European Tour - Day 11

24^th April

Paris – London through Dover

We started at around 8 am from Paris to Calais where we were supposed to board a ferry to Dover. It was a long drive and we were mostly asleep and we did a break in between once. We arrived in Calais by 12 pm (after all that traffic in Paris). Our ferry (which had a 9 levels) was cool and it was supposed to start by 1.25 pm. There is a UK border agency and we had to get the passport stamped there. Some of them were asked so many questions.  The ferry was late by more than half an hour and we arrive in Dover (famous for the cliffs with white mist) at around 2 pm London time. I did not even feel that I came in a ferry, it was so smooth. The weather was good. And I went to the top deck to see the view. Well, its just water everywhere.  The entry to Dover was very high profile with a big fort like thing and all. The ferry had the cafeteria, food courts and nice lounges etc…From Dover, we had a bus which was supposed to take us to the tour hotel and my tour is supposed to end there. The trip from Dover to London central was around 3 hrs almost again because of the traffic. Boy! I thought Paris was bad. London was super bad. We finally arrived at around 5.30 pm and then from there I had to come to my hotel at around 6.30 pm. And guess what I did, I just went to bed. I almost slept for 12 hours J

Saying goodbye was a different experience, especially to my 60 yr old friend, she was in tears every time some one said bye to her. She was sort of taking me in her fold and I sought her out too. It was a mutual thing and she mentioned that she will include me in her emails and her photo links.  Meeting so many people from different backgrounds and getting along was a different experience. But as of today my European tour has ended. I am not sure if I will do this again, but I am glad that I did this.

European Tour - Day 10

23^rd April

Paris

Today we had our guided city tour and the optional Versailles Palace tour (which I had opted out of) and a farewell dinner. The day started by 8.20 am and soon were in the midst of the traffic as usual. God this Paris traffic is really very horrible. They have metro system and even boat buses through the Seine river. The roads are very small and not handled for heavy traffic. Reminded me of Bangalore.  We had a local tour guide to show us all the important monuments in Paris. We were supposed to stop at the Eiffel tower and also in the Notre Dame. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays so we won’t be able to see ‘The Monalisa’. I had tried earlier while in Venice to find a booking to visit the Eiffel Tower but it should have been done quite a while ago. All the slots were full and it seems we have a huge queue every time we go there.  But the view from nearby was just beautiful. Its not all that funky and marble white and all as we see in the statues and structures in Rome and other parts of Italy and even in Paris and all. But with all the rusty iron look, it did look quite fetching.  Having three levels and a antenna tower at the top (built just to not get the tower demolished by the government and it was the first antenna for transmitting radio waves by Marconi, planned by Eiffel). You get a good view of it from all sides too, even though there are quite a few buildings which are built to stop the view, but it still is quite tall. We drove through the Victory Arch planned and designed by Napolean but he never got to finish it, and famous Champs Elysses street which hosts shops for all huge famous and fashion brands. You should see the shop of Louis Vutton, looked like a gold shop of India. Lido is actually here.  We had seen this place lit up the day before but were too tired to notice it all. Now with the traffic you don’t have a chance other than to watch them all. We drove through the Grand Palais, the Militaire Escole (the military school), the parliament and very French streets. After the stop in Eiffel Tower, we made the stop at the Notre Dame cathedral. It is celebrating its 850 yrs or so. It’s a big cathedral and has its own history. And we were on time, because there was a huge line forming and thankfully we were in the front, but by the time we came out (almost half an hour later) it was so long that we were glad that we started a little early. 

