I truly believe in luck. I believe everything is governed by the laws of luck in this world :-)
I never expected to be where I am at this point of my life. I never expected some of the good things that happened and bad things too. But everything has to be taken with a pinch of salt. I never complain about my bad luck, but I surely enjoy my good luck. Somehow I was lucky to be in TAS and lucky enough to do an International stint with General Chemicals. Till date all my experiences have been fabulous and I expect them to continue for another month after which I leave them for pursuing next assignment in India.
I never expected to see an underground mine in my life. But I was lucky to reach General Chemicals and they were kind enough to arrange a visit for me here in the high arid desert of Wyoming. So once again I was lucky on the good side of it.
I was briefed about the safety requirements inside the mine on a short video before I started to get ready for the one time experience of my life. And believe me when they mean security it better be a good one. I haven't even heard of such structured security measures for everyone in any company till date. Gas masks, lights, auto alarms in case of Methane leakage, Exit direction indicators and 5 shafts to exit in case of emergency when only one is needed for entry.
So here I was after being briefed about the security and ready to don the gear to enter the mine. Safety glasses, Light, Breathing apparatus, Bell, metal top shoes etc.
I was accompanied by a miner called Steve. We made a gate entry at the mine entrance. I asked why then the answer was that if I didn't get back after a maximum of 8 hours they will identify who is missing and stop operations and start rescue. That would send shivers through anyone :-)
We then entered through a mine shaft and went below ground 1600ft or 538m after a 8 minute ride on the elevator. Below the mine it was pitch dark. W/o the light I couldn't see my hand in front of my face :-O . However at the entry there were adequate lighting. From there we had to drive in a Jeep underground to where mining was taking place. Mind you this jeep is assembled completely below the mine as ths shaft is capable of handling only 2000 pounds. So its taken in parts and assembled below. This jeep runs under Interstate Highway 80 which connects east coast to the west coast. We drove 6 miles in pitch dark and reached the mine. Mind you they spray water to control dust in the mine and our two wheel drive jeep skid many a times. But Steve was good at controlling things underground.
I saw a bore miner machine which was doing the mining at a rate of 2000 tons per hour. It is controlled by 6 computers up on the surface. It kind of moves like a snake and has lot of flexibility.The miners sure have a tough job. 8 hours in that darkness would surely make my days sad.
After that I saw the loading area where the ore is collected from 4-5 mining locations where simultaneous mining happens. After the mine is drilled, the surface is pierced with 20mm iron drills to support the ceiling from not falling due to pressure from ground above. This all was a exciting process and very fast too!
After about 2 hours below the ground we decided to come up. After exchanging pleasantries with the miners below, I came up 1600 feet to finish my first experience in a mine. It was truly Mine experience ;-)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Life changes fast...
Usually people don't respect their life as they don't imagine that death could be too close to them at any instance. The recent attacks in Mumbai must surely have made many of them respect their lives. In a short period of 4 hours the fastest city in India was turned into ruins and curfew due to a well coordinated attack in the heart of Mumbai. The final toll was 195 and more than 500 people were injured as terrorist rampaged the city of Mumbai.
For me it was nothing less that death of Mumbai. Death of security system, death of beliefs, death of freedom and death of what the city stands for. People say one may be a very strong person but death of someone you love might still break the person in you.
I realized this only after the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.I have been in love with Mumbai for last 25 years, I truly have. This city has given me everything I have today. My identity, my beliefs, my respect, my education and now even my job. Watching the live streaming from my office was tearing my heart apart. I realized how hard the death of someone you love can be. I couldn't catch a wink of sleep that night. The sights of Taj burning, terrorists firing on common people couldn't just get out of my head.
Before this incident, I least cared about my life, took unnecessary risks and laughed them away. But this incident made me realize how important my life can be to people around me. Even though they may not benefit from me being there, but the realization that I am there for them will keep them going. Also I realized that there are many things I kept on postponing till I felt the time was right. But now I realize that the time is right when you want it to be. So I sat don to write down what all I wanted to do from bottom of my heart but couldn't due to fear,laziness, availability of yet another day and what not! I think I have procrastinated many decisions in the past few months which I will do as soon as possible...
I decided that I will change. I will try to do whatever I aspire to do in my life ahead of time as you never know...there just might not be a next day for you!!
For me it was nothing less that death of Mumbai. Death of security system, death of beliefs, death of freedom and death of what the city stands for. People say one may be a very strong person but death of someone you love might still break the person in you.
I realized this only after the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.I have been in love with Mumbai for last 25 years, I truly have. This city has given me everything I have today. My identity, my beliefs, my respect, my education and now even my job. Watching the live streaming from my office was tearing my heart apart. I realized how hard the death of someone you love can be. I couldn't catch a wink of sleep that night. The sights of Taj burning, terrorists firing on common people couldn't just get out of my head.
Before this incident, I least cared about my life, took unnecessary risks and laughed them away. But this incident made me realize how important my life can be to people around me. Even though they may not benefit from me being there, but the realization that I am there for them will keep them going. Also I realized that there are many things I kept on postponing till I felt the time was right. But now I realize that the time is right when you want it to be. So I sat don to write down what all I wanted to do from bottom of my heart but couldn't due to fear,laziness, availability of yet another day and what not! I think I have procrastinated many decisions in the past few months which I will do as soon as possible...
I decided that I will change. I will try to do whatever I aspire to do in my life ahead of time as you never know...there just might not be a next day for you!!
Friday, October 10, 2008
What should FinMin do?
The world finacial situation is very bad. All over there are banks failing and filing for bankruptcy. Today a big Japanese insurer also filed for bankruptcy in the morning. This financial overboil is sure to spill into the other sectors now. The bubble is too big to control. After US, European banks have come to the panic scene. Iceland has declared that their economy is heading towards bankruptcy. They had put too much money outside Iceland in such mortgage bonds. Last 1 month, US banks like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs who are cash hungry have withdrawn tons of money out of Indian markets. This has led to a fall of markets from 21000 to 10200 few minutes ago within a span of 6 months. This is not a good news for anyone. Everyone is losing money because of this.
The liquidity cruch has finally hit India. The worst part is that, the money that is being withdrawn is going out of India. This has taken toll on the rupee as markets are facing a shortage of USD. Dollar has touched 49 and is slated to cross 50 this time unless RBI pumps dollars in the market. However, it wont be of much use as final destination of that money too will be US which is already under recession.
Let me explain Indian situation again. We are close to 12% on inflation. People of India have way too much cash with them which is driving prices up. These cash rich individuals are investing in stocks. However as explained earlier, this money is going to US. So its a high risk proposition to dwindle your portfolios now. If the money is with people then it is not with the banks as economics goes this way. Banks are facing the crunch to sustain and honour their prior commitments on derivatives and asset trading. RBI shelved CRR by 150bps today. This will infuse cash into these banks to the tune of 60000 crore. However this money will also go to USA. The reason being that banks are non manufacturing entities. The only way they can make profits is by investing in markets or lending loans. Nobody needs loans now as rate is too high and people have enough money now. So other options they have is to invest in markets which is taking nose dives everyday. So this is a critical time for such banks. To honour their commitments they are lifting loans at exhorbitant rates. This is not going to help their books in anyways.
So now is the time that Manmohan and his team should pitch in. They should take money out of these individual investors who are not only losing money in the market to US, but also keeping the inflation rate at a very high level. One way could be to float high interest giving government bonds with a 7yr lockin period. This will attract these individual investors to these bonds. The money will then be safe with government who then doesn't have to reduce CRR anymore. They can directly loan to banks in distress at lower rates. These banks can then cut their interest rates and hence taking a loan will again become a interesting proposition. Thus one source of revenue for banks will be ensured. Once investors enter into bond agreements with government, the share markets will stabalise as the volumes traded will reduce. Thus volatality in the market can be kept at bay. This will also reduce liquidity in the market with people and distribute it to the banks where it should be. Once the money reduces in hands of people, the inflation will come down automatically. The dollar will stay at 50 for some time. Once share markets become less active the big investment banks will hold their trades for some time. This will stabalise dollar for some time. India cannot afford a high dollar as we depend more on imports than exports. So future will be costly for government, but in all this game its better that only government loses and rest of the economy stays stable. Dollar can only be stabalised by increasing your exports, be it services or manufacturing. Now the time has come when its imperative for India to earn lots of dollars from international projects where ever there is an opportunity. After 7 years who knows the economic cycle will change its course and government can then invest heavily in the stocks and recover whatever it was supposed to lose.
Another option is to have heavy taxation to reduce inflation. However with elections coming in January, government can exercise this option only after that. Before that above method can keep a check on situation. Later on taxes can be increased and good tax incentives can be given to locals public for investing money in government bonds. The money distribution has to happen. Its important to check inflation now and everything else can bee tackled!!!
So all in all following steps should help:
1) Government should sell high interest bonds to people with a lockin of 7 years
2) Lend this money at lower rates to banks and stabalise CRR
3) Increase taxes after 1 year to control inflation
4) Promote exports and give tax breaks for the same
5) Bring down trading volumes somehow to control volatality
6) Restrict government investments into stocks for now!
Please give me feedback on tha above method. If am wrong somewhere, I will correct it accordingly!!
The liquidity cruch has finally hit India. The worst part is that, the money that is being withdrawn is going out of India. This has taken toll on the rupee as markets are facing a shortage of USD. Dollar has touched 49 and is slated to cross 50 this time unless RBI pumps dollars in the market. However, it wont be of much use as final destination of that money too will be US which is already under recession.
Let me explain Indian situation again. We are close to 12% on inflation. People of India have way too much cash with them which is driving prices up. These cash rich individuals are investing in stocks. However as explained earlier, this money is going to US. So its a high risk proposition to dwindle your portfolios now. If the money is with people then it is not with the banks as economics goes this way. Banks are facing the crunch to sustain and honour their prior commitments on derivatives and asset trading. RBI shelved CRR by 150bps today. This will infuse cash into these banks to the tune of 60000 crore. However this money will also go to USA. The reason being that banks are non manufacturing entities. The only way they can make profits is by investing in markets or lending loans. Nobody needs loans now as rate is too high and people have enough money now. So other options they have is to invest in markets which is taking nose dives everyday. So this is a critical time for such banks. To honour their commitments they are lifting loans at exhorbitant rates. This is not going to help their books in anyways.
So now is the time that Manmohan and his team should pitch in. They should take money out of these individual investors who are not only losing money in the market to US, but also keeping the inflation rate at a very high level. One way could be to float high interest giving government bonds with a 7yr lockin period. This will attract these individual investors to these bonds. The money will then be safe with government who then doesn't have to reduce CRR anymore. They can directly loan to banks in distress at lower rates. These banks can then cut their interest rates and hence taking a loan will again become a interesting proposition. Thus one source of revenue for banks will be ensured. Once investors enter into bond agreements with government, the share markets will stabalise as the volumes traded will reduce. Thus volatality in the market can be kept at bay. This will also reduce liquidity in the market with people and distribute it to the banks where it should be. Once the money reduces in hands of people, the inflation will come down automatically. The dollar will stay at 50 for some time. Once share markets become less active the big investment banks will hold their trades for some time. This will stabalise dollar for some time. India cannot afford a high dollar as we depend more on imports than exports. So future will be costly for government, but in all this game its better that only government loses and rest of the economy stays stable. Dollar can only be stabalised by increasing your exports, be it services or manufacturing. Now the time has come when its imperative for India to earn lots of dollars from international projects where ever there is an opportunity. After 7 years who knows the economic cycle will change its course and government can then invest heavily in the stocks and recover whatever it was supposed to lose.
Another option is to have heavy taxation to reduce inflation. However with elections coming in January, government can exercise this option only after that. Before that above method can keep a check on situation. Later on taxes can be increased and good tax incentives can be given to locals public for investing money in government bonds. The money distribution has to happen. Its important to check inflation now and everything else can bee tackled!!!
So all in all following steps should help:
1) Government should sell high interest bonds to people with a lockin of 7 years
2) Lend this money at lower rates to banks and stabalise CRR
3) Increase taxes after 1 year to control inflation
4) Promote exports and give tax breaks for the same
5) Bring down trading volumes somehow to control volatality
6) Restrict government investments into stocks for now!
Please give me feedback on tha above method. If am wrong somewhere, I will correct it accordingly!!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Rama-doze, what have you done?
India has enforced a smoking ban in all public places from October 2nd, 2008
Many newspapers carried this headline or something similar a few days ago. Mr. Ramadoss,the Health Minister of India who was behind asses of King Khan and AB to stop smoking on screen found that this time he could have his way. The smoking ban is enforced in many places as per the newpapers and a single article by the government in there. I cannot say what Ramadoss has done is a good thing or bad. However one thing for sure, it cannot be counted a an achievement. Without any proper infrastructure and methodology this is the most haphazard way to enforce something. He has been behind the people who make the news due to this petty issue when as a Health minister he could have done way better. All this looks like a publicity stunt to show that he is concerned for health of citizens of India.
Lets approach this problem analytically. Something what consultants do. India's population is 125 crores. Atleast 50% of the population can be safely assumed to be below 18 years. So that leave about 60 crore people who are eligible to smoke. Assuming a sex ratio of 1 (Its just an assumption) we get that about 30 crore males and 30 crore females are eligible to smoke. In India 30% of the population is below poverty line who cant afford more than a dollar a day, so they would chose not to smoke when there is fire in the belly!!
