It was an ordinary day for a famous detective Mrs. Smart. Everything seemed quite peaceful and she was planning her journey to Hawaii for a holiday. After tiring weeks she thought
she deserved a holiday, thinking of relaxing for a while. She was having coffee as usual and reading her favourite book. All of a sudden she heard the news on TV.
After hearing the news she went to the museum to find out the details.
Last night a precious necklace was stolen from the eTwinning museum. And the only clue left was a banana peel with a piece of paper writing some weird numbers.
Breaking news
She searched the museum and talked to the guard.
Where were you last night? Did you see antyhing strange?
No, everything was ordinary. I checked all the rooms, nothing was suspicious. I didn't notice any strange case.
We found a banana peel with a note written weird numbers on it. Here it is.
The policeman came and told her about the clues.
0011100101
0110001101
She checked the note but couldn't understand and decided
to go to her office to work on it.
01010100
01010101
01010010
01001011
01000101
01011001
Şehit Doğan Sevinç Secondary School-Bursa/Turkey
01010100
01010101
01010010
01001011
01000101
01011001
She worked on the note and decoded the message.
It is Turkey, the first woman pilot
and her name was given to the airport
Sabiha Gökçen Airport in İstanbul.
The detective understood that it was a puzzle to solve , so she packed her suitcase for Turkey to investigate this case.
Mrs.Smart took her plane ticket and flew to Turkey, Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
At the airport, while she was sitting in a waiting room, a girl came and gave her a piece of candied chestnut and a tile with a note sticked at the back.
It is very delicious! I am in ... now. This city is famous for its candied chestnuts and also its tiles. Let's play snowballs! :)
So Mrs Smart got out her smart phone and searched Google for chestnuts, tile, snow, mountain. The result was Bursa, Turkey, Ulu Mountain.
chestnut, tile, snow, mountain
Bursa, Turkey
Ulu Mountaino
Uludag or Ulu Mountain, which means the huge mountain. It is one of the most tourist attractions in Bursa city. The summit of Mount Uludag can be reached from Bursa by the cable car. It is the first cable car built in Turkey in 1963. Also, it can be reached by car through the distinctive forests of Bursa to the top of Mount Uludag. Visitors are passing through the People’s Park, which is part of Uludag Mountain. In addition to this, the park is a national park and a nature reserve.
Mrs. Smart solved the puzzle and went to Ulu Mountain. While she was lookig around , she saw a shiny thing above at the cable car. It was so bright that she couldn't take her eyes. She thought she found the thief and went to get in the cable car.
When she got in the cable car, there wasn't anyhthing but a banana peel with another note writing ;
I am really hungry. I am going to eat a famous traditional dish. It is a Turkish dish that consists of sliced döner kebab meat topped with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread (sometimes croutons) and generously slathered with melted special sheep's milk butter and yogurt. You should also taste it!
Yummy - yummy :)
She searched for this famous traditional dish and
found İskender Kebab.
İskender Kebab
That's why Mrs Smart went to İskender Kebab restaurant to catch the thief there but she couldn't find anyone.S he was so hungry that she sat at the table and tasted this famous delicious dish. After eating she asked for the bill to pay. The waiter brought the bill with a note next to it. And told her that this was sent by a customer who was sitting behind her. Mrs Smart took the note and started reading.
On that note it was written; "It is time to watch this funny play!" There was also a photo of two men wearing special clothes.
It is time to watch this funny play!
Karagoz & Hacivat is a Turkish shadow play taking its name from its main character Karagöz. The main characters in the play are Karagöz and Hacivat. Karagöz represents the morals and common sense of the nation. The Karagöz Museum, which was transformed into a museum by the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality when it was a transformer building, undertook a new mission to bring the art of karagöz to the future with all its glitter.
Mrs Smart searched for this play and found out that these are Karagöz and Hacivat and this is shadow puppet theatre. The place is Karagöz Museum.
It was a wonderful play and everybody laughed a lot. When the lights turned on, she realized a banana peel with another note.