The church is very grand and there was a music playing that was going to be conducted in the evening. It was so calm and quite inside and in some places it looked even eerie. After that we had our other places to see and they dropped us at the Tuileries near the Louvre. Since I did not have the Versailles tour, myself and some of the group members (an old couple from Australia, and one couple from USA) went to check out the Louvre from outside (its so so huge, seems like you need a few months to see all the paintings and art inside it, if it was opened). After that we decided to go to the Boat bus and take a tour of the city on the Seine river. It was like the river cruise, except that we can use this ticket as a bus too. Like you can get off and get on in those specific places. This gave us a better view of the important places of interests in Paris without all that traffic. It was so cold. But a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower , Notre Dame and all other places. It was cool and it was for almost an hour and a half or more. We were supposed to meet back by 3.15 pm in the same place where we were dropped off. After doing a round trip, we went back to the St Germain stop and then walked back, except that this time, I went through the Tuileries  (the gardens) and checked out for an ATM (was having just 5 euros ) and then went just on time to have a cup of coffee. I never walked like I have walked in this tour.  We came back to the hotel by 4.45 pm and then again had to get ready for the early dinner by 5 .30 pm.

The dinner was in a small traditional Paris style restaurant near the Pantheon.  It was nice, it was sort of a farewell dinner with drinks, (I had only water and a traditional welcome drink, and I think that had some champagne and some orange juice) and music and some dancing and a four course meal. It was nice and everyone saying their byes and we gifted our tour director her gift, which we all bought for her in Venice (a glass sculpture called ‘Two lovers’) and she was in tears. She is a cutie.

After that it was almost 9 pm when we started back and guess what she took us to Toucador to see the night view of Eiffel tower and by 10 pm it starts blinking for 5 mins. It gives a great view of the tower with the gardens and all. It was awesome and a perfect parting view of the city. I was just awed by the sheer beauty of the picture because we had an almost full moon near the tower in the sky. Oh… this tower is truly a landmark of the picture.

We came back by 11 pm and went to sleep because we had to wake up early for our London ferry.

European Tour - Day 9

22^nd April

Paris

We started a little early at around 7.30 am for our Paris trip which is almost 700 kms away. Reached the border by 8.30 am and then stopped for the break by 9.30 am and a lunch break at 12 pm near Burgundy. We had to pass through beautiful landscapes (plains), a few castles etc.  When we reached the Peripheral ring road of Paris, that is when the nightmare starts. Gosh, the traffic…the worst traffic so far. Being Paris and all. The hotel was not located in the center but a little on the other side, but very near to the Seine River though, so it took quite a long while for us to reach there. Not only the traffic, but the diversions that were put up, we were driving in circles to really get to the small road where the hotel was located. Good to see that its just not India that has the ‘take diversion’ signs ;). We reached the hotel finally, seeing the Eiffel tower, the Victory Arch etc on the way, at around 5 pm and since we had a cabaret show by 8 pm we had only an hour to get ready so that we can get out by 6.30 pm.

I was first skeptical about the show. Some people did not join us, because they wanted to go shopping or they had own reservations in other cabaret show on their own. But since they were families with kids who were going, I was feeling little better. But still I was a little worried. We were asked to dress up for the event, I wasn't sure why and anyways I did not have a dress , as they call it. As usual I was in my jeans and t-shirt. We were there at Lido after driving through that awful traffic. Wow, it was all glittery and when we stepped inside by 7.30 pm that is when I really realized why they asked us to dress up. It was like walking the red carpet and sitting in a Hollywood award show. Gosh, those chandeliers, the stage, the candlelight's. I started to wonder where I was.. this was supposed to be a cabaret show. I read in the pamphlet they gave us that it has stunts and its like any musical show, but the stage and stuff like it , it looked so surreal and I looked so out of place. And to top it all, there was this lady with such a silky voice singing some English song with a full cut dress and all, I couldn't help but suppress a laugh because never did I dream to see all this stuff in real life J I sure did pay for it, but never expected this level of sophistication and y’all know what, we got the left tables near to the stage to top it all. So we were up and close…We were not supposed to take photos or record anything there and so I did not, not because no one did that, but I felt that I should give them that much respect for all that I am experiencing. The lady was singing for a couple of songs more and then by 8 pm, they announced that the show will be beginning and we were provided with our champagne (you can choose any juice or soda instead, but since I was going all the way today, I decided to taste champagne too….)

