Walking Tours

Sandemans New Europe free walking tours was our first date with guided sightseeing of a city by walking. They were informative as well as fun. Our guides were young, enthusiastic, talented and most importantly very good storytellers. They knew their stuff really well (at least that's what we believed after spending the day sightseeing with them). They gave us innumerable stories to keep our day interesting. They laughed, ate, drank and danced with us. In the end, this is all that mattered for novice travelers like us who were in a hurry to explore the whole Europe in less than a trimester's time.
And if I tell you now that those tours were free, then it becomes a wow! We could tip the guide at the end of the tour or just walk away having spent a memorable day with a crazy set of people roaming in streets of an unknown city.

Can something like this be done in India? Ok let us leave the free part, can we still make a paid walking tour of our cities? Ofcourse, there are some such activities available in cities like Bangalore & Mumbai. But I want to see them in even smaller cities, towns & other tourist attractions. They should not be expensive so as to not lose its charm for students and travelers on shoestring budgets. And most importantly, they should provide an offering filled with a unique & memorable experience pertinent to the local culture.

I would be making my list of suggest walking tour plan of some cities (Indore, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai) for sure. Anyone interested in joining hands with me? Or working to develop this idea? My initial idea is to generate content, travel plans (directions, maps, point of interests and tidbits around it) to be made available online (tripadvisor, blog etc) so as to make the DIY guide for travelers. If interested, comment below or connect with me at jain.pritesh@gmail.com

Souvenir Saga

We could have got these made anywhere in the world! There is nothing unique about these, nor are they specific to any geography. Still, whenever I will see them, I will remember the amazing time I spent in Krabi's Walking Street. That's the magic of good souvenirs.

Sonam and I are not the biggest of souvenir hunters, still we like to capture our memories in our own unique way. If my Eurotrip collection is a fun-filled collection of my memories captured during the exchange program, Langkawi collection goes a little further and helped capture those honeymoon days beautifully. Each and every item in our collection has a story to tell. It's a story of their origin, the place they were created, the people who made them, thoughts that went through our heads when we were there at those places and everything connected to those memories captured at those precise locations, times & people. The story is as much their as it is ours. It's a brilliant way to relive those moments.

We love our trips abroad for one simple reason - they have lots of new and creative souvenirs to sell. Every city has it's unique style and charm, so does the souvenirs that are sold there. Somehow in India, the souvenirs fail to capture the charm of our cities. We are selling the same old (or same new cheap factory manufactured artefacts) at most of our tourist attractions. There is nothing unique about them, nothing which will make us remember something about our times at those places. Our arts and crafts are not lesser to those in any part of the world, our artists are the best of the lot - still we have nothing to share. Forget those Cauvery emporiums & likes which are selling arts that are meant for those with heavy purses. We need those small little shops at every nook and corner of our cities selling unique memories. Memories that are not impersonal.

One thing that has inspired me from my times in Krabi & Bangkok is that personalization is the way to go. It's simple and can be a good display of our creative side. Moreover, it connects to anyone faster than any other way. I still feel so happy when I think of the moment I first saw my first iPod with my name engraved on it. The keychains bought in Krabi will have a similar effect whenever I will see them.

These are small things that  can make a lot of impact. These are our little mementos of joy.

Bangkok Krabi & Back

It's going to be a post consisting of some random observations/thoughts from the recent trip to Bangkok & Krabi. Randomness of these is a testimony of the amazing time I've spent in last one week.

1. Iphone iphone all along, no Nokia to be seen - they are using iphones, in all possible colors and forms (actually more than what apple has designed and dreamt of designing). Samsung must be the close second. They are using it continuously, chatting, playing games, taking pictures and occasionally talking. Where is Nokia? Well it's sold, and good number for sure. Most of the drivers, tour operators I met were using it. No Lumia, no asha - I wonder where is Nokia heading!

2. Ipads and Tabs are the way to go - people are using them in restaurants, trains, hotel lobby, on the beach, near the swimming pool and any other place you can imagine. They are taking photos using it at every tourist spot. Who says 42 MP cameras are the way to go! Give them just a couple of megapixels and people are just going crazy clicking photos.

3. Local markets are the places to go - they are lively, fun and cheap. You will meet crazy people, see and eat wild things and ofcourse shop for quirky stuff. Most importantly, you will see the life in as real as it can get. We had superb time in Krabi walk street. I wonder why we have forgotten all our local markets and resolved to have Mall as tourist attraction. 

4. I me myself - People in thailand like to click themselves a lot and I'm sure self-portraits in all possible poses must be filling the GBs of memory their mobile phones/ipads offer.

5. A city is a city after all - BKK is a metropolitan. It's building itself for the tourism and has accomplished good enough in doing so. Still it's a city in the end. So if you are on a short trip, better have your days planned well. A crazy weather, the distances and all the crowd will kill lot of your enthusiasm otherwise.

6. A good meal is worth all the pain - as long as you are able to eat one good meal in the day, you are guaranteed to get a fun-filled day. An empty stomach can become a spoilsport in no time.

7. Souvenir shopping is about getting the best experience and not the best deal - if you like it, if you feel you want to preserve some memory - just go for it. You might get a better deal later but then there are chances that you might not get it at all later. Don't bother much in saving those couple of Rupees.

more to be added soon...

Avadh ki ek shaam

Lucknow minus its garbage reminds me of my European experience. The city is filled with historical and political monuments and there is a strange obsession with erecting tall statues. There are huge green patches of gardens in mid of the city. Many a offices and government buildings boasts of big domes. This is all so European.

Most of the credit should go to none other than the Big Sister. History is being made here. City has caught up with an obsession with buildings with tall facades. Boundary walls are high. Guards are always on vigil. I wonder whom are they guarding? The elephants? Soon this city will boast of having the most number of elephants. Kanjiranga National park must be feeling threatened today.

I am surely enjoying the Avadh experience. Pani Batase with variety of Pani, Batase with Dahi Chatni, Kachori (which in my language were more like Poori than a Kachori), Garama garam kesariya doodh with rabadi... and yes malai kulfi - I could not have asked for more. My 550D has captured it all. Forever.

The evening has just begin. I know Lucknow has a lot more to offer than just these.

Karnataka - One State Many Words

'Karnataka - One State Many Worlds' reads the Karnataka tourism department's logo. Just two weeks into my sales stint here and I can vouch for this. And I can do that in multiple ways.

I am doing rounds to lots of rural places (upcountry as we fondly call them) these days. As I see them, each market comes out as a unique one in its own way. Be the brands that operate there, the way retailers do their business or eventually the way people make purchase decision - things change from one place to another. However, not all these differences are very prominent. Subtle nuances of consumer's behavior can be sensed only if you speak her language. Translations are hardly as good a replica of thoughts and feelings as the words spoken from heart in heart's language. So even though I am not really bound in the language barrier, I still feel a little distance. Damn! I had spent seven precious years in this state but still did not learn the language. I hope these six months don't go waste on that front.

The geography of land I have visited varies from seashores of Konkan region to rain-rich hills of Malnad region. It's green all along though. Rains do wonder in such terrains. Nature plays a magician if given a chance. Beautiful is the word if I think of whatever I have seen.

I have crossed more than one bird sanctuaries, one elephant training camp, one big man-made dam and its backwater, more than one river rafting sites, wildlife sanctuaries and ofcourse many waterfalls. I must admit Karnataka tourism has done well in identifying these places on its road network. Regular direction boards keep reminding me of things that I can do over the coming weekends. Everyone's invited.

I have not yet faced any issue with food. Dosai and Idli is available everywhere. Though I really find it difficult to adjust to changing taste of sambhar. Yesterday I tried the rice meal in a true localite style. It was nice. Specially 'coz of the satisfaction that I saw on my team's face for having me try the local food. The adventure will continue, I am pretty sure.

