Nara

After a long time of picking my best travel experience, I decided on Japan. It was a couple of years ago, my husband came there for work, and as you know, Japanese people work like all the time. So he didn't have even one off-day, and I was travelling through Japan completely alone. Nobody speaks English, there are rarely guides in Latin alphabet and (if that wasn't enough) everybody looks at me like I am a monkey in a zoo. It was all new to me after sensible English-talking Europe.
One early morning I arrived to this small town called Nara by this super fast train from Nagoya. I didn't have a smartphone or a map, so at first there was my usual task: to find a tourist office. After mission was accomplished I sat with a map on a very clean pavement, deciding where should I go first, to the biggest world's bronze statue of Buddah or to the palace. Or to try to get some food (ha!). A man came up to me and for the first time in many days I heard English language. He asked what was I doing in Japan this time of year (winter). I answered. He looked at me and said with this funny Japanese accent: "Return in the spring, Japan is the most beautiful country in the spring". I remember him to this day, but I am not sure why.
I decided to go to the center through the park. And it was then, when I saw them - deers, many deers. Lying, running, walking. Like people. It was their town, and they did what they wanted to do, they were completely free.
At first I was afraid (come on, hundreds of big deers, wouldn't you be?) But after some time I got used to them. There were a lot of small shops in town, where you could buy cookies for deers. The trick was, many deers waited impatiently around the shop, and I wanted to feed just a pair, so I could touch them, pat them. So after half an hour I found a hidden shop, ta-dah! I stuck desirable food into my backpack. I searched for a deer to be alone. I found one. I took out cookies, I thought I was safe. No. In slow motion I saw tens of deers running to me from afar. It was a bit scary! And really funny. I was surrounded. They demanded their food, they started chewing my jacket. Alas, no patting, or they would have eaten my hands! But it was amazing. I still remember, not the biggest Buddah, but them. On the grass, in the park, near temples. Big ones, small ones playing with each other. It was like paradise or something, I remember them. If i close my eyes now - I see deers in the sunlight.
Oh, yes, I will come back in the spring.