It was a hectic month for me and I did not really venture out of my city, so had no motivation to come to my blog..but today I felt the urge to write something for myself...I will soon be leaving for Croatia and then back home to India for a month..so holidays ahead,.ye ye..so I'l pen down my travel experiences obviously after returning in August.. but today, as I was sitting and pondering over things..my life in general and reading stuff while planning my itinerary, I decided to make my own list of life lessons that I have learnt in these two and half decades of my life..it would not only be retrospection, but also make sure that I live each coming day to the fullest!
1. Life is full of struggles, surprises and choices you don't want to make, but it is still beautiful..Don't think too much, just live life..i know its easier said than done, but trust me, try to fake it a first few times and you would soon be a pro at living life:)
2. We all want the same things in life, irrespective of the geography and culture we live in..love, appreciation, acknowledgement, lots of fun and a secured future..its only the superficial things that separate us from others
3. Happiness is 'really' a state of mind..you don't need money to be happy..believing that once you achieve this one goal, and you would be happy is just fooling your own self..Be content in what you have today but don't be complacent...strive for better in life but don't forget to enjoy the moment now and be happy in this very moment.
4. Money is important but not all that you need to live happily...just stop buying things you don't need and you would be surprised by the amount you would have saved at the end of the month..you would not only feel richer but also be able to take the worries about future off your head!
Spend money on travelling and gaining new experiences instead.. and trust me, its worth more than spending on Armanis, diamond jewelry and other branded stuff just to please others..
5. Continuing from the previous point, It is impossible to please all the people at all the times..“I don’t know the secret to success, but the secret to failure is trying to please everyone” – Bill Cosby.
Just be yourself, and live your life as you want..its easier to convince people to believe in you by letting them see the life you have built for yourself than pleading..
6. There would always be people who would try to pull you down..no matter what you do..learn to recognize them early in life and then ignore (if you cant avoid them)...stick to family and friends who you believe would stick to you in your time of need.
7. Forget your past, make peace with it and don't worry about future..just enjoy the gift of 'Present..things are never as bad as we imagine them to be..save your energies and worries for the problems when they actually befall on you..dont stress just anticipating them.
8. Never envy others just by looking at their facebook pictures..you really dont know their life story so dont compare..appreciate what you have and don't defer your happiness to what you would own one day.
9. Have at least one hobby in life..or one thing you are passionate about..be it cooking, gardening or just anything..things that you enjoy doing have a therapeutic effect on your mind and soul.
10. Spend some 'me time' everyday..dream with open eyes..and work sincerely towards achieving those dreams..there is nothing more gratifying than seeing a dream come true..
11..Its a smart thing to learn from the mistakes made by others but don't shy away from making mistakes yourself, else how would you try new things..just remember to learn from each mistake and move on.
12. We make plans but life always has other plans to us..just stay calm and be make the most of the opportunities that you get..What life gives you when you have asked for something else, might be a blessing in disguise for you..just be patient..and as Steve Jobs had said ''“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
13. Eat healthy, exercise and stay fit..Look good..not to please others but yourself..I feel confident when I know I am looking good and presentable.
14. Time is the biggest healer and can heal almost any wound. Give time some time.
15. Be open to life and believe in Miracles..Miracles happen to those who believe that they happen.
16. Have a faith in life...faith in God or any supernatural forces..when things are beyond your control, having a faith makes life lot easier and helps retain your sanity.
17. Change is the only thing constant in life..Good or bad, things we change..don't let the success go to your head and don't let the failure break your heart.
18. Have a good laugh everyday, you are never too big to do silly things in life..No one takes you so seriously in life as you yourself..so give yourself a break..sometimes just letting go, is all that you need.
19. Be good and respectful to fellow human beings and other creatures..I truly believe that what goes around comes around..your goodness will never go wasted..
20. Fall in love and express your love to your family and friends..life is too short to miss such moments..grab them, seize them and fill your life with countless such moments..
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Swiss Break (Part 3) - Lucerne
Day 3: Lucerne
Well this was our last day in Switzerland and soon we would be back home in Germany and my parents' European holiday was nearing its end too..we wanted to make the most of this last day and we hoped that the weather gods would bless us with some sunshine:)
All our hopes turned out true and this day in Lucerne turned out to the one of the most memorable days..
We left Interlaken at around 10am and boarded the Interlaken- Lucerne express which took us to Lucerne in just two hours..I had heard a lot about the scenic beauty of Lucerne, but I did not know that this two hour ride would be the most unforgettable journey that I would take...I don't really have words enough to describe this, so will share some pictures here taken from the train's window. The train took us along the shores of crystal blue lakes, it was tough to believe that they were for real and not just a painting..., we saw some beautiful waterfalls and the views were extremely spectacular..Our train was stopped mid way due to some snag, and we had to wait inside the train for sometime, but we could not complain as the view around was so pretty that we could never have enough of it..