Then suddenly the seats looked like it is moving down, but actually the stage started to get elevated and there it was. It lasted for almost 2.5 hrs ending it at 10.45 pm. It consisted of different levels, including the coming up of an Indian Temple with dancers dressed like the bronzed statues and doing some Indianized  steps too, along with some wondering ice skating based performance. We also had a comedy show in between involving the viewers too. There was another performance by a guy and it was so awesome (I don’t know the name of the act though…what do we call the act where a guy uses a doll and uses his own voice to talk like the doll and makes it interactive? It was something like that except that it was a mute show and it was related to statues and it was uber cool). The interesting part, the number of Indians and maami’s and behanji’s who showed up for the show. It had its share of skin show (but only by the female. Don’t get me wrong, I am so glad for that. But it felt a little sexist that is all, but then I shouldn't have even been there shouldn't I?) Some of the girls were so thin, I was so feeling bad for them, and wanted to feed them. For them its just another job, coz I could see a quite a few of them talking as part of the show to their partners and exchanging pleasantries. But the choreography is very nice with almost 600 costumes and so many change of clothes and the stage changes and acts. There was this woman who did the singing for most of the part and boy! was she beautiful and gorgeous. It was different to watch it. I did not feel embarrassed at all since there was any blatant skin show or anything like that. Some of them were so aesthetically done, it kinda felt nice.

The champagne was like an apple fizz drink, and I kind of liked it. Guess I do have some costly tastes J I invariably thought of my mom because she used to say that as a kid I always had only apple or grapes for fruits (which were obviously very costly…no other fruits will do for me J). I am definitely not going for it again on my own but it was nice to know that I appreciated it.  We came back by 11.40 pm or so and soon fell asleep.

European Tour - Day 8

21^st April

Lucerne – Lake Cruise and Mount Titlis

Started at 8.45 am for the lake cruise which is very near to the hotel , remember the hotel being in the central place. It was so so cold. It’s a 45 min cruise on a boat (with a deck) and we were the first to start the cruise. It was freezing outside. After some time had to keep working on my mouth to really feel it. It’s a beautiful lake, in the form of a cross (+) and its very huge. It was misty , foggy. But as and when we were going through it started clearing up. It was great to view the lake. The captain was telling us about various facts of the lake. One side of the lake has houses (beautiful of course, and they are privately owned….) and there is a building on a hill near the lake, that Michael Jackson wanted to buy, but was rejected by the bank , and a church which is so costly and so fully booked, that you have to book the church for your wedding and then find a wifey (  ;) ) Things like that. It was fun, but one thing was sure, I needed an additional thermal wear to beat the cold, because at the final leg of the drive, I got so cold that I couldn't feel anything, I don't want myself dying there do I? gotta see the Mount Titlis and Paris and not to mention London and Scotland yet. So I ran to the closed door downstairs.  We came back by 10 am and we got a 20 min break in the hotel to re-freshen up.

