The magic of wandering

Suddenly she found herself in a place which she had never seen. She looked dizzly around her but she didn't understand much. However, while she was trying to feel better she heard a noise coming out of the bushes. "Who's there" she asked frightened. Through the bushes came an orange-tailed cat with a long tail and big green eyes like emeralds. She looked him amazed and asked who was he.&nbsp; Then the cat said."&nbsp;I'm the protector of the 10 paintings that you saw and with me you will find the way to escape from here".&nbsp; -I don't understand! Where I am? Juliana asked.&nbsp;

-Just look around and you will understand where you are, the cat said…&nbsp; Juliana looked around and when she realized where she was, she was speechless and amazed.&nbsp; -This is the castle of Mystras!!! How I didn't realized it! This is my favourite castle but why I'm here?!&nbsp; -You touched the painting of course !!! That's why you're here!&nbsp;

After a while Juliana found herself in a high castle as a princess .She tried to undersand where she was now.She looked around the city which is located hillside of the castle.There were lots of hazelnuts around the castle and everywhere was green with trees and forests.She thought ‘’here is the place that I can live here forever with my family.But She realized that she should go back to her family.but how?She immediately wanted to know where she was.

"I was expecting this. I am on my own now!” said the girl angrily. She took the key and carefully placed it in her dress pocket and started looking for the Mapping Room. On the way, she noticed that there were six leather suitcases in the hall

-“My father would rather die than surrender the town and its people. I should be at his side fighting with him. The walls at the port are still holding on and as the prophecy goes, when the clock strikes in two hours, the result of the battle will be evident to anyone. Unfortunately, the prophecy doesn’t define which that result will be.” The last words shocked Juliana so much that she started trembling. She brought back to mind the Cat’s words about the clock of the port and she realized that, this time, she had only two hours left until she completed the task and be transferred to the next castle getting yet another castle nearer to her family. It was a misfortune that she was stuck in that damp trap but she wouldn’t relinquish hope as long as she could breathe air into her lungs. -“Alexandros, I’ve got a win-win situation for you. What if I told you that there is a way to get out of here, that there is a passage to freedom where no Venetian is going to hurt you in case the king loses the battle? What if I told you that I hold the key to your rescue and you can ensure your survival without getting into any danger?” -“I would say that you got my attention and you can keep talking…” -“Listen to me carefully, Alexandros, because we have no time to waste. Help me get out of here and take me to the cartography room where there is a special map which will show us how to get out of here.” -“There’s no way I would do such a stupid act as to get you out of there but I can go to the cartography room and bring that map you are talking about. What is it supposed to show us? A secret passage?”

“…when shall this be over? Was it a good idea to touch that painting? Are my parents still searching for me or they have already given up? I need to hurry up. I’m closer to getting out of this trouble but…but….”&nbsp;

Juliana was buried in thoughts as she reflected upon what had brought her into this adventure and what her parents were possibly doing at the time. As she stood there thinking hard about this, she heard a strange loud sound outside. She got frightened as she regained her composure. ‘Where am I?’ she quizzed herself.&nbsp;

Finally Juliana and the cat arrived at the entrance of the castle through&nbsp;ancient statues and jets of water. Once inside, they saw marble floors, gilded furnishings with precious ornaments, red sofas, walls covered with beige velvets and crystal chandeliers and friezes. Juliana began to dream. It looked like the palace of Versailles in miniature! In one room there was a billiard table and a piano,&nbsp;in another one some tables with silver cutlery, precious china and fresh flowers.&nbsp;Besides the splendid sea, the historical center of Alghero and a private cove could be seen from the numerous windows. Juliana was enraptured. She was mistaken for one of the important guests, perhaps because of her dress. A maid brought her into one of the 24 wonderful rooms of the castle. Her room had a terrace overlooking the sea. The atmosphere was so pleasant that &nbsp;she wished she could have stayed there for a long time. After exploring every corner of the park and the castle, evening came and Juliana had dinner with all the other guests of the Villa. She met the Count of Sant' Elia and other nobles. After dinner, Juliana went to her room, never stopping to admire the beautiful decorations.

The ironwork of the portal and the windows from the ground floor was made in the Rococo style. The doors of the castle were made of wood, decorated in bas-relief with symbols specific to the Baroque style. All these elements warned Juliana that Brukenthal castle is a place of cultural and artistic wealth. "Find the map, follow the map and the road to the exit you will find ......”, heard Juliane. Immediate, she saw a cat with green eyes, like an emerald, watching her. It was the cat-protector of the ten paintings, which reminded her that she had a mission to fulfill

The girl hastily admired the gardens in the castle yard, then she went into the castle to meet the Baron's family. She opened the door and entered the castle quite shyly. Three chandeliers of Murano crystal, belonging to the rococo style, spread their light in the entrance hall. Alongside there were more rooms. Each of the rooms' entrances had above a sculptured coat of arms, embellished with gold. Hesitatingly, Julia reached the main sitting room and got stunningly in front of the door. Murano, gold, wall paper from the Far East, high ceilings, Versailles parquet, all of them found in the same room!&nbsp;

Her steps were quiet and stable, she wasn't sure if she wanted to do it but when she went closely to the door she found herself inside the impressive castle.When Juliana realized were she was relieved and took a deep breath because she knew she was safe for the time. She started looking around. The castle was very tall and she had read that it was large in scope and that it had lots of rooms and alleys something that was worried about because she could easily be lost.

However her problem wasn't that. Her thoughts were lot and confused. The only thing that she was keen of was the beauty of the castle.&nbsp; Suddenly she heard an odd noise. They were like steps she thought. She quickly look around to see if she could hide somewhere but she couldn't move because she was scared… The noise of the steps were louder now and a strange shadow showed up. It wasn't a human shadow she thought and she was right because a cat showed up… Juliana felt sorry for the poor cat and she immediately told him:

While she was walking, suddenly she saw a Byzantine decapitating a Frank with his huge sword. She was shocked and she run behind a large bush. Desperately she remembered the books that she had read about the castle and the secret underground tunnel that would keep her safe from any danger.&nbsp; She runned as quickly as she could to reach the underground tunnel. She was trying very hard to find it but she couldn't. Juliana was very upset that she would die there but at the end she found something like a big cap in the ground. That must be the door to the tunnel she thought.&nbsp; She went closely to look, she opened the door and she found a big hole with a wooden ladder which was leading downwards. She heard loud screamings and canons firing. She was scared and went down the ladder with hurry as a result of falling down to the cold floor. It was very dark there and Juliana was wondering around horrified. She was walking for hours till she saw a bright light coming out of a huge door. She hadn't any choice…

“I run smoother than most any rhyme; I love to fall but cannot climb. Without me, death is assured; But within you I am life most pure." Juliana could still hear those words of the unfamiliar voice running through her mind. She was hungry and thirsty. She had not eaten for almost a day and half. She was feeling weak and tired already. She heard some croaking voices close to where she was. She decided to follow the sound to find out where those voices were coming from. She walked towards the sound and lo and behold, she found a river. She was surprised and relieved at the same time. She didn’t expect to see a river there but at least, she would quench her thirst. She bent over to drink from the river with her bare hands. “I almost died from thirst, ha!” exclaimed Juliana after drinking from the river. She turned to go but something strange hit her mind. “What runs smoother than most any rhymes? Falls but can not climb? Without it death is assured? Was I on the verge of dying due to thirst?” she questioned herself as she stood still. She turned and looked at the river. “Oh yes! I think I have the answer to the riddle. Yes! Yes! Yes!” she screamed in joy as she ran and looked for something to fetch the water.

Juliana looked around to find an excuse. The tip of her eye fell on the 3 diamonds that she was carrying in her hand. Then, without thinking about it, she replied. -&nbsp;I have to deliver the three green diamonds.

Then the servant let her into the room. The first thing Juliana noticed was the luxurious bedroom which, above there was a beautiful painting depicting the castle of Nafpaktos.&nbsp;The king was in the dining room with the Queen at that moment and they were having their lunch. Juliana amazed the castle of Nafpaktos, took her 5 whole minutes until she remembered her mission. Then a green beam fell on the painting and the half-erased phrase appeared again, a phrase that reminded her lot “Touch me”…

Authors: Fedra, Kelly, Maria, Kostas, Giannis, Irene, Nefeli Illustator: Alexis 1st Junior High School of Byron, Athens

-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh no Juliana, I’m sorry – replied the Count. “- &nbsp;Remember what you ate&nbsp;last night”, he added. &nbsp; &nbsp;Juliana&nbsp;remembered she had eaten&nbsp;pasta with a strange but delicious red sauce. She didn't know what it was ...In the meantime a waiter &nbsp;was passing by holding a plate in his hand and saying: &nbsp;” Here's your sea urchin pasta!”. &nbsp;Then Juliana cried out: - “Sea urchin,&nbsp;sea urchin!” -

-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Well done, Juliana! Pasta with sea urchin is one of the typical dishes of Alghero, together with lobster. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now your trip in&nbsp;Villa Las Tronas has come to an end and you’ll&nbsp;have to come back to the beach&nbsp;you came from.&nbsp;Do not walk through the park, you can get out of&nbsp;the terrace overlooking the sea and walk along the private side of the castle, you will&nbsp;find a staircase that will lead you to the beach.