We reached Lucern few minutes later than our scheduled time, and the weather was perfect..The sun was shining and a cool breeze was swiping across our faces..Just as we stepped our of the main station we could see the beautiful Lake Lucerne and snow capped mountains all around.
We have reserved our rooms at the IBIS budget hotel, which was a 10 minutes walk from the main station. so we started walking using the GPS on our phone.. The bus station was right outside the train station but since we did not know which bus to take, we started walking..In few minutes we reached the hotel. The staff at the hotel was helpful and gave us information on the various tourist attractions and river cruises there. They also told us about the public transportation. Since we were there just for a day, our only plan was to take a river cruise on Lake Lucerne is extremely popular for its breathtaking views and roam around the old city..Lake Lucerne, also known as Vierwaldstättersee, lit. "Lake of the Four Forested Cantons") was the reason that we had planned to visit this city, like many other tourists, and it was just amazing.
After settling down and having our lunch, we went back to the main station to inquire about the cruise. The boats depart from the quay directly opposite the main station. There are lots of cruises and boats to choose from. The private boat carriers do charge money (not covered with swiss pass), and offer pedal and motor boats which one can rent for few hours and it is not very expensive.(20 CHF for 30 minutes for pedal boat for five people).and it could be real fun in sunny weather..
It was about 1.30pm and we wanted to take the longest cruise and go to the other end of the lake until Flüelen. We went to the ticket counter however the lady at the counter told us that there was no cruise back from Fluelen, so we should skip that and take a shorter cruise, of around four hours ( with our swiss pass we could take this cruise at zero cost)..What she missed telling us, and we later realised after talking to the crew of our ship was that, we could have gone to Fluelen and taken a train from there back to Lucerne..So, one could always get out on any stop on the way, roam around, take the ship further or back or train
( please refer to the time table to plan the trip).. The route we took was:
Lucerne - Weggis - Vitznau - Beckenried - Brunnen - Flüelen
The boat was extremely comfortable with a bar and restaurant on- board..The view of Mt.Rigi and the towns on the shores was extremely mesmerizing..After spending some time on the deck, clicking pictures we came inside as it started to getting cold...we ordered tomato mozzarella and vegetable soup (which turned our to be just Asparagus soup..)..the food was okay..not to great, and not too expensive too...its nice to enjoy the water, mountains while sipping something warm:)..It could be good to carry a book or small board game to enjoy, as just staring out at the blue lake might get boring for some people..Our final stop was Brunnen where we had to wait for 40mins before boarding the ship back to Lucerne..We roamed around this small quaint town, checked out the coop supermarket, and a small stationery shop where we bought a postcard and soon it was time to return..
The journey was extremely beautiful and pleasurable...
In the evening, my parents decide to relax in the hotel and I decided to enjoy the lake side at night with my husband..and what a sight it was..the water was calm..reflecting the lights lit on the hotels..it all looked so exquisite.
Next morning we had no plans, and just wanted to roam around the city a bit..We went to the old city, and bought some swiss chocolates from Läderach Chocolatier and they were amazing..They have chocolates in all shapes, sizes, flavours with alcohol and just extremely pretty.. My favourite out of the bunch was lemon and orange milk chocolate..(small pieces of dried lemon and orange coated with chocolate)..It could be a good souvenir to carry back home:)..We visited a church nearby and then ordered pizza at Pizza Pasta Panini, a small italian take away counter at the station, and there I saw a really cool thing..all the customers are given a small cordless device that flashes once the order is ready, so the customers need not wait at the counter..pretty cool stuff!
After eating to our heart's content we went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage that we had kept in the luggage room and later boarded a train to Basel from where we had a connecting train to Kaiserslautern.
It rained throughout the journey and we just thanked God and our stars that the weather was good while we were there:)
Some take aways:
Switzerland is an extremely expensive place, considering the amount of tourists that flock the cities here...and so travelling internally could be expensive too....if you are planning to stay here for at least 3 nights and want to travel a couple of cities, try considering a Swiss Pass. It gives you flexibility in terms of time (you can board any train), and also you can get the closest connection from the city you are travelling and then use swiss pass internally.. We booked our tickets from Paris to Geneva and used Swiss pass from Geneva to Interlaken...and then from Lucerne we reached Basel using Swiss pass and from there took a train to Kaiserslautern..We also got some discount on the Jungfraubahn and the river cruise in Lake Lucerne was already covered by swiss pass..You can read more about the benefits of swiss pass here- www.swiss-pass.ch
Swiss transport system is very well connected and extremely punctual so always refer to the timetable and plan your trip before starting your day.