It is an old village where there are many old historical houses dates back to Ottoman period.
She found out that this place is called Cumalıkızık and went there to find new clues.
Cumalıkızık is a village in the Yıldırım district of Bursa Province, located 10 kilometers east of the city of Bursa, at the foot of Mount Uludağ. Its history goes back to the Ottoman Empire's foundation period.The historical texture of the village has been well protected and the civilian countryside architectural structures of the early Ottoman period are still intact. Because of this, Cumalıkızık has become a popular but still unspoiled center for tourists.
Wandering around she liked the place al lot. While Mrs Smart was taking a photo of one of the houses she realized a shiny object.There it is she thought and went near the house.
She found a marble with a note on it. There were pictures of some objects. This clue was easy. Mrs. Smart knew that Bursa was famous for its Turkish baths. As soon as she read it, she went to Hammam.
Hammam, also called Turkish Bath, is a traditional bath culture dating back to Ottoman Empire. It was a very important ritual that represents the cleanness, relaxation, purification and social sharing during the era. Just as she was checking kurna, she found another note.
It was a little wet and couldn't seen clearly. It was written;
Bursa view is great from here!
It is time to meet under this tower!
The clock tower at Tophane proudly stands in Bursa's old citadel near the tombs of Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi. The tower prominently looks out over the city from the edge of the cliff just inside the ruined city walls. At night, the brightly lit clock tower shines as a beacon in Bursa’s city center.
After writing on the Internet, Mrs Smart found out that this place is Tophane Clock Tower.
The scenery was great! There were also tombs of Ottomon emperors there. While Mrs Smart was loking around to meet the thief suddenly a piece of paper fell down from the sky.
Bye! :)
Let's meet at ... !
00100010
00110101
00101010
Mrs. Smart was confused with the note but decoding the message she understood that her next stop is ...
....next stop is Romania
ȘCOALA GIMNAZIALĂ HĂRĂU, ROMÂNIA
00100010
00110101
00101010
????
The detective arrived in Romania. She stayed at the boarding house from Banpotoc (Hărău). At breakfast, she tasted a lot of traditional Romanian dishes. A delicious slice of sweet bread reminded her of the banana peel. What is the mystery surrounding the banana peel? Mrs. Smart was waiting for a clue.
The next day, Mrs. Smart visited the area. A wonderful place is Zoe's Garden. The place is a work of art by a talented gardener. She talked to the locals and found out valuable information. The dendrological park at Simeria has a valuable collection of exotic trees. Mrs. Smart decided to visit the place in the hope of finding a banana tree.
Zoe's Garden, Romania
sursa:Exploring Romania
The dendrological park at Simeria
sursa: DescoperimRomania.ro
She searched the park carefully but found nothing. She returned to the boarding house. At the reception, he received a note that read: Deva Fortress. Mrs. Smart inquired about this. She learned many interesting things. The Deva Fortress is mentioned in documents from 1269. Today its ruins are visible from a distance. Deva Fortress was built on a volcanic cone of the Poiana Rusca Mountains, at a height of 378 m. The ruins of the fortress are located on the outskirts of Deva. These have become an attraction for many tourists. Mrs. Smart has arrived in Deva. She went up to the Fortress. She did some research but found nothing.
She went down to the foot of the fortress. There, she was drawn to a lot of stalls with handicrafts. She was amazed at their beauty. She appreciated the work of folk craftsmen. She bought a traditional Romanian blouse. Than, she visited the Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization at the foot of the fortress. The museum keeps archeological vestiges, historical and numismatic documents, objects of ethnography and natural sciences discovered on the territory of Hunedoara county.
Mrs. Smart is back at the boarding house. At the reception, she received a new note full of mystery.
”Lucian Grigorescu” Secondary School, Medgidia, Romania
Hmmm!
Mrs. Smart took the note and went to her room. At 6 o'clock he went down to the reception where he received an envelope with the words: see you tomorrow at noon. She opened it carefully and found an image on the back of which was written Belle Epoque, Romania, 1910.
