommodation too. Life is good, right?

Back in 2008, I was working hard and saving money to travel. One day I was browsing the internet and found something that absolutely changed my life. At that time I was very interested in Korea and its unique culture. I was checking a website and it had an international essay contest about Korea. The prize was a paid trip to Korea. That was perfect foe me. I loved doing research and reading about Korea, I loved writing, and who doesn't love traveling for free? That was a win-win deal for me. I worked hard on the essay and submitted with my best hopes. After 2 months, the results came out and I had won! I traveled to Korea for the first time in winter 2008. I stayed in Seoul for a week and everything was paid for me.

That could happen to any one of you and your dreams could come true. Even if you don't win a free ticket, you could win hotel voucher, tickets for landmarks and performances, and much more.

1- First of all you should like the tourism page of your target country on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on their latest offers and promotions. I have to say, the Korea Tourism Organization is one of the best. They always have different contests with awesome prizes, like photo contests, video contests and some writing contests.

2- Do a Google search for international essay/photo contests. Never ever enter a contest with an entry fee unless it's known internationally and has a good reputation. I only enter contests that don't ask money from me.

3- Know your audience, to win an essay contest. You must know your target audience and be smart. Usually when tourism organizations have international contests, they set a theme and ask foreigners to write about it. You can write about that theme with a different angle, or focus on one point you know is important to the tourism organization. For example, last year I won the second prize in Thai essay contest. The theme was “A Place In Thailand That Inspired You.” It was a cash prize which I saved to travel later. Anyway, I wrote about my favorite place in Thailand, The Elephant Nature Park in Chang Mai. I focused on the positive image of Thailand.

4- Enter sweepstakes on social media websites.

Don't give up, I've entered many contests and I've won a few of them. I've won cash prizes, a digital camera, movie tickets, performance tickets, and traditional souvenirs.

Happy traveling :)

Hydra and Romantic Nights

Hydra isn't as famous as Santorini for being romantic and exotic, but believe me, Hydra looks like heaven on earth. We wanted to go to Santorini, but we couldn't because of a lack of time and money. Remember, I travel on a budget.

Getting to Hydra is very affordable and easy. We booked our ferry tickets in advance from Athens' port at Piraeus. We traveled with Flying Dolphin ferry. It cost 25 euros a ticket and the trip is about 90 minutes. The ferry wasn't bad for a short trip, but came a little later than scheduled.

Once you get off the ferry you will see a breathtaking view of Hydra. The white buildings, the hills and the Mediterranean. People there are very nice and helpful.

                                                                        The Harbor

There are no cars allowed in Hydra. On the land you can get around by foot or by hiring a donkey to carry your bags for 10-15 euros up front from the harbor.

To get around in water you can take a shuttle boat for 3 euros (not working in winter), or a water taxi, which is more expensive.

The harbor area is lively. Restaurants, cafes, shops, a bank, ferry ticket office, a museum – pretty much everything is there. It wasn't very crowded in winter. It was beautiful and calm.

Sleeping in Hydra:

We stayed at Nereids Guest House. Just a few minutes' walk from the harbor. It was simply perfect. Our room was on the third floor with a view of half of the island. You could sit on the terrace area to enjoy the lovely breeze and listen to the leaves shaking. The guesthouse doesn't offer breakfast, but there are small grocery stores everywhere on the island so we just bought bread and cheese, sat on the terrace and had breakfast. The owner was nice and helpful. The only negative thing I would say is the wifi was broken most of the time. I heard the slow internet connection was all over the island.

http://www.nereids-hydra.com/en-index.html

                                                            The View from the Terrace

Eating in Hydra:

As I mentioned before, there are a lot of restaurants along the harbor. You can walk around and check the menus and prices.

Psaropoula restaurant offers you dinner on the top floor. You can enjoy the view of the island. The food was tasty and the service was outstanding. I asked if they have pastitsio, which wasn't on the menu and the chef nicely made it just for me. And the dessert was on the house, which was yummy.

                                                                           Pastitsio

                                                                  Chocolate Dessert

You can hike to Kaminia village, just 10-15 minutes from Hydra town. In between the way from the harbor to the beach, there's Kodylenia's Taverna restaurant, which is a family restaurant. The fish dishes were so expensive that we couldn't afford them. However, the starters were at reasonable prices from 4-10 euros and that what we got. The location of the restaurant was perfect. You could see the small fishing boats while dining. The food was ok, but I wasn't impressed with the food or the service.