One can ask for guest card at the hotels ( the one in Interlaken gave us) and then travel on buses for free using that ( in case you don't have a swiss pass)..the guest card also gives discounts on some museums. The hotels in Lucerne don't have these guest cards though.
Eating out can be extremely expensive too, so its always better to stock up some cookies and drinks from the supermarket near by (coop ) is one of the supermarkets that can be found easily), instead of over-paying at small kiosks.
Always carry an umbrella and a jacket..the weather is extremely unpredictable..
German is widely spoken and written there..Though the language people commonly speak is Swiss' (it sounds like German but we were told that its as different as German and English).
People are extremely friendly and helpful so do not hesitate to question. Even if you dont speak their language, they will try to help as much as they can.
Well this was our last day in Switzerland and soon we would be back home in Germany and my parents' European holiday was nearing its end too..we wanted to make the most of this last day and we hoped that the weather gods would bless us with some sunshine:)
All our hopes turned out true and this day in Lucerne turned out to the one of the most memorable days..
We left Interlaken at around 10am and boarded the Interlaken- Lucerne express which took us to Lucerne in just two hours..I had heard a lot about the scenic beauty of Lucerne, but I did not know that this two hour ride would be the most unforgettable journey that I would take...I don't really have words enough to describe this, so will share some pictures here taken from the train's window. The train took us along the shores of crystal blue lakes, it was tough to believe that they were for real and not just a painting..., we saw some beautiful waterfalls and the views were extremely spectacular..Our train was stopped mid way due to some snag, and we had to wait inside the train for sometime, but we could not complain as the view around was so pretty that we could never have enough of it..
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| On the way to Lucerne from Interlaken |
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| On the way to Lucerne |
We reached Lucern few minutes later than our scheduled time, and the weather was perfect..The sun was shining and a cool breeze was swiping across our faces..Just as we stepped our of the main station we could see the beautiful Lake Lucerne and snow capped mountains all around.
We have reserved our rooms at the IBIS budget hotel, which was a 10 minutes walk from the main station. so we started walking using the GPS on our phone.. The bus station was right outside the train station but since we did not know which bus to take, we started walking..In few minutes we reached the hotel. The staff at the hotel was helpful and gave us information on the various tourist attractions and river cruises there. They also told us about the public transportation. Since we were there just for a day, our only plan was to take a river cruise on Lake Lucerne is extremely popular for its breathtaking views and roam around the old city..Lake Lucerne, also known as Vierwaldstättersee, lit. "Lake of the Four Forested Cantons") was the reason that we had planned to visit this city, like many other tourists, and it was just amazing.
After settling down and having our lunch, we went back to the main station to inquire about the cruise. The boats depart from the quay directly opposite the main station. There are lots of cruises and boats to choose from. The private boat carriers do charge money (not covered with swiss pass), and offer pedal and motor boats which one can rent for few hours and it is not very expensive.(20 CHF for 30 minutes for pedal boat for five people).and it could be real fun in sunny weather..
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| At the Lucerne Quay |
It was about 1.30pm and we wanted to take the longest cruise and go to the other end of the lake until Flüelen. We went to the ticket counter however the lady at the counter told us that there was no cruise back from Fluelen, so we should skip that and take a shorter cruise, of around four hours ( with our swiss pass we could take this cruise at zero cost)..What she missed telling us, and we later realised after talking to the crew of our ship was that, we could have gone to Fluelen and taken a train from there back to Lucerne..So, one could always get out on any stop on the way, roam around, take the ship further or back or train
( please refer to the time table to plan the trip).. The route we took was:
Lucerne - Weggis - Vitznau - Beckenried - Brunnen - Flüelen
The boat was extremely comfortable with a bar and restaurant on- board..The view of Mt.Rigi and the towns on the shores was extremely mesmerizing..After spending some time on the deck, clicking pictures we came inside as it started to getting cold...we ordered tomato mozzarella and vegetable soup (which turned our to be just Asparagus soup..)..the food was okay..not to great, and not too expensive too...its nice to enjoy the water, mountains while sipping something warm:)..It could be good to carry a book or small board game to enjoy, as just staring out at the blue lake might get boring for some people..Our final stop was Brunnen where we had to wait for 40mins before boarding the ship back to Lucerne..We roamed around this small quaint town, checked out the coop supermarket, and a small stationery shop where we bought a postcard and soon it was time to return..