This leaves about 21 crore males and 21 crore females. In India, the percentage of women who smoke would surely be below 10%. For whatever reasons, smoking is not a turn on amongst women (Ref: Orkut, Facebook, Myspace). This leaves about 23.1 crore people vulnerable to the tobacco companies.
About 20% of the population of India is beyond 60 years. They have many medical problems. An they would not want to add more to those woes by smoking. As everyone knows "Smoking Kills". This leaves us with 18.5 crore people who are target segment.
Out of these people, I would take a conservative estimate of 70% people who would be healthy and remain to be healty. So they would choose not to smoke although they fall in the prime customer segment for the tobacco companies.
So now we have zeroed down to 6 crore peple who consume tobacco products. Out of these 30 would prefer gutka and pan to smoking. The set of people doing both may not be very significant.
Therefore we have about 4 crore people in India, who smoke cigarettes and add to the business of cigarette companies.
Even after conservative estimates, one this is clear that Congress is losing votes of this 8% population which can be a significant swing. For such an insignificant part of the population Ramadoss is ready to give away Rs 8500 crore excise that government gets every year and some vote bank too!!
Whatever has been done is done.Now we will try to understand why Ramadoss took this step rather that forming a public health system which can benefit 100% of the population in a country where there is a dearth of good health services. The private players make merry as the government is incapable of handling such a scale. So nothing is done every term by any health minister. Ramadoss took up this issue to come to the limelight. Same was the case when he went against Venugopal, the director of AIIMS. It is very clear that Ramadoss is not concerned about public health but about his publicity in the media.
As good citizens its our duty to question the minister who seems to be so concerned about public health to develop a medical network for the future. But I am sure he wont be able to answer the question. Because that question will expose him in media. Its too big a risk for him and his government and also too big an investment!!
So Mr. Rama-doze get up from your sleep and look at real issues rather than shining away in front of the media!!
PS: I hate people who smoke cigarettes behind my back :-)
Many newspapers carried this headline or something similar a few days ago. Mr. Ramadoss,the Health Minister of India who was behind asses of King Khan and AB to stop smoking on screen found that this time he could have his way. The smoking ban is enforced in many places as per the newpapers and a single article by the government in there. I cannot say what Ramadoss has done is a good thing or bad. However one thing for sure, it cannot be counted a an achievement. Without any proper infrastructure and methodology this is the most haphazard way to enforce something. He has been behind the people who make the news due to this petty issue when as a Health minister he could have done way better. All this looks like a publicity stunt to show that he is concerned for health of citizens of India.
Lets approach this problem analytically. Something what consultants do. India's population is 125 crores. Atleast 50% of the population can be safely assumed to be below 18 years. So that leave about 60 crore people who are eligible to smoke. Assuming a sex ratio of 1 (Its just an assumption) we get that about 30 crore males and 30 crore females are eligible to smoke. In India 30% of the population is below poverty line who cant afford more than a dollar a day, so they would chose not to smoke when there is fire in the belly!!
This leaves about 21 crore males and 21 crore females. In India, the percentage of women who smoke would surely be below 10%. For whatever reasons, smoking is not a turn on amongst women (Ref: Orkut, Facebook, Myspace). This leaves about 23.1 crore people vulnerable to the tobacco companies.
About 20% of the population of India is beyond 60 years. They have many medical problems. An they would not want to add more to those woes by smoking. As everyone knows "Smoking Kills". This leaves us with 18.5 crore people who are target segment.
Out of these people, I would take a conservative estimate of 70% people who would be healthy and remain to be healty. So they would choose not to smoke although they fall in the prime customer segment for the tobacco companies.
So now we have zeroed down to 6 crore peple who consume tobacco products. Out of these 30 would prefer gutka and pan to smoking. The set of people doing both may not be very significant.
Therefore we have about 4 crore people in India, who smoke cigarettes and add to the business of cigarette companies.
Even after conservative estimates, one this is clear that Congress is losing votes of this 8% population which can be a significant swing. For such an insignificant part of the population Ramadoss is ready to give away Rs 8500 crore excise that government gets every year and some vote bank too!!
Whatever has been done is done.Now we will try to understand why Ramadoss took this step rather that forming a public health system which can benefit 100% of the population in a country where there is a dearth of good health services. The private players make merry as the government is incapable of handling such a scale. So nothing is done every term by any health minister. Ramadoss took up this issue to come to the limelight. Same was the case when he went against Venugopal, the director of AIIMS. It is very clear that Ramadoss is not concerned about public health but about his publicity in the media.
As good citizens its our duty to question the minister who seems to be so concerned about public health to develop a medical network for the future. But I am sure he wont be able to answer the question. Because that question will expose him in media. Its too big a risk for him and his government and also too big an investment!!
So Mr. Rama-doze get up from your sleep and look at real issues rather than shining away in front of the media!!
PS: I hate people who smoke cigarettes behind my back :-)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What a Day!
Well, today happens to be the day when I saw the world for the first time about 25 years ago. Birthday used to be a very eventful day till last year, after which I left IIM Ahmedabad.
During schooling days, it was an opportunity to break the shackles of uniform and just for one day be a bit different from the others. There used to be a huge buildup for the birthdays then. A lot had to be arranged a day before like chocolates, new clothes, return gifts etc. The one advantage of the birthday was that I wasn't punished that day in school, otherwise which was a common phenomenon :-) I was kinda trouble child for my teachers. The day usually began with going to Mandir and taking blessings from all the Gods possible. And I am sure that I needed that very much :-)
As the years passed by, birthday became more of a family affair when my relatives would come to my home. There would be a big celebration and a family dinner. Till then friends were never a part of my birthday other than in the school. The best part of having many relatives in a birthday is that one gets good number of gifts which I did enjoy then.
After class X, the whole idea of college life grilled into me. Birthdays then became a friends affair. Treats, cakes and bumps became an integral part of the birthday. The times changed very fast till I completed engineering. The birthday was then celebrated at 2 levels. Once at the level of friends and other at home. At home it was the usual affair with family and friends. Only difference was that more of my relatives had shifted from other cities into Mumbai, so more gifts that's it [:-D] Due to time constraints at the college, the Mandir visits were shifted to afternoon when I used to return from college back home.
During the stay at IIM Ahmedabad, the birthdays were painful. But the whole idea of bum bashing, cakes, GOH(s), dunking, Top 5 and lotsa photos was a different experience. And form D23, the Devils Den there used to be additional fire crackers in the menu. The idea of treats was limited in IIMA to groupies who by then became integral part of your existence at IIMA. I actually had one single group for the first year and if I find a chance we still meet for those "Group treats". In IIMA the nearest temple was that of Hanuman. So from taking blessings of many Gods, I had zeroed down to one, not because of choice, but by chance and the lack of will to travel beyond 1 km of the campus for anything.
Today again is my birthday, the first one post IIMA. The day began as usual. Was up late night watching Heroes. So woke up a bit late. Being my birthday got my favorite breakfast of Ajwain waali puri. Since it was too late, decided to head to the Gods in the Mandir in the evening, when the day would have ended almost. The peril of traveling in trains and being late is that you get free body massage even if you don't intend to. In the morning fought my way into the fast train and waited till Dadar in a heavily crowded compartment. Somehow got down at Byculla and reached office. Luckily there are few other good friends who remembered my birthday and wished me in the morning itself. I promised them a treat, but unfortunately I am heading for Delhi tomorrow to the most hectic week of mine till date! Another year passes by and we move closer to the light!
I don't know how the next year will turn out, but the corporate life is turning once the best day of my year into "just another day". :(
During schooling days, it was an opportunity to break the shackles of uniform and just for one day be a bit different from the others. There used to be a huge buildup for the birthdays then. A lot had to be arranged a day before like chocolates, new clothes, return gifts etc. The one advantage of the birthday was that I wasn't punished that day in school, otherwise which was a common phenomenon :-) I was kinda trouble child for my teachers. The day usually began with going to Mandir and taking blessings from all the Gods possible. And I am sure that I needed that very much :-)
As the years passed by, birthday became more of a family affair when my relatives would come to my home. There would be a big celebration and a family dinner. Till then friends were never a part of my birthday other than in the school. The best part of having many relatives in a birthday is that one gets good number of gifts which I did enjoy then.
After class X, the whole idea of college life grilled into me. Birthdays then became a friends affair. Treats, cakes and bumps became an integral part of the birthday. The times changed very fast till I completed engineering. The birthday was then celebrated at 2 levels. Once at the level of friends and other at home. At home it was the usual affair with family and friends. Only difference was that more of my relatives had shifted from other cities into Mumbai, so more gifts that's it [:-D] Due to time constraints at the college, the Mandir visits were shifted to afternoon when I used to return from college back home.
During the stay at IIM Ahmedabad, the birthdays were painful. But the whole idea of bum bashing, cakes, GOH(s), dunking, Top 5 and lotsa photos was a different experience. And form D23, the Devils Den there used to be additional fire crackers in the menu. The idea of treats was limited in IIMA to groupies who by then became integral part of your existence at IIMA. I actually had one single group for the first year and if I find a chance we still meet for those "Group treats". In IIMA the nearest temple was that of Hanuman. So from taking blessings of many Gods, I had zeroed down to one, not because of choice, but by chance and the lack of will to travel beyond 1 km of the campus for anything.
Today again is my birthday, the first one post IIMA. The day began as usual. Was up late night watching Heroes. So woke up a bit late. Being my birthday got my favorite breakfast of Ajwain waali puri. Since it was too late, decided to head to the Gods in the Mandir in the evening, when the day would have ended almost. The peril of traveling in trains and being late is that you get free body massage even if you don't intend to. In the morning fought my way into the fast train and waited till Dadar in a heavily crowded compartment. Somehow got down at Byculla and reached office. Luckily there are few other good friends who remembered my birthday and wished me in the morning itself. I promised them a treat, but unfortunately I am heading for Delhi tomorrow to the most hectic week of mine till date! Another year passes by and we move closer to the light!
I don't know how the next year will turn out, but the corporate life is turning once the best day of my year into "just another day". :(
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Mee Mumbaikar!
I have been trying to pen this down since last many days, but couldn't because of work and other time constraints. Yesterday a news headline of MNS workers rampaging on the shops that didn't meet the "Marathi Signboard" deadline provoked me to think. And when I think, I write.
Since last many days, I have been thinking of what Raj Thackeray and his men have been up to. Many people believe its insane. But I have other feelings. I agree when Raj Thackeray says that Mumbai is getting crowded and the infrastructure cannot support it. We Mumbaikars have to keep the check on the rising population of the city as the amenities have already started to explode.
What I don't agree is that Marathis should have the first right on the city. When the fate of the state of Bombay was being decided during formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat, many people were of the idea that if there has to be a regional and linguistic split then Bombay should be a union territory. The reason being, it was so multi cultural that it could not be classified as a part of Maharashtra. However the politicians then were sure that Bombay would serve as a Golden egg laying hen being a port and a textile haven of the West before that title went to Ahmedabad.
So despite pressures from various sections of the society, Bombay or Mumbai was merged with Maharashtra.
Mr. Thackeray believes that if people from UP and Bihar leave the city, the problems will be solved. I say that with the cost of living in Mumbai, a person has to earn a minimum amount so that he holds on to the boat of opportunity. A person who doesn't have a capability of earning a minimum amount will feel the pinch and will be eliminated automatically from the system by the "Darwin's natural selection theory"
The city supports the one that it needs. The others have to go some time or the other. However till then everyone should have the chance to make it big and being an Indian nobody can deny them that chance!
My father has a factory and he tells me that, MNS is demanding 80% reservations for Marathis in small scale in their industrial estate. He opines that if he does that, then the efficiency of the factory will come down by at least 50%. Not only because Marathis are inefficient, but also because the employees will not respect the employer then. They will feel there is someone more stronger than the employer. This will lead to havoc as industries will start considering to move to states like Gujarat which are more industry friendly.
Also recently, Jaya Bacchan made a comment about speaking in Hindi as she is from UP, which was criticized by Raj and his men. They disrupted premier of "The Last Lear" a Amitabh movie. I think they are forgetting that India's national language is Hindi and it always comes above any other regional language. However Jaya Bacchan should have avoided to make any such comment in public as she is a national figure. I don't say anyone is right or wrong here. I just say that whatever happened was wrong and both parties contributed to the wrong.
Last but not the least, MNS started as a party to bring about a change that, the useless parties like Congress and BJP couldn't bring in Maharashtra. I saw it as a party that will change the face of Maharashtra and bring it back to the top by bringing more industries, employment and investments. But sadly it has turned into, A bunch of goons with a fool sitting at the top shouting "Mumbaikar mhanje Marathich aso" which means "Mumbaikar should be Marathi"
Since last many days, I have been thinking of what Raj Thackeray and his men have been up to. Many people believe its insane. But I have other feelings. I agree when Raj Thackeray says that Mumbai is getting crowded and the infrastructure cannot support it. We Mumbaikars have to keep the check on the rising population of the city as the amenities have already started to explode.
What I don't agree is that Marathis should have the first right on the city. When the fate of the state of Bombay was being decided during formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat, many people were of the idea that if there has to be a regional and linguistic split then Bombay should be a union territory. The reason being, it was so multi cultural that it could not be classified as a part of Maharashtra. However the politicians then were sure that Bombay would serve as a Golden egg laying hen being a port and a textile haven of the West before that title went to Ahmedabad.
So despite pressures from various sections of the society, Bombay or Mumbai was merged with Maharashtra.