The architect nodded and sat down burying his hands in his face. " I have an idea. If i can tell the guards at the back entrance that i had seen you by the throne room they will go there to find you and you can escape through the doors. But you must be fast and discreet so nobody else notices you leave." said Julia. The architect agreed it was a good plan however he knew he must be extremely careful when finding the back entrance. Julia opened the door and stepped outside to check if the coast was clear. She turned to the architect and nodded. They left together and quickly walked down the stairs into the main room. They saw there were 3 guards armed with swords and shields staning near the back doors leading out of the castle. The architect hid behind a suit of armour. Julia walked upto the guards and said: "I saw the architect you are looking for near the throne room in that direction" she said pointing towards a long corridor leading away from where the architect was hiding. "Are you sure?" asked the guards. " i'm absolutely sure. He looked like he was running towards the door leading towards the gardens." replied Julia. The guards thanked her and ran down the corridor, their swords swinging by their sides. Julia ran back to where the architect was hiding and said: "Quick! you must escape while you can." He came out and looked at her. " I couldn't thank you enough." he said smiling. She smiled back and he slipped out of the doors and started running away.

Without uttering a word, Alexandros moved his head towards a painting hanging over his bed. It depicted an Italian castle. She couldn’t put her finger on it since there was no clue that the castle was Italian indeed but deep down she knew the origin of the castle…

Then a green beam fell on the painting and the half-erased phrase appeared again “Touch me”…

The Team of grade C' OnceUponATimers 4th Junior High School of Metamorphosi

You were looking for me hah? Well if you want to escape from here you will have to set me free” “Free from what?” “I’m stuck! In this armor” “Ah, how can I help you then?” “You simply need to find a key in the basement” “Sounds easy, where is the basement?” “Oh, I don’t know” “Are you serious?!” “Yes I am, and it is&nbsp;better if you hurry up before it’s too late” “Too late??” Juliana asked worried “Yes, we have only ten minutes, ... you know ... the curse will be broken if by noon I&nbsp;am freed from this armor by a young girl. In return I will help you to get out of here.” said Gonario “Fine”Juliana answered happy. Juliana walked around for a bit, looking for the basement when she found a door, she opened it and she saw some stairs that seemed to lead to some sort of basement. “Bingo” she said while she ran downstairs. &nbsp;She found the key on a dusty shelf and she ran fast again to the ghost.&nbsp;

“OK! Can I start now?”, asked Juliana. “Of course”, replied the man. “This is the first riddle: It has a crown but it is not a queen, it has a lot of children but has not got a husband, it is red inside but are not embers, it has got a veil but it is not a nun, what is it? “I know it! It is a pomegranate!”, cried out Juliana.

“That was easy. Now you have to to open this door, it leads to another room”, said Brancaleone. When Juliana opened the door, she felt down into a tunnel where she found a letter with a code. By means of it she opened another&nbsp;door and saw a long corridor in front of her. She decided to follow it and after walking for a while, she came to a fork. At that moment Brancaleone reappeared &nbsp;and said: “Juliana, now you are in the cells of the castle, if you want to go on the right path, &nbsp;you have to guess the riddle that I am going to tell you”. Juliana replied: “Okay! Tell me the riddle, &nbsp;this place is very creepy!”. “Okay let’s start! It has got six faces but it cannot wear makeup, it has &nbsp;twenty- one eyes but it cannot see ... what is it?”, asked the nobleman. “I don’t know…. is it a snake?”, replied the girl.

The authors of this chapter are: Carola, Noemi, Eleonora, Lorenzo, Jacopo e Valentina of the&nbsp;classes 3A-3B&nbsp;of the Scuola Media of Istituto Comprensivo 3 Alghero.

She wasn’t afraid of anything anymore. She has changed a lot. She went into the dark room and tried to find the map. There were so many maps, she must be quick,because she knew that she didn’t have much time left. At last she found the map and started to run. She was in the dining room and there were a lot of guests there. She had to find the right painting. She stopped in front of a painting and saw the half-erased phase ,” Touch me” again. “ Hey,you, who are you?” someone shouted at her back. It was too late. Juliana touched the painting.

AUTHORS: Ahmet, Beliz, Emine, Nisa ILLUSTRATOR: Zeynep Osman Zeki Yücesan Secondary School

 He had a cloak on with his hood up hiding his face. He was out of breath and seemed scared. He ran upto her removed his hood and said: " You musn't tell anyone i am here. They're looking for me. I am the architect of this castle however it did not meet the kings standarts. He is ordering me to be captured, please help me escape." Julia was stunned. She didn't know what to do. " okay i will help you, but you mustn't be seen." she said. She closed the door and moved a chair to block it so it couldn't be opened. She turned to the architect. He was a relatively old man with shoulder length grayhair and a beard. " We must figure out a way to distract the guards so we can get you out of the castle. There are loads of them and they are stationed at almost every entrance." said Julia.&nbsp;

When they went outside, the situation was very bad. Some Byzantines were coming and others were going towards the battlefields, some carrying weapons and others ammunition. Suddenly the boy found his mother. The boy runned in one direction and fell into the arms of a woman who was holding a baby. -Mom! Mom! I'm here! The boy happily said…&nbsp; The mother, relieved, hugged and kissed her son. Then she looked at Juliana gratefully. -What can I do for you my dear? The woman asked.&nbsp; -I'm lost and I need a map, do you know where can I find some? Juliana asked.&nbsp; -There is a cartography room in the castle, maybe there you can find what you need, my dear, the woman replied and showed her the direction to follow. Juliana run towards the cartography room that the woman had shown her. When she opened the door, in front of her was a large wooden library with hundreds of papyrus inside. She stepped forward and started looking for a map that possibly weren't there…&nbsp; Then, again, a green beam shined one of the papyrus. It must be the map she happily thought! When she leaned down to grab it she noticed a half-erased phrase written with a beautiful green glittery ink that said "open me"... Juliana without any doubt opened the map quickly with enthusiasm to see what it's writing inside. The papyrus was depicting a map, a map of Sparta where the castle was builded. However, the most strange thing in the map was a place which was marked by a big red like blood "X".

Looking around, she realized she was in yet another castle. This particular castle looked strange and inside of it appeared scary. It seemed as if the castle had been abandoned for years and there was no sign of anyone living there.

"Find the map, follow the map and the road to the exit you will find....”, the girl could hear and remembered, again, that she had a target to complete. "I need to find the map”, Juliana thought, entering in the salon on the right. She stopped to admire the furniture. There was a couch, four armchairs with golden legs, upholstered with red damask, a mahogany lady's toilet with a mirror, a mahogany round table, two rectangular tables and a Chinese cupboard with six drawers and gold ornaments. "This is Mrs. Baron's room”, the girl thought, and she climbed to the second floor where she hoped to find the map. How could she find the room with maps in such a big and sinuous castle, she asked herself while she was running through the corridor.&nbsp;

The moment she arrived in the middle she saw a frightening shadow, so the terrified Julia entered the nearest room and closed the door.&nbsp;

"May I introduce myself, miss? I am the baron Samuel von Brukenthal. What is your name and what brought you here?”. "Juliana, answered the girl surprised. I was supposed to visit Brukenthal castle from Romania, but I think I find myself somewhere else.” "You are exactly in the right place. Here is my castle. When you wish to come in, I would be waiting for you in the music room. I'd like to introduce the baroness and my little daughter, Sophia, to you.” said the man, quickly walking toward the castle. Juliana admires the castle for a few minutes, noting its elegant appearance. The castle, in rectangular form, had two floors and two interior courtyards. The main element of the castle facade was a stone portal, which had various decorative elements carved: the governor's golden coat of arms, columns crowned by urns, decorated with garlands supported by rosettes.&nbsp;

Gevherhan Sultan took Juliana’s hand and they went by the window. It was an amazing scene. The Sultan said “ You’re in Rumeli Hisarı,the&nbsp;European shore of the Bosphorus. I think you aren’t from İstanbul.This fortress was built in 1452 by the order of my father,Fatih Sultan Mehmed, famous as Mehmed the Conquer.We are now by the narrowest point of the Bosphorus channel, just opposite&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadoluhisar%C4%B1">Anadolu Hisarı</a>&nbsp;– another Ottoman fortress located on the Anatolian side and constructed about 60 years earlier as an observation post and safe point for a small number of Ottoman troops. “Oh,please help me princess. I must go out” “ı’m not the princess. I’m the sultan.How can I help you? You cannot go out of here. There are a lot of soldiers and they won’t let you go” “Is there an orange-tailed cat with big green eyes like emeralds here?” It can help me” said Juliana. “Are you talking about my lovely cat,Boncuk? How can it help you? It’s just a cat.” “Please let me see your cat” “Ok, you can see my cat”.

“I know it! It’s four, because if there are three colours of socks and you get three different socks, the last one that you are going to take will complete a pair” replied Juliana. “That’s right! You are really clever, Juliana! Now you’ll have the key”. Brancaleone led Juliana out of the room, he showed her a long tunnel at the bottom of which she would find a door.