The journey was extremely beautiful and pleasurable...
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| My husband and parents on the boat |
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| Mt.Rigi as seen from the Lake Lucerne |
In the evening, my parents decide to relax in the hotel and I decided to enjoy the lake side at night with my husband..and what a sight it was..the water was calm..reflecting the lights lit on the hotels..it all looked so exquisite.
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| Läderach Chocolatier |
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| Beautiful hand made chocolates |
Next morning we had no plans, and just wanted to roam around the city a bit..We went to the old city, and bought some swiss chocolates from Läderach Chocolatier and they were amazing..They have chocolates in all shapes, sizes, flavours with alcohol and just extremely pretty.. My favourite out of the bunch was lemon and orange milk chocolate..(small pieces of dried lemon and orange coated with chocolate)..It could be a good souvenir to carry back home:)..We visited a church nearby and then ordered pizza at Pizza Pasta Panini, a small italian take away counter at the station, and there I saw a really cool thing..all the customers are given a small cordless device that flashes once the order is ready, so the customers need not wait at the counter..pretty cool stuff!
After eating to our heart's content we went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage that we had kept in the luggage room and later boarded a train to Basel from where we had a connecting train to Kaiserslautern.
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| Lucerne by Night |
Some take aways:
Switzerland is an extremely expensive place, considering the amount of tourists that flock the cities here...and so travelling internally could be expensive too....if you are planning to stay here for at least 3 nights and want to travel a couple of cities, try considering a Swiss Pass. It gives you flexibility in terms of time (you can board any train), and also you can get the closest connection from the city you are travelling and then use swiss pass internally.. We booked our tickets from Paris to Geneva and used Swiss pass from Geneva to Interlaken...and then from Lucerne we reached Basel using Swiss pass and from there took a train to Kaiserslautern..We also got some discount on the Jungfraubahn and the river cruise in Lake Lucerne was already covered by swiss pass..You can read more about the benefits of swiss pass here- www.swiss-pass.ch
Swiss transport system is very well connected and extremely punctual so always refer to the timetable and plan your trip before starting your day.
One can ask for guest card at the hotels ( the one in Interlaken gave us) and then travel on buses for free using that ( in case you don't have a swiss pass)..the guest card also gives discounts on some museums. The hotels in Lucerne don't have these guest cards though.
Eating out can be extremely expensive too, so its always better to stock up some cookies and drinks from the supermarket near by (coop ) is one of the supermarkets that can be found easily), instead of over-paying at small kiosks.
Always carry an umbrella and a jacket..the weather is extremely unpredictable..
German is widely spoken and written there..Though the language people commonly speak is Swiss' (it sounds like German but we were told that its as different as German and English).
People are extremely friendly and helpful so do not hesitate to question. Even if you dont speak their language, they will try to help as much as they can.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Swissbreak (Part 2)- Jungfraujoch- Top Of Europe
Day 2: Trip to Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest altitude railway station
The day second day of the swiss trip started with lots of excitement and anticipation..Before planning this trip, we had heard a lot about Jungfraujoch, seen pictures of friends and relatives who'v been there and it seemed to be a MUST in our swiss itinerary..the only concern I had was, would my parents like it and say that 'it was worth our time and money (it is an expensive trip!)..nonetheless, I was very excited and looking forward to this..since we knew it was a long journey ahead, we decided to leave as early as we could, and after having a nice breakfast to keep us full for few hours, and packing some sandwiches for the trip, we left at 9 am for Interlaken Ost.
There are two routes to reach the summit. One can either take the train southwest from Interlaken Ost along the valley to Lauterbrunnen, from where you pick up the mountain line which climbs through Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg; or take the train heading southeast from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald, where you change for the climb, arriving at Kleine Scheidegg from the other direction. All trains terminate at Kleine Scheidegg, where one must change for the final lap to Jungfraujoch – the popular practice is to go up one way and down the other. We had also planned it this way and purchased our tickets for Jungfrau online. However upon reaching Lauterbrunnen we got to know that the trains from there have been terminated and so we had to go back to Zweilütschinen (station between Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen) and take a train to Griendelwald. Trains run every 30 minutes and since we missed the previous train we decided to walk around the station.
