The long weekenders

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Cyn and Char

Sooo, we all know the wedding of the century already passed, but this royal wedding is still big enough to create some kind of international buzz...I'm talking about the nuptials of the Head of State, Prince Albert II of Monaco and South African Olympic swimmer, Charlene Wittstock on July 2nd.
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is considered to be "the Jewel in the Crown of the Côte d'Azur." This tiny state lies along steep hills of the French Riviera on the French Mediterranean coast. It is the second smallest country (after Vatican City), about the size of New York City's Central Park. The House of Grimaldi (the longest ruling monarchy) has been in power since 1297.

Monaco is every bit as glamous as you picture it, it's a playground for the rich and famous. Full of yachts, high end designer stores, gourmet dining, grandieur hotels, multiple Grand Prix and year-round world-class events. It's best known for Princess Grace (Kelly) and it's high rollin' Monte Carlo casinos.

Want a taste of the lifestyle but don't think you can afford to stay in Monaco? No worries, we couldn't either! So we got our fix by stayed in neighboring Nice, the closest "big" city to Monaco. Nice is a mere 8 miles, and an easy train ride away, and has much more affordable accommodations.

Money saving tip: Want to shop big designer names? Make sure you get the VAT (Value Added Tax) refund from stores that you spend a significant amount of money at, it doesn't hurt to ask if they don't automatically offer. VAT refunds are almost like getting some money back for shopping in that country (usually 5-10% back of your purchase from that store). Make sure you drop off your completed VAT forms at the airport you depart from. Just ask the store for more info.
And ladies, just an F.Y.I. Louis Vuitton is slightly cheaper here as opposed to the huge LV store we all know and love in Paris' Champs Elysees, also much more welcoming and less crowded (we even got offered champagne, pinkys up ladies!).

Monaco can be made into a one day excursion trip and here are some points of interests:
Monte-Carlo Casino and Opera House
Oceanographic Museum
Monaco Cathedral
Prince's Palace
Fort Antoine
Prince's Palace (State Apartments) Saint-Charles Church
Palais de Justice

Summers here! And you're looking for adventure?!?! But not just any adventure, something more off the beatten path?
Here's our suggestion: The Cappadocia region of Turkey!

Turkey's Cappadocia region is located in Central Anatolia and feels as if you walked right into a movie set (the original version of "The Planet of the Apes" was actually partially filmed here). At first, I was not convinced that the rock formations were even made by nature. This region is famous for its surreal landscapes of fairy chimneys and painted churches cut into the rock valleys. Cappadocia's unique rock formations is a result of thousands of years worth of erosion from the elements, including volcanic eruptions from the once active Erciyes Mountain. The small rock pieces that are hard and graveled remained on top of the larger rocks and formed the fairy chimneys you can see today. The best time to go is from April to September because if you plan to go hot air ballooning they only operate during those months.

You can fly to Cappadocia, or opt to take one of the many overnight buses leaving from Istanbul (like what we did). Sure the buses are less comfortable and takes much longer but it's a way cheaper alternative to flying.

We only regret 2 things about our trip: not staying here for at least 2-3 days, and not being able to spend a night in a cave hotel. So, if you only have a day like we did, I suggest you book a day tour (we booked with Musjara Travel Agency right when we arrived at the bus terminal in Goreme, it was so worth it). Musjara daily tours included a buffet lunch, transportation, a guide, and entrance fees. Here are a some of the places we were able to see:

Avanos is best known as a (terracotta) pottery center, you can watch the artists in action or take your own pottery class.

Çavuşin Village is home to the oldest church in the region, the Church of John the Baptist, which dates from the 5th century. Çavuşin mostly deserted due to rock falls.

Saint Simon moved to Pasabaglari in the 5th century to escape the people of Jerusalem who wouldn't leave him alone after a rumor spread that he could create miracles. He moved into a fairy chimney with three heads and which is now known as the Hermitage and Chapel of St. Simon. Fairy chimneys with multiple stems and caps are unique to this area. The town attracted many monks who were looking for a solitary place to live. Many of the locals thought the chimneys looked like giant monks running up the hill, and the area soon became known as Monk's Valley.