He said: “Juliana, look at this thread of wool: if you want to get out of that door at the end of the tunnel, you will have to follow it and curl it until you reach the door. There you will find an elderly woman, the weaver of the castle, and give her the ball of wool that she will use to finish my tapestry”. Juliana thanked Bartolomeo and went through the tunnel&nbsp;doing what he had suggested. After a long walk&nbsp;in that dark and frightening place, she finally reached the end of the tunnel. Right in front of the door, she met the weaver to whom she handed the ball of wool.&nbsp;The woman took it and thanked her. So, when Juliana opened the door she could not believe her eyes:&nbsp;she was out of the castle, by the sea.&nbsp;She looked around,&nbsp;a small sailing ship was moored right in front of her. A young sailor approached her and said:” Hello Juliana, we are ready to sail. Get on the boat, so we can leave.”

Juliana wished she had paid more attention to her History teacher when he was giving details concerning Nafpaktos but she could remember that it was the Venetians who had conquered the place&nbsp;sometime in the past. That must be the day of the attack but she couldn’t remember how long it took the Venetians to beat Nafpaktos and if there were many casualties.

It suddenly crossed her mind a thought which had never occurred to her before. What if something happened to her? What if she got hurt and missed the deadline to solve the riddle and find the next painting? Even worse, what would happen if she got killed? Other thoughts started storming into her mind… Would she ever see her parents again? Her sister? Her brother? Her friends? Had they realized that she was not at the museum with them anymore? Were they looking for her? Had they realized that she was gone for good, never to be found unless she solved the riddles and followed the path of wandering which the Cat had shown to her?

It was like a clap of thunder but the clear sky told her that it had to be something else. A spout of water made her realize that it was a sound of bombarding and the port was under siege. The ships were about to attack and the people of the seaside town - Nafpaktos, she was certain of it now – were trying to defend themselves. The bomb had fallen a few metres away from the ship which continued its course towards the port. 

Juliana began to reflect on it. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Alghero ... Alghero ... Alghero ... Algae / ro,….. seaweeds …in Italian it means “alghe”, its name derives from them!”, exclaimed Juliana. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Correct! What a brilliant mind! The name of this town comes from “alghe”, confirmed the Count. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Now Juliana, if you solve the last riddle you will be able to continue this wonderful journey …”, said the nobleman. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“I don’t want to leave, it's&nbsp;wonderful here!”, said Juliana. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Listen: it lives in the sea, on the rocks, it is black,&nbsp;it has got thorns, it is an echinoderm. You can eat it row or cooked.&nbsp;&nbsp;What is it? “– asked the man. Juliana&nbsp;didn't know exactly what it was, but&nbsp;she tried to guess. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Is it a rockfish?”, she said, though she was unsure.

Edward was friendly and helpful boy so he was volunteer to help Juliana to go back her home.He asked: -How can I help you,princess? Juliana said:First of all Where am I now? -here is Giresun,and It is famous for Hazelnut,said Edward. -Is there MAVİ GÖL in Giresun?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; -Of course,said Edward. -I should go to MAVİ GÖL and find the rock in the lake that is shown on the map,said Juliana. It was nearly impossible to find this rock but she had to do it to reach her family again.She asked Edward to help her to go to MAVİ GÖL&nbsp;and find this rock. And Edward accepted to help her and they started their journey. Reaching to Mavi Göl was so hard and tiring for them because ıt is so far from Giresun Castle but there was a shortcut tunnel to MAVİ GÖL from Giresun Castle.But Juliana should find the slogan to open the shortcut gate.She thought and thought and thought and she said: OPEN HAZELNUT OPEN OPEN HAZELNUT OPEN OPEN HAZULNUT OPEN

The placed looked like it housed some of the scariest ghosts in the world. She had read it somewhere some time ago that ghosts love to stay in such places. She was hit by fear and panic as the thought of ghosts came into her mind, but her curiosity could not stop her from exploring the place. As she wandered around, Juliana found herself in a strange room. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The room was decorated with something she wasn’t sure of. “This might be gold”, she thought. But how could an abandoned castle have such a room full of gold in it? She took a second glance at the shiny substance and realized it was indeed gold.

-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Ok, it has been a pleasure to meet you,&nbsp;Conte di Sant’Elia!”, said Juliana with a gloomy voice. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“ Promise you will come back to your family. Arrivederci!” – Juliana went away contemplating&nbsp;the splendid sea for the last time. The rocky coast was covered with a blanket of purple flowers. She came to the stairs and went down. An ancient sailing boat was waiting for her, Juliana got on the boat and slowly left Villa Las Tronas and Alghero, a place that had given her so many emotions...&nbsp;Princess Mafalda of Savoy was right when she wrote that this place was heavenly!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

-What are you doing here poor little cat?&nbsp; -Who did you say poor cat young girl?! The cat replied with an angry voice…&nbsp; Juliana looked more closely the cat which was sitting in the dark and she immediately noticed the big like emerald eyes.&nbsp; -Wait a second! You must be the protector of the paintings right? But… Why are you here…?&nbsp; -If you remember I had told you that if you want to escape from here you must pass ten missions. Well… you have already passed the first state of the first mission which was to find the room which the painting was depicted. And now it's time for me to tell you the riddle…&nbsp; "If you want to exit the castle, &nbsp;you must find the missing piece.&nbsp; &nbsp;A map made of emerald and stress,&nbsp; &nbsp;will lead you into peace. "&nbsp; This is what Juliana forgot! After all of what she had gone through, she forgot why she was there…! If the annoying cat weren't here I would still be able to look around, Juliana thought.&nbsp; -Is that all? Ok sir, I will find the map and I will give it to you.&nbsp; -Don't be in a hurry young girl, I'm not done yet. The riddle wasn't saying to only find the map but to also follow it! The cat said satisfied…

Suddenly Juliana saw a green boy who was sitting on the grass . Princess walks to green boy slowly. - Hey Green boy, she called. - Not green boy, it's Edward.Who are you? - Oh, okay Edward. I am Juliana and I think I am the princess of this castle. -Nice to meet you, he said to Juliana.And Edward asked:Why are you so confused and anxious? Juliana answered:I was in Rumeli Fortress and I read a riddle.Its answer was MAP.I found the map in the Rumeli Fortress and this map wanted me to find MAVİ GÖL in a city and I touched a painting and came here like a princess.So ı am so confused. And I am away from my family for a long time.I want go back my home and see my family, she said. &nbsp;

“Alghero, July 29th 1925. &nbsp;Dear father, I’m still here, at Villa Sant'Elia. It is a beautiful, heavenly place! &nbsp;I wish you were here with me... Yours, Mafalda.”&nbsp;

On the postcard there was a curious stamp with a coat of arms ...it was that of the Royal House of Savoy! Juliana recognized it immediately, the lady had to be a princess, the daughter of the King of Italy. She didn’t know that in addition to the Royals of Italy the Villa habitually housed also the Romanov princesses, in summer for swimming in the sea and in winter for hunting. All of a sudden, the emerald-eyed cat appeared again and started &nbsp;to follow Juliana. They left the sea shore and went up a staircase that led them to the entrance of the castle’s&nbsp;centuries-old park.

- “Who are you?” she heard a boy’s voice ask her. - “My name is Juliana. What’s your name?” - “I’m prince Alexandros, the king’s only son. You’ve made a big mistake to come after me, Juliana. You can never hurt me in this room.” - “Please, help me. I’m not an enemy, Alexandros. I haven’t come here to hurt you. Let me out of here.” - “How naïve do you think I am? The Venetians sent a female spy to fool me and take me to their ship in order to blackmail my father. I know that.” Juliana desperately realized that Alexandros was so overwhelmed by his suspicions that he would never believe that she was innocent. Unless she did something about it, she would rot in that dark dungeon forever.

- “If you are the king’s son, Alexandros, wouldn’t you regret it if you condemned to death an innocent girl without giving her the chance to defend herself?” -“How could you defend yourself, Juliana – if this is your real name? I can’t take any risks since I am indeed the king’s only son. However…” Juliana caught her breath because that last little word gave her a faint hope. -“I have nothing better to do until my dad wins the battle and comes back to the castle. He has ordered me to stay here because he thinks I’m too young to fight. Being an only son carries the burden of keeping the king’s bloodline alive, so my duty is to stay alive and rule this place with justice and kindness just like my father.”

“But who are you?” “I’m the Judge Gonario I de Lacon-Gunale and I built this castle in 1134” “A judge?” asked Juliana becoming curious.“Yes, a Judge...maybe you don’t know that during the Middle Ages, between the 9th and 14th centuries, Sardinia was divided into administrative Giudicati, which were autonomous and sovereign states governed by kings or Judges (“Giudici”), according to a semi-democratic system that was considered highly developed at the time.