We reached Griendelwald in about half and hour and from there we took another train to Klein Scheidegg, and thereafter we boarded a red cogwheel train to reach the top. We dashed out from one train to another, but the swiss railways staff was extremely friendly and helpful.The frequency of the trains and coordination of various connections is so amazing that changing over trains did not seem like a mountainous task. The journey was extremely scenic with swiss chalets on the way and beautiful snow peaked mountains all around..The final lap took around an hour and in between the train stopped at two intermediate stations- the Eigerwand (Wall of Eiger) and Eismeer, 3160m (Sea of ice) for five minutes each, so we could go out and enjoy the views. The last part of the journey is inside a huge tunnel carved out of mountains. This whole journey to the top of Europe is an extremely amazing feat of engineering of the last century and took around 16 years to be completed..
Finally after around 2.5 hours as we reached our destination, Top of Europe at 3454 m, it felt great, despite some tiredness...the place was packed with tourists from all over the world..as soon as we entered, it looked liked a resort, with people eating, shopping for souvenirs, some catching on sleep and others clicking pics..it was pretty warm inside and we were told to follow the blue signs to the attractions there, which included the amazing ice palace, alpine sensation, sphinx (view point), snow fun..the moment we stepped out at the view point, we realised what is it to like at the top of europe..-13 degrees, extremely windy, it was difficult to keep our eyes open and stand...a piece of advice: dress warmly and wear sunglasses..and most importantly, keep your ears and cheeks covered..
Overall it was a great new experience, a bit tiring, but worth it!! My mom just loved the place..
The day second day of the swiss trip started with lots of excitement and anticipation..Before planning this trip, we had heard a lot about Jungfraujoch, seen pictures of friends and relatives who'v been there and it seemed to be a MUST in our swiss itinerary..the only concern I had was, would my parents like it and say that 'it was worth our time and money (it is an expensive trip!)..nonetheless, I was very excited and looking forward to this..since we knew it was a long journey ahead, we decided to leave as early as we could, and after having a nice breakfast to keep us full for few hours, and packing some sandwiches for the trip, we left at 9 am for Interlaken Ost.
There are two routes to reach the summit. One can either take the train southwest from Interlaken Ost along the valley to Lauterbrunnen, from where you pick up the mountain line which climbs through Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg; or take the train heading southeast from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald, where you change for the climb, arriving at Kleine Scheidegg from the other direction. All trains terminate at Kleine Scheidegg, where one must change for the final lap to Jungfraujoch – the popular practice is to go up one way and down the other. We had also planned it this way and purchased our tickets for Jungfrau online. However upon reaching Lauterbrunnen we got to know that the trains from there have been terminated and so we had to go back to Zweilütschinen (station between Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen) and take a train to Griendelwald. Trains run every 30 minutes and since we missed the previous train we decided to walk around the station.
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| At Zweilütschinen Station |
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| Red cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch |
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| On the way to Jungfraujoch |
Finally after around 2.5 hours as we reached our destination, Top of Europe at 3454 m, it felt great, despite some tiredness...the place was packed with tourists from all over the world..as soon as we entered, it looked liked a resort, with people eating, shopping for souvenirs, some catching on sleep and others clicking pics..it was pretty warm inside and we were told to follow the blue signs to the attractions there, which included the amazing ice palace, alpine sensation, sphinx (view point), snow fun..the moment we stepped out at the view point, we realised what is it to like at the top of europe..-13 degrees, extremely windy, it was difficult to keep our eyes open and stand...a piece of advice: dress warmly and wear sunglasses..and most importantly, keep your ears and cheeks covered..
Overall it was a great new experience, a bit tiring, but worth it!! My mom just loved the place..
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| Alpine Sensation |
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| Ice Palace |
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| View from Sphinx |
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| Ice Fun |
Friday, April 26, 2013
Swiss Break (Part 1) - Interlaken
This April I have travelled a lot..had a great time exploring new places and revisiting some of my old favourites:)..but what stood out as a great experience was a three-day sojourn in Switzerland. I was in Interlaken for two days, and spent another day in Lucerne,with my husband and parents. My parents were visiting us in Germany and Europe for them was synonymous for Paris and Switzerland, as these two destinations feature a lot in our Bollywood movies (Indian cinema)..So, while my parents were planning their European holiday, they wanted to visit Paris and Swiss and fulfill the dream of going to the exotic locations that they had until then seen only in the movies..As i was growing up in India, even I was convinced that Switzerland was the ultimate European holiday destination, but it was funny when my husband's colleagues asked him-why do you want to take your parents to Swiss and why not London or Rome? Swiss is just mountains..And I was like...are we really wasting a lot of money, considering Swiss is extremely expensive? Should we go to Rome or Venice instead? But then I reminded myself of all the Yash Chopra movies that I had seen as a child, and how beautiful the scenes and his heroines had looked because the movie was shot in Switzerland. Swiss has always been a popular destination for Indians (obviously who can afford to shell out a few thousand dollars)..And after being there, I have no regrets...the place is every penny worth it:) I agree that the snow peaked mountains can be seen in many other European cities and at much lower budget, but there is something about the untouched beauty of the alps and the Swiss chalets, that makes it so special and different..