Göreme Town is one of the main tourist stops in Cappadocia. The town center's skyline consists of fairy chimney pinnacles and cave houses carved in the valley walls (which are still inhabited by modern troglodytes or "cave-dwellers"). Close by is The Göreme Open Air Museum, only about a 10-15 minute walk from the town. The museum is an Unesco World Heritage Site, and is the most famous site in Cappadocia. Medieval Orthodox Christian monks carved the caves in the soft tufa and painted Byzantine frescoes of different saints and of scenes of Jesus' life. Göreme open air museum has the the richest concentration of thousand-year-old painted cave churches, chapels, and monasteries. Unfortunately, many of the paintings in the churches have been damaged, and there is no flash photography allowed in the churches in order to preserve the remaining artwork. The best-preserved frescoes are in the Karanlık Kilise (Dark Church), which has an additional fee.

Tip: If you can time it right, go on a cave house tour! These tours are only offered a few days each year, and the number of places is very limited. If you are in Capppadocia on one of those days, take advantage of this rare opportunity to a peek into traditional cave houses, with all the modern comforts. Tours are usually in Göreme during the spring and fall but can vary. Proceeds go to the Old Göreme Restoration Fund.

Uchisar Rock Castle is the highest point of Cappadocia and offers a great panoramic view of the neighboring valleys. The castle's many rooms, steps, tunnels, galleries, and tombs are all connected; access is controlled by sliding stones. Dovecotes surround the castle; the doves were used as a means of communication with other settlements in the region.

Pigeon Valley got its name from the thousands of pigeon houses that have been carved in any available space; it has one of the largest collections of pigeon lofts in the world.

Ürgüp is one of the main tourism centers in Cappadocia (the other being Goreme). It's best known for its upscale cave hotels/houses, wineries and cave night clubs and bars.

Devrent Valley also known as Imagination Valley, has a variety of unique rock formations which form a "lunar landscape". If you look hard enough you can see that many of the formations resemble animals. I was able to see a camel, dolphin, and seal, and I'm sure there were many more if I had more time. It's a place where you can let your imagination run wild, there was even a rock pile that looked like the Virgin Mary, holding Jesus.

Kızılçukur is also known as Rose Valley because of the color of the rocks. The valley's colors change with the sunlight and is best viewed at sunset.

Çatalkaya is best known for The 3 Beauties (two big and one small chimney), which are the most famous of the "fairy chimneys" in Cappadocia.

Derinkuyu Underground City is the deepest and the one of the biggest underground cities in Cappadocia. Nobody knows exactly how many underground sites/settlements there are in Cappadocia, but it's been estimated to be around 300. Early Christians hid in these underground cities to escape persecution from the Romans. Because they had to live underground for long periods of time, they created sophisticated ways of adapting, including ventilation chimneys and traps/defenses if the soldiers were to get past the hidden gates. The extensive network of passages, tunnels, steps and pits were strategically linked to family rooms and communal spaces. The dwellers developed these complexes into functioning settlements by making provisions rooms, wine cellars, churches, stables, abbeys, water wells, toilets, and even a morge. The underground city at Derinkuyu has eight floors, with a depth of 85m. It's also the only complex that has a spacious room with a barrel vaulted ceiling (located on the second floor), that was used as a religious school.

The Pahiyas Festival is a lively and colorful event where the whole town of Lucban participates in a thanksgiving celebration for a bountiful harvest. Pahiyas is held every year on May 15 in Lucban, Philippines located in Quezon Province, which is roughly a 4-5 hour drive from Manila, depending on traffic.

The festival is in honor of San Isidro. Legend has it that the fields were magically plowed whenever San Isidro Labrador (the patron saint of farmers, peasants, and laborers) went to church. There is more than enough festivities going on during Pahiyas to keep spectators occupied, like multiple parades, with the "gigantes" (giant papier-mâché figures representing the patron and his wife), floats, oxen, tribal dances, and fashion shows; as well as performances in the town's main square which lasts well into the night. A procession also marches onto the streets where the parish priest blesses the houses' harvest as they pass through.