There were a lot of Judges in Sardinia at that period but the most important in this castle was&nbsp;Adelasia of Torres. In 1236, Adelasia found herself at the helm of the Torres Giudicato, and two years later – having married Enzo, son of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia – was crowned Queen of Sardinia. Enzo, however, stayed on the island only a few months: his father assigned him as imperial vicar so he could follow the complex events in Central and Northern Italy, where the conflicts between Empire, Papacy and Comuni were at their height. After her husband’s departure, Adelasia retired in the Castle of Burgos where she lived her last years in solitude...oh, sorry, I haven't talked to someone for a long time and maybe I bored you with my stories ... let's go back to us!

And rock turned into a gate and opened.Juliana and Edward looked at each other and gave a hug.Juliana said ‘thank you and I will not forget you Edward’’ and passed the gate and she returned the museum again.Her family got mad because they hadn't found Juliana anywhere. Fortunately,her mum saw her in the museum hall and hugged Juliana immediately.And they asked her: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-&nbsp;Where have you been until now,and what happened to you? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- I touched something here and found myself in a castle ,then i solved riddles and went another one and other.I visited lots of ancient castles and beautiful places and met new people from ancient times while you were looking for me here.,said Juliana. &nbsp;&nbsp;Her parents looked at each other and started to laugh with a big laughter.Her mum thought that Juliana was affected from the atmosphere of the museum and she dreamt all these things. While they were talking about this interesting event, the museum officer came and he said Juliana's parents that "i saw your daughter in the basement of museum and she was sleeping there on the sofa."&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Actually Juliana visited lots of places but nobody realized this.Because it was a magical but adventurous journey.

Melek and Merve Giresun Kanuni Secondary School

She opened her eyes. She was lying on a sofa in a large room. There was a huge chandalier on the ceiling and enormous carpets on the floor. They were very different from the ones they used at their houses. The carpets had different patterns that symbolizes the decade she was in. She could also see these patterns on the walls. She started to walk in the room when she saw a lot of beautiful ladies came into the room.

The women were talking and laughing. They were so happy. Juliana hid behind the sofa and tried to understand where she was. They weren’t talking in Arabic language. Suddenly Juliana hit something near her ,immediately one of the women saw her and shouted.

She had the suspicion that it was the castle of the last painting she touched before travelling into space and time but she was still a little dizzy and disoriented by her strange voyage and she could not be certain. Was it really the castle of Nafpaktos or not? She was soon to find out.

What she saw outside the window made her gasp in amazement. She was somewhere very high, maybe on top of a hill and there was sea underneath, a port surrounded by walls and many ships, a fleet she would say, coming towards it! There was much movement at the port but she couldn’t hear any sounds until…

Curious, the girl opened the crates to see what was in them. Thus she saw that the boxes were filled with silverware, plates, bowls, French cutlery, candlesticks, coffee makers, cups, silver cups decorated with inlaid coins. One of the boxes was filled with pendulums and golden clocks. There was no map, so the girl continues on her way to the Mapping room. Finally Juliana found the room. The door was locked, which frightened Juliana. Immediately she remembered the key in her dress pocket. She pulled out and, fearfully, tried to open the door. To her great surprise, the door opened and she entered in the room. There she found maps, plans and blueprints of certain localities made by Giovanni Morando Visconti. She took a thorough look at the maps hoping to find out the road to the next destination. After searching for a few hours, she found a map which had a marked route on it. "This is, for sure, the right route”, said Julia to herself and quickly went to the shown road. Suddenly, the route on the map ended and Julia noticed she found herself in one of the paintings' exhibition room. At the entrance, on a baroque style table, lots of glasses were spread. Julia looked at some glasses and noticed she was at "Brukenthal 3D" exhibition.

During her wanderings, lots of thoughts overwhelmed her.&nbsp;Her journey was fast like a lightning as she was constantly anxious about what awaited her as a result of not understanding how quickly she arrived. So when she found herself in the place where she had to go, she found a hut in front of her.&nbsp;He hesitated…&nbsp;On the one hand he was afraid to get inside but on the other she wanted so much to return to the museum. Then she heard a familiar whispering… -&nbsp;Juliana…! -&nbsp;Is that you cat? -&nbsp;I see you recognize my voice, young lady… -&nbsp;Yes, I can recognize your voice but I can't see you! -You don't have to see me; I just want you to listen to me carefully!&nbsp;

-“When was the last time you took a look at the port, Alexandros? Are you sure the king is going to come back to the castle in victory?”

After a few seconds in silence, Alexandros replied:

Now all she had to do was insert the three scrolls in the holes of the respective sections of the key, just at the height of the royal stamp. It was a piece of cake: the key recovered and Juliana said goodbye to Filippo and conquered the exit …

But, suddenly everything became black and Juliana found herself laying on a bed. She sat on the bed and looked around: she was in a really gorgeous and well decorated bedroom, the walls were frescoed with lots of beautiful images of war scenes, fights and colorful banquets, there was a huge wardrobe inlaid with gold decorations and green velvet armchairs around an elegant coffee table, on the floor was a large carpet representing figures that seemed to be dancing.

Right next to the helichrysum and lavender bushes there was a parchment with the first riddle:

Se pareba boves alba pratalia araba albo versorio teneba negro semen seminaba

In front of him (he) led oxen White fields (he) plowed A white plow (he) held A black seed (he) sowed.

This was a Veronese riddle of the VIII century, the first trace of the birth of the Italian language that Juliana recognized for having studied it at school to which she promptly gave an answer: the lines of this riddle tell us of a somebody with oxen (boves) who used to plow white fields (alba pratalia) with a white plow (albo versorio), sowing a black seed (negro semen). This person is the writer himself, the monk whose business is to copy old manuscripts. The oxen are his fingers which draw a white feather (the white plow) across the page (the white fields), leaving black ink marks (black seed).

At first she struggled to understand where she was and how she had arrived to that castle. She leaned out of a window: seven hills stood before her, but she was not in Rome. The countryside in front, with all its Mediterranean scents, the smell of the sea and the motion of the waves at times gentle and at times violent, the urban features such as the city walls, the Elephant Tower and the ancient Bastion, all these things made her understand that she was&nbsp;in the Castle of San Michele in Cagliari, the capital of the Giudicato of Karalis.&nbsp;

CHAPTER 4&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; THE ADVENTURE ON THE ISLAND CONTINUES

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Immediately after touching the picture in the castle, Juliana fell asleep. When she woke up the next day, she did not&nbsp;remember anything of what had happened to her. She felt confused and stunned. After a few moments she realized that she was in a new and unknown place. She was lying on a four-poster bed and in&nbsp;front of it there was her suitcase with all the things that she needed but she did not know how it had arrived there. The room was very large, the ceiling very high and the floor was in pink cotto tiles. There was antique furniture, very high chairs and armchairs.

- “Oh, there you are!” she suddenly heard the Cat say, barely audible under the sound of bombarding. - “Thank goodness, dear Cat! I thought that I would never see you again! I am so glad you are here, with me!” - “You should keep in mind that “I’m always around and far away, to bring you close when you go astray… you have to find another ally before a victory becomes a lie…”

Juliana looked stunned. Was that just another riddle? Why couldn’t this strange Cat speak his mind without making her life difficult with those riddles? - “You have to hurry before the clock &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;bids you farewell beside the dock!” - “What is this supposed to mean?” Juliana asked infuriated. “Do you think that I’m crazy enough to approach the dock now that the Venetians are raising havoc near the port?” She suddenly realized that she was talking to herself since the Cat had disappeared once again. She brought back to her mind the way she had managed to solve the first riddle, find the map and track down the magic painting which transferred her there. The map was in the cartography room inside the castle. She was inside a castle on this occasion too so it was elementary to search for yet another cartography room. After all, all kings wanted to explore their regions and put their whereabouts into a map, didn’t they?

It was already few minutes to noon and Juliana was in a haste to beat time. She ran to the room where the tall giant man was, lacking any proper breath. “I have solved the riddle, I have solved the riddle…” cried Juliana while holding a bucket of water.&nbsp;“Young girl, you have just done what no one has been able to do since the time of creation. The gods shall never stop to be proud of you. Now, you shall quench the thirst of the gods and their dried throats shall become as moist as ever. You’re a step away from being sent back to where you came from, a step closer I say, young girl. Now go ahead and sprinkle the water on this beautiful gold you see here.” Just as Juliana sprinkled the water on the gold, she saw the famous inscription, “touch me” on the wall. She knew what that meant so without hesitation, she joyfully touched it.

Authors: Hasbi Kerem Ergün- Deniz Yıldızlı Trabzon Faruk Başaran Science and Ard Center

She felt she could not breathe. She got out of the room and headed down a dark corridor leading to a room where there was no one. That's what she wanted! To enjoy all the paintings! The room was sprawling and there were 10 paintings on the walls, each depicting a beautiful castle. She approached the first which depicted Mistras castle in Greece. The castle of Mistras was her favorite. As she got closer, she noticed that there was a half-erased phrase: "Touch me." Her adrenaline has soared. What to do; On the one hand she was scared, but on the other she had huge curiosity. Her inimitable nature prevailed and touched it.