Then started on our journey to Mount Titlis by 10.45 am (one couple weren't found, so took some time to find them). It’s a 40 min journey to Engelberg to the Titlis station base.  It was all snow everywhere and we were riding up. It reminded me of the drive to Crater Lake. It was like that. Seems like this time of the year, the snow would have eased up, but am not sure if it is our luck, it had snowed very recently, even three to four days before it seems.  When we got down it was so so cold and frozen everywhere that I was thanking the time for the re-freshening up, because if I hadn't had my additional thermal and jacket I cannot imagine going to the glacier. Quite a lot of skiers there. Three levels of cable cars (one is rotating cable car) and there are lot of signs in Hindi too, and too many Indians and Indian tour companies there along with the Chinese ones. First leg is to go to a level of almost 3000 m high in a  cable car which can hold only 6 people max (and it stops in between for the skiers to climb in a mid level) and then in the second leg, we have the big cable car which holds around 80 people and this climb is steep, very steep and then third one is again a big one (holding around 40-50) but it is the rotating one which lands in the glacier. You can imagine my reaction to the climb, I did not even look down in the first leg , which was the most scariest part because we can see the whole town and the city to some level. The 2^nd level was ok, because it was all snow below, so it did not affect me much. The third one, is beautiful, not so scary because of the sights, but because of the rotating stuff, that gives jerks than the view. View is amazing. It was like above the clouds and seeing the peaks peeking at us from the clouds. You have to see it to believe it. So freaking amazing. Its 10000 m above sea level. Imagine that. I was scared about the breathing trouble, but luckily none of that trouble. The 70 yr big guy had trouble breathing and he left to the 2^nd level immediately.  I was with his wife, whom I admire a lot, the whole time there. There we have 5 levels (with restaurants, glacier cave, on to the terrace to play in the snow and also to take the ice flyer or the cliff hanger walk…) I did only the walk on the terrace, naturally and then the glacier cave. It was so good and so chilling. And we had the wind blowing up. It was just!!! The cave was also good. It was weird to feel them by hand. It was little freaky but good. After staying for some time, and then enjoying the view and the caves and enough of photos, went back to the 2^nd level where they had a bigger restaurant. There was an Indian group restaurant for the Indian group too. Its too pricey there, but then its because of the place. We relaxed, and took as much as photos that we can get and then back to the bus by 3.30 pm (almost  3-4 hrs there) and it was so so good. I am not sure why we don’t have something like this in India. There were too many Indians there. Came back to hotel by 4.45 pm and relaxed and then went out for a walk by 6 pm and then packed for the next day’s early start to Paris.

Did you know that the Swiss always wanted to be the first to do some thing. Like this rotating cable car. Its the first in the world. And they had the tunnel which is the longest (which we came on our way to Lucerne) but then Netherlands had built a tunnel longer than that so now they are planning to beat them....Swiss knife, Swiss chocolates ... if they are at it , it has to be best for them and if they are the first, all the better. They need people to say that 'if its Swiss, its the best'. Wow.. 

European Tour - Day 7

20^th April

Liechtenstein and Lucerne

Started at 9.30 am from Innsbruck to Lucerne via Liechtenstein  which is a small country or commonly known there as Principality by itself. It gets costlier as and when we go from here. Money is Swiss Francs but they accept Euro’s too. We have a border check point but only for vehicles. No photos allowed near the border.

Drive was totally different, more snow and white colored peaks. Stopped for a break before reaching Liechtenstein. Cannot imagine how cold it was. Puffing out cold air.

Liechtenstein – we had a stop for lunch for an hour and half, in the central place. The place was dripping with snow. Very costly. Being Saturday, most of the place was deserted, except for one part where we were dropped. Pictures will tell more about this place than the words. Anyone will fall in love with this place. So quite, so clean, so beautiful and fresh air.

After the lunch at around 1 pm we started to Lucerne. Again the scenery doesn't change much. Much like Liechtenstein only, but by 3 pm we were dropped in Lucerne central place again. Guess what, I saw Kanchi Indian Restaurant in the market square. Went to see the Lion Monument. Amazing how the sculptor got the pain in the face of lion. In memory of the Swiss soldiers who laid their lives. The Swiss have been considered the most loyal of all the soldiers who had fought to protect their King in the earlier times, this monument is dedicated to them and in turn it also explains why the Vatican still insists on Swiss Guards only for their protection. In order to be a part of the Vatican security team, or the Swiss Guard team, it is mandatory to be a Swiss by birth and after serving in Vatican for 2 years they can come back with great honor and serve their country too. 

Hotel was exactly near the square and very near to the Lucerne Lake and the historical bridge also known as the Chapel Bridge which is really very old and has painting on the roof, which had to be restored. After freshening up, went for a walk around the lake , the bridge, the alleys, had coffee and bhel puri in Kanchi. Walked around clicking snaps for almost 2 hrs and then came back by 6 pm to relax as we had dinner with Swiss folk lore in a restaurant at 7.15 pm.