Mr. Thackeray believes that if people from UP and Bihar leave the city, the problems will be solved. I say that with the cost of living in Mumbai, a person has to earn a minimum amount so that he holds on to the boat of opportunity. A person who doesn't have a capability of earning a minimum amount will feel the pinch and will be eliminated automatically from the system by the "Darwin's natural selection theory"
The city supports the one that it needs. The others have to go some time or the other. However till then everyone should have the chance to make it big and being an Indian nobody can deny them that chance!
My father has a factory and he tells me that, MNS is demanding 80% reservations for Marathis in small scale in their industrial estate. He opines that if he does that, then the efficiency of the factory will come down by at least 50%. Not only because Marathis are inefficient, but also because the employees will not respect the employer then. They will feel there is someone more stronger than the employer. This will lead to havoc as industries will start considering to move to states like Gujarat which are more industry friendly.
Also recently, Jaya Bacchan made a comment about speaking in Hindi as she is from UP, which was criticized by Raj and his men. They disrupted premier of "The Last Lear" a Amitabh movie. I think they are forgetting that India's national language is Hindi and it always comes above any other regional language. However Jaya Bacchan should have avoided to make any such comment in public as she is a national figure. I don't say anyone is right or wrong here. I just say that whatever happened was wrong and both parties contributed to the wrong.
Last but not the least, MNS started as a party to bring about a change that, the useless parties like Congress and BJP couldn't bring in Maharashtra. I saw it as a party that will change the face of Maharashtra and bring it back to the top by bringing more industries, employment and investments. But sadly it has turned into, A bunch of goons with a fool sitting at the top shouting "Mumbaikar mhanje Marathich aso" which means "Mumbaikar should be Marathi"
Monday, September 8, 2008
30 unique things about Mumbai
A lot can be said about Mumbai for days together. But here I just compile a list of 30 things that are unique to this city which has been a part of my life for the last 24 years.
1) An evening walk along the Queen's Necklace
2) A typical Mumbaiya bhelpuri at Juhu beach
3) A night cruise along Gateway of India
4) A Victoria ride from Taj Mahal Hotel to CST
5) A midnight biryani at Bade Miyan
6) Local trains the lifeline of Mumbai that run for 21 hours a day
7) IMAX Wadala, the biggest dome theater in India
8) Lalbaug ka Raja, a place where every wish gets granted
9) Fashion street
10) Aadi galli, in Byculla where the black market for shoes opens at 3am everyday
11) Mumbai rains which go on and on!
12) Mumbai-Pune expressway to express yourself at 150Kmph
13) Essel World where the fun never ends
14) Vada pav....The Staple food!
15) Mysore Cafe at Matunga with ultimate Southie cuisine!
16) This one's for Bubba....Cricket at Shivaji Park on Sunday mornings
17) Bollywood
18) The Nariman point--- where the money is generated
19) Dalal Street where dreams come up and crash together
20) The Malabar hill....the strip of land that costs a fortune to own
21) Leopold, Mondy's, SBX...all seem to be in one line as of now ;-))
22) Andheri traffic :-D
23) Siddhi Vinayak- There is something unique out there
24) A walk to Haji Ali when there is high tide looming around!
25) Nirmal Lifestyles, the biggest mall in Mumbai
26) Go Karting Hill in Powai
27) The IIT Mumbai campus, there is a full world out there!
28) Dharavi, Asia's largest slum
29) Mangaldas market, the largest cloth market on can imagine
30) And finally the unmatched pace and the spirit of the city which keeps people who live here to go on and on and on!
There are many more such things about Mumbai that no other city can promise, but that is what differentiates this city from others. Its here that moolah stays!!!
1) An evening walk along the Queen's Necklace
2) A typical Mumbaiya bhelpuri at Juhu beach
3) A night cruise along Gateway of India
4) A Victoria ride from Taj Mahal Hotel to CST
5) A midnight biryani at Bade Miyan
6) Local trains the lifeline of Mumbai that run for 21 hours a day
7) IMAX Wadala, the biggest dome theater in India
8) Lalbaug ka Raja, a place where every wish gets granted
9) Fashion street
10) Aadi galli, in Byculla where the black market for shoes opens at 3am everyday
11) Mumbai rains which go on and on!
12) Mumbai-Pune expressway to express yourself at 150Kmph
13) Essel World where the fun never ends
14) Vada pav....The Staple food!
15) Mysore Cafe at Matunga with ultimate Southie cuisine!
16) This one's for Bubba....Cricket at Shivaji Park on Sunday mornings
17) Bollywood
18) The Nariman point--- where the money is generated
19) Dalal Street where dreams come up and crash together
20) The Malabar hill....the strip of land that costs a fortune to own
21) Leopold, Mondy's, SBX...all seem to be in one line as of now ;-))
22) Andheri traffic :-D
23) Siddhi Vinayak- There is something unique out there
24) A walk to Haji Ali when there is high tide looming around!
25) Nirmal Lifestyles, the biggest mall in Mumbai
26) Go Karting Hill in Powai
27) The IIT Mumbai campus, there is a full world out there!
28) Dharavi, Asia's largest slum
29) Mangaldas market, the largest cloth market on can imagine
30) And finally the unmatched pace and the spirit of the city which keeps people who live here to go on and on and on!
There are many more such things about Mumbai that no other city can promise, but that is what differentiates this city from others. Its here that moolah stays!!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Scandinavia
I thought I'd pen down my experiences of Scandinavia at one go as I had completed all the four countries together. This was my longest and the second most expensive trip after Greece,Spain and Portugal trip. On this trip, I was along with Puli,Baburao, Tamchu, Rohan Rai,Gopineedi, Eda and Kunti.
The entry to Scandinavia was through Denmark. So we took a night train from Cologne to Copenhagen. That day it was Gods grace and Tamchu was not in our cabin. The above people know what I am exactly talking about. Any how this night train is the one which goes through the under sea tunnel. The entire journey through the tunnel is 4 minutes and is mostly during the night. SO there are no exciting things about experiencing it. We reached Copenhagen in the morning and had 3 hours before we moved to Oslo. So we went out in the city and saw some monuments. A brief walk around the city was more than enough as Copenhagen has not much to offer to the tourists. However we did see some India cinema halls and food courts there. There is also a Ripley's museum there. Interested people may like to go there. The museum is about 15 minutes from teh central station.
From Copenhagen we took a train to Oslo with a change point at Gotenberg. From Oslo we had to catch another train. But luck wronged us this time too. Our train stopped at a God forsaken station in Sweden and there was an announcement that train won't go any further. The railways had arranged buses which took us to Gotenberg but not before we missed our train to Oslo. We had excellent negotiator in the form of Baburao who took up the challenge and not only got a refund on the tickets, but also got us free tickets onto a bus to Oslo. The bus journey was a first for Tamchu...in the sense he was traveling for the first time in a bus that had a WC. This kept him excited throughout the journey. But fate had something else for us in store. We missed our night train to Bergen which left just 7 minutes before we reached the station.
So now we had 8 hours before the next train and nothing to do. So we started to roam on the streets of Oslo at 12 midnight. Rohan Rai was shocked to see the inflation in Norway and so was I. A pack of 17 cigarettes cost me 10 Euros. It was too cold so we avoided going to the port and saw some monuments and a fort which are right in the center of the city. When we came back at 1am we found the police telling everyone to vacate the station. This was because there is a curfew at the Oslo station from 1am to 5am (I still swear at them for driving us into 5 degrees outside). Anyways we sat outside a closed Cafe and started talking so that we don't feel cold. Some ran, some walked and some talked. After 2 hours we realized that there is a cafe open on the other side of the subway. Unable to bear the cold, we got into the cafe. I remember we just bought 2 coffee, and spent 4 hours in the cafe. The cafe owner was so kind that he did not drive us out even though he had good business coming in the form of other unfortunate tourists who had also missed the same train.
Anyways we caught the next train in the morning. Initially everyone slept as no one was able to catch any sleep last night. But the we awoke to the most amazing sights that we had ever seen. The Oslo-Bergen route is very scenic and please take a day train if you want to enjoy it completely. There are many glaciers in the way and the train stops there for sufficient time for clicking photographs of the pristine beauty. We enjoyed the Oslo Bergen train and took a next train to Flam to see the Fjords. The second train cost us more and was pretty depressing. The Oslo Bergen route was way way scenic as compared to the Bergen-Flam train. From Flam we took a cruise to see the Fjords. This was one of the most amazing experiences of mine in the Scandinavia. The entire trip was costly but every penny spent was worth it. Mind you, it can get very very cold in the Fjords, so carry good amount of warm clothing with you. The cruise ends at some place called Goodwingen from where we took a bus back to Bergen. From Bergen we came to Oslo again where I was split from my group who was returning back as some of them had classes :-P
From Oslo, I took a 6 hour train to Stockholm. The entire route is beautiful but becomes monotonous after some time. From Stockholm I had planned to go to the Arctic Cirle in Rovaniemi. I couldn't get a sitting ticket on the 9pm train. So I took a ticket on the 5:20pm train which was 15 minutes after I bought the ticket. So I decided to give Stockholm a skip and see it while coming back. From Stockholm, I went to Boden Central where the train splits into 2. One part goes to Narvik and another to Lulea. I went out to the station and found I was the only one there. Swedes are very helpful people and one of them told me that I had to go to Lulea if I wanted to go to Rovaniemi. So I was lucky to catch the part of the train going to Lulea. At Lulea, I had to take a bus that goes to Haparanda which is the border town on Swedish side. The bus takes 3 hours and is free on Eurail. I walked across a 2 kilometer border as there are no buses in between. Thus I reached the border town of Torino on the Finnish side. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and there were no supermarkets open. Nor could I see anyone on the streets. They say in Hindi " Na banda dikha, na bande ki zaat". I went to a Pizza counter. The lady told me that there was a bus at 1:20pm to Rovaniemi direct. It was 12:40 in my watch. I was happy for a moment till I realized that while crossing over to Finland, I had fucking crossed a time line of 1 hour. So according to Finnish time it was 1:40pm.
I waited at the bus station for next 1 hour as the temperature outside was -8 degrees. The air was very dry and frost could be seen all around. The good thing about that bus station was that they had also mentioned the railway timetable there. So I went to a city called Kemi in the bus at about 2:30pm. This town is 30km away from Torino. There I caught a train at 3pm which took me to Rovaniemi at 4:15pm. And at 4pm there was pitch dark in Rovaniemi. The arctic circle is about 8km from the city. I caught a bus to reach there. The Santa village closes at sunset. So try to make it earlier to get some really good Souvenirs from Santa himself :-)
I spent about 30 minutes at the Arctic Circle before I realized that I had missed my last bus to Rovaniemi. So I shelled out 18 euros for a taxi back to the station :-(
It is suggested to book your tickets to Helsinki as soon as you reach Rovaniemi as the train gets full really fast. I was very tired by then and hence booked a sleeper for the night at a whopping cost of 26 euros.
I was woken up by the guard at the Helsinki station so that the train can go to the train yard. I was so tired the other night that I slept in the train at the Helsinki station for 30 minutes after the train had arrived. Helsinki is a good business city with some gems like the port, Dom, University and the Grand Casino. I am a sattebaaz and so had to go to the casino. The casino was very pseud. They made me a entry card, which had my photo on it and verified me properly. There were host of games out there. But I loved Roulette the most. I had bet 50 euros there in multiples of 10 euros in 15 minutes. I was cursing myself, when I won a 50 euro on the last 10 euro bet. Thus in all I lost 10 euros and happily exited the casino after a good experience. Helsinki has a huge lake ans a walk along it can be very nice.
When you reach Helsinki, do book your cruise to Stockholm on Silja Line which is the ossumest cruise, by any standards. I got a whole room for 4 euros as the ship was running empty that day. There re host of things one can do on the cruise. There iss a very nice theater inside, a casino, a dance club, tax free shops, many restaurants and the deck obviously. If one wants they can do a Titanic style arm spread on the deck. Anyways, I just bet some euros in the casino, watched Die Hard 4, bought many chocolates from the tax free shops and slept really nicely on one of the best Ocean cruises.
After reaching Stockholm station, I realized that I have just 3 hours in the city as the next and the last train was waiting for me after that. I still regret that, I couldn't give enough time to Stockholm, the most beautiful city in Scandinavia. I just saw the port and the Vasa museum. This museum holds the ship that sank in 30 minutes in the Stockholm port. It is a nice experience to enjoy that. Even my camera batteries conked off in Stockholm, so couldn't get many photos out there. All in all, I screwed up the experience, I could have had in a very beautiful city. Please do keep one full day to see Stockholm.
From Stockholm, I came back to Germany via Malmo Central, Copenhagen and Hamburg. Scandinavia was one of my best adventures, I had in Europe.
The entry to Scandinavia was through Denmark. So we took a night train from Cologne to Copenhagen. That day it was Gods grace and Tamchu was not in our cabin. The above people know what I am exactly talking about. Any how this night train is the one which goes through the under sea tunnel. The entire journey through the tunnel is 4 minutes and is mostly during the night. SO there are no exciting things about experiencing it. We reached Copenhagen in the morning and had 3 hours before we moved to Oslo. So we went out in the city and saw some monuments. A brief walk around the city was more than enough as Copenhagen has not much to offer to the tourists. However we did see some India cinema halls and food courts there. There is also a Ripley's museum there. Interested people may like to go there. The museum is about 15 minutes from teh central station.