Surprisingly 10 seconds later the gate opened and Juliana and Edward entered tunnel immediately.In the tunnel there was an old railway and train. They got in to the train and train started to move to Mavi Göl.After a short time they reached there and got off&nbsp;the train.The went out the tunnel and saw the beauty of MAVİ GÖL.It was marvelous scenery and she was fascinated in front of this beauty.

“Here I am, is it too late?” “No, you’re just in time, now put the key in the keyhole and you will set me free” Juliana put carefully the key in the keyhole and the armor started shaking and then the Judge Gonario disappeared, leaving her only a map with a bright red cross on it.

The girl picked up the map and following it she went back to the bedroom in which she woke up before. “What? I’m here again?” She looked around and she saw a beam of emerald-like light that pointed right into a picture on the back of the canopy bed. “It’s a picture of another castle!” She said to herself and she walked up to it. On the edge there was an half-erased writing that said: “Touch me”. Juliana touched the writing not knowing what to expect from her next adventure.

The authors of this chapter are: Alessia, Aurora, Carola, Chiara, Gaia, Tommaso, Vanessa and Viola of the&nbsp;classes 3C-3D&nbsp;of the Scuola Media of Istituto Comprensivo 3 Alghero.

She looked around and realized she was in one of the fifteen rooms well known for its paintings, „The rare things room”. Since she found herself there, Julia decided to have a look at the exhibits.&nbsp;

Juliana, not knowing the story of Countess Violante, asked Filippo to talk to her about the Countess. Filippo said that she was his mother and she had lived in that castle for a long time, but she had not had a very happy life. Her name was Violante Carroz and she lived between 1455 and 1510. Daughter of the Count of Quirra and viceroy of Sardinia, Giacomo Carroz, Violante was the only heir of the rich family heritage and became mistress and lady of one of the largest Giudicato of the Sardinia island. Feared, respected but also hated by the nobility and the people, her life was far from be easy.

She immediately understood that getting hold of it, it would have ensured her the way out from the Castle and freedom. She tried to get it, but it was as if it was stuck in the floor. Only at this point&nbsp;the cat began to speak: in order to use the key, Juliana would have to pass three trials. Each of them would make her acquire a section of the key. It was about solving three riddles. Suddenly, as during a thunderstorm, a lightning flash illuminated a dark room and the ghost of a child materialized before her eyes: &nbsp;"Who are you?" Juliana asked. &nbsp;"I am Filippo one of Donna Violante's children".

A maid of the Sultan accompanied Julianna,they went to another room and saw the cat “Fortunately, I could find you. Do you have a new riddle? What’s it? “ The cat asks ; -You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. &nbsp;I'm quick when I'm thin and slow when I'm fat. The wind is my enemy. “Oh what is that? A candle? “Yes,right ,smart girl. You ‘re so fast again.” The cat said ;” Now you must find the candle in this room.” “And then…?” asked Juliana. “And then the second riddle will start”

Although fascinated by the landscape, Juliana began to worry because she realized that she was very far from her home: she was in Sardinia, a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea. A thousand thoughts assailed her: what adventures would she have to face, what mission would she have to overcome? Suddenly his cat friend with emerald eyes appeared. She hoped he would speak and meanwhile followed him, trusting that he could show her the way out of the castle, from this splendid and golden prison.

Following the cat, she walked through rooms of different sizes until she found herself in an even larger room than all the others, but dark.&nbsp;However, despite the darkness, something, lying on the floor, shone, attracting her attention: it was a large golden key consisting of three sections separated from each other by a decoration with a royal frieze.

She looked at her side and she gasped, surprised “Oh, it’s you again, cat” she said relieved “Hello Juliana and welcome to the castle of Burgos” the cat greeted her “Wow, I’m always in Sardinia, am I right?” Juliana said remembering where the castle was located.

“Exactly, you are in the north centre of Sardinia, now” “What am I supposed to do here?” The girl asked “To find a way to escape this castle You’ll seek a ghost In a rusty silver armor”

When Juliana got there, she found rooms of different sizes. One peculiar thing about Juliana was curiosity. She was always curious about what she found interesting to her. This time around the story wasn’t any different. She started moving from one room to another until she came across a room full of toys. She had missed playing with her toys at home so she decided to sit down and play with the ones she found. After all, she didn’t know the answer to the riddle so it was far better for her to do something that was more interesting to her. Unfortunately for Juliana, she fell asleep in the course of playing with the toys. When she woke up it was already morning. She was running out of time. She had less than quarter a day to solve the riddle or turn into gold as the man had told her. Juliana began feeling hopeless. The thought of the cat came into her mind. She hoped the cat could appear from nowhere to help her solve the riddle but there was no sign of him. This was the most difficult to solve riddle for her so far. She kept sitting in the room where she found the toys, looking hopeless. She started thinking about what would happen if she wasn’t able to solve the riddle before noon. At this point, Juliana felt her parents wouldn’t see her again as she’d turn into gold if she failed to solve the hard-to-solve riddle.

-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“On three sides, the promontory on which the Villa stands is bathed by the sea, to the north there is &nbsp;Cala Lavatoio and Cala Capone to the south”. - said the cat.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;While walking in the park, the cat told her the story of the majestic residence. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“It was initially built as a hunting lodge in 1880 by Alexander Count of Sant’Elia on an ancient watchtower. However, the majestic medieval feature according to the fashion of that time was given by Don Luigi Arborio Mella, the next Count of Sant’Elia, closely in contact with the House of Savoy and Senator of the Kingdom, and his wife, the English Lady Rosamond Marke Wood. That is how Villa Sant’Elia, later Villa Las Tronas, became a meeting place for high society. Alghero was a holiday resort before Sardinia was discovered by mass tourism. - &nbsp; &nbsp;

Then, he concluded by explaining the meaning of the Villa’s name: -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“The name Las Tronas derives from the characteristic shape of some rocks located near the castle”.

Julia stood there and started thinking to herself. As she started walking she turned back and looked at the suit of armour. She suddenly paused and remembered the riddle. I have no soul But i am shaped like a man I am empty inside But protect you i can...

"A suit of armour!" she said to herself excitedly. It is shaped like a man, has no sould, is empty and is used as protection. She hurried back and stood infront of it. She stared at it and repeated the riddle. Suddenly, the suit of armor raised his arm and pointed to a room down a corridor. She smiled and started walking quickly. Julia found the room and walked in. It was another room full of ancient structures and paintings. She looked at all of them and suddenly noticed a bright green beam on one of them. As she walked closer she saw the writing appear. "Touch me..."&nbsp;

Halıcı Ahmet Urkay Anatolian High School students story by kayra Marmaris

Chapter 6 The Way Out

Julia found herself in another castle. This one was slightly smaller than the others. It seemed like it was from the ottoman empire. She looked around at the stone walls surrounding her, there were guards rushing around the place. It was chaotic. She walked up the stairs and into a large room full of magnificent paintings and structures.

https://api.bookcreator.com/users/v2/MGaa2NFaGqQSamfKY48qANFhHcq1/books/ZPx2JYPJRN2Ebti3X5OERQ/assets/QtXQhxOvRLGyfezrtr4m0g.jpeg?width=1216&height=760

A cooperative e-book written by the students of

- 1st junior High School of Byron, Athens - 4th Junior High School of Metamorphosi, Athens -Scuola Media of Istituto Comprensivo 3 Alghero -Palatul Copiilor Drobeta-Turnu Severin -Halıcı Ahmet Urkay Anatolian High School, Marmaris -Trabzon Faruk Başaran Science and Ard Center -Osman Zeki Yücesan Secondary School -Giresun Kanuni Secondary School

Juliana admired the wonderful places left behind, when she noticed that the clouds had gathered above her. Immediately the storm began and a huge wave threw the boat into the yard of a wonderful castle. She got scared off the boat and sat on a bench in the castle yard. After a few minutes, she heard the sound of a coach just entering the gate. When it reached beside her the coach stopped so that the two horses, as white as milk foam, could drink water from the well just next to her. A smart lord got out of it, coming straight to her.&nbsp;

Wandering into Brukenthal castle

JULIANA IN RUMELİ FORTRESS

A new place, a new history and a new country again. Juliana was very tired, thinking of the places and castles so far. How many days has it passed since she left her house? A day? A week? Or a year? She has lost the sense of time and hoped this would be the last castle she was in. She wanted to go back home and would never go to a museum again. She was afraid of opening her eyes, but she felt herself relaxed for some minutes .It was the sound of the birds and she could hear the sea. And she was hearing a relaxing melody of a man. Was it a song? No!&nbsp;It was a kind of music that Muslims listen.&nbsp;

Juliana tried to find the candle. She looked everywhere, under the beds, behind the sofas and curtains, inside the basket full of apples,in the drawers…but unfortunately she couldn’t find it. She was so dissapointed that she sat on the floor and started to cry. Then the door was opened slowly. She could see the light of a candle. A handsome boy was holding it. “Oh, the candle” said Juliana. “Who are you? Who is in my room?” asked the young boy. “Don’t be scared of me.I’m Juliana. I’m looking for the candle&nbsp;you are holding. Can you give it to me?” asked Juliana. “Yes, I can give it to you, but I have a riddle for you,” said the boy. His name was Bayezit, the son of Fatih Sultan Mehmed. “A new riddle? Ok ,I’m ready” “I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains,but no trees. &nbsp;I have water, but no fish. What am I?”