Now here is what my trip was like..Since, its going to be a long write up, I will divide this piece in parts
Day 1: Interlaken
We reached Geneva from Paris on TGV, and from there we had to change two trains. The connection was from Geneva to Bern, then from Bern to Spiez, and from Spiez to Interlaken West Station. My husband and I were a bit skeptical initially, since my parents are not used to so much travelling and definitely not used to changing multiple trains with suitcases..whew! But that's what living in Europe teaches you..And thanks to the amazing travel system, and the thoughtfully designed Swiss railways stations, that changing trains seemed so easy..There are escalators and sloped terrain that made it so easy to drag the luggage..In Geneva, we had to cross the customs too (just like at airports) before boarding the next train..The trains were extremely comfortable and the cities are so well connected, that there are connections almost every 30 minutes..And all the tiredness dissipated as soon as we got a glimpse of the natural beauty of Swiss from the window..The train journeys in Swiss were so pleasant and a treat to senses..so beautiful and calming!! I just couldn't take my eyes off and my camera couldn't stop clicking...
After a journey of around 2 hours we reached Interlaken West train station and it was raining hard..My spirits were dampened a bit by the rain, but luckily the weather soon started getting better. We looked around the place for travel maps and enquired about the bus route..The people were friendly and a bus driver guided us...In Interlaken and Lucern the language most commonly used is German..we also got to know that people here speak 'swiss' too..its like a dialect that is only spoken and not written..and it is not similar to German or French..but as different as these languages are from English..Being a touristic place, people do speak little English as well..We had missed one bus and had to wait for 30 minutes for another one..so in the meantime, we walked around the area..we located a small Indian restaurant, The Little India, right outside the station, there is a beautiful lake behind the station, where I wanted to click some pictures which unfortunately due to the bad weather I could not..then right opposite the station is the market area that stretches till the other end of the road, where Interlaken Ost station is located. We had our four day Swiss Pass so all the internal train, bus and boat journey were included ( will be writing more about the swiss pass towards the end). Finally the bus came, and it was quick ride to our hotel, which was right next to the bus stop..The bus driver did not ask for our ticket (they trust the passengers to be riding with valid tickets). If one is caught travelling without a ticket, the fine charged is a
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| Sitting Area, Dining and Kitchen at Tell Apartment |
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| one of the double bedroom |
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| View from one of the bedrooms |
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| Shopping Street in Interlaken |
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| Walking towards the market street in Interlaken |
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| Interlaken |
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| Swiss chocolate boutique |
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| Cowbells..an old Swiss tradition |
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| Swiss souvenirs |
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| On the way to Interlaken |
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| On the way to Interlaken from Bern |
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
A day in Frankfurt!
I recently visited Frankfurt with my family and some friends, and as always I was mesmerized by its charming contrast and diversity. Frankfurt is the financial hub of Germany and the only city here where the mighty skyscrapers coexist with the old heritage buildings. This was my third visit to the city and I love going there to spend time on the bank of Main river and admire the beautiful skyline. It looks perfect during the summers with the sun and the colorful flowers, however this time even though it was April, the air was cool and the trees lacked the lushness.
It took us 2.5 hours to reach Frankfurt Main Station from Kaiserslautern and we took the exit towards Kaiserstraße. It is a very popular street and has lot of shops and cafes, making it perfect to spend few hours on a sunny day.
One particular place here where I love to eat is Urban Kitchen (Kaiserstrasse 53). It has lot of options for vegetarians. They serve really sumptuous Pastas, Gnocchi and Pizza Brot (bread).
Walking straight ahead on the Kaiserstrasse, we soon reached the famous euro sign statue. This big blue euro sign stands in front of the European Central Bank, and is not easy to miss (especially if you are interested in Finance and Politics, and have seen this on BBC News).
After some clicks there, we walked ahead to our next destination and my favourite-The Main Tower. The Main Tower is 500 storey, 200m high skyscraper , and the only one in Frankfurt which is open to public. It has been named after the river Main that flows through the region. Just as we enter the building, there is a high-tech security check that each visitor has to clear (similar to the ones at the airports). After the security check, we head to the elevators that take us to the 54th floor in barely 45 seconds.