Regrouped by 7.15 and left for the restaurant in the central square place near to the hotel by walk. An Old house was converted to restaurant, still owned by a family. Food was good (We had cheese Fondue) and they started playing Swiss songs with Swiss instruments (they play music with broomsticks, some sort of paddle thing and what not..), and it was made more lively with the group participating blowing long horns, yodeling etc… it was so much fun and it lasted till 10 pm after which we started back to our hotel. Tomorrow we have the lake cruise and the Mount Titlis.

European Tour - Day 6

19^th April

Austria (Innsbruck)

We started our journey to Austria at 9.15 am via Cortina travelling through the mountain ranges and beautiful sceneries

Stopped in Cortina for an hour break. This is one of the beautiful travel routes. You see a mix of greenery and snow covered moutains and it was getting colder and colder. 

Cortina is the place where they had the winter olympics and is famous for Ski. So you can imagine how high it will be. It was very beautiful and calm and we had stopped in the central place for a lunch break. They had a market over there with fresh fruits and vegetables. The strawberries were very very fresh and very tasty. There was hardly any traffic at all. It is in the Veneto region which is surrounded by the Dolomites. They will be having some Ski competitions in 2013 as per a poster there. Its sort of in between Italy and Austria and so they speak both languages. But its mostly part of Austria.

After the break we started on our way to Innsbruck which means the bridge on the river Inn. You can see that river flowing there and there are so many tunnels and bridges on the way to this place. We came to the central square of Innsbruck by around 4.30 pm. It was drizzling slightly. It is such a beautiful place. After some time it started raining. We were taken to the Swaroski showroom which is originally from Austria (the crystals were discovered from the Dolomite region first). Got a magnet along with a small gift for myself in the showroom. They have a temple with a Golden Roof for their emperor which is the significant location in Innsbruck. I roamed around the central square. Its a beautiful little town. They had tram, pedestrian walkways, alleys with shops. There was also some cycling show going on after some time with some loud music and all :). It was fun to watch. The whole central square is pedestrian only. How cool is that. They had Spar supermarket here. I know that in India it is now being replaced with something else. It was fun going around that place even in the rain. I liked this place. May be I should come back here some time late.

Reached hotel by 7 pm. Ramada International is the best hotel so far and it was so so good. 

European Tour - Day 5

18^th April

Venice

We started at around 8.30 am from the hotel for our Venice trip again. We reached the island by 9.45 am and visited a glass blowing place (Venetian glass is very famous..especially the Murrano glass and it is not made anywhere else…its only made in that island. Other than that, Venice is famous for Lace, masquerade masks and well Gondola rides.. I remember seeing them in ‘The Venetian’ in Las Vegas. I would be doing them here for real..yeah!!!!!) The various things they do with the glass…good god. It was amazing, but very highly prized for the efforts that go into it.  He made us a vase with a nice handle before our eyes. They also ship it. But as usual I did not buy anything costly. After that we went for our Gondola rides.

To say that I wasn't expecting the Gondola ride is just an understatement. I was super excited. I got grouped with the Srilankan family because it holds 6 people. In our next batch, we had the player (I don’t know the name of the instrument) and the singer. To take the Gondola ride we had to go to a place beyond the San Marco’s square. It was quite hot but once we started the ride, it got a little bit better because of the wind. The instrument player started playing some tunes and after a few songs, the singer joined in. We traveled through the Canal for some time and then into the small inroads of the water. Suddenly its all quite and eerie. I tuned out everything and was very quite, taking in the ride, the sights and the music. Especially in the inroads, his voice boomed. It was so so nice. I was in my Venetian dream :) and all I wanted was it to not end.  The small inroads also led us to the hotels that are there and we could see the taxi (water taxi) that transported people to and from the hotel. I don’t know why I remembered ‘The Tourist’ movie a lot at this time. It took around 30-45 mins for the whole ride. There were so many songs that were sung. It was heavenly. I did wish that I had been alone on a boat with the player and the singer all to myself so as to get in the full experience, but I cant have my cake and eat it too can I ? We can see the level marks of the water on the buildings and for the time being it was a low tide and the level was definitely less. Seems like if there is a high tide, there is a official warning system in place and they start putting out wooden planks on the roads so that people can walk on them.  And also the warning is much ahead in advance. After the relaxed 40 min or so ride, we came back to the place where we boarded.