“No, that’s wrong. You have three clues, do you want to use one?”, asked the nobleman. “No, I know it, that’s a dice!”, exclaimed Juliana. “That’s right! Now you can continue along this tunnel, on your left”, he said.

&nbsp;Juliana followed Brancaleone’s directions,&nbsp;arrived in a very big room and saw three doors. Brancaleone met her halfway and said: ” As you can see, there are three doors: in one of them there is a lion that&nbsp;has not eaten for 50 years; in the second door there is a storm of bees and in the third one there is a crocodile”. Juliana paused to think before deciding what to do. Then she said: “I am going to choose the first door, if the lion has not eaten for fifty years,&nbsp;it is dead, of course!”. “Yes, well done!” replied the man. “Juliana, now you are going to open the last door that you have chosen and&nbsp;solve the final riddle”. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Juliana opened the door, entered a very dark room where she could see Brancaleone, sitting on a chair and holding a torch in his hand. “Listen: it is a number between one and five”, said Brancaleone.

&nbsp;Eleonora was born in Catalonia, Spain, in 1347. Daughter of&nbsp;Mariano IV of the de Serra Bas&nbsp;and of&nbsp;Timbora di Roccaberti, she moved to Sardinia with her family where her father became ‘king’ of the&nbsp;Giudicato d’Arborea. In 1376 Eleonora married&nbsp;Brancaleone Doria, whose Genovese family owned territories in north-western Sardinia and soon moved to Genoa. In 1383 her brother&nbsp;Ugone III&nbsp;was assassinated, Eleonora returned to Sardinia and succeeded him as a judge, lavishing herself so that her first-born son Federico was recognized as legitimate successor to the government. In the meantime, following the ancient Sardinian royal law, according to which women were allowed to succeed their father or brother, she was appointed regent for the minor son Federico, who managed to elect a judge in the assembly of the Corona de Logu. She immediately demonstrated that she possessed a&nbsp;great political intelligence&nbsp;inspired by the experience of her father Mariano IV”.

While Juliana was concentrated on&nbsp;reading that interesting story, she suddenly&nbsp;heard noises getting closer and closer to her room.&nbsp;Someone knocked on the door.&nbsp;Frightened but at the same time curious, she opened it. In front of her&nbsp;was a handsome young man dressed in elegant clothes. He said:”I heard some noise, I thought&nbsp;it was an intruder. I really was waiting for you, Juliana”. “Who are you?”, asked Juliana timidly. “I am a member of&nbsp;Doria family, my name is&nbsp;&nbsp;Brancaleone Doria, I am the master of this castle and&nbsp;I have been living here for many years”. “So, how long? ”, exclaimed the girl. “I have been living here for about six centuries, since&nbsp;I married Eleonora D’Arborea, the famous judge and&nbsp;heroine.&nbsp;I am locked up in this castle but I will help you to escape ”, answered the nobleman. “How will I escape?”, asked Juliana. “That’s simple, you’ll have to solve some riddles. If you fail,&nbsp;you will be thrown off&nbsp;the bastions as told in the legend”, answered Brancaleone. “When should I solve the first riddle?”, asked Juliana. “You can start whenever you want, you have three chances for every riddle”, answered the nobleman.

One of the paintings made her curious. "This rare painting was made during the Victorian period and shows bunches of flowers made out of human hair, tided with wire and decorated with glass beads of emerald color”. That was written on the painting's label. "Hmmm! Julia said to herself. I can't see any colored bead” She moved closer to the painting and saw that the flower bouquet was a golden key, inlaid with green emeralds. Why is this key here? she wonders. Instantly, as if somebody was reading her mind, the kitten's voice could be heard. "The only thing you have to remember and believe are the emerald eyes that have been given to me. "Congratulations, Julia, you succeeded in finding the painting painted with locks of human hair! The key you found will help you open the door to the map room. Take it! urges the cat. Now it's time you should find the road to the next destination.&nbsp; "Find the map, follow the map and the road to the exit you will find....,” the kitten started humming and vanished into thin air.&nbsp;

Bright ideas border

Vasiliki Papaioannou 1st Junior High School of Byron, Athens,Greece Stella Vergi 4 Gymnasium of Metamorfosis, Greece Lila Efkratidou 4 Gymnasium of Metamorfosis, Greece Daniela Tilloca Istituto Comprensivo 3 Alghero,Italy Giuseppina Pascalis Istituto Comprensivo 3 Alghero,Italy Maria-Genoveva Agape Palatul Copiilor Drobeta-Turnu Severin,Romania TÜLİN&nbsp;AKTÜRK Halıcı Ahmet Urkay Anotolian High School,Turkey Şahfer KÖŞKER Osman Zeki Yücesan Secondary School, Turkey Saniye ELMAAĞAÇ Osman Zeki Yücesan Secondary School Turkey Yeşim Oğul Faruk Başaran Science And Art Center Turkey Eray Kocasakal Kanuni secondary school Turkey

Juliana went to sleep.&nbsp;When she woke up she went sleepily to the terrace, she was confused ... Suddenly she saw a cruise ship, modern cars and a plane in the sky.&nbsp;In the cove people were wearing brightly colored costumes and&nbsp;sunglasses, were lying&nbsp;&nbsp;on&nbsp;sunbeds under the shade of the umbrellas. She was back to her era! The adventure was not yet over … Juliana put on her bulky dress and&nbsp;ran to the ground floor of the villa, to understand what had just happened. Nobody noticed her presence. Suddenly she heard the cat's voice that told her that... she was invisible to everyone! She&nbsp;noticed that everything was different in the castle:&nbsp;people were wandering the corridors with suitcases, others were searching for information at the entrance. From a window she even saw&nbsp;a swimming pool! She realized that the villa had become a luxury hotel. Juliana reached the entrance of the villa. She looked around the room and among the paintings&nbsp;on the walls she&nbsp;recognized the portrait of&nbsp;Don Luigi Arborio Mella. She approached it and suddenly the portrait began to speak. - “Good morning dear Juliana,&nbsp;as you can see they have transformed my villa into a hotel ...&nbsp;it’s a bit strange&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to talk to a painting, isn’t it?”. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Oh yes, it is!”, replied Juliana. -&nbsp;&nbsp;“ As you may imagine, if you want to&nbsp;move forward you have to solve some riddles”, said the Count. - “I'm ready”, replied Juliana. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Here is the first one:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

However you must listen to me because now I'm going to give you a helpful advice and a warning. If you find the map and see the journey that you will have to do, many places will be unfamiliar to you. So, the best way to follow it is, by asking someone who know these places, the Byzantines of course…! But for all of these, you will only have less than one day! So start quickly to find the map and I'm going to give you this note for help.&nbsp;

-What's this again…?! Juliana said angrily but when she looked at him, the cat magically disappeared!&nbsp; The only thing that she could do now, is to open the note that the cat had given her but, she couldn't understand how it was going to help. It was a riddle again! However, this time the riddle was more confusing. She read it many times and at the end she decided to read it loudly. So Juliana started reading it…&nbsp;

Juliana found herself inside a large hall in a castle. Every detail was treated with extreme attention and taste and many were the objects of value. Her attention was struck by a solid, hand-carved, wood table placed on an ancient red carpet, as well as the upholstery of the chairs and the numerous cushions placed on ancient sofas

Juliana looked the cat confused.&nbsp; &nbsp;-Is&nbsp;this cat talking to me? I'm sure that I must be sleeping…!&nbsp; -&nbsp;Of course not, silly! All of these are real and if you want to escape you must listen to me!&nbsp; Although Juliana couldn't realize what was going on, she sat down confused and listened.&nbsp; -Look, this is what you have to do. You entered the painting and you can't escape unless you complete ten missions as many as the paintings in the room that you have being before. In the end of each mission the next painting, in order, will open until you reach the tenth where you will be faced with the most difficult. If you complete it successfully I will let you free. It's very easy like a minigame, the cat said and the he laughed sarcastically.&nbsp; -What are those missions?! I don't understand! Juliana said angrily.&nbsp; Each of the paintings are corresponded to a castle where there is a riddle that you have to solve. Those are the missions that I've been talking about.&nbsp; She was stressed and worried when she was going back to her family but then she decided to explore the castle. The castle of Mystras was a Byzantine state of the Peloponnese 6km away from Sparta builded on a steep and fertile hill. That view was amazing and odd. However as she was walking to the inaccessible paths of the castrophum she noticed that the castle was in an excellent form. So Juliana assumed that she was in the Medieval times without knowing that she was in the middle of a siege of the Franks against the Byzantines

-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You usually see it in&nbsp;the Tropics, but you can also find it in our parks,&nbsp;it is usually high but here it is low,&nbsp;you can eat its fruits, what is it? asked the man. Juliana glanced quickly&nbsp;at the garden and saw a low palm tree! Then she cried out: -&nbsp;“It's a dwarf palm tree!”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Count replied:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; -&nbsp;“Exactly! Well done, Juliana! Here the dwarf palms are widespread”.