                                                                Red Pepper and Cheese

Things to do in Hydra:

A visit to the Historical Archives Museum. The museum has a big collection of Hydra's history. Cost 5 euros a ticket. Opens daily from March-October 9:00-4:00 and from November-February from 8:00-3:00.

Beaches:

The water was a little cold in winter but it was still nice to walk barefoot and feel the waves on your feet.

Spilia beach, which is the only swimming beach in town. It was a very basic beach, no showers or changing rooms.

Mandraki beach is located to the east of Hydra. It's a private beach dominated by the hotel Miramare. Kaminia Castello beach is located to the west of town. Vlychos beach located past Kaminia, you can rent a chair and an umbrella for 3 euros each.

Hike to the 6 monasteries and the churches of Hydra. Unfortunately I had a foot injury and couldn't hike to the monasteries, but I heard they are beautiful.

                                                             A Church in Hydra Town 

As for the night life, there are a lot of bars by the harbor.

Hydra was the place to be on Valentine’s day. It was romantic and gorgeous. Highly recommended for an affordable romantic destination in Greece.  

Greece, the Land of Gods: Athens

Greece has always been my dream country. It's very close to Egypt culturally and geographically. After all, Alexandria was named after Alexander the Great. Funny thing is that I never got a chance to visit Greece when I was living in Egypt.

From Athens airport you can take a train to downtown Athens. It's about 7 Euros per ticket. The trip takes about 1 hour.

English is widely spoken there, so you don't have to worry about the language. And Greeks are very nice.

Being in Athens, especially downtown and the harbor area, was a little bit hard on me. It looked like home. Many Greeks looked like Egyptians, it smelled like home, and the food was very close to Egyptian food.

Greece is an absolutely gorgeous country. We visited in February, but it felt like autumn, with bright sun, beautiful weather during the day and a little bit of wind at night. I didn't have to wear my winter jacket during the day in Athens.

Visiting the Acropolis:

12 Euros a ticket from the Acropolis ticket office. They don't accept credit cards, so make sure you have cash with you.

Open daily Sep-May from 8:00-5:00 and from June-Aug 8:00 AM-8:00 PM.

The closing time is 5:00pm but they kicked visitors out at 4:30.

I recommend visiting the Acropolis after 3:00pm. It was quiet and not crowded. Being up there is like being in the sky, you get to see Athens from the top.

The Acropolis Museum:

Unfortunately we couldn't visit this one. It's closed on Monday and we didn't know about it. I heard it's very amazing.

Cost 5 euros per ticket.

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 to 8:00. Friday until 10:00pm.

National Archaeological Museum:

Cost 7 euros a ticket. Opens: Tuesday-Sunday from 9:00-5:00. Monday from 1:30-8:00. May open later in the summer or close earlier in winter.

You can spend the entire day there looking at the exhibits easily. From ancient Greece, ancient Egypt to ancient Rome. Totally amazing.

The Museum Garden cafe in front of the building is pricey. For cheaper food/coffee option, just walk out of the museum for 1 minute and you'll find a lot of cafes in the area.

                                                                  Poseidon/Zeus figure 

                                                              Aphrodite Beauty Divine  

Sleeping in Athens: 

We stayed at Cecil hotel for our first three nights in Athens. The hotel is located in the Monastiraki area, which is very central. It's a few minutes away from the market, 2 minutes away from subway and about 15 minutes away from the Acropolis. And that's it. The location is all this hotel has to offer. The wifi was broken for our 3-night stay. The bedroom floor was squeaking every time we walked. The bed was half broken and it almost collapsed while we were sleeping. The bathroom was tiny and the toilet flush was broken. The walls were so thin that I could hear everything that was happening in the other rooms, literally. There were three guys working on different shifts at the front disk and only one of them was nice and smiling to the customers. The breakfast was okay.

For our last night in Athens we stayed at the Magna Grecia Boutique Hotel in the Plaka area. The rooms with the Acropolis view are more expensive. The hotel is cheaper off-peak season, also we got a good deal through Agoda. We got a room with the Acropolis view. The bed was very comfortable, the size of the room was nice, but the bathroom was tiny. The service was very good and pleasing. The breakfast was good with a beautiful view on the top of the roof. The lady who worked in the kitchen was very nice and smiled the whole time.

Eating in Athens:

My favorite two things in the world are traveling and eating ethnic food while traveling. Greek cuisine is simply delicious and you'll want to eat more and more of it.