EuroTrip - Day 85

6th December

6th December - this day is etched on my memories permanently. For all the bad reasons. There is nothing that directly impacted me. Still, some memories just refuse to fade away.

Today I got one more reason to remember this day. It's the day when the biggest cribber I have known was born. A mota-in-denial (as his dorm-mates believe) who plays guitar well. When he plays, he is so much into it that everybody is awestruck. Himself included. The brain behind some of the best t-shirt designs that I have seen. A smart-ass observer, he can be nasty when he is taking your case. Ask his girlfriend about it. A gossip monger to the core, he can beat girls in these art. A slogger by heart and by choice, he does not forget to crib about the hard work later. A nice mix of characters from every genre of t.v. serials. Call him by any name - TAClee, Nepali, Pahadi, Bora, Raju - he is the same. A good 'old' friend indeed.

Today, on December the 6th, I did nothing extraordinary. Got up, packed my bag, reached the railway station, shopped for souvenirs, played train-train to get a glimpse of Heidelberg and finally took my last journey in ICE. We might have reached the end of EuroTrip today. No more travel in this EuroTrip. We plan to spend next few days in Paris taking one last look at the city and giving an exam in between.

I'm still not euphoric about going back India. I am not sad about leaving Paris either. I just don't have any special feeling. What is wrong with me? Instead of running a countdown, I am listening to Enigma and Lucky Ali. I wonder if 'Aal Izz Well' with me!

EuroTrip - Day 84

Backpacker's Paradise

Get up early in the morning when everyone around you is still peacefully sleeping. Get ready and go for a long walk in some random direction. A nice refreshing bath followed by a simple yet filling breakfast. I have done this many times. Vayittiri, Goa, Abu, Maheshwar, Yercaud - the list is endless. Each such morning has been a memorable one.

Today I added one more name to this list - Interlaken. It's unbelievable to think that I never needed need an alarm to get up in right time on such days. The body clock adjusts itself, I guess. Today also, I was awake well in time to witness the sunrise in this beautiful little town in foot of the most beautiful of the Swiss Alps. However, the little cover of clouds in the east played the spoilsport. I missed the sunrise just by a whisker. But it was still a really beautiful morning nonetheless. Snowy mountain are a treat to watch when the first ray of the rising sun hits their peak and gives it a heavenly glow. The whiteness of pristine snow gives rise to a golden tint. The blue sky plays the perfect companion making the sight a treat to be cherished. There was something special in the air. Pure and refreshing. Melting snow gives rise to a variety of shapes. Kissing couple to dancing budhha - it's all there. You just need to open your eyes and let your creative self rule the vision.

Xmas is just around the corner and you can feel it in every town and village in this country. Interlaken's Xmas market started today. These festive markets are like small carnivals. Craftsman set up their shops in makeshift hut shaped stalls, so do the people selling traditional food and beverages. The decorations are carefully done and attention is paid to every detail. I had seen a glimpse of what goes into making such beautiful and vibrant market during my morning walk when I had exchanged some pleasant good morning greetings with those people. I am really impressed by their creative efforts. There is a passion which comes out so distinctly from their efforts. So far, Xmas celebration for me have been about enjoy watching these Europeans unleash their creativity. It's inspiring to say the least.

The traditional craft work in these markets are really interesting. Handcrafted wooden articles to glass souvenirs, woolen items and loads of other things - each one beautiful than the other. I really wish they were a little affordable. I would have so many extra souvenirs to take home then.

Interlaken is surrounded by two beautiful lakes (Thun and Brienz) and we had not yet been to even one of those. Today's itinerary had to include at least one of those. We headed towards Lake Thun. The direction looked simple but turned out to be real confusing. Or actually we really did not care about them. We kept walking - a long silent walk before realizing that we were literally lost. We could hear the sound of the river but could not see any water. There were hardly any soul venturing out of their cozy homes on such a beautiful day. So we kept walking. A couple of attempts to get some help and we were on a newer road. A beautiful golf course covered with snow, some trails for horse riders, a big field (which was still a field and no snow field) where parasailers were landing with perfection and a beautiful camping site on the highway. We had reached the lake somehow. A long walk listening to nature's music. Life could not have been beautiful.

Lake Thun is like the blue water lagoon of anyone's dream. Crystal clear water in the best of shades. Snowy mountains seeing their reflection as if to appreciate their own self. Ducks playing in the water. Sound of tiny waves splashing on the shore. Seagulls. Beautiful woooden houses with their windows opening directly above the water. No soul visible for miles. You and your loneliness. Just You. Heavenly is the word. It's heavenly beautiful and gives an ultimate feeling of inner peace. No wonder, I just dozed off dreaming of something beautiful. When I woke up, I realized it was not a dream. I was there in that beautiful world.

We stopped in a small little town called Brienz on our return journey to Lucerne. I wouldn't call this town sleepy as then I will be doing a total injustice to the inherent beauty of this town. It's just too content with itself. It has a small toylike railway station overlooking the lake. Beautiful houses with a small garden in front of them paint the landscape in vivid colors. Huge cowbells hanging in the balcony, snow covered rooftops and the white smoke coming out of the small chimney there, Xmas decorations on the walls and in windows - they are like the houses from the fairytale world. The town also has a funicular railway going up the mountains. With its steep path, this train would be an experience in itself. Lake Brienz is no less beautiful than Thun. It's blue shades are a notch up and the snowy mountain even more beautiful. The dreamworld follows you wherever you go in this part of the world. I don't know how many picture did I click, none of them would be real justice to the beauty of this place, I can say right away.

Rest of the journey on Golden Pass Line was just the continuation of our dream. We were tired after the long walk. So it will be difficult to figure out when we were actually dreaming and when we were living the dream.

Lucerne is one of the major tourist hub in this part of Switzerland. It's really touristic. We did not really want to be the tourists today so a small walk along the famous wooden bridge and we were back to the railway station to catch our train for Mannheim. To our bad-luck the train got late (oh yes, DB is notoriously famous for its late trains in this part of the world) and we missed our connecting train to Bora's private station. A long walk at mid night to find his hostel was not a bad experience. It made me prove once again that I am not bad with directions. :D

A long conversation. Loads of random gossips. That is our time spent in Bora's company. It really skipped my mind that it was Bora's birthday and bloody bugger did not remind me too. So bad!! I am going to make him pay for this sin. What does he think? Just because he is getting older, he won't remind his forgetful foolish friend of a his birthday. He better be beware.

It's 4am and I should really go and sleep now. Nahi to kal alaram se bhi neend nahi khulegi. Nidhesh bhai ne mast bed ka arrangement kiya hai so I am dozing off for a long confy sleep. Over and out

EuroTrip - Day 83

Snow fall and Swiss Cowbells

I am a jiddi. My mom would not disagree. Hero Puck Turbo, Philips audio system, those numerous clothes, accessories, watches, my decision to go to Bangalore, and to goa and what not! There is a long list of things that I have done that will remind her of my jid. Baring few I will agree to most of the things in this list. I have been jiddi all my life. So last week when I had planned to visit Switzerland once more in the last leg of our EuroTrip, I was more or less sure that I was going to come here. PooCh had his own doubts on my intentions (I still wonder why?) but still I somehow convinced him that we were going to Swiss bhumi once more.

SNCF tried its best to stop us. We found some way nonetheless. A long train journey was the last thing on our wishlist for this last leg of 'EuroTrip 2009'. But when you have got to do it, you have to do it. For most part of the morning and early noon we played the dreaded train-train game to reach Lucerne. Paris - Metz - Strasbourg - Basel - Lucerne - 5 cities, 4 trains and lots of sleep. I recall only the last leg from Basel to Lucern phase as we saw fresh snow outside our window. Damn! you could not open the windows of the Regional trains.