The next riddle will be more difficult…. -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“They live&nbsp;in the sea, in winter they dry up and pile up on the beaches and form dunes. They are related to the name of&nbsp;this town... what are they?”, asked the Count.

When she entered the museum, she felt that he was in a wonderful world for which she has read so much all this time. The artwork and paintings around it had drifted her away. She was always a girl so much different from the others of her age. She had special interests and her friends often made fun of her. But she didn't care, she knew she was born to live the magic of wandering. And today she was in the right place. Crowds of people were gathered inside the room.

Juliana run happily and quickly as she could so that she could reach the castle by the end of the day. It was still evening and after such a trip she was very tired so, she fell asleep under a blossom tree. After a while she got up and started looking around to find the castle. It was still 7 o'clock and she had 5 hours to complete the first mission. During her journey she was hearing war noises. Juliana was worried and anxious about her family but happy because she would complete with success the mission.&nbsp; When she reached the castle, her cat friend had once again showed up. This time the cat wasn't saying much. He only told Juliana, to find the royal bedroom… Luckily a servant was passing by in front of her. Juliana said goodbye to the cat and quickly she asked the servant where the royal bedroom was … Following her instructions, she found herself outside a large wooden door. So, after knocking on her door, a palace servant opened. -&nbsp;What are you doing here? He asked Juliana didn’t know what to do. She did not know why the cat sent her there. However, all she knew was that she only had 1 hour left before time would run out. The servant seeing that Juliana was not responding told her. -&nbsp;This is the royal bedroom. Only the King and Queen can enter it… -&nbsp;I want to see the King, she responded to find an excuse to get into the room. -&nbsp;And… why do you want him?

"In your journey that you had made, You shouldn't cry you shouldn't fear. If you want to leave the odd place, you have to constantly enter a painting which is near." The cat said while he was disappearing from Juliana's ears…&nbsp;

After the words of the protector, Juliana entered the hut bravely. The hut had a half broken wooden bed with stuffs and bottles around it. It was dark and dirty inside but she could easily see three green diamonds. Then Juliana remembered the cat's worlds in the castle. "You'll be looking for the map, You'll be following the map. The only thing that you have to remember and believe, Are the emerald eyes that have been given to me… " -That's it! Juliana announced!&nbsp;

A few seconds before she completed her narration, she saw a rope falling from the opening. Alexandros’ action spoke volumes of his faith in her story and his eyes, when she climbed her way to his room, showed his trust to her.

Juliana took the map out of Alexandros’ hands. She knew she had to open it even without reading the half-erased phrase written with the beautiful green glittery ink that read “Open me”…&nbsp;There was the map of a castle, the castle of Nafpaktos, where a certain room was marked by a big, red like blood “X”. -“Do you recognize this room, Alexandros? It has to be the room where a painting is located, a painting featuring a castle…”

Chapter 3 Juliana and the castles in Sardinia

-“I don’t know if you can do it or it has to be me and only me to find the map. Last time I tried to find the map, it revealed itself through a beam of emerald green light. Go to the room, Alexandros, and if you see a beam of emerald light pointing at a map, take it with you. It will be proof that I am not the spy you consider me to be and there is pure magic that brought me here, the same magic that is going to take us both out of here in case you want to follow me.” Without saying another word, Alexandros opened the door, or so Juliana guessed by the creaking sound of the hinges. It must have been only a few minutes but in Juliana’ s mind it could well have been endless centuries before Alexandros came back. She heard his voice calling her name at the same moment she saw an emerald green light emanating from the map. -“It’s here, the map is here but when I opened it, there was nothing inside. Only this green light makes me believe that there is something strange going on and there has to be something more than meets the eye. I believe that you are not a Venetian spy but you have to reveal your true identity to me before I set you free.”

In a husky voice that could hardly been heard in between the bombarding sounds, Juliana gave Alexandros a vivid account of all her adventures so far, starting from her visit to the museum and the European castle exhibition, the room with the magic paintings and her transference to the castle of Mystras, the Cat, the map which led her to the second painting and her transference to the castle of Nafpaktos.&nbsp;

Flash red

Julia thought deeply. What has no soul but is shaped like a man? A statue maybe... but a statue can't protect you, that can't be it, Julia thought hard. She left the room and wandered around outside. There were groups of guards walking around everywhere, they looked like they were searching for someone. Julia walked to the top of the castle and looked out at the magnificent view. There were loads of large battle ships lined up by the harbour. As she watched the blue waves crashing on the shore, she thought about the riddle she needed to solve. She just couldn't think of the answer. An idea popped into her head, she decided to walk around the castle to find anything or anyone that looked like it could be the answer. After about half an hour of aimless wandering around she found a small room decorated elegantly. As she was admiring a beautiful painting of a queen on the wall, a man ran into the room.&nbsp;

“How difficult is it? It’s the most nonsense riddle I’ve ever heard, can you give a clue,please? “Think something inanimate. You can fold it and put in your pocket.” “Oh, it must be a map.” “Yes,you are right”,said Bayezit. Now you must find the map of the castle and reach dining room where you can find paintings” “You can help me. You must know the dining room. If you come with me, I don’t have to find the map” “No, I cannot help you. This is your mission and you have to succeed alone. I can only give you my candle and show you the dark room that you can find the map”.

"You'll be looking for the map,&nbsp; &nbsp;You'll be following the map.&nbsp; &nbsp;The only thing that you have to&nbsp; &nbsp;remember and believe,&nbsp; &nbsp;Are the emerald eyes that have been&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;given to me… " There weren't changes in her thoughts but her eyes caught a small green beam calling her to its side. Juliana wasn't sure if she should follow it or just stay till the cat reappear. She was confused and the questions on her mind were plenty.&nbsp; Will she solve the mission in just one day?&nbsp; Will she manage to go unnoticed by the Byzantines and Franks?&nbsp; Are her parents safe and are they worried?&nbsp; And finally… the most important of all…!&nbsp; What is she looking about? Is this something that connects historically with what is happening?&nbsp; While she was wandering around, she heard a quiet short crying. Juliana decided to find who was upset and where it was came from. As soon as she arrived, she found a boy, probably 8 years old, sitting down to the cold floor. After she reassure the boy, Juliana asked him what happened. The boy said he couldn't find his family. His father was in the war and her mother was taking care of his little sister. She offered to help the poor little boy by finding his mother.&nbsp;Firstly she asked the boy how they could exit the underground room so that they could go to the courtyard of the castle and look for his mother.

Giving a last glance at the port, she understood that the Nafpaktians were in a very difficult position since the walls were being bombarded and the Venetian fleet was fast approaching. The Nafpaktian bombs seemed to have done little damage to the Venetian forces which were determined to conquer the town at every cost. Feeling sorry for what she witnessed but giving in to a sense of helplessness, she decided to get out of the room and start following clues for the map.

When she stepped into the corridor, she turned right, then she turned left and then she decided to put her head on the floor in case she felt any footsteps, a sign of another person’s presence. If that didn’t work, she would have to start opening the doors, at least the ones which were unlocked, until she found the cartography room. While thinking what to do next, she heard a banging somewhere behind her. 

CHAPTER 2 JULIANA AND THE CASTLE OF NAFPAKTOS

When she touched the map this time, Juliana found herself in the middle of a huge room luxuriously decorated with golden ornaments, velvet furniture and a lit fireplace which emanated warmth and gave some source of light. The thick curtains kept the room dark and this gave Juliana a gloomy feeling. She was in an unknown place, at an unknown time, among unknown people who was yet to meet and who could be friends or enemies, but she had to find out soon enough since the clock was ticking backwards for her. She had a few hours to find the map to the next gate.

Getting accustomed to the darkness of the room, her eyes searched around the place trying to discern the strange, talking cat that had helped her so much during her previous adventure. To her disappointment, there was no sign of the cat. A strange silence was around the room she was in, which she guessed, was part of yet another castle. She ran to the window and pulled the heavy curtains in order to take a look and get some clues concerning the location of the castle.

The second puzzle had been placed next to the plant of the coloured berries of the arbutus tree and it went like this: I grow on trees but I’m not a leaf I’m spherical but I’m not a soccer ball I provide juice but I’m not an apple I’m sometimes naval but I’m not a sailor I’m a colour but I’m not red What am I? "Ah! It's an orange! " she said happily Juliana remembered that on winter evenings her grandmother used to tell her stories, ancient fairy tales and nursery rhymes and proposed riddles by the warmth of the fireplace. Having listened to her grandmother teachings, they helped her in this bizarre situation! &nbsp;Finally, the resolution of the third enigma was missing . Filippo, the ghost boy led her to the aromatic myrtle plant: Say my name and I disappear. What am I? “The silence!” she exclaimed.

Chapter 1 Juliana in the castle of Mistras

Saturday morning. Thirteen-year-old Juliana is outside the museum with her family. Tickets have long been received for the European castle exhibition. He was looking around excited waiting patiently to get in.