From Copenhagen we took a train to Oslo with a change point at Gotenberg. From Oslo we had to catch another train. But luck wronged us this time too. Our train stopped at a God forsaken station in Sweden and there was an announcement that train won't go any further. The railways had arranged buses which took us to Gotenberg but not before we missed our train to Oslo. We had excellent negotiator in the form of Baburao who took up the challenge and not only got a refund on the tickets, but also got us free tickets onto a bus to Oslo. The bus journey was a first for Tamchu...in the sense he was traveling for the first time in a bus that had a WC. This kept him excited throughout the journey. But fate had something else for us in store. We missed our night train to Bergen which left just 7 minutes before we reached the station.
So now we had 8 hours before the next train and nothing to do. So we started to roam on the streets of Oslo at 12 midnight. Rohan Rai was shocked to see the inflation in Norway and so was I. A pack of 17 cigarettes cost me 10 Euros. It was too cold so we avoided going to the port and saw some monuments and a fort which are right in the center of the city. When we came back at 1am we found the police telling everyone to vacate the station. This was because there is a curfew at the Oslo station from 1am to 5am (I still swear at them for driving us into 5 degrees outside). Anyways we sat outside a closed Cafe and started talking so that we don't feel cold. Some ran, some walked and some talked. After 2 hours we realized that there is a cafe open on the other side of the subway. Unable to bear the cold, we got into the cafe. I remember we just bought 2 coffee, and spent 4 hours in the cafe. The cafe owner was so kind that he did not drive us out even though he had good business coming in the form of other unfortunate tourists who had also missed the same train.
Anyways we caught the next train in the morning. Initially everyone slept as no one was able to catch any sleep last night. But the we awoke to the most amazing sights that we had ever seen. The Oslo-Bergen route is very scenic and please take a day train if you want to enjoy it completely. There are many glaciers in the way and the train stops there for sufficient time for clicking photographs of the pristine beauty. We enjoyed the Oslo Bergen train and took a next train to Flam to see the Fjords. The second train cost us more and was pretty depressing. The Oslo Bergen route was way way scenic as compared to the Bergen-Flam train. From Flam we took a cruise to see the Fjords. This was one of the most amazing experiences of mine in the Scandinavia. The entire trip was costly but every penny spent was worth it. Mind you, it can get very very cold in the Fjords, so carry good amount of warm clothing with you. The cruise ends at some place called Goodwingen from where we took a bus back to Bergen. From Bergen we came to Oslo again where I was split from my group who was returning back as some of them had classes :-P
From Oslo, I took a 6 hour train to Stockholm. The entire route is beautiful but becomes monotonous after some time. From Stockholm I had planned to go to the Arctic Cirle in Rovaniemi. I couldn't get a sitting ticket on the 9pm train. So I took a ticket on the 5:20pm train which was 15 minutes after I bought the ticket. So I decided to give Stockholm a skip and see it while coming back. From Stockholm, I went to Boden Central where the train splits into 2. One part goes to Narvik and another to Lulea. I went out to the station and found I was the only one there. Swedes are very helpful people and one of them told me that I had to go to Lulea if I wanted to go to Rovaniemi. So I was lucky to catch the part of the train going to Lulea. At Lulea, I had to take a bus that goes to Haparanda which is the border town on Swedish side. The bus takes 3 hours and is free on Eurail. I walked across a 2 kilometer border as there are no buses in between. Thus I reached the border town of Torino on the Finnish side. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and there were no supermarkets open. Nor could I see anyone on the streets. They say in Hindi " Na banda dikha, na bande ki zaat". I went to a Pizza counter. The lady told me that there was a bus at 1:20pm to Rovaniemi direct. It was 12:40 in my watch. I was happy for a moment till I realized that while crossing over to Finland, I had fucking crossed a time line of 1 hour. So according to Finnish time it was 1:40pm.
I waited at the bus station for next 1 hour as the temperature outside was -8 degrees. The air was very dry and frost could be seen all around. The good thing about that bus station was that they had also mentioned the railway timetable there. So I went to a city called Kemi in the bus at about 2:30pm. This town is 30km away from Torino. There I caught a train at 3pm which took me to Rovaniemi at 4:15pm. And at 4pm there was pitch dark in Rovaniemi. The arctic circle is about 8km from the city. I caught a bus to reach there. The Santa village closes at sunset. So try to make it earlier to get some really good Souvenirs from Santa himself :-)
I spent about 30 minutes at the Arctic Circle before I realized that I had missed my last bus to Rovaniemi. So I shelled out 18 euros for a taxi back to the station :-(
It is suggested to book your tickets to Helsinki as soon as you reach Rovaniemi as the train gets full really fast. I was very tired by then and hence booked a sleeper for the night at a whopping cost of 26 euros.
I was woken up by the guard at the Helsinki station so that the train can go to the train yard. I was so tired the other night that I slept in the train at the Helsinki station for 30 minutes after the train had arrived. Helsinki is a good business city with some gems like the port, Dom, University and the Grand Casino. I am a sattebaaz and so had to go to the casino. The casino was very pseud. They made me a entry card, which had my photo on it and verified me properly. There were host of games out there. But I loved Roulette the most. I had bet 50 euros there in multiples of 10 euros in 15 minutes. I was cursing myself, when I won a 50 euro on the last 10 euro bet. Thus in all I lost 10 euros and happily exited the casino after a good experience. Helsinki has a huge lake ans a walk along it can be very nice.
When you reach Helsinki, do book your cruise to Stockholm on Silja Line which is the ossumest cruise, by any standards. I got a whole room for 4 euros as the ship was running empty that day. There re host of things one can do on the cruise. There iss a very nice theater inside, a casino, a dance club, tax free shops, many restaurants and the deck obviously. If one wants they can do a Titanic style arm spread on the deck. Anyways, I just bet some euros in the casino, watched Die Hard 4, bought many chocolates from the tax free shops and slept really nicely on one of the best Ocean cruises.
After reaching Stockholm station, I realized that I have just 3 hours in the city as the next and the last train was waiting for me after that. I still regret that, I couldn't give enough time to Stockholm, the most beautiful city in Scandinavia. I just saw the port and the Vasa museum. This museum holds the ship that sank in 30 minutes in the Stockholm port. It is a nice experience to enjoy that. Even my camera batteries conked off in Stockholm, so couldn't get many photos out there. All in all, I screwed up the experience, I could have had in a very beautiful city. Please do keep one full day to see Stockholm.
From Stockholm, I came back to Germany via Malmo Central, Copenhagen and Hamburg. Scandinavia was one of my best adventures, I had in Europe.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Czech Republik
I planned this trip very late during December and this was the last country I had visited. After being, ditched by Gilla God and Hickey, I was lucky to find Taid and Radhika on the Frankfurt station when they were also heading towards Praha. There is a night train from Frankfurt that goes to Praha everyday. Since Czech wasn't included in Schengen then we had to pay some money for the tickets to reach there. Also at the border they stamped a 3 day entry onto our passports when we entered. But now there is no problem and Czech is very much accessible from this year onwards.
I just visited Praha in Czech and mind you, its the only city worth visiting after I went through the Internet about other attractions. The city was way beyond my expectation for a previous communist country. Everything here is very economical right from food, conveyance and Absinthe (Holy water). The city has many attractions like the biggest astronomical clock of Europe, the Charles bridge, Opera house and the market near central square. I bought a 3 player chess from Praha, a bottle of Absinthe (80% alcohol) and some nice souvenirs. A day is enough to see Praha if one doesn't want to try out the Absinthe shots the traditional way with sugar!
The stay is also very cheap here and Sutta lovers can get the cheapest suttas out here. Being in Eastern Europe, it can get very cold (Upto -10 degrees) in December. So plan a trip not late than November to Praha. The city has many museums and nice markets.
From Praha one can go to Slovakia which has nice mountain ranges calles Tatras. I didn't visit them but from the description that Jhumka gave to me, it was similar to Swiss Alps. So people who are on Schengen and don't have a Swiss visa, Slovakian Tatras can be a good compensator.
I just visited Praha in Czech and mind you, its the only city worth visiting after I went through the Internet about other attractions. The city was way beyond my expectation for a previous communist country. Everything here is very economical right from food, conveyance and Absinthe (Holy water). The city has many attractions like the biggest astronomical clock of Europe, the Charles bridge, Opera house and the market near central square. I bought a 3 player chess from Praha, a bottle of Absinthe (80% alcohol) and some nice souvenirs. A day is enough to see Praha if one doesn't want to try out the Absinthe shots the traditional way with sugar!
The stay is also very cheap here and Sutta lovers can get the cheapest suttas out here. Being in Eastern Europe, it can get very cold (Upto -10 degrees) in December. So plan a trip not late than November to Praha. The city has many museums and nice markets.
From Praha one can go to Slovakia which has nice mountain ranges calles Tatras. I didn't visit them but from the description that Jhumka gave to me, it was similar to Swiss Alps. So people who are on Schengen and don't have a Swiss visa, Slovakian Tatras can be a good compensator.
Netherlands
The only city I felt worth visiting in Netherlands is Amsterdam when I was planning my trip. But I was disappointed to some extent. I rate it as nothing but a piece of land floating on water with drugs, prostitutes and booze all around. Somehow I didn't like this culture there. I visited some ancient bridges in Amsterdam. The cruise in the canal is costly and not worth it from the look of it. I went to Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam which is for about 19 euros. But I felt it was a bit small for the price tag it had along with it. One may find good Indian food and cinema halls in Amsterdam because of a high Indian population there. Overall on a scale of 5 I would rate Amsterdam 1.5. Some people may like Amsterdam who went there for any specific reason. But for tourists who want to see something new in a city, Amsterdam really sucks!
Football freaks can visit some football clubs which are in plenty near the city.
Football freaks can visit some football clubs which are in plenty near the city.
Belgium
Belgium is very easily accessible from Germany. There are about 4 direct trains from Cologne to Brussels Midi station. The city as such has not many architectural features. And after so many cities building just dont excite you unless they are very unique. There is a Grand Platz, atominium and Manekin Piss which are famous in Brussels. They are very close from each other. Other than this Brussels is very famous for chocolates. And the chocolates available here are best in taste and variety. But being called the Capital of Europe everything here pinches the pocket. But I still bought chocolates worth 35 euros from here which was about 750gms. There is a nice chocolate shop called NeuHaus is the Grand Platz which is a good shop to check the variety on offer :-)
Brussels has the best metro system in Europe in terms of the scale after Paris.
I visited a small town called Brugge which is about 2 hours from Brussels. The town clearly has the colors of French architecture in it. The monuments are exciting and the cruise on the canals of the city can be good. But its no more than a 3 hour city walk. One can get good souvenirs in Brugge in some shops near the central square.
Other then this Belgium just has Antwerp which is a city of diamonds, but it didn't excite me and hence was not on my to visit list. The whole of Belgium ca be done in a 2 days if one is very relaxed while traveling. But its not a country worth missing at all!
Brussels has the best metro system in Europe in terms of the scale after Paris.
I visited a small town called Brugge which is about 2 hours from Brussels. The town clearly has the colors of French architecture in it. The monuments are exciting and the cruise on the canals of the city can be good. But its no more than a 3 hour city walk. One can get good souvenirs in Brugge in some shops near the central square.
Other then this Belgium just has Antwerp which is a city of diamonds, but it didn't excite me and hence was not on my to visit list. The whole of Belgium ca be done in a 2 days if one is very relaxed while traveling. But its not a country worth missing at all!
Italy
This was the trip, I was very wary of as our seniors had really bad experiences in Italy. Some of them were mugged and robbed. I suggest when going to Italy then please go with your friends, do not accept any drinks or food from strangers anywhere. They could be drugged. Unfortunately I was alone on the Italy trip which was right before my first lecture at WHU i.e two months after I had reached Germany :-)
So it was an end of a really long vacation of 2 months hehe!
I had decide to do Italy at one stretch altogether. I had about 8 days to finish of Italy somewhere in the middle of November. It is suggested than on a Euro Trip its better to visit countries like Italy,Greece, Spain and Portugal in November end and December as these countries remain pleasant even in the middle of fall. And before I write my experience any further, I strongly suggest "DO NOT GO TO ITALY ALONE"
I started my trip at Milan which was about 9 hours from Cologne. A night train to Milan is the best option for people in Germany. France generally also has a similar set up for Milan. While reaching Italy one has to pass through Switzerland unless traveling from France. So if you don't have a valid Swiss visa or residence permit then be ready to stopped at the borders at Germany. And don't worry if they bring a 4 feet hound to sniff all your possessions in the train. From Germany to Italy one gets checked at the borders for 4 times so your sleep is going to get screwed. Be ready for it!
Milan is a fashion capital of the Europe. There is not much to see in the city except a excellently carved Dom in the central square which is about 25 minutes walk from the central station. Milan is mainly the change over point for rest of Italy and to reach south France.If you are a fashion freak or a gal you would love to see the collection of the fashion in the city stores but most of the stuff is way beyond the reach of a poor exchange student. But I had decided that I will go back again to Milan to buy all those stuff when I am capable of. And when I decide then it a mark on the stone!!!!