We were to spend very little time in Lucerne before starting the most important train journey of the day - the Golden Pass Line between Lucerne and Interlaken. I had my plans ready. First the visit to Tourist Information(TI) office and then to McDonalds to eat their McVeggi burger. Now even before you imagine me trying to ask some directions in the TI, let me clarify that I had gone there to buy a souvenir that had caught my attention during the last trip to this city. I somehow did not buy it last time and had repented all this while about it. Today, I washed off that sin from the past.

Golden Pass Line was the attraction of the day or for that matter of this EuroTrip. Lucerne to Interlaken - 2 hours of ultimate bliss. Fresh snow fall has changed the swiss landscape. Lush meadows, old houses, small railway stations, tunnels, snowy mountains, blue lakes - imagine nature's beauty and you will find it here. With a childlike curiosity, we jumped from one seat to other so as to not miss the magic of the snow on either side on the train route. It was cold outside, but that did not deter us from opening the window (Thank god! they did not seal windows of this train). We got so amazed that we just did not realize that it was getting really cold inside. I forgive the old lady who reminded us of this and asked us to close the windows. The view from behind the glass window was not bad either. Alas, it was getting dark and we had to drop the idea of getting down at some random station and spend some time playing with snow.

A little drizzle welcomed us in Interlaken. It is a small town in the overlooking three very prominent ranges in Swiss Alpes. Backpackers was my next jid when I had planned this trip. We had to stay in this very famous hostel. Thank god that our goofups during reservation of hostel bed did not cost us this experience. The window in our room gives an amazing view of one of the mountain close by. There are two Australians guys in the room who are on their way to Italy and have stopped here just to take rest. There are two Korean girls who seem to be the usual touristic types and then there is a third girl whom I have seen only once. Interestingly all of us are EuRail pass travelers. Nice coincidence, I must say.

Six o'clock is too early to lock oneself in the hostel. The cute girl at the reception suggested us to take a walk in the old town as there was nothing much to do in this town in nnight except the usual visit to some bar/pub/casino. A quick look at the map and we were out in the snow fields. It takes a map like this to tell that the snow field that we are seeing in front of our hostel is actually a beautiful garden. It had snowed a lot in last couple of days in Interlaken and there is almost 6-8 inch everywhere in the town.

The road linking Interlaken Ost to Interlaken Est station is one of the major tourist hub in this town that is otherwise famous for the variety of adventure sports opportunities it offers. There are loads of souvenir shops (interstingly, most of them run by Chinese) and some beautifully designed restaurants offering the world famous cheese fondue. Old town is close to the Ost station and offers a close look at the traditional swiss architecture. Did I tell you they use so much wood to make those large mansions? Beautiful houses, like those dream mansions that we plan to build when are kid. Wooden carving at its best. Some of them have been standing there for more than 2-3 centuries telling stories about the glorious past that they have seen.

Back in the hostel, everybody seem to going out for dinner and then party, so we were left on our own. A quick look at the bookshelf and I found the lone book in English. It was on some series that is aired on Nickelodeon. Horror, school romance, fun, thriller - all in one. I could not have asked for more. So I made myself comfortable on the cozy sofa and read it in one go. It was nice to read after so long. The hot chocolate made it even more refreshing and fun.

Our room is heated very well and the bed is really confy. I have taken the lower bunker this time giving the upper on to the kid amongst us. We have no fixed plan for tomorrow so we can sleep peacefully. No alarm clock needed for a change.

So that was day 83 of this Eurotrip. It's been a long day full with loads of excitement. We are two of traveling together still there has been loads of silence. I don't mind it as long as there is no specific purpose of the silence. We have talked a lot with each other in last three months anyways.

EuroTrip - Day 78

Christmas is all around me

One more of those unplanned journeys. We took train for Bern but got down at Zurich. A not-so-bright Sunday morning. Everyone is fast asleep as expected. Including the city. Empty roads - a welcome change, I must say. A new map and one more of those longs walks. To another lake front. Blue waters. And snowy mountains in the horizon. Morning dose of jogging and joggers.

Loss of purpose.

Return journey to find it back. Another long walk. Hundreds of shops and their glittering displays. No touch or smell - just the sight. Window shopping in true sense. A hot cup of coffee and veg burger in the McDonalds. A luxury mall with its festive decoration. "Welcome sir, may I help you?" I wish you could. Out of place and time. Running back to the real world. Migros. Lindt and some store brands. Shopping ville in the basement of Zurich railway station. And the Xmas market above it. Billy Mack singing.

I feel it in my fingers,
I feel it in my toes,
Christmas is all around me,
and so the feeling grows

It's written in the wind,
It's everywhere I go,
So if you really love Christmas,
C'mon and let it snow?

Train-train to go back home. Fcuk SNCF. Fcuk TGV. We are back to reality. Slow locals rock. 10pm arrival on a freezing night. Home sweet home. Rasam Chawal at midnight. A good night sleep. I am coming back to life.

EuroTrip - Day 77

On the Top of the World

Presently the Swiss countryside has only three colors - that of green grass, white snow and the golden winter sun. Trust me you won't even ask for any more color. It's just as beautiful as it could get. Might sound cliche but I have to tell - if there is heaven anywhere on earth, it is in Switzerland. I have fallen in love with this place. I am not putting my camera to too much work as I know it just cannot capture the Swiss beauty. You have to be here to enjoy it (I know how much everyone will curse me for saying things like this! Still)

After spending a quiet day in Geneva, it was time to see some real Swiss attraction - snow capped mountain tops. And what better place to do that then Mount Titlis. Situated close to the beautiful city of Lucerne (Luzerne), this is one of the most beautifully developed tourist attraction in this country and is part of every travel plan. For Swiss people, it is one of those place where they come to every now and then to unwind themselves by skiing down some of the most exciting slopes in Swiss Alps.

In Mt. Titlis you meet only two kinds of people - those who are skiing enthusiasts or those who are Indians. There are just too many of us visiting this place. Bollywood movies and SOTCs of the world have heavily sold this region of Switzerland as the best honeymoon destination. Swiss tourism now does not need to do much apart from putting some instructions in Hindi. The local businesses have adapted well too. You can find Paneer Butter Masala being served in the restaurant at the top of Titlis (that is at a height of 3200m asl). They just can not afford to ignore Indians anymore.

Mt Titlis is an experience presented in a golden platter. It starts with a train journey in red toy-like narrow gauge train that takes you through beautiful Swiss countryside in an hour long journey from Luzerne to Engelberg. Don't mind, if half the bogey is filled with Indians. You might wonder why they have not yet started selling chana jor garam in this train yet!!

Towards the end of journey, this train almost converts into a funicular climbing steep hilly terrain at tortoise speed. The speedway runs alongside the train route most of the time. DJ had been suggesting me that we should do a car trip in Swiss countryside. Today, it became clear why he had been saying so.

Engelberg is a sleepy little town (or at least that is what it appeared to be) in the base of Alps. It is surrounded by snow capped mountains from all the sides and is a base for some very popular adventure sports destinations. However a bright sunny day compelled us to not 'waste' any time in this beautiful town and directly start the cable car journey.

It takes a journey of around 40 minutes in three different cable cars to reach the peak of Mt Titlis. The first cable car just takes you from the dark alpine forests to start of snow covered hills. A foreplay of a kind, it just gets you excited well enough of the things that you are about the experience.

The second phase of cable car journey is done in a bigger gondola that takes you almost midway to the peak at a stop called Stand. This is where you start seeing the skiers in action. While a lot of them will be lazying after a quick journey down the slope from the top, others are getting ready for their turn. The last gondola from here is a special one. Its a revolving one giving you a panoramic view of terrain and takes you to the mountain top that is situated at 3020 m asl. This last 600 mtr long segment is the best part of the cable car experience. Incidentally, this was first of its kind revolving areal cable car to be installed in the entire world.