You can get gyros, pita wraps with chicken, beef or pork and fries, everywhere in Athens. They're delicious and cheap, and start from 2 euros.

                                                                         Gyros

Eating at O Nikitas restaurant near the Monastiraki area, such a wonderful experience. When you walk by the restaurant and its outdoor tables, you would think the place doesn't look like much. However, the smell of food will stop you. You'll take a table and order food. Then while you're eating you will want to hug the chef. I had an orzo and beef dish, and it tasted heavenly. This dish brought tears to my eyes, it tasted like my mom's cooking. I couldn't believe how something that simple tasted that good. The menu was at reasonable prices. I highly recommend eating there.

                                                           Beef and orzo, amazing taste

Grand Dionysus cafe/restaurant/ grill-house. Downtown Athens, Patission8 and Gladstonos2. You can sit outdoors or indoors. I had the best cappuccino in the entire trip there. The grilled meat was tasty and the service was good. The menu offers reasonable prices.

                                                    lamb Fingers. In Egypt we call it Kofta

Lontos restaurant in Thissio, near the Plaka area. You can dine with the Acropolis view. Loved everything about this restaurant. The penne pasta was cooked to perfection. The lamb chop was tender and juicy and the moussaka was yummy. The only thing that bothered me was that the waiter asked for a tip. We were going to give a tip anyway, I just didn't like the way he asked for it.

                                                                        Lamb Chop

                                                                   Chicken Penne

Kotili Restaurant in the Plaka area was decent and a bit pricey. It had live music and that was the best thing about it. The moussaka there was fantastic, better than Lontos'. The service was okay. The waiter opened a bottle of water and brought us bread without asking us first, and of course we had to pay for it.

                                                                      Moussaka

Unfortunately all of the restaurants in the Plaka area serve the same dishes. The restaurants have guys who stand in the streets and try to push you to get inside their restaurants. Be aware that those might lie to you. My friend who visited Greece before recommended that I should have pastitsio. So while we were walking in the Monastiraki area one of those guys in front of the restaurants talked to us and we asked if they serve pastitsio. He lied and said they do. We got inside to find out they don't and we left.

Getting Around the City: 

For 6 euros for adults and 4 euros for children, you can ride the happy hour train that takes you to more than 15 ancient sights and monuments. It's really great after a long day of walking around and when you can't walk any more.

http://www.athenshappytrain.com/en-athens-sightseeing.html

Churches offer free admission and you can enjoy the amazing artwork inside.

In Plaka and Monastiraki areas you can shop for religious items, cloths, souvenirs and post cards, jewelry, and fancy clothes, including fur coats.

Have fun in Athens. I miss it already. 

The Vatican Our Last Stop in Italy

A visit to Vatican is like being in a world inside another world. The word amazing isn't enough to describe it. When in Italy, you must visit the Vatican. It's the best destination for history and art lovers. And you can see where the Pope lives!

Make sure you book your tour in advance through the Vatican website, which offers a variety of tours. Going there without an advanced booked tour will cost you hours standing in a very long line while street venders try to sell you tours and souvenirs.

There is a dress code to visit the Vatican. They didn't enforce it while I was there, but please respect it. Also make sure that you're wearing comfortable shoes because you'll walk for hours. Bringing a copy of your passport is recommended. There are souvenir shops inside the Vatican but they're expensive.

We went with the garden tour which was very beautiful. The gardens were green. For information about the tours, click the link below:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

The tour guide was nice and spoke good English. She told us many historical facts about the place. The only thing that I didn't like about the tour was one of the visitors who believed he could explain things better the the tour guide. He was interrupting and correcting the guide for almost the entire tour. When in a tour, please be pleasant to the others. No one like being stuck in a tour with Mr. I-Know-Everything.

My favorite part was the Pieta by Michelangelo. Standing in front of this beautiful piece of art is a very powerful experience. Whether you believe in Jesus or not, seeing this statue up close will bring tears to your eyes. The beauty of Mary, the love, the misery of a mother who lost her son, the death of a child in his mother's arms.

There are many spots for taking breathtaking photos. However, photography and video are prohibited in the Sistine chapel. You can just relax and look at the beautiful ceiling and walls.

                                                       Modern Art in The Vatican Museum

After walking around in the gardens and museum, you'll get hungry. There are some restaurants inside the Vatican, they might be expensive if you're on budget. For a cheaper option, go to the cafeteria. They serve a selection of pasta, sandwiches, meat and pizza.