From there there are two public viewing platforms (55th and 56th floor respectively)..And what we saw from the top was simply breathtaking..and for merely 5 euros that we paid for each person..On one side was the Hauptbahnhof, where the trains looked like toy trains..on the other was the serene Main river, making everything look so calm..The height of the tower makes all other skyscrapers look like dwarfs, filling me with awe. It is totally worth going up the tower and if luck prevails and sun shines, then one can get some of the most beautiful shots of the city from the top.
After spending some time at the Main Tower, we decided to take a leisurely walk along the river side..And it was indeed a refreshing break..Since it was not sunny, there were not too many people around..but on a sunny day it is extremely crowded..I love to see people doing all sorts of random activities there- jogging, cycling, boating, sun bathing, having a chilled beer or ice cream, reading a book and simply having fun. Frankfurt am Main is also referred to as ''Mainhattan'' by Germans because of its skyline.
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Walking along the river side, we soon reached the Iron Bridge, which gave a great view of the river and the skyline. There were hundreds of love padlocks tied on the bridge. Since I had already seen these padlocks in Austria, I was well aware of this custom; however, my parents were extremely amused to see these colorful locks in abundance:)
To the north of the bridge is the old city, known as Römerberg..It is a quaint city centre with lot of historical buildings.
There are lot of museums in Frankfurt, but I have not been able to explore that side of the city yet.
I usually go there for few hours to enjoy the sun, river and buy Indian grocery (I shop from Punjabi Shop located on the Weserstrasse).
It took us 2.5 hours to reach Frankfurt Main Station from Kaiserslautern and we took the exit towards Kaiserstraße. It is a very popular street and has lot of shops and cafes, making it perfect to spend few hours on a sunny day.
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| Kaiserstrasse |
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| At Urban Kitchen |
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| The Euro Sign and the hexagon building behind it is the European Central Bank |
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| The Main Tower (in blue) |
After some clicks there, we walked ahead to our next destination and my favourite-The Main Tower. The Main Tower is 500 storey, 200m high skyscraper , and the only one in Frankfurt which is open to public. It has been named after the river Main that flows through the region. Just as we enter the building, there is a high-tech security check that each visitor has to clear (similar to the ones at the airports). After the security check, we head to the elevators that take us to the 54th floor in barely 45 seconds.
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| Security Check at the entrance of Main Tower |
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| At the Main Tower |
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| Main Tower |
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| View of Hauptbahnhof from the top |
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| View from the top of Main Tower |
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| We stand taller than these skyscrapers |
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| ''Mainhattan'' |
Walking along the river side, we soon reached the Iron Bridge, which gave a great view of the river and the skyline. There were hundreds of love padlocks tied on the bridge. Since I had already seen these padlocks in Austria, I was well aware of this custom; however, my parents were extremely amused to see these colorful locks in abundance:)
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| Love Padlocks |
There are lot of museums in Frankfurt, but I have not been able to explore that side of the city yet.
I usually go there for few hours to enjoy the sun, river and buy Indian grocery (I shop from Punjabi Shop located on the Weserstrasse).
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| Römerberg |
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Day trip to Salzburg, Austria..
As I started writing this, i just realized how long it has been since I updated this..guess I need to travel more frequently:)
I am Munich for almost a week now, accompanying my husband on his work travel. So, last weekend we just decided to travel to Salzburg (just 2 hours on the local train at a reasonable cost of $26, using the Bayern Ticket). It was a beautiful Saturday morning and we boarded the train at 10:48 am from the Munich Main Station. My husband had already been to this beautiful Austrian city and always wanted to go there with me:) The entire stretch from Munich to Salzburg is extremely serene and the views are breathtaking..The small farms, and villages with the typical European houses, and the mighty snow peaked Alps in the background...indeed a treat to senses! It had snowed in Munich few days before, and the snow had not completed melted, adding to the beauty. We also saw Chiemsee on the way, and oh my!my!, what a beautiful place it looked...(I would love to visit it sometime in the summers). I just didn't realise how the two hour journey flew and we reached Salzburg at 12.48 pm. We made a quick inquiry at the info point about the travel card and whether our bayern ticket was valid in the city..the answer was a No and the lady at the counter was pretty cold..huh..so we just decided to walk around and explore the city using our offline map ( I use the Triposo guide on my iphone, and it is just so fabulous..tells us what to see, where to eat and shop et al.)
We took a left from the main station and move towards the main city. Our first destination was the Mirabell Gardens. It took us roughly 15 mins to reach the pretty gardens of Mirabell Castle. It is a beautiful place to visit and spend some quiet time..fountains, Pegasus Statue lot of beautiful sculptures and well manicured gardens:) Moraztuem University of Music and Arts is also around the castle.