The thermometer was reading -9 degree at the top. There were snowy winds awaiting to welcome us as soon as we got out of the gondola and crossed the huge commercial complex. And there we went. Right away in the snow. Without even checking on our preparations to do so. First touch of the snow and we were ecstatic. It just did not occur to me that dressing up in snowy winds could be harmful. Like a warrior, I removed my gloves to check on my jacket and in that process exposed them to snowy winds for a long time. Next hour or so, I was just praying to god to save me from any snow bite or chill blitz (damn Bora!). My hands were getting frozen and it was difficult to even bend my fingers. I could feel the pain but there was no way I could stop playing with snow. It was my first time of seeing so much of snow. All around. Snow white mountain tops - till the horizon in every direction. We were on top of the world.

The skiers all around us were enjoying their rounds. It's a different world out there for them. High of excitement and passion. Excitement can be contagious. We tried our hands at walking and rolling on the snow. And then we took the "Ice Flyer" glacier chairlift that offers breathtaking views of the crevasses on the glacier at the top of the Titlis. It could not have been better than this. The chilly winds got colder and colder and we lost track of everything. I just knew that I had to do one thing - make a call. Titlis has a big transmission tower for Swiss Telecom, the second best thing they did after making the Rotair cable car. Every soul needs to be in this heaven with their loved ones. Or at least get a chance to talk to them. :D

We had lost track of time, of our self and of everything. That's the euphoria of this place. We were in heaven. If not heaven, it was his second cousin for sure. The best of what I have seen so far. Our return journey and then search for food in the beautiful town of Engelberg was really insignificant compared to what we had experienced. It takes time to coming back to reality. Who wants do that anyways?

ps: I have taken a couple of videos and lots of photos, just in case if I could not describe my experience better. I knew that I will really find myself short of words. As I had spent time writing this post, I am posting here. I will upload the videos and photos soon.

EuroTrip - Day 76

Everything Swiss

4:30 am is still night for all practical purposes. It's just insane to imagine getting up at that hour and running to the station to catch a train on a chilly winter morning. If one could do this after having slept only at 1:30am, he should be awarded atleast a symbolic kNighthood. To make it easy for you let me directly state it - "you can call me Sir from now on". 'Coz I have done it.

Alas, PooCh could not do it due to his never ending kutto vali khansi. He decided to stay back and do some recovery before hitting the road. I can imagine how hard this decisions was. But when gharwalo and gharwali put pressure, one does not have much choice. :D

So HotTiii and Boondiii it was. For the first time. It was going to be an interesting trip - Hyper enthusiast meets Seriousness personified. He wanted to go to CERN while I wanted to sit on the lake front. And so we did. Geneva is a cosmopolitan city. It has done well to develop its modernistic face - the world class shopping street, business district with head quarters of some of the world renowned banks and the head offices of some of the most prestigious institutions like UN and Red Cross - while preserving the charming old town.

People never fail to amaze you. I would have almost missed the heritage of this city, if one old lady had not approached us asking "do you need any help?" We really needed it. A map does not tell you anything. It's the people who talk. One just need to start of a conversation. Conversation with real strangers. I really feel ashamed to admit that I am not very good at it. Still, I have seen some improvements in last couple of trips and I know I am going to do well on this aspect. She gave us a brief history of town and guided our way through the most important sight. We just needed a small boost, she gave us a power doze. A quick round to cover the usual one cathedral, one garden and one public building tour of the city. Hidden amongst the usual European city attractions was a beautiful Russian church. It's stands apart from everything else I have seen so far because its uniquely shaped golden domes. It is also one of the fewer places of worship where we have actually seen people doing prayers. For the first time I saw peace prevailing in a church. It's such a precious thing in this tourist friendly world.

A walk around the lake and you will see the world famous flower clock. Finally, a clock in the city of watches. The who's who of world known watch brands origin in Swiss, most of them in Geneve. You can see most of them in the streets close the lake. It's a shoppers paradise out there. Brands and brands. Deals everywhere. It's Xmas time.. yuhooo...

There is an themed display of work by some artists on abstract things around the lake which is interesting too. I wonder why there are so many working on random abstract things in this part of the world. Why are they always in search for deeper more complex meanings and interpretation of life and things.

A little rain here and there made day even more interesting. A walk along the lake front and then some silent moments sitting next to the lighthouse watching the tiny waves making splash in the sand. Sounds like a sea shore right? It was not my dream. It's lake Geneve in its real beauty. You need to give it some time to unravel itself. I am happy that I gave it that time.

A lot of window shopping then the train to St Gallen. Yash is an enthu host I must say. Pav bhaji is one of my favorite and he made it almost perfectly. Some long conversations and then a peaceful sleep.

Switzerland is famous for its chocolates, knives, watches and cowbells. People come here to enjoy its snowy mountains. I have not yet scene any of it. But I guess I am going to love this country. It has been a great start for the trip.

ps:
Theory of Relativity
Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.
- Albert Einstein
(Read it in a restaurant)

1: The flower clock in Geneva is just like the one in Baroda. Unfortunately Gujrat is not famous for Guj Watches.
2. The day is also dedicated to those kids that boarded our train. The school going kids seemed so carefree and happy with their life. Ignore that they were a little high on the red vine.
3. McDonalds in Switzerland serve a vegetarian burger. They are the only one to do that in the whole of Europe I guess.

EuroTrip - Day 70

Fontainebleau, La Défense and an almost broken nose

Some days are better spent unplanned. Planning kills the romance. After having traveled so much in last couple of months, we have reached a saturation phase. Our days no more start at 6 am as there are no early morning trains to catch. We visit Facebook more frequently than bahn.de. The number of starred mails in my inbox has come down drastically. And yes most important of them all, we are taking bath on a daily basis now. :D

But it does not mean that we are not traveling at all. We are not yet caged in these four walls that we call home. If that was our agenda, India would have been a far cheaper place. We are doing small trips in and around Paris now. I feel ashamed to accept that we have not done any real sight seeing in this city as yet. So it clearly is the right time now to explore this city called Paris from close.

So after doing justice to a lazy morning (ready lazying around in our sofa bed), PooCh and me loaded ourselves with three of the greatest weapons that a traveler in this part of world should own - a EuRail Pass, a Paris Metro pass for a day and map of Île-de-France - and hit the road.

Fontainebleau, situated around an hour distance from Paris center was to be our first destination for the day. This commune is renowned for the large and scenic forest of Fontainebleau (which, incidentally, we did not know), the beautiful historical Château de Fontainebleau ( incidentlly again, we did not know about it) and is the home of INSEAD, one of the world's most elite business schools (Oh yes, we knew it). Taking TARDi's feedback on its face value, we had planned to visit the this town for it's 'beautiful garden'. For the first time, we did not bother about approaching the tourist information office (See how much confidence we have now on our tourist sense!) and we just reached the garden. Not bad, I must say. The garden was huge (actually a notch higher than huge) and it was green and had a big lake (with monstrous white ducks). There were people doing their morning rounds of jogging (at 2pm). What I loved the most about this place is that it had the silence. It had the silence of a jungle. I could hear the chirping of the birds. And I know I was at the right place. The splendid Château was right in front of me, but I knew I did not want to go there. I had found what I was searching for and that's it. I was at peace. And when you are at peace, whatever you speak comes right from your heart. Me and PooCh did not need to do 'random bakar' for a change today. We spoke about things that matter to us (atleast I did). I really admire this quality of PooCh. He is a good company whatever is the mood around. He can be part of any discussion in any group and let the group feel his presence. Random bakar or some profound discussions - he is the man. I, on the other hand, really get switched off in many situations. Can this art be learnt, I don't know. But if it can be, I know who will be the biggest 'guru'.