After this we were on our own till the 2 pm where we can join the others for the trip to the Venetian Lagoon, if we so prefer. But I wanted to be here for some more time. So myself and a few others (including the 70 yr old guy and his wife) roamed around for our snack near the San Marco square. I also found out how to get to Rialto Bridge. There are signs on the roads (on the top) indicating the route. If it says ‘Per Rialto’ that means ‘To Rialto’ and similarly for ‘Per San Marco’. I had a cappuccino and a bottled water and sat in the shade of the Church for some time for the other two to have their breakfast. For some reason I couldn't leave them alone until they had their snacks. It was very nice talking to them. She is 60 yrs of age, the same as my mother.  May be its my protective instincts kicking in , but whatever, I really enjoyed their company. After half an hour of relaxation, we went on our ways. They were planning to roam around till their 2 pm boat ride to the Lagoons and it was around 12.45 pm by then. I went on  my way to see the Rialto bridge. I started following the signs and all was going through fine till some time. It was nice to navigate these streets. It was interesting because some led to dead end roads, some to the canals, some to the bridges, some to small squares, some to buildings or churches. You never know where you would end up :) I crossed so many small bridges seeing the gondola rides under them. But after some time I really did not know where I was headed. Because I did not see the Rialto sign anymore. I started seeing the Palazzo do Roma signs. I was wondering how to navigate.  I sat down every once in a while to catch my breath, it was quite hot, and then again resume on my search for Rialto. After a few minutes of going here and there and back to where I was travelling, I found myself on a place and to my utter astonishment it was the Rialto Bridge…saw the sign Pointe de Rialto… good god, I was all over this place except that I was on the other side. This was a very old bridge from the looks of it and was heavily inhabited.  There were so many restaurants, Gondola rides there and so many shops which were much cheaper than the ones near San Marco. I walked on the other side, which was a little bit quieter and had a few restaurants near the lagoon. It was very calm and nice. Spent some time there, got some magnets for my fridge and then after relaxing a bit there, started my way back. On the way, went inside the alleys to find some place for eating. Finally after some roaming about, found one caffe where I had my pizza. I also found one of the couple from my group roaming about there. Then started my slow walk around the place taking in the sights, the sounds and the lagoon. At around 2.30 pm I was back in San Marco Square. I was so tired and my feet ache. It was almost 2-3 hrs of walking in Venice (Walking!!!). I could have gone to one end, take the boat to the other. But that would mean spending more Euro’s, which was not my idea of enjoying Venice. You could see the boats, the gondola’s sitting there forever. I also saw a Cruise Liner going on its way. There were a couple of Ambulance’s that were rushing to the main land, using the same sound as the normal ambulances on land. Seems like in peak season, it gets really crowded in the lagoon. But gratefully it was well maintained, except for the algae in the water in many places. I relaxed and spent my time in the sun and then in the shade from time to time taking my time to get back to the landing point by 5 pm. By 4 pm, it became really very very hot and if we go in the shade or in the alleys it gets cold. It was really confusing, can never judge if we really want the jacket or not . The policia or the carabineri (Italian police) were on patrol everywhere keeping tabs. There were lot of Africans there who were trying to sell handbags (Gucci copies of course) and some gypsies. We were warned not to let them near by as they pick our pockets. San Marco was quite crowded by students and groups who started arriving late. Just when I was wondering why I don’t see an Indian group, I spotted them getting off the boat by around 4.30 pm or so. We had a really long queue to go to the Church , the tower etc.