She quickly opened the laptop and searched for information. She found out it was a historical monument, located on the shores of the Black Sea.
The Cazino is a symbol of the city
of Constanța.
It was built in the Art Nouveau style, according to Daniel Renard's plans, and inaugurated in August 1910.
The next day, at 12:00, Mrs. Smart was in front of the Casino, where she lingered for about 15 minutes until her privileges were drawn to a shining object. As he approached, he noticed that it was a penny with a red-and-white string.
While picking him up, a passer-by told him that there was a trinket exhibition at the Museum of Folk Art. She asked for the address and headed to the indicated place.
Here she found out that the trinket holiday is one of the most beautiful dates preserved among Romanians, a symbol of spring, bringing good luck and health. In ancient times, the trinket was represented only by a twisted two-tone string, to which in time was added a coin of a or silver. Women, girls, and children wore the trinket on their hands, on their chests, or on their necks. Even though over time, the traditional amulet has disappeared, the significance of wearing the trinket remains, as it is considered a symbol and a message.
Then Mrs. Smart found the trinket and one of the museum employees remembered that it had been bought a day ago by a tourist. She had heard him talk on the phone and say she was leaving the next day in Giurgiu.
Let’s meet at Giurgiu !
Gymnasial School "Academician Marin Voiculescu"
Romania
Mrs Smart went to the train station in Deva and bought a ticket to Giurgiu . The journey was an exhausting one because it took almost 14 hours . But the views made it worth it ! Pristine medieval centers, shadowy hilltop castles and spectacular mountain landscapes!
When she finally arrived in Giurgiu she found out that the station was opened in 1869 as part of the earliest Bucharest-Giurgiu railway line in Romnaia.
On a bench on the platform there was a banana peel with the message :
“ Go straight ahead to the centre of the town to find an old gazebo “.
Arrived there , the detective found out that The Clock Tower has been guarding Giurgiu for more than two centuries.
Built at the end of the Russian-Austro-Turkish War as a point of observation of the entrances to the fortified fortress, it was later used as a fireplace, due to the high frequency of fires at that time. With the liberation of Wallachia under Ottoman domination, the Tower became the emblem of Giurgiu, its image circulating all over Europe and the fame of the places to the four streets. The uniqueness and charm of this place around the Clock Tower consisted in ancient times, in the fact that the whole street network of the city radiated from this place.
Tired and hungry , the detective had a fish-based meal in the old port . She tasted fish eggs with toast , fish soup and a main dish made of pike fish .
From that restaurant she also saw the Friendship Bridge , a bilevel highway–railway bridge over the Danube, connecting the city to Ruse, in Bulgaria. The sunset on the Danube was breathtaking !
To move further the detective has to go to Bucharest because there is an airport to leave the country ! The next stop is ....
01000011 01010010 01001111 01000001 01010100 01001001 01000001
OŠ"VLADIMIR NAZOR"
PISAROVINA, CROATIA
As soon as she arrived to Croatia , she began to look for some kind of a clue.
Suddenly a monkey with a note in his hand, passed her.The note fell in front of her.
Let's meet in the capital city, close to the church with an cout of arms on it's roof.
She did a reasurche and went to Zagreb, and visited St. Mark's church.
While she was waiting, she had some coffee and tried famous Croatian desert called "Kremšnita".It was so delicious!Than she saw a box under the table.It was a licitar heart,famous Croatian souvenier and there was a message on it.
There is a magic place with beautiful waterfalls - you will find your clue there!
This clue was so easy,everyone knows about these beautiful lakes!
The Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest and most famous national park. Tourists from around the world come to visit this place. Lakes are made up of 16 bigger and a lot of smaller turquoise water lakes. Lakes are connected by hundreds of waterfalls.
„The Big Waterfall" is 78 meters high and it is the highest in Croatia. Ok, it's not very big, but it is really beautiful. If you visit Plitvice lakes, this is the spot for your selfie!
On one of the boards there was a message: See you on a place where the sea plays beautiful music!