On our way to the garden, we had chanced to pass by a huge Carrefour outlet (one of those outskirts biggie) and we knew that we had to visit it on the way back. We are children of this consumption age you know. So we did. It's a huge world out there inside those four walls. There are loads and loads of brands trying to capture your attention. We did not see many offers (as expected, I can tell from my SRM class learnings) but then there were loads of store brands (again, as expected). People come here prepared to literally stock up their houses. We, on the other hand, were just exploring things that could serve as our lunch for the day. And we found Popcorn. One that was really affordable. The decision did not take much time. It's been more than two months since we munched those yummi things (I never realized, things like this will matter so much). A couple of biscuit packets and a bottle of sprite and we were on our way to railway station. Our next stop was going to be business district of Paris - La Défense.

For two whole months, we had seen just one side of Paris - that of culture and tradition. La Défense was to be our first interaction with its business side. It's the area where the who-s-who of French companies have their offices. With high-risers and glass-and-concrete giants, it presents a totally difference face of Paris. The difference becomes visible in the metro station itself. The station can beat many an airports with its design and the kind of shops it has accommodated. Xmas celebrations have already started so the decorations have gone up manifolds. If you are a 'mall' person, then this is your area. The malls are huge and have the biggest of the stores. If our afternoon was dedicated to visiting Carrefour, the evening went to Toys-R-Us. A child's heaven, this shop has a superb collection of toys and kids' items. Thank god the really high prices, else I and the kid with me (read PooCh) would have surely been down by a couple of dozens of Euros by end of the day.

We did spend a couple dozen Euros (together) shopping some other useful stuff though in some other shop. At times it is just too irresistible. The shops are plenty and have done very well in presenting their offerings. The only way to escape getting lured is to come out of the mall as quick as you can.

Arche de la Défense or simply as La Grande Arche welcomes you there. The modern day replica of Arc de Triomphe is at the westernmost extremity of Paris' 10 km long Historical Axis, which starts at the Louvre in Central Paris and continues along the Champs-Élysées, well beyond the Arc de Triomphe before culminating at La Défence. This 110 m high gate shaped building is meant as a monument to humanity and humanitarian ideals rather than military victories (as in the case of Arc de Triomphe). A photographer's love, this place offers a very beautiful view of La Défence and also Champs-Élysées. Currently the festive celebrations are going on making it really alive. A really nice place to spend your evening staring at the well-lit concrete monsters and ofcourse the Arc De Triomphe in a distance.

I will also remember this place for an almost broken nose. They have put some glass panels randomly (I guess to direct the winds so as not to hurt the temporary constructions in the area) but have forgotten to put sufficient warning. It was my luck or foolishness (I don't know which one) that I went and banged my face straight into one such glass panel saying these word 'bechare kitne jaakar takara jaate honge in glasses par' (or something like that, PooCh you might help me with those exact words). Irony is the word I guess. It was really a bang. The biggest I have had in recent time. The sound could be heard to a good distance. I am happy that my spectacles and my nose both are intact (it would have costed equally bad to have repaired any of those here in Paris).

It's time to do some damage control and take some rest. Tomorrow, it's a crucial day for all PGP2s. We go through our ritualistic bidding process for course selection in the wee hours (Paris time). It means that I should have slept early. But then for some unknown reasons, I started watching Fight Club. Once I start this movie, it's difficult to stop. It's going to be a long night, I am sure. I don't complaint. It has been a very good day and the longer it is, the more memorable it will become. I am Jack's greedy soul.

EuroTrip - Day 64

Life is BARCAful

It's consecutive third morning when we have got up with beautiful Barca sun outside our hostel room window. Till today, each morning had been sunny but as the day progressed the clouds covered the golden sun and we had to just make good with a pleasant temperature. Today, it was different. The sun was out there greeting us a beautiful day. It was a perfect day to hit the beach. However all of us had this firm belief that if we hit the beach, that will be the last thing we do in the day before the evening train to Paris. It was difficult but we had to control our emotions and proceed to see some of the things that were not yet ticked on our list.

Plaça d'Espanya was the first stop for the day. Actually we happen to reach here just by chance on our way to the Olympic Stadium. It's really hard to imagine that they could build a stadium that can host in vicinity of such a huge establishment. It's only after visiting the stadium that we realized that the stadium was actually constructed in the first half of 20th centuries and actually had been a major center for holding various events of international significance. The architecture of rest of the Olympic park is very much modern. I wonder why did they not include even a small hint of Gaudi influence or may be a dedication to Gaudi in the design of this stadium. I really expected to see some connection to Gaudi in this place that played such a significant role in bringing this city to the world map.

As if the detour to Olympic park was not enough, I chose to take a different route again. Instead of hitting the beach, I decided to go to Tibidabo, the small hill situated close to Barcelona. The church situated on its top had caught my attention as soon as I had arrived in this city. When lit in evening, it looked really beautiful and I really wanted to get a closer look at the place. I reached here (alas I did not take the popular funicular train and took the bus route instead) on a sunny afternoon and was amazed to see the crowd at this place. This place is heaven for couples who come here cycling/trekking or by other modes. The cathedral is just-another cathedral but looks good next to a giant wheel on top of this hill. Such a peak is an unsual location for an amusement park. But the park which is located on Tibidabo hill is a very popular attraction for locals and tourists alike. They say, this place is the best location to get a panoramic view of the city. And I vouch for it. It's like being on the top of Barcelona. You get a good look of everything around. I really wish that I should have come to this place during night so as to see this city when it is really alive.

There are so many things that you can do in one city. Barcelona is the first city where we have spent so much time and tried to feel the beat. We still could not do it full. It takes a lot of time and more involved interaction to understand the psyche of a city like Barcelona. For last 4 days or so, we have made our life BARCAful. Hats off to this city.

ps: Title taken from Jalan's status message on gtalk.
Barcelona trivia: There are metro stations named Parellel and Diagonal in this city. I wonder why they needed to have names like this.

EuroTrip - Day 63

Rome once more?

Oh not yet. Not in this EuroTrip for sure. I shall keep some thing pending for the next time too.
Then where should I go if I want to see a cathedral, aqueduct, circus, roman fora and an amphitheater in same town? If you are in Barcelona, the answer lies two hours away by train. The city of Tarragona offers you a date with Roman civilization right in the middle of this Catalan land. Before I forget, let me also list down that it has Gothic architecture and a beautiful sandy beach on offering too.

I am too bored of talking about this Roman and Gothic architectures. They are huge and glorious. And have a long history behind them. Lots of stories of love, hate and betrayals. War and peace. In all, a complete period drama. Still I think I would want to skip that portion for the day. You can check out the web if you want to hear those stories.

For me, this place was one more chance to learn about an industry called TOURISM. All throughout this EuroTrip, It has been impressive to notice how even the smallest of the cities are working really hard to promote tourism.

With the EuroZone in place, most of the boarders have virtually vanished. A well designed and maintained transportation system has made it easy for anyone to travel from one part to another. They boast of a train system where each and every station has the timetable available at each station giving you detail about the arrival and departure times for each and every train till the minutes. You can plan the entire journey at any station and will be able to book most of the tickets. Even a 8 minute difference between two connecting trains is really manageable. Trains run on time most of the times and if they are late you will be compensated in most of the cases. EuRail/InterRail passes are a boon if you are non-European and they make your travel really affordable.

Once you reach any city/town/village, the first thing on your mind would be to know about the place and get directions. A tourist information office is at your service in most of the cases. An English speaking officer gladly answers queries that you have got and will give you required literature. Maps, tour guides, brochures etc are available in plenty and in multiple language and they are really useful.

And now that when you know what you want to see, you might want to find out about the ways and modes of reaching there. There are city cards, travelers passes etc available to make it hassle free for you. You get free travel on local transportation (which by the way is mostly controlled by one authority independent of mode of transportation - metro, tram, bus, boats etc) and discounted entries to various tourist attractions.