From Milan I traveled to the "City of Love" Venice which takes about 2.5 hours. When traveling in Italy one needs a special reservation charge on the trains. The first sight out of station of Venice St.Luzia was water, everywhere and anywhere. Do buy a good map from the station if you wish not to gt lost in Venice. The city is very very complicated. I considered myself as a good map reader until I got lost in Venice. The city as such is full of water. If you are single and alone then it can be a pretty boring place to be in. However I had gone there for the Venician glass. There are tremendous number of glass shops where one can shop for different types of glass. I bought glass souvenirs worth 48 euros from Venice. The St Marks Platz is very good and at the edge of Grand Canal which is really grand! Venice is also famous for its numerous bridges and cathedrals. Some of the bridges are a mark in history. However, one warning is that never buy anything from Venice streets. 99% it will be fake at wont work after you try it!!
Late nights at Venice can be beautiful, but as 60% of the population has left the city so it can be very lonely and you can get easily lost. It looks like a true mafia city at nights. So if possible take a train from Venice the same day before the dusk.
From Venice I came to Milan again as I was very sleepy and slept throughout the journey. From Milan I took a night train to Rome. I know IIMA guys are rare to find, but in Rome I met Akriti at the central station. So we decided o see Rome together. Rome is such a city that demands 2 days of your life. There is so much that the city has on offer for tourists. The Vatican itself can take one day in all. I climbed the Vatican Dom which is called St. Peters Basilica. There is a lift which takes you to 3rd floor after which one has to climb 300 steps to reach the top. The entire thing is tiring but it is worth experiencing. The view of the Rome from the Basilica is worth dying for again and again. Vatican museum is also one of the best museum that I visited by paying money and I loved it. The wall paintings are fantabulous and picturesque. The Pope addresses in Vatican from the central window every Wednesday. I missed it, but interested people can plan their trip accordingly.
Other than Vatican, Rome has lots of monuments to offer. Their metro system is pretty good and all the major attractions are along the 2 metro lines. So a day pass of metro makes a lot of sense in Rome. Do visit the Collosseo during the day and night as the view is awesome. Rome is a city which has to be seen in the day and again in the night. The city is nicely lit up. But some monuments close at the night. Do check the timings on the internet before you go there. The major attractions include Colloseo, Vatican, Agnelo's Castle, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Ruins etc. The stay at any youth hostel in Rome is not more than 20 euros with breakfast.
From Rome,I took a train next day to Pisa which is about 1.5 hours from there. One gets a bus to the site of the leaning tower from outside the station. Other than the leaning tower and some marble mines Pisa has nothing to offer even to Italy,forget about me. But the experience of leaning tower is amazing! The full building looks as if it will fall any moment. The walk upto Leaning tower is about 15 euros and not really worth it. Its better to see the tower from different angles. The base of the tower is also strange. Its a exciting set up in all! One can get good souvenirs outside the Pisa site. Some of them are actually good and a value for money.
I was traveling on the west coast by now. From Pisa, I headed to Cinque Terra which is a set of 5 villages along the sea near La Spezia. One of the villages is Sonia Gandhi's native place. I exactly don't remember which one. But Cinque Terra is worth a watch. The most awesome view of the sea and the nature walks up the hill are really good. One can take the trails from any one the 5 villages. The views are picturesque and the sunset looks really good. One can get good set of photographs before dusk here. The closest major station to Cinque Terra is La Spezia. Milan is about 3 hours from here.
From Cinque Terra, I came to Milan and took a night train to Koblenz back after a period of 8 days and reached directly in my first lecture at WHU!
The one thing I regret is that I didn't have time for Florence which is an architectural marvel. But its ok...fir kabhi sahi!
So it was an end of a really long vacation of 2 months hehe!
I had decide to do Italy at one stretch altogether. I had about 8 days to finish of Italy somewhere in the middle of November. It is suggested than on a Euro Trip its better to visit countries like Italy,Greece, Spain and Portugal in November end and December as these countries remain pleasant even in the middle of fall. And before I write my experience any further, I strongly suggest "DO NOT GO TO ITALY ALONE"
I started my trip at Milan which was about 9 hours from Cologne. A night train to Milan is the best option for people in Germany. France generally also has a similar set up for Milan. While reaching Italy one has to pass through Switzerland unless traveling from France. So if you don't have a valid Swiss visa or residence permit then be ready to stopped at the borders at Germany. And don't worry if they bring a 4 feet hound to sniff all your possessions in the train. From Germany to Italy one gets checked at the borders for 4 times so your sleep is going to get screwed. Be ready for it!
Milan is a fashion capital of the Europe. There is not much to see in the city except a excellently carved Dom in the central square which is about 25 minutes walk from the central station. Milan is mainly the change over point for rest of Italy and to reach south France.If you are a fashion freak or a gal you would love to see the collection of the fashion in the city stores but most of the stuff is way beyond the reach of a poor exchange student. But I had decided that I will go back again to Milan to buy all those stuff when I am capable of. And when I decide then it a mark on the stone!!!!
From Milan I traveled to the "City of Love" Venice which takes about 2.5 hours. When traveling in Italy one needs a special reservation charge on the trains. The first sight out of station of Venice St.Luzia was water, everywhere and anywhere. Do buy a good map from the station if you wish not to gt lost in Venice. The city is very very complicated. I considered myself as a good map reader until I got lost in Venice. The city as such is full of water. If you are single and alone then it can be a pretty boring place to be in. However I had gone there for the Venician glass. There are tremendous number of glass shops where one can shop for different types of glass. I bought glass souvenirs worth 48 euros from Venice. The St Marks Platz is very good and at the edge of Grand Canal which is really grand! Venice is also famous for its numerous bridges and cathedrals. Some of the bridges are a mark in history. However, one warning is that never buy anything from Venice streets. 99% it will be fake at wont work after you try it!!
Late nights at Venice can be beautiful, but as 60% of the population has left the city so it can be very lonely and you can get easily lost. It looks like a true mafia city at nights. So if possible take a train from Venice the same day before the dusk.
From Venice I came to Milan again as I was very sleepy and slept throughout the journey. From Milan I took a night train to Rome. I know IIMA guys are rare to find, but in Rome I met Akriti at the central station. So we decided o see Rome together. Rome is such a city that demands 2 days of your life. There is so much that the city has on offer for tourists. The Vatican itself can take one day in all. I climbed the Vatican Dom which is called St. Peters Basilica. There is a lift which takes you to 3rd floor after which one has to climb 300 steps to reach the top. The entire thing is tiring but it is worth experiencing. The view of the Rome from the Basilica is worth dying for again and again. Vatican museum is also one of the best museum that I visited by paying money and I loved it. The wall paintings are fantabulous and picturesque. The Pope addresses in Vatican from the central window every Wednesday. I missed it, but interested people can plan their trip accordingly.
Other than Vatican, Rome has lots of monuments to offer. Their metro system is pretty good and all the major attractions are along the 2 metro lines. So a day pass of metro makes a lot of sense in Rome. Do visit the Collosseo during the day and night as the view is awesome. Rome is a city which has to be seen in the day and again in the night. The city is nicely lit up. But some monuments close at the night. Do check the timings on the internet before you go there. The major attractions include Colloseo, Vatican, Agnelo's Castle, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Ruins etc. The stay at any youth hostel in Rome is not more than 20 euros with breakfast.
From Rome,I took a train next day to Pisa which is about 1.5 hours from there. One gets a bus to the site of the leaning tower from outside the station. Other than the leaning tower and some marble mines Pisa has nothing to offer even to Italy,forget about me. But the experience of leaning tower is amazing! The full building looks as if it will fall any moment. The walk upto Leaning tower is about 15 euros and not really worth it. Its better to see the tower from different angles. The base of the tower is also strange. Its a exciting set up in all! One can get good souvenirs outside the Pisa site. Some of them are actually good and a value for money.
I was traveling on the west coast by now. From Pisa, I headed to Cinque Terra which is a set of 5 villages along the sea near La Spezia. One of the villages is Sonia Gandhi's native place. I exactly don't remember which one. But Cinque Terra is worth a watch. The most awesome view of the sea and the nature walks up the hill are really good. One can take the trails from any one the 5 villages. The views are picturesque and the sunset looks really good. One can get good set of photographs before dusk here. The closest major station to Cinque Terra is La Spezia. Milan is about 3 hours from here.
From Cinque Terra, I came to Milan and took a night train to Koblenz back after a period of 8 days and reached directly in my first lecture at WHU!
The one thing I regret is that I didn't have time for Florence which is an architectural marvel. But its ok...fir kabhi sahi!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Greece
I had decided that to save money by traveling through Italy to Greece is a pain. So I had booked a cheap direct flight from Cologne to Athens. German Wings is a relatively cheap airline that took me to Athens for about 70 euros. The day when I reached Athens was boring. Athens was experiencing a bad thunderstorm and our plane could barely hold on to the runway due to cross winds. The metro from the airport to Acropolis which the central Athens takes about an hour to reach. I stayed that night at the Backpackers Youth hostel. It is a nice YH about 50m from Acropolis station. They charge 25 euros for a bed and breakfast with a free drink at their amazing bar.
Athens was much below the expectations. Apart from the Acropolis, some old ruins and Agora temple there was nothing much in the city. So I headed for a cruise to the Aegina islands off the coast of Greece from Patras, the port of Athens. The cruise was very nice as I could capture pictures of sea gulls in my camera when they were moving at the same speed as us. Aegina island has a wonderful archaeological site worth watching. The scenic beauty from the island is also very good. One can experience Octopus meat as it is known to be a delicacy there. Since I was alone, I didn't hire a car for my travel through the island. But nevertheless its a good option. The duration of cruise is 1 hour and ticket price was 7 euros single side.
I had reached back Athens on the same day. i didn't want to start another day from Athens, so decided to visit Meteora which is a group of monasteries on high rocks in central Greece. To make the experience better I took a bus from Athens bus station B to Trikala a town near the village of Kalambaka which is at the foot of those monasteries. I was shocked when I spent 22 euros and 5 hours on a bus to realize that Trikala had no youth hostels. So the best option was to sit for the night in a cyber cafe @ 2 euros per hour. In the morning I took the first bus to Kalambaka which was 30 km away. From Kalambaka I took a one way taxi to Meteora for 6 euros. Meteora is one of the most beautiful places in Greece. Once you reach there then you realize automatically why the monks chose that destination for monasteries. The entire area is very calm and serene and the views from Meteora are also photography material. Once I came out from meteora, I realized that there were no taxis. I started walking down the jungle but changed my mind when I saw a pack of wolves about half a kilometer from me. I walked back and hitch hiked with a cement carrying van to Kalambaka. From here I took a train to Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki is a sad business city unless one wants to explore the outskirts. There is a grave of "Alexander the Great's" father about 30 km from the city. But I had other plans. I was excited by the plan of crossing into Germany from eastern Europe via Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. Therefore I took a ticket to Sofia for the night train, thinking that my residence permit doesn't bar me from traveling that way.
At the border the Greeks, allowed me into the Bulgarian territory However the Bulgarian police stopped me and instructed me to alight from the train. My passport was with the police for 2 hours and I was made to sit in the Control Room. The next train to Thessaloniki came at about 10:40pm and I was put on that train. My whole plan had been thrashed. I didn't know what to do next as I hadn't booked my tickets to Germany. As I was thinking about this I realized that the train hadn't moved from Thessaloniki station since a long time. I came out of my wagon to find that it was the only wagon on the station. The train was separated at the station. I cursed my luck and got down.
I was lucky that there was a super fast Inter city to Athens at 2am i.e 1 hour later. I booked a reservation for it and reached Athens at 6am and it was raining terribly. I again went to the backpackers youth hostel, but they were full. So now the only option was to fly to Germany on the same day. And you know what, there was no flight less than 340 euros to Germany. So I decided I would rather fly to Barcelona as I knew Melona aka Sriram R would be there. So I took a 3 hour and 100 euro ticket to Barcelona. I was so tired that I ordered all the hard drinks possible on the flight and slept for at least 2 hours. Luckily in Barcelona, I found Jhumka there too at Melona's place and we proceeded to see Spain and Portugal together from there.
The trip to Greece was my costliest trip in Europe and all because of the day when I was deported back from Bulgaria!
Athens was much below the expectations. Apart from the Acropolis, some old ruins and Agora temple there was nothing much in the city. So I headed for a cruise to the Aegina islands off the coast of Greece from Patras, the port of Athens. The cruise was very nice as I could capture pictures of sea gulls in my camera when they were moving at the same speed as us. Aegina island has a wonderful archaeological site worth watching. The scenic beauty from the island is also very good. One can experience Octopus meat as it is known to be a delicacy there. Since I was alone, I didn't hire a car for my travel through the island. But nevertheless its a good option. The duration of cruise is 1 hour and ticket price was 7 euros single side.
I had reached back Athens on the same day. i didn't want to start another day from Athens, so decided to visit Meteora which is a group of monasteries on high rocks in central Greece. To make the experience better I took a bus from Athens bus station B to Trikala a town near the village of Kalambaka which is at the foot of those monasteries. I was shocked when I spent 22 euros and 5 hours on a bus to realize that Trikala had no youth hostels. So the best option was to sit for the night in a cyber cafe @ 2 euros per hour. In the morning I took the first bus to Kalambaka which was 30 km away. From Kalambaka I took a one way taxi to Meteora for 6 euros. Meteora is one of the most beautiful places in Greece. Once you reach there then you realize automatically why the monks chose that destination for monasteries. The entire area is very calm and serene and the views from Meteora are also photography material. Once I came out from meteora, I realized that there were no taxis. I started walking down the jungle but changed my mind when I saw a pack of wolves about half a kilometer from me. I walked back and hitch hiked with a cement carrying van to Kalambaka. From here I took a train to Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki is a sad business city unless one wants to explore the outskirts. There is a grave of "Alexander the Great's" father about 30 km from the city. But I had other plans. I was excited by the plan of crossing into Germany from eastern Europe via Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. Therefore I took a ticket to Sofia for the night train, thinking that my residence permit doesn't bar me from traveling that way.