She googled it and find out theat there is a place on the Croatian coast called Zadar and there are Sea Organs there.The "music" is created by 35 polyethylene pipes of different lengths and sizes embedded with labiums or whistles that play seven chords of five tones as the sea pushes air through them.
I am so hungry,I will try Soparnik - traditional Croatian dish - savoury pie with a filling of Swiss chard.
There was a note saying she has to continue her search by a ferry.Your final Croatian clue is going to be in the "Pearl of the Adriatic",a place where The Game of Thrones were filmed.
She was so amazed by the city walls in Dubrovnik and also the main street Stradun.She saw the funny monkey again ,running around the city and she tried to catch him.
He was very quick and managed to escape and left only a banana with a note for our detective.
Mrs. Smart is back in the plane.
The note said : See you in Istanbul
The plane landed in Istanbul Airport.Finally she came to Istanbul.And she found a note.
01000100 01001111 01001100 01001101 01000001 01000010 01000001 01001000 11000011 10000111 01000101 I'm waiting for you.
Oh, I know! This place's
name is Dolmabahçe . Wait me Dolmabahçe.
She took the seatboat.
She was very hungry so she bought a fish and bread and she ate.
The Dolmabahce Palace is located on the west, European shore of the Bosphorus and is enormous. It has 248 rooms, 43 entrance halls, 6 Turkish baths and approximately 2.700 windows.
She came there,and She read introductory booklet
It is divided into two sections: the official part – where the sultan would receive distinguished guests from all over the world and the Harem – where the Sultan’s wife, mother and concubines lived.
She saw the monkey in Atatürk's old room.The monkey put a note on the table to her.
Follow me, Mrs. Smart.....
Mrs.Smart took the plane to Çanakkale,Türkiye as it is written in the note..She took a taxi and went to TROY museum to search the stolen necklace there.But she couldn't find and got tired. She wanted to have a rest and eat Lakeerda in a restaurant.
Then the dedective wanted to eat cheese halva and try to think about stolen necklace.But she decided to take some souvenirs such as wooden troy horse .Then she found another note eritten ot the horse that continuedto search it another place Mrs. Smart...
In search of the stolen Necklace and following the note the thief had left, Mrs Smart took the plane to Greece.As she was thirsty she enjoyed a glass of apple juice offered on board,but a note on the tray made her change plans, leave the airport in Athens and take the train to Volos, a port city in the east mainland.The message was clear:'Meet me in Volos Train Station'.
Arriving in the historic Railway Station of Volos, designed by Italian enginneer Evaristo De Chirico in 1884,found a clue under a banana peel next to her seat.It was the photo of an Ancient sheep with the name 'Argo' written on it.Today you can see a replica of the ship at the
port of Volos reminding us of
Jason and his expedition in 'Kolchis'
to find the 'Golden Fleece'.
Reaching Jason's Historic Ship 'Argo' at the port of Volos,an envelope hanging on one of the oars had the following message inside:'Take the Pelion Steam Train up on the Pelion Mountain to find what you are looking for...and lots of delicious fruit I myself couldn't resist to taste...apples,cherries and
berries..'
On top of the mountain the view to the city port was awesome, but the conductor of the steam train gave her a coded message..
0100 0001
0100 1100
0100 1111
0100 0001
0100 1011
0101 0100
0100 1111
0101 0111
0100 0101
01010010
Decoding the message she read 'Clock Tower' and took the train back to Volos.Looking for a clue around the Clock Tower of 'Saint Konstantinos church, a top landmark on the
promenade opposite the port of the city,found a note on the ground under a banana, writing..'Meet me at 'The First Man's House' in front of the Archaeological Museum of Volos at Anavros park.
Dates back to the Neolithic age...
Reaching the Archaeological Museum, which was closed for the public that day, met a roving vendor of souvenirs and bought ,an evil eye ward and Greek leather sandals to remember her journey to Greece.Tired,hungry and thirsty as she was sat at a nearby restaurant....