The girl walked slowly in the direction of the noises and she came across a light, under it there was a rusty silver armor that was shaking uncontrollably making all the noise.“Oh here it is!” She said happily “Who’s there?!” A voice shouted from the armor Hello, my name is Juliana… I was told I needed to find this armor” “Oh, hello Juliana! Welcome to my Castle! I've been waiting for you for a long time!” “You have been waiting for me for a long time? Why?” Juliana asked very surprised. “A long time ago I was&nbsp;victim of a curse by Don Blas, a terrible and demonic ghost, who usually incinerated whoever he met, I was not incinerated, thanks to my rank, but my soul was condemned to stay locked in this armor and only a young girl can free me and finally I will have peace” said the ghost.

“Who are you?What are you doing here? Are you a spy?” shouted the woman. Juliana said : “ No! No! Don’t be afraid of me .I’m not your enemy. I don’t really know how I have come here. But I don’t have enough time. I must go out of here” “I’m Gevherhan Sultan, I’m the daughter of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire” “And the year?” asked Juliana. “The year?” the sultan was surprised. “It’s 1453. Come with me, please”

As she was studying them all she heard a noise and turned around. The cat with the emerald eyes was back again, it walked owards her slowly and stopped abruptly. " I have no soul But i am shaped like a man I am empty inside But protect you i can... Find what this is and it will help you find your way out. Good luck. " said the cat and disappeared once again.

Juliana was confused, she didn’t have a clue on how to solve the riddle “Can you explain a little further please?” She said right as the cat disappeared in front of her. “Well then, it looks like I need to get my head around this by myself, as always” she said embittered. She jumped off the beautiful canopy bed and she left the room in search of the ghost. She wandered around the castle for a long while till&nbsp;she didn’t find anything. Suddenly, while she was walking, looking for clues on how to solve the cat’s riddle,&nbsp;she found a dark hallway that she didn’t see before.&nbsp;

It was a little scary but she decided to go anyways because it was the only place she didn’t check out. While she was walking in the hallway she started hearing weird noises, it was like someone was shaking a can with coins in it. “Hello? Is anyone here?” Juliana asked, frightened. No one replied.

“Yes! It’s gold! It’s gold! But who owns th…” Juliana exclaimed as she moved towards one side of the four-squared wall to touch and feel those beautiful ornaments. Just before she could touch it, a loud voice from behind shouted, “Don’t you dare touch the throat of the gods, poor girl!” Juliana turned to see who it was. She could see a tall giant man who stood above her, whom she could not see his face because of how tall he was. With fear in her heart, Juliana questioned the man, “who are you and why do you call this gold the throat of the gods?” “Hahahaha! You don’t need to know who I am, young girl. This gold you see is not a mere gold. You have gotten yourself into trouble for coming here and you shall turn into one of these beautiful ornaments if you fail to solve the riddle of the gods. And oh! You don’t have to tell me who you are. The gods knew about you long before your arrival. Welcome to the world of the gods!” At this point, Juliana was totally puzzled. She didn’t know what to do. She kept staring at the man whom she could not see his face.&nbsp;After some moments, Juliana asked the man in a soft voice “what am I supposed to do to be freed from the wrath of the gods?” “You will have to solve the riddle of the gods, poor girl. The riddle no one has been able to solve since the time of creation. You shall be given until tomorrow noon to solve it and if you do, you shall be sent back to where you came from.”&nbsp;

In fact, it was punctuated by continuous tragic events: first the loss of both parents; these deaths were followed by the premature death of the two husbands and of the only two children, all of which occurred between 1478 and 1503; to frame the loss of dearest affections, there was the continuous struggle for heritage by some relatives who involved her in various processes.&nbsp;&nbsp;

An unfortunate woman, therefore, who throughout her life suffered the course of events impotently. "For this reason, concluded Filippo, her soul and mine, have not found peace: between the towers and avenues of the castle of San Michele, which for a long time were our home, our ghosts still hover and mingle in the wind ".After the story, Filippo decided to help Juliana and led her to the large garden where flowers of all kinds bloomed as in an eternal spring and indicated the three exact points to look for.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Edward and Juliana sat on the side of the lake for 10 minutes and looked around to find the rock. Suddenly.Edward shouted as: I FOUND,I FOUND….Look. There is a big tree there,next to the tree,there is a turquois rock.I think it is our rock.Let’s go and look at it,said Edward. Jualiana was very excited and happy.Because,if it is the true rock,she will reach her family again. They went near the rock,yes it was the true rock but there was a riddle on the rock.If she can answer the riddle ,rock will turn into a gate and she can go to home.Riddle was this: ‘’&nbsp;I bought one from the bazaar &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It was thousand at home...‘’ What was it? said Juliana. Edward started to smile&nbsp; because he guessed the answer and whispered it to Juliana’s ear. After that Juliana gave the answer: ‘’POMEGRANATE’’ she said.

Juliana, looking confused than ever, left the room without uttering a word. When she got out of the room, she realized there was a way leading to what seemed like it contained an underground rooms. Without taking any lesson from what just happened, she decided to go and find what was there

” Just before Juliana could bombard the man with another question, she heard a very loud unfamiliar voice. “I run smoother than most any rhyme; I love to fall but cannot climb. Without me, death is assured; But within you I am life most pure." “Young girl, as you have heard from the horse’s own mouth, go and solve the riddle. You shall bring to the gods whatever you find the answer to be. Go! Go! Go in peace. Your time starts elapsing from now!” said the man.

She stood up and started running towards the sound. She didn’t want to reveal her presence in case she was in danger that was why she tried to avoid making noise. At the end of the corridor, she hid behind the wall and bent her head a little forward to see if there was anyone there. The creaking sound of a door’s hinges broke the silence. Juliana followed the sound hoping to find a friend, maybe the “ally” of the Cat’s riddle.

The wooden door in front of her was decorated with carvings which alternated with iron crests. Its elaborate decoration revealed that it was a door to seal the world out for someone important. She tried to open it as discreetly as she could but the door was too heavy for her to even move. She felt helpless and too tiny for her thirteen years of age. While she was wondering what to do next, the door started moving and a crack of light came out of it. Suddenly, it stopped moving but the opening was wide enough for Juliana’s slim figure. As she entered the room, the light coming through the bare windows blinded her and she lost her step. It took her a few moments to adjust herself from the total lack of light in the corridor to the dazzling light of the room. During those fractions of seconds, she felt the floor give way under her feet and she started falling and falling until her feet touched the hard ground in the complete darkness.

All the walls of the room were covered with famous paintings, some of them unique in Europe. Among them, two Romanian paintings were exhibited: one belonging to Corneliu Baba, the other one belonging to Elena Popea, both famous Romanian painters. Very impressed and full of enthusiasm, the girl was looking at them when she realized that one of the paintings had a coat of arm placed in the left top corner.&nbsp;

„Quite strange....”, Julia thought and she went closer to the painting to look at it better. Then, a green beam fell on the painting and the erased phrase appeared again: "Touch me!".…

Authors: Ana-Violeta Jumugă, Oana-Mihaela Iova and Sînziana Preda 5th grade, Palatul Copiilor Drobeta-Turnu Severin

Juliana got on the boat. She was tired, she had spent a long and intense day in the castle, so she dozed off on the ship's deck. Juliana found herself lying on the sand, she was wearing a suffocating dress with a very large skirt, she almost couldn't get up; and her hair was tied up in an elegant hairstyle. She looked around and immediately saw the crystal clear sea, it was so beautiful that she had no doubt. She was still in Sardinia! From the beach she saw a huge promontory in the distance, it looked like a lying down giant. Near her, on the left, a fairy-tale castle stood out. She saw people on that small beach, they were some ladies dressed in elegant clothes, wearing large skirts of fine fabrics, bows and ribbons. They were followed by young women who shaded them with small umbrellas. &nbsp;Juliana thought she was in the 1700s, but when she saw some coaches passing near the beach she&nbsp;realized she was in the early 1900s, when Italy was still ruled by the Savoy family, as&nbsp;she had studied&nbsp;at school. While Juliana was admiring the splendid view,&nbsp;a postcard with a black and white picture of the castle flew away from one of the ladies’ hand. Juliana caught it and read what was written on it:&nbsp;&nbsp;

Then she got up and started walking around the room, trying to figure out where she was. Her suspicious and at the same time incredulous gaze ended up on an old desk above which there was a letter. Pushed by curiosity, Juliana opened it and started reading it.

“Welcome to Castelsardo! Castelsardo is a picturesque historic town on the northern coast of&nbsp;Sardinia, it is located on a promontory on the sea. Its name changed over the centuries, depending on the political forces that controlled it, it was a strategic control point not only of the territory but also of the sea. The fortified city was born with the name of Castelgenovese, as a possession of the Ligurian Doria family. By the Middle Ages it was already an impenetrable old fortress protected by thick walls and 17 towers. The original nucleus of Castelsardo grew up around the castle of the Doria, which tradition dates to 1102.&nbsp;For several years in the fourteenth century Castelgenovese was the home of a Doria bride: the Sardinian heroine&nbsp;Eleonora d'Arborea, who had married Brancaleone Doria.

Name

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