I don't need to talk about the restaurants, pubs and shopping areas as they follow once a city is ready to attract so many outsiders. Interesting thing is that even there they have done very good to promote local art and cuisines.

Today in Tarragona there were two noticeable events.

1. The city tourism department seemed to be in a mode to track each of the tourist visiting this city. They collected extensive data about the tourists in terms of their nationality and the places they visited in this town. At entrance of every tourist attraction, the officer noted down a little information about us without bothering us with lot of hassles. For record, we were the first Indian tourists that many of the officers have met so far.

2. There was a promotional event by another state in Spain. The stage was set very well with use of latest technology and traditional music and cuisine at the same place. The enthusiasm with which the people concerned talked about and promoted their state was remarkable. It just gives you an idea the amount of effort everyone puts in promoting tourism here.

Today many of the European cities are using tourism as not just a way to earn money but also to promote themselves on world map. Influx of tourists had done wonders to these cities which have more global exposure than ever. It has also helped in preserving and promoting local arts and thus ensuring a longer life for them.

It's a win-win from any angle.

Can we do the same in India?

ps: For the record, we came back well in time to see Spain playing Argentina in a friendly match. We could not find a better place to see this match than the Irish pub on La Rambla. It was not the right place considering even Ireland was playing with France at the same time. So we ended up watching the Ireland match. It's fun to see a football match in an Irish pubs. These English people go really crazy. Good clean fun to end the day on a good note.

EuroTrip - Day 62

To the MAN called ANTONI GAUDI

I am not an artist. I don't know the alpha beta of art. Still let me tell you that Antoni Gaudi's work rocks. He is just too awesome. Yesterday, we had just got a glimpse of his style when we had chanced to see La Casa Batlló. Though we did not enter the place, even the view of the facade was sufficient to make us believe that ki Gaudi ka andaaj thoda hatke hai. Today, it was the time to prove our hypothesis. And what better place to do that than one of his best work - the Sagrada Família. This monumental church dedicated to the Holy Family is the finest example of his visionary genius, the worldwide symbol of Barcelona and the Cathedral of the third Millennium.

Did you say? "A cathedral!!"

Well yes, it is a cathedral. And before you say "not again," let me tell you that this is one place, you should visit even after seeing a thousand cathedrals all over the world. It is one of its kind and it will remain the same for centuries to come.

The work on this historic cathedral started in the last decade of 19th centuries and it continues even today. Gaudi visioned this place to be the symbol of faith. He incorporated his architectural knowledge with a complex system of symbolism. He was able to finish just one (out of four planned) facade in his lifetime. But he had more than done his job with his drawings and models for the rest of the cathedral. He had a huge influence from nature and geometry on his work and it took quite some time for other artists and designers to decipher his rules and style. But since then, the work on his cathedral is on a flow. With incorporation of the latest technologies in building materials and design, this building promises to be indeed the monument of the third millennium.

There are two distinct styles on the two facades that have been completed till now. While the Nativity facade has ornamental work with direct influence from nature, the Passion facade has a rather simple style. The audio-guide does a very good job explaining some of the details. One could write a book about the symbolism used and the way Gaudi has interpreted the various events in life of Christ. The museum has some of his drawings and models and tells us about the vision of the architect. I thoroughly enjoyed this place and would recommend it to everyone. Take my word, even the 11 euro entrance fee should not deter you from entering this place.

Our next stop was to be a temple of another kind - Camp Nou, the house of FC Barcelona. The main stadium in the big complex is the biggest in Europe and has hosted many crucial matches at international level and in UEFA league. But after seeing the Alliance Arena in Munich (what if it was just from the outside), it really was a disappointment. May be it looks good when in night, but when we went it was just ok. The entry to the museum is restricted and charged at 17 euros. And it is not even a guided tour. I guess FC Barca is too big a brand for me. See yea some other time guys!!

Now that we have come so far, it did not make any sense to go empty handed and we did what we could do the best - visit the FC Barca store and buy some merchandise. I am still trying to recall who amongst my friends is a Barca fan. If you are, do leave a comment. You will get an original FC Barca souvenir with love.

It was our chance to enjoy the Barcelona night life but the night had not yet arrived. So we took a long walk along the La Rambla. This street is famous for its street artists and the restaurants and pubs on the both sides. And true to its fame, it had an assortment of arts on display. The street is alive throughout the day but the real colors come out in evening. I am really happy that we decided to take the walk despite our tired legs.

I had been for over a day in Barca but still there were no signs of Jalan. Mr Busy was really trapped in his applications so I had given him the freedom to fix the plan. And finally he planned. We were to go clubbing with him. Those of you who know Jallu, he likes to party. So it was a safe bet. ;) We headed straight to beach side. It's difficult to get entry to free clubs if you are a gang of 7 guys. So we had to resort to an Irish pub. With some random live music in background, this was the best place we could afford to enter at that moment. For the record, I drank the most expensive sprite of my life here. A few random songs and then Jalan and I decided to call it a day. The applications were ringing bells in his head and I had no intention to stop him to cater to that. We had a long talk on a half maggie and a cup of chai (yes no tea, it was chai). Life could not have been more RVish.

It is 3:30 am, well past my bed time and Jalan is still left with lots of application work. So it's better that I hit the bed now and let him burn the midnight oil. I will have my own sets of such nights soon.

EuroTrip- Day 61

GMBC in Europe

Before I start the day, let me recall the start of this trip. With Bansi and TARDi on their honeymoon trip to Switzerland, three of us 'singles' were left to plan this trip. Out of the available two options - Spain and Switzerland, we had to choose the safest one - Spain so as not to disturb the lovey dovey even by mistake. So what if they don't say it! We know, we have been kabab me haddi (in Europe they call it kebap me haddi) for so long. :D

So Spain it was. We planned to reach Barcelona somehow and then see what to do. Bora and A1 were to join us. But then you know all about these couples. :D

So three of us fixed the plan and made the bookings. A surprise was waiting for us. We were not the only one traveling to Barcelona that night. Ankur, Anit (Bhatinda) and Mallik had also booked the same train and had similar plans.

It was a nice coincidence. The GMBC in Europe (Me, Ankur and Bhatinda) had made plans in India itself to do some trips together. But somehow because of our hectic schedules, we just could not do it till now. And this trip, we ended up on the same train just by chance. If it was meant to be, it had to be. And here we had a bigger larger and livelier gang.

The night journey in Corail Lunea was mostly uneventful except the long chat with Ankur. The train was a little lateto reach Port Bou and we had missed the connecting train for Barcelona. With around 2 hours to spare, we had no other option but to explore the town. And what a morning it turned out to be!!

The beach is less than half a km from the railway station and is very beautiful. Morning sun was shining in full glow to give an amazing warm feeling. There is no better thing to do than eat a nice breakfast on beach front in such a weather. Bread-jam had never tasted so good. A couple of photoshoot rounds and we were ready to board the train. Did I tell you, this small town had its own tourist information office too.

The journey from Port Bou to Barcelona was going to be a long one as we had taken a regional train. It stops at every station and if you are lucky enough the station could be as big as just a platform. A couple of hours' sleep and then game of cards. Time just flies away. Bhatinda taught us a new game called Literature today. A little technical (as the name suggests), this game kept us engaged for a long time. I am sure we will see more of it in our return journey too.

2pm is not the best of time to reach any city. If it was any other city in Europe, it would have meant that you are left with just around 3 hours of sunlight and day fun. However Barcelona is different. This Catalunean capital boasts of an active night life that is outside the clubs and bars. So we had nothing to worry about.