From there, we walked further in the direction of the city centre and reached the Mozart Wohnhaus, house where Mozart had lived, on Makartplatz. We did not have the time to visit the museum inside, so just clicked some pics and moved ahead:).. From there we reached the Makartsteg Bridge, built over the Salzach river, that gives a breathtaking view of the city. What struck me instantly about this pedestrian bridge was the hundreds of love padlocks with names of it, symbolizing the eternal love.
Walking down the bridge we reached the old town, which gives you a feel of small quaint pebbled town..We first saw the Mozart's birth place there, the building where he was born and which was converted into a museum in 1800s. The area surrounding the building was buzzing with energy..lot of tourists eating and shopping. We located a nice italian restaurant near it, Spagetti & Co and had a sumptuous vegetarian meal..I can surely recommend this place to lasagna lovers:)..
There are beautiful sovuenier shops, chocolate shops, where one can buy the special Mozartkugel (chocolate balls, made of hazelnuts and pistachio)..these are extremely popular in the city.
Around the town we saw many historical buildings, toy museum, horse pond (Pferdeschwemme). We also saw another horse pond near the salzburg cathedral. These horse ponds were created at the time of Prince Arcbishops. The ponds were dry but looked beautiful nonetheless.
From there we walked down to the Residenzplatz, square in the old town that has the main cathedral (Dom) on one side and Residenz (Bishop′s Palace) and the Neue Residenz (New Bishop′s Palace) and a row of Medieval burgher houses on the others. Next to the Dom is Kapitelplatz, where we saw another beautiful horse pond, Kapitelschwemme,
that dates back to 1732. It was also the home to Pegasus statue which is now in the Mirabell Gardens. A huge golden ball with a human figure on the top also catches the fancy of tourists on Kapitelplatz.
Overlooking this square is a mighty castle, Festung Hohensalzburg, atop the Festungsberg mountains. One can go up the castle on the Festungsbahn (cable car) or just climb up. Unfortunately, we missed this on this trip because of time constraint. The view of the castle from the Kapitelplatz was extremely splendid.
It was already 4:00pm, and we had planned to board our train back to Munich at 5:09 pm. So we decided to walk back to the main station and do some souvenier shopping. We bought some packs of these special chocolates for us and our friends:)
I am Munich for almost a week now, accompanying my husband on his work travel. So, last weekend we just decided to travel to Salzburg (just 2 hours on the local train at a reasonable cost of $26, using the Bayern Ticket). It was a beautiful Saturday morning and we boarded the train at 10:48 am from the Munich Main Station. My husband had already been to this beautiful Austrian city and always wanted to go there with me:) The entire stretch from Munich to Salzburg is extremely serene and the views are breathtaking..The small farms, and villages with the typical European houses, and the mighty snow peaked Alps in the background...indeed a treat to senses! It had snowed in Munich few days before, and the snow had not completed melted, adding to the beauty. We also saw Chiemsee on the way, and oh my!my!, what a beautiful place it looked...(I would love to visit it sometime in the summers). I just didn't realise how the two hour journey flew and we reached Salzburg at 12.48 pm. We made a quick inquiry at the info point about the travel card and whether our bayern ticket was valid in the city..the answer was a No and the lady at the counter was pretty cold..huh..so we just decided to walk around and explore the city using our offline map ( I use the Triposo guide on my iphone, and it is just so fabulous..tells us what to see, where to eat and shop et al.)
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| Mirabell Castle and Gardens |
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| Pigasus Statue in the Mirabell Gardens |
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| Mozart Wohnhaus |
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| Love Padlocks on the bridge |
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| Mozart Birth House |
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| Lasagne verdura and Pizza Margherita |
There are beautiful sovuenier shops, chocolate shops, where one can buy the special Mozartkugel (chocolate balls, made of hazelnuts and pistachio)..these are extremely popular in the city.
 |
| Pferdeschwemme |
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| Kapitelschwemme |
that dates back to 1732. It was also the home to Pegasus statue which is now in the Mirabell Gardens. A huge golden ball with a human figure on the top also catches the fancy of tourists on Kapitelplatz.
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| Kapitel Platz, Hohensalzburg castle (in the background) |
Overlooking this square is a mighty castle, Festung Hohensalzburg, atop the Festungsberg mountains. One can go up the castle on the Festungsbahn (cable car) or just climb up. Unfortunately, we missed this on this trip because of time constraint. The view of the castle from the Kapitelplatz was extremely splendid.
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| Mozartkugeln |
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| Salzburg City |
All in all it was a great day, and I wish to make another visit to this mesmerizing city in summers, so that I could see the places that I had missed on this trip.
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