Pompeii: a Trip to an Open Museum

To get to Pompeii from Rome, take a train from Termini station to Naples. A fast train second class ticket cost around 42 Euros. From there, take the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii.

Pompeii is one of the most impressive outdoors ancient cities/museums. The beauty of it is breath taking. However, you can't help but to think about the tragedy the city went through in 79 AD. It will make you sad to think of all of the people who lost their lives during the volcanic eruption. The good side is how well the buildings are preserved and that we can get a glimpse of the ancient times.

The modern city of Pompeii is a tourist trap, so watch out for the over-priced everything around it. The admission ticket is 11 Euros. http://www.pompeiturismo.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=28

The cafeteria inside the ruined city offers over-priced soft drinks. Coffees were a reasonable price. The fast food there wasn't great, but when you walk for hours and get very hungry, this food will be enough to please your stomach. They have a selection of pizzas, salads and sandwiches. The service wasn't good. I don't eat pork. I ask when I buy food whether or not it has ham or bacon in it. Anyway, the man behind the counter wasn't happy that I asked about the sandwiches.

                                                                        Tuna Salad

                                                                         A slice of pizza

                                         

You will fall in love with the ancient houses, theaters, bath house and the paintings on the walls. The way the streets were designed is simply genius. The temples and the standing marble statues are lovely. 

My favorite artwork was the mosaic of Alexander the Great on the floor of one of the house. 

The incredible beauty of the calm Vesuvius. The city was green and the sky was clear blue. That leaves you to wonder if nature is really harsh. A day trip to Pompeii isn't enough, it'll just leave you hungry for more.

We stayed at Villa Rocla bed and breakfast. I totally don't recommend staying there. It's not a good value for your money. It was a disappointing stay at many levels. The place is owned and run by a family. The mom, who is the manger, doesn't speak a word of English, which is totally fine and it's not her fault that she doesn't speak English. The communication with her was very very difficult, but she always smiled to us. The room was less than okay. The TV was broken and didn't work at all, and the blanket smelled like urine. The hot water didn't work, so I had to take a very cold shower in the morning. We did complain about the hot water twice and nothing was done. I never expect to find good body wash in small hotels when traveling, but in this place the body wash and shampoo were dish soap, I could tell from the smell and texture. The breakfast was one packaged croissant which was old and flavorless, coffee, jam and orange juice.

Pitigliano The Beauty of Medieval Towns

Pitigliano is the right place for history lovers, a must-visit place for fans of The Lord of The Rings. Or, simply, it's a perfect place for people who love beautiful places.

There are two towns in Pitigliano: a new town with modern buildings, big stores and a lot of restaurants, and the old town which is rich with history and unique beauty.

We made our way to Pitigliano from Florence. Behind Florence train station there's a bus terminal where you can buy tickets to Pitigliano on RAMA bus. The bus takes off from Florence and stops in front of Grosseto train station, then you take a connecting bus to Pitigliano.

I remember I looked from the bus window when we were about to reach Pitigliano and I was taken in by the old walls that stand proudly around the town. In winter the old town was calm and quiet, the way I like it. I think my husband and I were the only tourists there. 

 We rented a small apartment from AIRBNB. Bianca's apartment was great, it had a kitchen and a washer and everything you would need to feel at home. The apartment is in the middle of the medieval town. Bianca is a great host. She doesn't speak English, but she does her best to communicate. She even baked fresh muffins for us. I highly recommend renting her place.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/733293?checkin=07%2F30%2F2014&checkout=08%2F05%2F2014&s=tor8

As we walked there, hours passed without feeling it. We walked in the small streets, climbed the stairs, and walked the to the waterfall a few meters out of the old town.

Things To Do:

Visiting the Jewish museum

Jewish cemetery

Walking through the woods

Stores are closed from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. By closed, I mean everything is closed. Restaurants, wild boar shops, wine and cheese shops, repair shops. We didn't even see people walking during the rest time.

Eating at Locanda del Pozzo Antico Restaurant was great experience. The dishes are pricey and the portions are small. However, the dishes are flavorful and delicious. Worth eating there if it's the only big thing you do that day.

                                                       Duck fillet with pistachio crust 

                                                                 Beef and veggie Ravioli

For cheaper food choices, you can buy bread and cheese from any wine and cheese shop. In the old town there are a few small grocery stores where you can pick up frozen meals that you can boil or microwave. About 15 minutes walk out of the medieval town you can go to the new town and buy fresh and cheap meals from a supermarket, like lasagna.    

                                                                Wine and cheese shop