Like a traveler in the mood to relax, we straight away checked in our hostel, freshened up and started the search for a place to treat ourselves with a lunch. Today, we needed more than a subway. We were not in the cold weather of Europe anymore and we could splurge to celebrate that. It took us no time to realize that in Barcelona, you can find a lot of places serving a good buffet menu at around 10 euros. We were hungry and surely it was time to 'raise the bar'. With salad, pasta, noodles and pizza, a drink to go with, ice-cream and fruits as deserts and coffee to end the meal - the menus were just too irresistible to let go. "Eat as much as you want. If the plate is empty, I get more. It's all vegetables. No meat. No tuna. Change your plates, if you want. But you can use a maximum of 102 plates" - talks like this did a good selling and we did what was expected of us. We treated ourselves with the grandest lunch we have had in Europe. For over an hour and half the gang lunched and made best use of the opportunity. RV ke din yaad aa gaye. I am pretty sure, the restaurant guy will never try to sell his buffet menu to any Indian anymore.

If you start lunching at around 3 and eat for an hour or so, you end up eating so much that the next thing on your agenda would be to just take a stroll and/or sit back and relax somewhere. Alas, we were back in tourist mode (as we had very less time - just 4 days - in Barcelona). So we chose to take a stroll around La Rambla and then move towards the cathedral. The souvenir shops in Barcelona seemed to offer lot of new things with lots of Gaudi artefacts. I am sure end of this trip, I will have lots of things to take home as memories.

The cathedral was just-another cathedral so did not take a lot of our time. The market square outside the cathedral did seem to be fun with lots of activities. The street artists in Europe have won my heart. They play really nice music, show amazing stunts and draw amazing portraits and paintings. They do it with a great passion and grace and bring life to these piazza/plazas/squares.

Walking further, we crossed the Gothic quarters. For a lover of architecture that I am, it was not much of a difference from what we had been seeing all the while. Thank God we have PooCh with us. When it comes to Christianity, Architecture and long phone calls, he has no match [PJ disclaimers attached]. So we appreciated the buildings on the way and kept walking. Our manjil for the day (or actually night by now) was to hit the beach. It did not take long, just a couple of detours to see a glimpse of L'Aquàrium de Barcelona (Barcelona Aquarium) and Musée d'Histoire de la Catalogne à Barcelone (Museum of the History of Catalonia). Two places ticked on the Barcelona itinerary.

The beachfront is flocked with nice restaurants and clubs. It's one of the most beautiful beach I have seen so far. Gangs of boys and girls were playing beach football, the restaurants were starting their business and there were couples roaming around with hand in hand. It's a perfect end to a day. The long journey had taken a toll on us so we decided to take a rest for tonight and then hit the city in full enthu tomorrow. The plan has already been changed and we are going to stay in Barcelona instead of traveling to any other city (Madrid or Seville) so we should be able to get a lot more of Barcelona in next couple of days.

ps: Today I showed a remarkable improvements in my cooking skills and made a really tasty pasta. If you have any doubts, you can ask anyone from the gang.

EuroTrip - Day 57

Mercédès Jellinek

I have received a couple of complaints in last couple of weeks. Here is list them:
1. I am not posting any photos along with the blog.
2. The blog is becoming repetitive and boring.
3. I should reduce the size of the blog as at times I am writing too much of crap.

Well, I accept them with a pinch of salt. I am realizing day by day that I am not a good writer. My vocabulary sucks and every now and then I mix up with my grammar and tenses. And to top that, my short term memory is not doing any good. I accept.

So what do I do now? Should I stop writing? I don't seem to find a way to change much about my writing style anyways. At least not while I am writing most of these blogs on my mobile phone during those long train journeys. I cannot become a writer overnight. I guess I will continue writing this same old crap. You might ask - for whom? The answer to that is - for myself. This EuroTrip is one of its kind chance. I will never get to do it again. I am trying my best to preserve it for myself. So as to look back some day and say - those were the days...

With regard to photo, I have uploaded them in my picassaweb album and tried to give sufficient descriptions. Thoda effort to aapko bhi marana padega, you see.

To get back to my EuroTrip, today It was my chance to visit the Detroit of Germany. Stuttgart - the house of Mercedes Benz and Porsche. This city holds the distinction, along with Mannheim, of being the forefront of development of Automotive Revolution. The four wheeler industry owns its existence to the efforts of people like Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach who spent sleepless nights inventing petrol and diesel powered automobiles in their small workshops to.

Mercedes Benz museum located close to the Mercedes Benz plant in Stuttgart is a tribute to the existence of this company in the small history of the world of automobiles. It showcases the developments in this industry from the point of view of Mercedes Benz as a firm. By capturing the social and technological aspects of the development process, it has done well to give the museum a global appeal. You could not be a Merc fan, still this place has a lot to offer to you. For novices like me, it was a chance to see the best of the best (Merc) cars at one place and get to know more about them. I really loved their take on the world history in last 100 years or so. The exhibits along the ramps have a very different take on the significant events in last century and their contribution to the developments in automobile industry.

They also have a F1 simulator where you can get a feel of what the Schumachers and the Alonzos of this world go through when they drive those cars on those unimaginable speeds. Let me tell you from my experience, Kimi Raikkonen's famous victory in Monaco Grand Prix was a remarkable achievement considering what he could see while sitting inside the car.

One more visit to Mannheim and some more of Boraism. The plan for Spain looks pretty much in place. I shall go and book tickets the next day. For now, I am too tired and these ICE seats are really comfortable to allow me to take a long nap.

ps: A couple of observations/discovery from the day:
1. I saw more Volksvagons, Audis and Citroen cars on Stuttgart roads than Merc or Porshce. I have statistically significant proofs to support my claims.
2. The name Mercedes came from the daughter of a champion salesman of cars made by Benz's company.
3. You can spend a full day in this museum, so plan your trip accordingly.

EuroTrip - Day 56

Back to Munchen

Munchen is a wonderful city. Full of spirit. This was my third trip to this Bavarian Capital and it has succeeded in surprising me again. The day of Octoberfest, the night of long walk and now a day and night of history and culture - the offerings have been varied. However, they all resemble in one aspect - they are full of spirit. Spirit that originates from this city's Bavarian roots, spirit that come from it's rebirth post WW2.

Last time, I had left some conversation unfinished. Now that I was traveling at my own pace and peace, it was a perfect chance today to continue where we (DJ and Me) left the last time. We got so much involved in our bakar, that we did not realize the time at all. After DJ's marathon bath (yes, it was indeed a marathon taking close to an hour), the gang headed to the Dachau Memorial. DJ's roommates - Satya (Satish), Sushant (SPIRITed man) and Balaji(the married man) had readily agreed to spare their Saturday afternoon to join the gang. I was back amongst IT professional. It was good to be back, I must say.

Dachau was the first concentration camp built by the SS during the rise of Hitler in Germany. City of Munich had played a significant role in Hitler's rise as Germany's Chancellor. This probably contributed to some extent in selection of a Munich suburb as the model for what in future will be the biggest weapon of Hitler's agenda.

Today Dachau stands as a testimony of the misery and plight of thousands of victims of racial discriminatory policies. It is there today just to pass on a message to the coming generations - Never Again. The survivors of this concentration camp have made it a conscience attempt to not let the world forget anything that happened within the bounds of this dreaded place. The memorial has no entrance fee to encourage everyone to get a glimpse of some of the biggest sins committed by the man.

The entrance and visit to the memorial site is planned in such a way that the visitor traverses the path that was taken by every unfortunate inmate of this camp. Enter from Jourhouse (bridge) to reach Roll-call area ( every 'prisoner' was made to stand for hours everyday in the chilly winter) to Maintenance building (their workshops, kitchen and other common facilities) to bunker and barracks (their sleeping place - the 6x3 abode for every prisoner) to religious memorials (that were built after the liberation of this camp), the perimeter fence (the suicide trap) to the dreaded crematorium and Barrack X (where they had the gas chambers) - the path is full of stories of terror and hope. I find myself incapable to transfer the emotions that I went through after reading and listening about each of these places. One of the testimony of a survivor of the camp reads 'It was hard for me to imagine that I was in the same world that I had seen all my life. I am pretty sure it was part of some other world where humanity did not exist.' I can claim to have got similar feelings, but then I am just an observer. The reality is all out there to feel and imagine.