She drank local lemonade to quench her thirst and ordered sea food which was very tasty..As she was about to leave, the waiter brought the dessert ,yogurt with honey, that is a traditional dish in Greece at the end of a meal.All of a sudden a note was on the tray under the plate saying.."A policeman saw me carrying the necklace..got scared and left ..meet me in...Spain, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid.
I took the plane and landed in Madrid. There was so hot here! I heard about a big park near here, Europe Park. Maybe the necklace was there. So I took a taxi and went there. First I visited the Eiffel Tower. I didn´t find it. Then, I found Statue David of Miguel Ángel, I asked him, but no answered. Neither little mermaid. Then I went to Brandenburgo Gate. I found a Wall but nothing written there. Then, I pass through Holand Mills, London Bridge and Belem Tower. Finally, I arrived to Atomium in Belgium and I found a misterious note... "Go to..."
Next destination: the island of Chios, Greece That night Mrs Smart slept only for a few hours. The mystery of the stolen necklace kept her awake wondering which her next destination would be. Early the next morning ,as soon as she woke up, she made herself some coffee and stood ,holding a cup of it, by the window to watch the sunrise. While she was admiring the view, a tap on the window nearly made her spill her coffee.It was a white pigeon! But what was it holding with its beak?Another note! She quietly and carefully opened the window so as not to scare the bird and make it fly away and gently picked the note off its beak.The note had another code on it : 01000011 01001000 01001001 01010011
6th grade pupils of the School Centre of Kampochora, Chios, Greece
“Another binary code”she sighed. “But…wait a minute!Is this a teardrop on the note?”She touched it ,but it was sticky and it had a distinct smell… “I know what it is! This is the sap of a mastic tree! This is only found on the island of Chios, Greece!” She decoded the message and confirmed her guess.”Off to Chios then!”
The airplane safely landed at the Chios airport,Mrs Smart unfastened her seatbelt and as soon as she picked her luggage out of the cabinet, she found another note on her suitcase that read :”Porta Maggiore”.Luckily, the taxi driver who picked her up from the airport knew exactly where to take her; to the castle of Chios, in the town centre, a ten-minute drive away.
She entered it through its main gate, Porta Maggiore and it was as if she was getting into another era from the past.She visited the Giustiniani Palace that was built during the Genoese period and admired its archaeological and art exhibits. Then she wandered along the paved alleys and took photos of two ottoman temples, Eski Cami and Hamidiye Cami and also the Church of Agios Georgios (St.George).She admired the traditional architecture of the local two-storey houses with narrow fronts with closed balconies and small yards and sat for some coffee at the Castle’s picturesque square.
There she tasted the local delicacy, a dessert called “massourakia”.The taste of mastic along with that of roasted almonds and honey syrup took her mind off her investigation for a while.
Mrs Smart walked up the hill and found Homer’s stone. The view of the crystal clear sea from up there was breathtaking! Suddenly, as she was walking down the hill through the olive grove, a dazzling glow coming out of a bush made her stop.She approached it and found another note that read : “The newest school on Chios, the centre of six villages”.She looked it up on Google and found out that it was the School Centre of Kampochora, so she rushed there.
The headmaster ,the teachers and the 6th grade pupils welcomed her and showed her around the school.While they were talking in the school library, another note stuck on a craft that the pupils had made with their teachers attracted her attention “The yards of houses are full of such decorations in that area, your next stop.” Mrs Smart asked for the teachers and pupils’ help and they did not take long to inform her that the note was talking about the Kampos of Chios.
That place, Kampos was of unspeakable beauty! High imposing stone walls ,elaborate gates, citrus orchards, impressive yards of beautiful mansions decorated with white and black pebbles, like the crafts that the pupils had made.And that smell of citrus trees flowers in the air…
When the taxi took her to Pyrgi she could not believe her eyes! All houses had facades decorated with amazing elaborate geometrical black and white engravings.
Outside the village she visited the Museum of Mastic to find out more about this unique product of Chios and its use in Medicine and cosmetics that dates back to ancient Greece.