At the border the Greeks, allowed me into the Bulgarian territory However the Bulgarian police stopped me and instructed me to alight from the train. My passport was with the police for 2 hours and I was made to sit in the Control Room. The next train to Thessaloniki came at about 10:40pm and I was put on that train. My whole plan had been thrashed. I didn't know what to do next as I hadn't booked my tickets to Germany. As I was thinking about this I realized that the train hadn't moved from Thessaloniki station since a long time. I came out of my wagon to find that it was the only wagon on the station. The train was separated at the station. I cursed my luck and got down.
I was lucky that there was a super fast Inter city to Athens at 2am i.e 1 hour later. I booked a reservation for it and reached Athens at 6am and it was raining terribly. I again went to the backpackers youth hostel, but they were full. So now the only option was to fly to Germany on the same day. And you know what, there was no flight less than 340 euros to Germany. So I decided I would rather fly to Barcelona as I knew Melona aka Sriram R would be there. So I took a 3 hour and 100 euro ticket to Barcelona. I was so tired that I ordered all the hard drinks possible on the flight and slept for at least 2 hours. Luckily in Barcelona, I found Jhumka there too at Melona's place and we proceeded to see Spain and Portugal together from there.
The trip to Greece was my costliest trip in Europe and all because of the day when I was deported back from Bulgaria!
Luxembourg
A sick sick sick nation. Nothing in there for the travelers except a walk in the old town, Adam's bridge and Casemates. It was the closest country from my place Koblenz at about 2 hours. The only thing good about Luxembourg is that you can get cheap trains to Paris from there. If you have an hour to spare in Luxembourg then it is way too much time than it deserves.
Portugal
I happened to be on the trip to Portugal with Jhumka. We reached Lisbon first where Jhumka had to book his tickets to Paris. The Lisbon station is one hell of an architectural marvel. While he was booking his tickets, I happened to be there and his address somehow stuck in my mind "32,Grand Rue, Savigny De Orge, Paris". This address is of significance and you will realize its significance some time later on.
I had already decided to stay one day in Lisbon and head to Porto next day.
Near Lisbon there is a awesome place called Sintra, which is about 30 minutes from Lisbon. This place is a must must go for people traveling to Portugal. The place is like a natural park with castles and Dom in the heart of the jungles. There are in all 3 castles in Sintra. The bus tickets for the whole day are available in the railway station or directly on the bus. Like Spain, Portugal is also very cheap. In Sintra one can get lost in the world of flowers, jungle walks and lost trails easily. From atop , two of the castles one gets a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean beyonh which there is no land till America. Sintra can be called as the photographer's delight in Portugal. Sintra is well connected by train from Lisbon and train frequency is very good.
After we had done Sintra, Jhumka decide we should have Indian food. He had found a restaurant called "Gandhi Palace" in Lisbon where I was supposed to stay that day. Jhumka had a late night train to catch that day. We spent at least 1.5 hours searching for Gandhi Palace in the central Square of Lisbon. We hogged food like beasts and spent about 36 euros for a meal that would have cost us 5 euros in India. It was the first time in 2 months that we had Indian food in Europe. After that Jhumka bid adieu and we parted ways.
Next day I had to see Lisbon and head for Porto. I didn't find Lisbon very interesting after I had seen about 18 countries in Europe. So I decided to take and early train to Porto. I had my flight from Porto to Saarbrucken in Germany on a no frills carrier. I found Porto much better with nice beaches, a grand bridge over a river and good museums. The only thing I forgot to mention was that by then my watch had conked off. I had to catch a flight at 7pm and I was roaming on a beach thinking it is 4:30pm while the actual time was 6:15pm. I realized this only when my mother called me from India and I had an opportunity to look at the time. I rushed in a cab to the airport which was 40km from the beach but couldn't make to it in time.
Now comes the exciting part. I had to be on the flight to Germany as I had bidding for my courses the next day. So I went to Air Berlin ticketing, who informed me that next flight was in 2 days and I had to shell 55 more euros for it. The only flight taking me closest to Germany was a flight to Paris which cost me 101 euros. I thought of calling Jhumka who was on exchange in Paris. That's when I realized he must also have been in a flight. I had no where to go from Paris Orly airport.
Now comes the address. I had remembered the address of Jhumka and reached Savigny De Ogre at about 12 midnight. I reached there in an airport bus as France transport was on strike that week. At that hour and 2 degree Celsius, I found help in a Pizza store guy who happened to be Sri Lankan. He helped me with the address to Grand Rue. I misread Jhumka's address as 32 Savigny instead of 39 Savigny and searched for his place for about an hour in the biting cold. Help came from a French neighbor of Jhumka who asked me a golden question "Are you looking for some Indian students?" And bang, I found his house where Jamna aka Rajiv Bharti was shocked to see me there. When Jhumka saw me reaching before him to his house he was just foxed. I then explained all the things, had a nice mal and left their place in 4 hours. It was certainly one of those exciting days on my Euro trip.
I had already decided to stay one day in Lisbon and head to Porto next day.
Near Lisbon there is a awesome place called Sintra, which is about 30 minutes from Lisbon. This place is a must must go for people traveling to Portugal. The place is like a natural park with castles and Dom in the heart of the jungles. There are in all 3 castles in Sintra. The bus tickets for the whole day are available in the railway station or directly on the bus. Like Spain, Portugal is also very cheap. In Sintra one can get lost in the world of flowers, jungle walks and lost trails easily. From atop , two of the castles one gets a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean beyonh which there is no land till America. Sintra can be called as the photographer's delight in Portugal. Sintra is well connected by train from Lisbon and train frequency is very good.
After we had done Sintra, Jhumka decide we should have Indian food. He had found a restaurant called "Gandhi Palace" in Lisbon where I was supposed to stay that day. Jhumka had a late night train to catch that day. We spent at least 1.5 hours searching for Gandhi Palace in the central Square of Lisbon. We hogged food like beasts and spent about 36 euros for a meal that would have cost us 5 euros in India. It was the first time in 2 months that we had Indian food in Europe. After that Jhumka bid adieu and we parted ways.
Next day I had to see Lisbon and head for Porto. I didn't find Lisbon very interesting after I had seen about 18 countries in Europe. So I decided to take and early train to Porto. I had my flight from Porto to Saarbrucken in Germany on a no frills carrier. I found Porto much better with nice beaches, a grand bridge over a river and good museums. The only thing I forgot to mention was that by then my watch had conked off. I had to catch a flight at 7pm and I was roaming on a beach thinking it is 4:30pm while the actual time was 6:15pm. I realized this only when my mother called me from India and I had an opportunity to look at the time. I rushed in a cab to the airport which was 40km from the beach but couldn't make to it in time.
Now comes the exciting part. I had to be on the flight to Germany as I had bidding for my courses the next day. So I went to Air Berlin ticketing, who informed me that next flight was in 2 days and I had to shell 55 more euros for it. The only flight taking me closest to Germany was a flight to Paris which cost me 101 euros. I thought of calling Jhumka who was on exchange in Paris. That's when I realized he must also have been in a flight. I had no where to go from Paris Orly airport.
Now comes the address. I had remembered the address of Jhumka and reached Savigny De Ogre at about 12 midnight. I reached there in an airport bus as France transport was on strike that week. At that hour and 2 degree Celsius, I found help in a Pizza store guy who happened to be Sri Lankan. He helped me with the address to Grand Rue. I misread Jhumka's address as 32 Savigny instead of 39 Savigny and searched for his place for about an hour in the biting cold. Help came from a French neighbor of Jhumka who asked me a golden question "Are you looking for some Indian students?" And bang, I found his house where Jamna aka Rajiv Bharti was shocked to see me there. When Jhumka saw me reaching before him to his house he was just foxed. I then explained all the things, had a nice mal and left their place in 4 hours. It was certainly one of those exciting days on my Euro trip.
Spain
Spain is a very lively country overall. On one hand in Germany people prefer being quiet in public places, Spain is the complete opposite of it. Once you are here you can feel the rush and excitement of the culture. I happened to just briefly visit Spain and had to comfort myself by visiting just Barcelona and Segovia. I knew I wasn't doing justice to my trip, but that is how it had to be considering train timings etc.
Barcelona is a very lively city with tons and tons of excitement around it. There are cafes, bars, cabarets all around the central part of the city which as far as I remember was called Catalunya. I just had 5 hours to see the city. The monuments like Sagrada Familia are very good and within the city. The metro network here is one of the best that I saw. Spain overall is very cheap as compared to France or Germany for that matter. A tourist map is available at small convenience stores along the streets of Barcelona. I traveled with Jhumka aka Balakumar on the trip to Spain and Portugal.
Segovia is a small suburb about 2 hours from Madrid. We had heard that there is not much in store for us in Madrid and so headed directly to Segovia from the Madrid station. Segovia is an ancient Roman town with a 1.5km Roman wall in the city. The town is on a hill and gives a very nice feel of the culture of the Romans there. The Dom is very nice and the ambiance around the town is also very silent. The vie from the top of the town i.e from inside the castle of Segovia is tremendous. A nice Panoramic photograph of the same can validate my feelings about the place. Other than the castle, Dom and the town walk Segovia doesn't hold much for attraction of the tourists.
After Segovia we returned to Madrid to catch our next night train to Lisboa the capital of Portugal!
Barcelona is a very lively city with tons and tons of excitement around it. There are cafes, bars, cabarets all around the central part of the city which as far as I remember was called Catalunya. I just had 5 hours to see the city. The monuments like Sagrada Familia are very good and within the city. The metro network here is one of the best that I saw. Spain overall is very cheap as compared to France or Germany for that matter. A tourist map is available at small convenience stores along the streets of Barcelona. I traveled with Jhumka aka Balakumar on the trip to Spain and Portugal.
Segovia is a small suburb about 2 hours from Madrid. We had heard that there is not much in store for us in Madrid and so headed directly to Segovia from the Madrid station. Segovia is an ancient Roman town with a 1.5km Roman wall in the city. The town is on a hill and gives a very nice feel of the culture of the Romans there. The Dom is very nice and the ambiance around the town is also very silent. The vie from the top of the town i.e from inside the castle of Segovia is tremendous. A nice Panoramic photograph of the same can validate my feelings about the place. Other than the castle, Dom and the town walk Segovia doesn't hold much for attraction of the tourists.
After Segovia we returned to Madrid to catch our next night train to Lisboa the capital of Portugal!
Monte Carlo
For all the Formula I lovers like me, exchange gives you the only chance to see the F1 track at Monte Carlo. This small country is located on 453 square hectares and from its coast one can see the countries of France and Italy on either side. And once you reach the coast you can see the entire country in a single view together.
This small country is still under monarchy and the Royal Castle is the biggest building which I could see here. The country has lots of canoe and sailing freaks who get out every evening in the sea. This country is 20 minutes from the city of Nice.
They have one of the largest casinos right above the railway station which is very nicely made in a whole mountain. The mountain top has the casino. There is not much to do in Monte Carlo other than walking on the sides of F1 track or playing in a Casino. I preferred the former.
Food and other items are on a higher price point here. The night view of the country is worth watching as it overlooks the silent Mediterranean Sea casting its reflections upon it.
This small country is still under monarchy and the Royal Castle is the biggest building which I could see here. The country has lots of canoe and sailing freaks who get out every evening in the sea. This country is 20 minutes from the city of Nice.
They have one of the largest casinos right above the railway station which is very nicely made in a whole mountain. The mountain top has the casino. There is not much to do in Monte Carlo other than walking on the sides of F1 track or playing in a Casino. I preferred the former.
Food and other items are on a higher price point here. The night view of the country is worth watching as it overlooks the silent Mediterranean Sea casting its reflections upon it.
France
People say that France is a very big country and to see it altogether you need to stay there. I did not challenge that thought and just visited the crucial cities in the country, mostly on the western part of the country. From Germany the best way to get to France it to take a Thalys from Cologne which offloads you to Paris Nord in about 2.5 hours. But being a private carrier it charges 15 Euros on Eurail pass too. I just had one experience with them and felt that the government carrier TGV was much better in terms of speed as well as comfort. For people who want to reach Paris for cheap there are 2 options. From Cologne go to Strasbourg in an ICE train. From there there is a daily train to Paris East which charges 5 euros. The overall journey time then inflates to 4 hours. Or else one can take a train from Cologne to Luxembourg in an ICE train nd from there take a TGV to Paris Nord which charges 3.5 euros on Eurail. The overall journey time here is 4.5 hours.
Paris is also known as the city of lights. One would come to know of this when they reach the Eiffel tower in the night. To go to the top level of Eiffel they charge 11.5 euros, but it is every worth of a penny. It is suggested to walk through the city rather than taking buses or trams. The city of Paris deserves at least 2 days of your Euro trip to see the magical Mona Lisa in the Louvre, Notterdam cathedral, a cruise in river Siene,a walk along the victory path near Louvre and many more such artistic beauties. Its suggested to take a day pass though because some of the monuments are far away from each other.