After spending a chilly afternoon in Dachau, I decided to go to Olympic Park while the group went home for their gharelu kaam kaaj (It's a weekend afterall, time to stock up). The BMW museum is just next to the station and was too tempting to resist. However, I just had two hours before it was to close and then I had plans to visit Merc Museum the next day. So I controlled myself and headed straight to the Olympic Park.

One can go up the Olympic Tower through a lift that zooms upwards at 7m/s to take you the platform at a height of 185m in just a couple of minutes. The view from their is unbelievable. It was dark by now and the city was dazzling in its night life. The panoramic view from this tower was remarkably different from the one I saw last time I was here in Munich. There were no churches but big swanky buildings hosting the top of their class offices. The Arena was glowing in a distant corner attracting everyone who saw in that direction. The Olympic Park complex below and the area surrounding is an altogether different world from the one you see in the Merienplatz/KarlzPlatz area. It's a new Munich for you.

This tower also hosts an unusual museum. One for Rock Music. Some rock enthusiast had shared his collection of memorabilia and gifts from fans here. It's a nice watch and can keep you entertained for atleast half n hour. There is an old style juke box too if you want to get nostalgic and listen to your favorite songs.

Alliance Arena - the red dish shaped structure that I saw from the Olympic Tower was to be my next stop. I had been planning to go to this place for so long. It's the home ground for Bayern Munich FC. Today, being a match day, I was really hoping to see something unique that I would not have seen on other days. My luck did not favor me a lot and the stadium was closed by the time I reached. They had also started to switch off the lights. The redness was vanishing in the fog that had engulfed the city of Munich by now. I just could see a glimpse of what this stadium really looks like when it is at its glowing best. I shall come back to this place. To see it once more and feel the spirit that is called the Bayern Munich FC. I have seen too much of those blue colored mufflers in this city today. Everyone is partying to celebrate their win in the morning. They all are high.

Day ended with a pubcrawl - where we visited some of the most popular discs in the town. Alas it was a really long queue at every place and we just did not have patience to wait in the cold outside. Irish club, on the other hand was warm enough to end the day on a nice note. A couple of bears and some nice talks with people around and we were ready to hit the bed. It was a real long day for me. A day when I did things my own way and enjoyed each one of those. I look forward to a great day tomorrow in Stuttgart. Good night for now.

EuroTrip - Day 51

Bruges Once More?

It was a long night. Italian, Swiss and German police do not leave anything for chance. So you go through passport checks at least three times in one night. If you are lucky you might get more of such encounters with the police (even if you had not asked for it).

Roma to Munchen is a busy train so our 9 euro reservation was worth every penny (or should it be cent?). We did have a place to sit this time. It's ironic that so far whenever we traveled without reservations, we got more than one seat per passenger and the journey was full of comfort. However, last night we just had to sit in a jam packed compartment (i.e. all the 6 people present).

There is nothing more interesting for me these days than to put on my ipod and write my blog while in train. Sleeping, of course, is favorite too but comes handy only when either me or my mobile is tired: Today, I was too tired to miss an opportunity of a long sleep. So I slept. A long, but not so peaceful sleep. It was a night filled of realizations. To know a lot of new things and to think about some of them. Reality check in my dreams? I don't know. What I know is that I am well on my way to change certain things. It's inevitable now.

Our bad luck with reservations on train to Paris continued and three of us (Me, PooCh and HotTiii) got stuck in Strasbourg. Instead of reaching at 2pm, we were now to reach only by 9pm. That too by changing a couple more trains. Nothing can beat luck and some hasty decisions. Suffering was inevitable.

With five hours to spare, we decided to do some random sightseeing in the town. The old town of Strasbourg has done well to preserve its heritage. Houses there are a testimony to the rich culture that this city inherits from the past. There are a couple of canals that flow through this side of the town. The beautiful reflections (of the buildings and the trees) that you see in the clear water of these canals should be a photographer's delight. It so much reminded me of Bruges. Calm and serene.

As typical with any city in Europe, there is one big cathedral in the center of the town. If you want to take a wild guess on the name of the cathedral, place all your bets on Notre Dame. You have very high chances of winning the bet. Inside, it is like any other cathedral. But with one difference. It gives a very good description of the paintings and art work. The emphasis is on linking those to the teaching of Jesus. Interestingly, this is the first cathedral, that I have seen in Europe, doing that. The cathedral has a giant astronomical clock too. There is a documentary on the same shown every day around 11am followed by an opportunity to see the clock in action at the noon time.

The time seemed to have slowed down a bit. We were still left with more than two hours before our train to Paris CDG. I saw a Virgin Megastore and remembered my SRM classes. Prof PK Sinha had done an amazing job teaching us that subject. This was the opportunity to see some of those learnings in action. Virgin Megastores are huge shops selling everything from Music CD/DVDs to computer accessories to Books to stationary. It's a whole world out there and you can spend hours browsing along those endless isles. Guess what did I find? They had K3G playing in one of those terminals for listening. SRK and Yash Chopra rocks, I must say. :-) With their scale and format, it was very difficult to soak up a lot about the retail aspect of their business in just an hour or so. So after putting some effort, I had to give up and resort to the window shopping mode. The new compilation 'This is it' on Michael Jackson's work is superb. Do give it a try if you are an MJ fan.

The journey back home was to be done in two phases - first a TGV to Paris CDG airport and then an RER from there. Thanks to our EuRail, we won't have to pay anything for the RER. We reach home in night. Hopefully warm homely food will be waiting for us at home (thanks to TARDi and Bansi).

Let us see if we are really that lucky?

EuroTrip - Day 50

The Roman Story

I don't know why the day started on a low note. I had a really long and comfortable sleep and got up refreshed. Still the feelings were quite mixed up. I vaguely remember a dream from the last night and it might have the clue. I spent a lot of time wondering about it and ended up calling home. There are some days when I miss my family badly. Today was one such day. Talking home did help a bit but then I think I need something else. It's been a long trip to say the least and may be a break is the need of the time. Tomorrow we reach home. I am looking forward to it.

I have started predicting things about what we would do and why we would do it. I tested my skill once more today and it worked perfectly fine. With the kind of mood I have been today, I could not have done anything better. Rome is not the right place to be in such a mood. There is so much of history in Rome that if you hit any stone on the road it will start telling its Roman story.

My love for history does not go beyond last 100 years or so. So while in Berlin I loved the stories and really cherished it, here I got bored with Roman history very soon. It's too old and too complex for me. I had to find a better way to get myself going for the day. The respite came in the form of the sunny day with a beautiful blue sky. So while others saw history and architectural marvels, I cherished the colors in the sky. The interplay of sunlight and shadow with these buildings was a treat.

For record, we walked through the Roman Fora (Forum) and saw the Palentino. Just across the road we saw the Capitol. Later taking the same short route as last night, we reached the Pantheon. Once a pagen temple, this place later become a church. With the biggest un-enforced (totally no support except at the periphery) dome, this church is an architectural marvel. One would wish there were a little less tourists so as to have some peace at places like this. Sometime I think I am the only one looking for some peace.

HotTiii's guided tour continued covering the Fountain of the Four Rivers, the Presidential Palace and a couple more towers and historical churches. There are just too many of those big churches in this town. You take any road and you will see one big church there.

Now we are on our way to Munchen. We reach there in morning and then try our luck with the train reservations for Paris. Praying to god that we get some way. The exam on Wednesday requires preparation of more than a day. :-(