They then took her to Mavra Volia, a fantastic beach with black pebbles and wild scenery, which is the result of the volcanic activity of the distant past. Mrs Smart found the chance to sunbathe and relax, but a seagull that landed next to her brought her another note : “This is an important UNESCO monument.Go there and then visit “The Mistras of the Aegean Sea”
She quickly grabbed her mobile phone as there was no time to waste. The monastery of Nea Moni was her next destination.Due to its importance for the history of Art and architecture, the monastery is protected by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Monument. The main church of the complex is one of the few preserved samples of excellent byzantine mosaic decoration.
Mrs Smart was highly impressed by its beauty and continued her journey to the mysterious village, a few miles away, the village of Anavatos. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw it. It is built on a steep rock, and has only one access form the north side. It is well preserved, with two -storey houses and stone walls.She reached the top of the acropolis and admired the impressive three- storey building, which housed the oil press, the School and the church of the Archangel and Virgin Mary.As she was walking down the acropolis, she noticed a glow coming out of the debris of an old stone house. She carefully went closer and picked up a new note.It read : “ Your next stop is at the village of St.Markella”.
“Markella” she thought.”What a beautiful name!’ Once again Google came in handy and directed her to the village of Volissos, in the northern part of the island. The view of the old castle at the top of the hill in the middle of the village was magnificent. She was hungry and the smell of freshly baked bread coming from an old traditional bakery was something she could not resist.
The baker told her about the history of the village of Agia Markella ,the patron saint of the island, whose monastery is visited by hundreds of visitors on her name day, celebrated on 22nd July. The bread was really tasty.
She sat on a bench in the village square ,when a little boy sat close to her, smiled at her, put a little piece of paper in the palm of her hand and quickly ran away. The message this time was: “ Find the cave with the small chapel in it.''
She soon found out that it was the cave in the most remote village of Chios, Agio Galas, the most remote village of Chios, built on a small hill, in a location that kept the village safe from pirate invasions.Mrs Smart found the cave ,which is actually a complex of three caves. At the entrance of the middle one ,she stood in front of the chapel of Panagia Agiogalousaina.The smiling faces of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus filled her heart with optimism. She came out of the cave feeling that she was close to the end of the mystery, when another note fell off an oak tree onto her head.
.It was late afternoon and Mrs Smart, exhausted but happy, thought that she had reached the end of her trip, when she got a message on her mobile phone. “Illiteracy is of less harm than education which is bad or lacks any organised approach whatsoever.” “ I remember a teacher at school once told us that.It’s Koraes, a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment.” Mrs Smart visited the Koraes library in the centre of the town ,a little while before her flight. The huge collection of priceless books, manuscripts, periodicals, newspapers, paintings, coins, maps and other items of great value was so inspirational! “Education is indeed the greatest wealth one possesses”, she thought.She got onto the plane and promised herself to come back to Chios one day.
Arsakeio Secondary School Of Ioannina, Greece
Elpida Mamaki
Though it was such a tiring job Mrs. Smart enjoyed it as she she learnt and experienced a lot. She loved her trips to Turkey, Romania, Spain, Croatia and Greece.
It was a week later, Mrs. Smart was having her coffee reading her favourite book as usual.
All of a sudden her phone rang.
Police station is calling
Good morning Mrs.Smart!
A precious painting was stolen from eTwinning Museum last night. The interesting thing is that a banana peel with a note was found on its place.
Oh no! Not again, please!
To be continued ...
the end
It was an ordinary day for a famous detective Mrs. Smart. Everything seemed quite peaceful and she was planning her journey to Hawaii for a holiday. After tiring weeks she thought
she deserved a holiday, thinking of relaxing for a while. She was having coffee as usual and reading her favourite book. All of a sudden she heard the news on TV.
After hearing the news she went to the museum to find out the details.
Last night a precious necklace was stolen from the eTwinning museum. And the only clue left was a banana peel with a piece of paper writing some weird numbers.
Breaking news
She searched the museum and talked to the guard.