We saw Paris on the "White Night" when all the monuments in Paris are fully lit and open for tourists all night. The white night happens on 2nd October. It is advisable to reserve tickets before hand. We didn't and thus reached Paris in 14 hours under expert guidance of Twisty aka Abhishek Gopal. But the experience of reaching Paris by switching 7 trains was worth it!
For people who like museums, Louvre can take at least 4-7 days if you want to see it completely. The painting opposite to "The Mona Lisa" is much more marvelous than Lisa because is made on a 30ft by 30 ft wall!
Food in Paris is costly and be ready to shell anywhere between 10 to 21 euros for a good mean in a Parisian Cafe. Otherwise McDonalds and Burger King come to the rescue anyday.
In all I had 3 trips to Paris. Two of them voluntary and one was involuntary when I missed my flight to Germany from Porto, Portugal and had to take flight to Paris, because my watch had conked off.
On the southern coast of Franc I visited Nice and Cannes. They are mostly similar in the scenic beauty except that Nice has rocky beaches and Cannes has sand beaches :-)
If you like sea and beaches then these cities are the places for you. I personally went to see the Cannes Film Festival Auditorium. I couldn't see any other southern France cities as the Eurail passes have a limited reservations on the trains and hence I couldn't get any tickets to Bordeaux or Marsielle.
Paris is also known as the city of lights. One would come to know of this when they reach the Eiffel tower in the night. To go to the top level of Eiffel they charge 11.5 euros, but it is every worth of a penny. It is suggested to walk through the city rather than taking buses or trams. The city of Paris deserves at least 2 days of your Euro trip to see the magical Mona Lisa in the Louvre, Notterdam cathedral, a cruise in river Siene,a walk along the victory path near Louvre and many more such artistic beauties. Its suggested to take a day pass though because some of the monuments are far away from each other.
We saw Paris on the "White Night" when all the monuments in Paris are fully lit and open for tourists all night. The white night happens on 2nd October. It is advisable to reserve tickets before hand. We didn't and thus reached Paris in 14 hours under expert guidance of Twisty aka Abhishek Gopal. But the experience of reaching Paris by switching 7 trains was worth it!
For people who like museums, Louvre can take at least 4-7 days if you want to see it completely. The painting opposite to "The Mona Lisa" is much more marvelous than Lisa because is made on a 30ft by 30 ft wall!
Food in Paris is costly and be ready to shell anywhere between 10 to 21 euros for a good mean in a Parisian Cafe. Otherwise McDonalds and Burger King come to the rescue anyday.
In all I had 3 trips to Paris. Two of them voluntary and one was involuntary when I missed my flight to Germany from Porto, Portugal and had to take flight to Paris, because my watch had conked off.
On the southern coast of Franc I visited Nice and Cannes. They are mostly similar in the scenic beauty except that Nice has rocky beaches and Cannes has sand beaches :-)
If you like sea and beaches then these cities are the places for you. I personally went to see the Cannes Film Festival Auditorium. I couldn't see any other southern France cities as the Eurail passes have a limited reservations on the trains and hence I couldn't get any tickets to Bordeaux or Marsielle.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Switzerland
If there is heaven on earth then it has to be in Switzerland. The most scenic country in the entire Europe that I saw was this. Being very close to Germany I had an opportunity to visit this country about 4 times during my exchange. If you go to Switzerland then do not waste time in seeing the cities. There is a hell lot to explore other than those here. A country with make beautiful lakes surrounded by snow capped mountains and grasslands is what defines it. Since I had a residence permit so I could visit Switzerland. People with Schengen visa, please please please take a separate Swiss visa or else there is a lacuna in your Euro trip.
Coming from Germany, Basel is the most favorable entry point. It is about 5 hours from Cologne and best way is to take a night train and reach there Basel in the morning. There are many scenic route trains that run through Switzerland whose information is given in the Eurail booklet.
I started my trip with Zurich but was a bit disappointed. I felt if this is Switzerland then I don't want to see it. Apart from a free cruise in the Zurich lake and a Dom there is nothing exciting here. Its a business city with no cheap food outlets. We couldn't even find a McDonalds outlet here. The city is very costly and full of luxurious cafes and eateries. The best exchange rate for Swiss Francs can be availed at the railway station itself. People staying in Italy or Germany, exchange many Euros in Switzerland as you would go there again and again.
About 1 hour from Zurich is a city called Luzern. At the foothills of many snow capped peaks and a tremendous lake it was the first city worth visit in Switzerland for me. The cruise in the Luzern lake is free . Do make it a point to take a long 3 hour cruise to Brunne from Luzern. It was the best cruise I had taken in Central Europe. They take you along various mountains and scenic beauty. In Luzern city there is few monuments and historical bridges. The bridges were painted in a specific manner and each bridge has a relation with the painting on it. The cruise on Luzern lake is free and worth every moment of it. From Brunne one can take a train back to Luzern which takes around 45 minutes.
There is a scenic train called "The Golden Pass"" between Luzern and Interlaken which is very nice and a complete treat.
On the route to Golden pass there is a small village called Meiringen where stands the tall Alpen tower. Alpen tower is a platform at a height of about 4000 meters from where you can see the entire Swiss Alps. The temperatures on the Alpen tower are sub zero throughout the year. To reach to the Alpen tower one has to change 3 ropeways on 3 stations in between. The journey on the ropeway is about 30 minutes and the views are ecstatic. The Alpen tower is not very well known and doesnt find a mention in books like Lonely Planet, however the entire experience was not only beautiful but economical too. Meiringen town has a Sherlock Holmes museum too which can be explored if one wants to. The journey from Meiringen to Interlaken is along the Interlaken lake and is very beautiful.
Interlaken is known as the city of excitement. One can do sky diving, bungee jumping and other such adventure sports here. But the cost is extremely high. For a sky dive one needs to shell around 300 Euros here. There are good Indian food outlets in the town and this was the place where I saw the maximum Indian citizens at a single time together. Near Interlaken is the "Top of Europe" i.e. Jungfrau Joch (pronounced as Yungfrow Yok). There is a train that goes from the Interlaken Ost railway station to Jungfrau for 85 euros after discount on Eurail pass. Jungfrau is the highest railway station in the world which makes the entire trip unique. One has to change 2 trains from Interlaken to reach there as the elevation increases. There are 2 routes to reach there. One is via Grindenwald and one is via Lauterbrunnen. The route via Lauterbrunnen is more scenic. The entire journey is along the snow capped peaks of Swiss Alps and every minute of it is something one can die for. At the Jungfrau Joch there are 3 things to look out for. A glacier, Sphinx Tower and ice museum. There is a 10 floor lift from Jungfrau station to Sphinx tower. From sphinx tower once can go to the glacier walking in the ice for about 3 kilometers. The wind speed can b very high and it can get very cold out there. It is advisable to take good warm clothing with you. There are dog sledges there which one can enjoy, but I personally believe walking in snow is much better :-) The Ice museum is also good fun and is a very nice concept that has been developed there. Please carry a good camera if you happen to visit Jungfrau.
About 2 hours from Stuttgart there is a beautiful Rhine falls. There falls are the culmination point of river Rhine and are the highest flow waterfalls in the entire Europe. One can go as close as 3 meters to the roaring falls from the view points. Since the falls lie in the Black Forest a nice train continues along the river Rhine from there on through the jungle. It is a good experience overall. One can also go in a cruise through the waterfalls but its time consuming and there was a mad rush to do the cruise amongst the visitors that day.
Bern and Basel are both business cities and are rather boring. 2 hours in each of the cities is more than sufficient for anybody.
Coming from Germany, Basel is the most favorable entry point. It is about 5 hours from Cologne and best way is to take a night train and reach there Basel in the morning. There are many scenic route trains that run through Switzerland whose information is given in the Eurail booklet.
I started my trip with Zurich but was a bit disappointed. I felt if this is Switzerland then I don't want to see it. Apart from a free cruise in the Zurich lake and a Dom there is nothing exciting here. Its a business city with no cheap food outlets. We couldn't even find a McDonalds outlet here. The city is very costly and full of luxurious cafes and eateries. The best exchange rate for Swiss Francs can be availed at the railway station itself. People staying in Italy or Germany, exchange many Euros in Switzerland as you would go there again and again.
About 1 hour from Zurich is a city called Luzern. At the foothills of many snow capped peaks and a tremendous lake it was the first city worth visit in Switzerland for me. The cruise in the Luzern lake is free . Do make it a point to take a long 3 hour cruise to Brunne from Luzern. It was the best cruise I had taken in Central Europe. They take you along various mountains and scenic beauty. In Luzern city there is few monuments and historical bridges. The bridges were painted in a specific manner and each bridge has a relation with the painting on it. The cruise on Luzern lake is free and worth every moment of it. From Brunne one can take a train back to Luzern which takes around 45 minutes.
There is a scenic train called "The Golden Pass"" between Luzern and Interlaken which is very nice and a complete treat.
On the route to Golden pass there is a small village called Meiringen where stands the tall Alpen tower. Alpen tower is a platform at a height of about 4000 meters from where you can see the entire Swiss Alps. The temperatures on the Alpen tower are sub zero throughout the year. To reach to the Alpen tower one has to change 3 ropeways on 3 stations in between. The journey on the ropeway is about 30 minutes and the views are ecstatic. The Alpen tower is not very well known and doesnt find a mention in books like Lonely Planet, however the entire experience was not only beautiful but economical too. Meiringen town has a Sherlock Holmes museum too which can be explored if one wants to. The journey from Meiringen to Interlaken is along the Interlaken lake and is very beautiful.
Interlaken is known as the city of excitement. One can do sky diving, bungee jumping and other such adventure sports here. But the cost is extremely high. For a sky dive one needs to shell around 300 Euros here. There are good Indian food outlets in the town and this was the place where I saw the maximum Indian citizens at a single time together. Near Interlaken is the "Top of Europe" i.e. Jungfrau Joch (pronounced as Yungfrow Yok). There is a train that goes from the Interlaken Ost railway station to Jungfrau for 85 euros after discount on Eurail pass. Jungfrau is the highest railway station in the world which makes the entire trip unique. One has to change 2 trains from Interlaken to reach there as the elevation increases. There are 2 routes to reach there. One is via Grindenwald and one is via Lauterbrunnen. The route via Lauterbrunnen is more scenic. The entire journey is along the snow capped peaks of Swiss Alps and every minute of it is something one can die for. At the Jungfrau Joch there are 3 things to look out for. A glacier, Sphinx Tower and ice museum. There is a 10 floor lift from Jungfrau station to Sphinx tower. From sphinx tower once can go to the glacier walking in the ice for about 3 kilometers. The wind speed can b very high and it can get very cold out there. It is advisable to take good warm clothing with you. There are dog sledges there which one can enjoy, but I personally believe walking in snow is much better :-) The Ice museum is also good fun and is a very nice concept that has been developed there. Please carry a good camera if you happen to visit Jungfrau.
About 2 hours from Stuttgart there is a beautiful Rhine falls. There falls are the culmination point of river Rhine and are the highest flow waterfalls in the entire Europe. One can go as close as 3 meters to the roaring falls from the view points. Since the falls lie in the Black Forest a nice train continues along the river Rhine from there on through the jungle. It is a good experience overall. One can also go in a cruise through the waterfalls but its time consuming and there was a mad rush to do the cruise amongst the visitors that day.
Bern and Basel are both business cities and are rather boring. 2 hours in each of the cities is more than sufficient for anybody.
Austria
This was the first country outside Germany that I had visited. I happened to be on this trip with Puli aka Rajiv Nair. The day I got my residence permit, within 40 minutes I was on the train to Vienna also called Wien. It is a 10 hour journey from Cologne, so it is better to take a night train to Vienna so that you reach early morning and start your day as soon as possible. We reached Vienna at 5:30am. It was raining outside and we thought our day was bad. We decide to take a nap at the railway station waiting room itself. When I woke up at 9am, things had changed drastically and we had a full day of sunshine ahead of us. Wien is a city of architectural marvel. Its on the banks of river Danube and has tons of good buildings for architectural lovers. We never realized but we actually walked 14 hours in the city that day. It is worth a fortune to wait in Wien until night and get lovely night shots of the building lit up nicely around the city. The Dom looks killing at the night here. Other than this there are many casinos her in the city. They are relatively cheaper to the ones in other parts of Europe. There are also many museums out here, but as you know I am not a museum person and so was Puli, so we gleefully skipped them. There is a 1 number tram service that takes you through the major monuments of city. Hopping on and off that is a good idea, but we preferred walking. There is a night train again to Germany which reaches at 8:30 am to Cologne.
Salzburg is about 2 hours from Wien. It is the birthplace of Mozart and is on the banks of the river Inns. The city is okish types and not much to see. Mozart birthplace (Geburts Haus) and the square around it is decent. You get nice music boxes in Salzburg for a good price. 3 hours in Salzburg si more than enough to get a hang about the city.
About 1 hour from Salzburg is the place called Werfen which is famous for its unique ice caves. Who ever ever goes to Europe should never miss these. Its a marvel. Werfen is a small town on the foot of the Austrian Alps. There is a bus that take you to a elevated place from near the station. Beyond that buses cannot go and hence one has to walk for about 25 minutes before they reach the Ice caves. There are good guides who take you through the ice caves which is about 4400 years old and has 750 steps inside. There are various snow formations that they show to the tourists which are natural and very nice. The temperature inside can be sub zero, hence it is advisable to carry warm clothing. There is a notice that disallows to click pictures inside. But mind you its just a notice :-)
Reaching early morning to Salzburg for Werfen is better so that you can walk throught the clouds on that 25 minute hike. Best time to visit is September and early October. The caves close after October 21st.