Most of Lucban's houses are decorated with different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and "kiping" which are dried rice wafer shaped into leaves that's dyed in vibrant colors. Sun hats, woven baskets and papier-mâché are also used to decorate the houses. Families compete for the coveted title of the best decorated house. After the awards are handed out, the decorations are given away as free treats to the people. No decoration goes to waste, I was even able to buy a couple hats and baskets from one of the house displays.

Must do: Try pancit habhab, it's one of Lucban's local delicacies. It's sauteed miki noodles with vegetables, meat and shrimp, topped with some vinegar. It's served on a banana leaf and HAS to be eaten without utensils. They will not give you that option and you actually look like a fool if you try to use a fork (I made that mistake last Pahiyas and I still get made fun of).

It's impossible to leave Pahiyas hungry, you're more than likely to gain a few pounds while here. So I hope you get there with an empty stomach because it's considered an insult not to eat whatever your host feeds you (and they're very persistent about putting more food on your plate, regardless if you ask them to or not, that's the just the hospitality of the Philippines for you). Even if you feel that you have no more room in your stomach, that excuse simply won't work. I had to go on a major diet when I got home, but I don't regret it at all, the food was delicious!

As I'm sure you all know that the Royal Wedding is this week, and instead of doing a blog on Royal London, which I'm sure is the subject of all travel articles this week, we've decided to suggest a few interesting day trips outside of London that you might fancy on your next trip to jolly ol' England.

1. OXFORD-The City of Dreaming Spires

Located about 60 miles northwest of London, it's most famous for its prestigious university (which also happens to be the oldest university in the English speaking world), I swear just being here made me feel smarter and if time permitted I would've applied at one of Oxford's 36 colleges during my day visit. My first choice: Christ Church College, reason being that I'm a big Harry Potter fan, and I instantly recognized the Great Hall of Hogwart's Castle was the same hall found in Christ Church College, so that was a deal breaker. Oxford offers a number of guided tours, some having specialized themes (inlcuding a Harry Potter themed tour) like children's storybook tours. Did I mention some of the most popular children's books of the 21st century were written here? Does Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Northern Lights Triolgy (filmed as the Golden Compass) ring a bell? Oxford City itself is a charming place, make sure to take note of their architecture, and shop at the plethora of boutiques for all of your Oxford parafanailia needs. Also, visit the Carfax Tower (for views of the town), the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera (it's not open to the public unfortunately, but the outside is worth a visit too). If you want to get to Oxford on your own, there are direct train services from London Paddington that leaves approximately every 30 minutes, and takes about 58 minutes to get there.

2. STRATFORD-UPON-AVON-The hometown of William Shakespeare

Stratford-Upon-Avon is Shakespeare's birthplace and home of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Shakespeare Theatre; it lies on the River Avon in the Warwickshire countryside. Even if you don't care too much about poetry or plays, it's still worth a visit. It's as pretty as a postcard, and still gives the vibes of an Olde Medieval England. Full of beautiful parks and gardens, its a perfect place to just take a stroll. It takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to Stratford-Upon Avon by train from London Marylebone Station. Trains leave about every 2 hours. Want to be a little more comfortable? There are several day trip coach buses that run from London's Victoria Coach Station.

3. STONEHENGE-A place of mystery and myths

I'm sure your wondering what's so interesting about some slabs of rocks in what seems to be in-the-middle-of-nowhere-England? Well, even with science and technology this prehistoric ruins are still a mystery today! Of course there's myths, legends and educated guesses on what the actual meaning/purpose of building this monument was but none have been confirmed. Who did this? Why? And how did they move these massive stones? It's even been associated with Merlin and King Arthur; legend has it that Merlin brought the stones from Ireland to serve a burial ground. Others think Stonehenge served as a sacred place of worship, or was as a type of calendar, marking prehistoric events. But you can decide for yourself when you visit these ruins. If you have an extra day to spare in England, you may as well make your way to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best way to get to Stonehenge is to take a coach bus that leaves from London's Victoria Coach Station directly to the site. You can also take a train from London Waterloo Station to Salisbury (which is 9.5 miles away from Stonehenge) and take a bus or cab to the site.