Another city that is worth a visit is Innsbruck which is 1.5 hours from Munich and very close to the Austrian border. The city had hosted a Winter Olympics so there is a nice Olympic village that is on offer. There is a good Crystal museum near Innsbruck. I personally didn't visit that because it was under renovation then. But people who went there say that you can get cheapest and best crystals out there. There is also a place called Nord park in Innsbruck for people who want to try their hand at Skiing, snow boarding and other winter games. It is open the entire fall and there are good rope ways near Innsbruck to take you there. The information and maps are generally available in the railways station Information counter.
Salzburg is about 2 hours from Wien. It is the birthplace of Mozart and is on the banks of the river Inns. The city is okish types and not much to see. Mozart birthplace (Geburts Haus) and the square around it is decent. You get nice music boxes in Salzburg for a good price. 3 hours in Salzburg si more than enough to get a hang about the city.
About 1 hour from Salzburg is the place called Werfen which is famous for its unique ice caves. Who ever ever goes to Europe should never miss these. Its a marvel. Werfen is a small town on the foot of the Austrian Alps. There is a bus that take you to a elevated place from near the station. Beyond that buses cannot go and hence one has to walk for about 25 minutes before they reach the Ice caves. There are good guides who take you through the ice caves which is about 4400 years old and has 750 steps inside. There are various snow formations that they show to the tourists which are natural and very nice. The temperature inside can be sub zero, hence it is advisable to carry warm clothing. There is a notice that disallows to click pictures inside. But mind you its just a notice :-)
Reaching early morning to Salzburg for Werfen is better so that you can walk throught the clouds on that 25 minute hike. Best time to visit is September and early October. The caves close after October 21st.
Another city that is worth a visit is Innsbruck which is 1.5 hours from Munich and very close to the Austrian border. The city had hosted a Winter Olympics so there is a nice Olympic village that is on offer. There is a good Crystal museum near Innsbruck. I personally didn't visit that because it was under renovation then. But people who went there say that you can get cheapest and best crystals out there. There is also a place called Nord park in Innsbruck for people who want to try their hand at Skiing, snow boarding and other winter games. It is open the entire fall and there are good rope ways near Innsbruck to take you there. The information and maps are generally available in the railways station Information counter.
Deutschland
Germany is a country which is also close to my heart because it has given me shelter for 3 months of my life. I started my Euro trip from Germany as I had landed there on 6th September and could get my residence permit only on 26th of the same month. I took at least a week to settle into my new residence and understanding where to get what. And being a foodie I also marked all the decent restaurant and pubs in Vallendar.
Germans are the most punctual people I have found in the whole of Europe. Their trains run on time they start work early and on time and the list goes on and on. First weekend I was shocked to know that their malls were closed on Sunday. In India one can imagine thousands of people thronging a mall on a weekend.
Going ahead, in Germany I got the opportunity of visiting a few cities like Berlin, Cologne, Hannover, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Baden Baden, Munich, Stuttgart and Nurnberg.
Berlin is a historic city with a great history associated with the World War II and has very nice architectures. They have about 70 large museums in Berlin. There is a nice free city tour (walking) that starts from Starbucks Coffee Shop at the Brandenburg gate everyday at 11am. The tour guides are knowledgeable and carry the crowd along with them very nicely. They also give a free entry to the pub crawl at the night if you take the free tour. I personally didn't go there but have heard that the pub crawl is really awesome experience. Apart from walking tour of the city there are other tours that take you to Saxtion Housen a concentration camp about 30 Km from the city. Spending 2 days in Berlin is a worthwhile experience for anyone visiting Europe.
Cologne is a very young city with lots of places to hang out everyday. The Cologne university houses 90000 students, so the average age of population that you see in cologne is lesser that other parts of Germany. Cologne has an epitome Dom which is right outside the railway station. There are 501 steps to the Dom which one can hike and get a very nice view of the city with river Rhine flowing along. Other than the Dom, there are a few museums in cologne which may interest people. The Chocolate museum of cologne is really good and demands a visit. You also get free chocolates (schokolade) there.After that it is advisable to take the Cologne-Dusseldorf cruise on the Rhine which is free on Eurail pass. Half a day in Cologne is enough to get a feel of the city.
Hannover is a city which is famous for its university, theatres, Opera House and nicely structured buildings. I spent half a day here and saw a nice aquatic museum called Sea Life on the outskirts of the city. They say that the village of Pied Piper is about 40 odd kilometers from Hannover, but I didn't give that a try. Hannover is a business city like Hamburg and hene tourist attractions are less. However I have heard that their Royal Gardens which is opposite to Sea Life is one of the best in the world. However you need a whole day to see that gardens with the kind of variety that one can get there.
Hamburg is a completely business city. It is called the city off the luxurious. In fact there were some gardens near Hamburg lake which were completely private until 1990s owned by the rich and the famous. The only thing worth doing in Hamburg was to see the Hamburg port which is very grand. The port connects the city to the North Sea. I also went for a air balloon ride near the railway station which takes you to 450 feet and gives a very nice view of the entire city and the canals flowing near it.
Frankfurt is the fastest business city in the whole of Europe. Even I, who has lived in Mumbai which is know to be a fast city was foxed by the scheme of things there. Skyscrapers all around, trams, metros, buses , taxis etc. Its not a good city for any tourist. I just went to see the World Auto Expo there. Generally Frankfurt is a good change point for people going to East Germany or Czech Republic.
Baden Baden is in the heart of the Black forest and is yet another luxurious town. The per capita income of people there is known to be very high. There is a nice casino there but the entry is allowed only in a 3 piece suit. They have a central place called Leopold Platz from where one can catch the bus no. 45 to lake Mumelsee in the center of Black Forest. Its a small lake at an altitude of 1200 feet. It takes about a hour to reach there. The bus service in Baden Baden is very cheap if you go in a group of 5 or less. At Mumelsee you get original Cuckoo clocks and an original black forest cake which is really worth a try. It can get very cold up there at Mumelsee even in October so carry warm clothing there. It was at Mumelsee that I experience my first snowfall. Baden Baden is also famous for its Spas'. They are located near Leopold Platz.
I went to Munich only for the purpose of Oktober fest which starts from September 24th and goes on till 6th October. Its a gala time out there in teh city where people from all parts of Germany come to get drunk. The area of Oktober fest has many pandals but finding a place can be difficult. Some people book their places before going there. The mood there is awesome and the area around the pandals is full of games, gift shops and rides. The wheat beer come for about 9 euros for a liter but every drop of it is worth it. Its is a bit different and 2 liters of it can get you drunk easily. There are live bands at these huge pandals that make it a rocking time.
Near Munich there is a nice concentration camp called Dachau. It was the first concentration camp in Schwarzland. Dachau is about 30 minutes from Munich. People who are sensitive to seeing provoking pictures may avoid this. But it teaches the entire history behind the origin of such camps and the atrocities committed on the Non-Germans
Stuttgart has a very good Mercedes Benz museum which is worth seeing. The tremendous museum marks the industrial growth of Germany. The tickets for students is about 9 euros and there are 8 floors in the museum.
Nurnberg is famous for its Christmas markets, but I found it to be a bit disappointing as I went there a bit late in December and had seen many other Christmas markets before in Europe. But yes one gets Indian food there near the Nurnberg Dom.
Germans are the most punctual people I have found in the whole of Europe. Their trains run on time they start work early and on time and the list goes on and on. First weekend I was shocked to know that their malls were closed on Sunday. In India one can imagine thousands of people thronging a mall on a weekend.
Going ahead, in Germany I got the opportunity of visiting a few cities like Berlin, Cologne, Hannover, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Baden Baden, Munich, Stuttgart and Nurnberg.
Berlin is a historic city with a great history associated with the World War II and has very nice architectures. They have about 70 large museums in Berlin. There is a nice free city tour (walking) that starts from Starbucks Coffee Shop at the Brandenburg gate everyday at 11am. The tour guides are knowledgeable and carry the crowd along with them very nicely. They also give a free entry to the pub crawl at the night if you take the free tour. I personally didn't go there but have heard that the pub crawl is really awesome experience. Apart from walking tour of the city there are other tours that take you to Saxtion Housen a concentration camp about 30 Km from the city. Spending 2 days in Berlin is a worthwhile experience for anyone visiting Europe.
Cologne is a very young city with lots of places to hang out everyday. The Cologne university houses 90000 students, so the average age of population that you see in cologne is lesser that other parts of Germany. Cologne has an epitome Dom which is right outside the railway station. There are 501 steps to the Dom which one can hike and get a very nice view of the city with river Rhine flowing along. Other than the Dom, there are a few museums in cologne which may interest people. The Chocolate museum of cologne is really good and demands a visit. You also get free chocolates (schokolade) there.After that it is advisable to take the Cologne-Dusseldorf cruise on the Rhine which is free on Eurail pass. Half a day in Cologne is enough to get a feel of the city.
Hannover is a city which is famous for its university, theatres, Opera House and nicely structured buildings. I spent half a day here and saw a nice aquatic museum called Sea Life on the outskirts of the city. They say that the village of Pied Piper is about 40 odd kilometers from Hannover, but I didn't give that a try. Hannover is a business city like Hamburg and hene tourist attractions are less. However I have heard that their Royal Gardens which is opposite to Sea Life is one of the best in the world. However you need a whole day to see that gardens with the kind of variety that one can get there.
Hamburg is a completely business city. It is called the city off the luxurious. In fact there were some gardens near Hamburg lake which were completely private until 1990s owned by the rich and the famous. The only thing worth doing in Hamburg was to see the Hamburg port which is very grand. The port connects the city to the North Sea. I also went for a air balloon ride near the railway station which takes you to 450 feet and gives a very nice view of the entire city and the canals flowing near it.
Frankfurt is the fastest business city in the whole of Europe. Even I, who has lived in Mumbai which is know to be a fast city was foxed by the scheme of things there. Skyscrapers all around, trams, metros, buses , taxis etc. Its not a good city for any tourist. I just went to see the World Auto Expo there. Generally Frankfurt is a good change point for people going to East Germany or Czech Republic.
Baden Baden is in the heart of the Black forest and is yet another luxurious town. The per capita income of people there is known to be very high. There is a nice casino there but the entry is allowed only in a 3 piece suit. They have a central place called Leopold Platz from where one can catch the bus no. 45 to lake Mumelsee in the center of Black Forest. Its a small lake at an altitude of 1200 feet. It takes about a hour to reach there. The bus service in Baden Baden is very cheap if you go in a group of 5 or less. At Mumelsee you get original Cuckoo clocks and an original black forest cake which is really worth a try. It can get very cold up there at Mumelsee even in October so carry warm clothing there. It was at Mumelsee that I experience my first snowfall. Baden Baden is also famous for its Spas'. They are located near Leopold Platz.
I went to Munich only for the purpose of Oktober fest which starts from September 24th and goes on till 6th October. Its a gala time out there in teh city where people from all parts of Germany come to get drunk. The area of Oktober fest has many pandals but finding a place can be difficult. Some people book their places before going there. The mood there is awesome and the area around the pandals is full of games, gift shops and rides. The wheat beer come for about 9 euros for a liter but every drop of it is worth it. Its is a bit different and 2 liters of it can get you drunk easily. There are live bands at these huge pandals that make it a rocking time.
Near Munich there is a nice concentration camp called Dachau. It was the first concentration camp in Schwarzland. Dachau is about 30 minutes from Munich. People who are sensitive to seeing provoking pictures may avoid this. But it teaches the entire history behind the origin of such camps and the atrocities committed on the Non-Germans
Stuttgart has a very good Mercedes Benz museum which is worth seeing. The tremendous museum marks the industrial growth of Germany. The tickets for students is about 9 euros and there are 8 floors in the museum.
Nurnberg is famous for its Christmas markets, but I found it to be a bit disappointing as I went there a bit late in December and had seen many other Christmas markets before in Europe. But yes one gets Indian food there near the Nurnberg Dom.
Friday, August 15, 2008
European Ecstasy 2007
I managed to go to Germany on a student exchange program for a period of 110 days in which I had planned my schedule such that I would have no more than 13 days of classes. So that I can spend the remaining time of mine in traveling the mysterious and exciting Europe.
I was based out of Germany in a small village called Vallendar (pronounced as Fallendar) which was 15 minutes from town of Koblenz and about an hour from Cologne. Cologne being the most central city in the Europe traveling places was never going to be a issue especially for me. All the things were set right for me before the exchange.
Some of the things that helped me travel so much were "No Internet connection at Home", "Non English speaking landlords", "Being the only person from IIMA in my University WHU", "3 month global Eurail pass which I had planned to exploit ruthlessly" and last but not the least "A very good timetable which I had scheduled for myself".
In this post I will go about telling you what went right and what went wrong with me on Europe.
I was based out of Germany in a small village called Vallendar (pronounced as Fallendar) which was 15 minutes from town of Koblenz and about an hour from Cologne. Cologne being the most central city in the Europe traveling places was never going to be a issue especially for me. All the things were set right for me before the exchange.
Some of the things that helped me travel so much were "No Internet connection at Home", "Non English speaking landlords", "Being the only person from IIMA in my University WHU", "3 month global Eurail pass which I had planned to exploit ruthlessly" and last but not the least "A very good timetable which I had scheduled for myself".
In this post I will go about telling you what went right and what went wrong with me on Europe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)