Having my fill on Venice, we regrouped at 5 pm in the landing point for the boat and it arrived just in time with the people who did their lagoon cruise. I am happy that I did what I did in Venice. I got to see as much as possible, roam around the streets (while I was doing that I remembered Heath Ledger’s Casanova :), expecting to see him anytime… I love that guy) and now I need to go back. While sitting on the boat, I thanked God for letting me see Venice, even though my feet was killing me for walking so much. And it was good that we saw it at this time, instead of summer. It would have been too hot. It not that in Venice you have only water everywhere. Lot of the small islands are connected by bridges. There were a few more which I saw and you can walk around by using the bridges. As much as we fantasize about living in this small city, it is really painful for people because they have to go to the main lands very often. I saw a lot of people in their boats with kids going to main land to do shopping instead of getting the things in Venice which would be very costly. But it definitely is a good tourist place. Hope it survives the ecological problems (like the oil wells that are there near by, the algae formation in the lagoon and other pollution issues).

We came back to the hotel (after the 20 min boat ride and 30-40 min bus ride) at around 6.45 pm and uploaded some photos and went to sleep a little earlier than the previous day to get some good rest. I saw my dream place and I am really glad about it. 

European Tour - Day 4

17^th April

Florence and Venice

Checked out of the hotel by 8.30 am and travelled to Lugarno near the Arno river in Florence (Firenze) where the bus dropped us off. From there we started to the Piazza Di S Croche square. We have the walking tour to three of the squares. First one to arrive was the Piazza Di S Croche which has the church (private one) which hosts the body of Galileo Galilei and Michelangelo (we need to pay extra to go inside and watch the same). It’s a beautiful square where you have lot of leather shops around. We were taken inside Peruzzi showroom which is one of the famous leather showrooms of Firenze. After that, we were headed with a local tour guide to Piazza Del Duomo. This square has the cathedral which is the biggest one. It was built with the Carra Marbles and its really really huge. Cannot have it in a single shot at all. It was just wow. We did not go inside. But as usual you have quite a lot of work done on Marbles (remember in Marbles…not a easy feat). The dome is the speciality here. This is the dome which inspired Michelangelo to build the one in the Vatican. Its so so huge. It’s a wonderful sight. This city is full of small streets and alleys with so much shops and stuff. You see quite a lot of Leather, Gold and Silver shops. 

We also visited the place of Dante (the famous Italian poet, who wrote ‘The Divine Comedy’) and the church where he got married to his sweetheart. It’s a city where you have both the modern and the old building together in those small alleys. From there we maneuvered our way to Piazza Della Signoria, which is quite a museum by itself. It has the official buildings and also the copy of ‘David’ by Michelangelo displayed there. ‘The David’ is supposed to be the best art of Michelangelo in sculpture. Wish I could see the real one.  There are other sculptures in the square for you to enjoy.  

After that we walked on our own to the Ponte Vechhio which is the oldest bridge on the Arno river. Its not quite attractive because it is the oldest and it still stands. There are quite a lot of other bridges across the river, like Ponte Delle Grazie but this simple old one with lots and lots of Goldsmith shops on them is the main attraction. The other side has the Palazzo De Pitti (or the Pitti Palace), which is again a private property. Once that was done, we walked back to the St Croche Square for our lunch. It was already 11.30 by then. Had a sumptuous lunch and headed back to the bus by 12.15. By 12.30 we were on our way to Venice through the mountains. 

Florence is quite a small yet beautiful city which was once the capital of Italy and they are quite jealous of their heritage. The river Arno gets flooded quite often and so the squares are submerged quite often. Last time they had it was in 1960’s for almost 16 ft.  The hotel Meridana where we stayed is quite comfy and small one, thankfully a little bigger bathroom. It was quite cold in the morning but by 11 am it started getting very hot. The highlight of it all was the Cathedral, because you never know the size of it unless you enter that square because it is covered with so many alleys with buildings you never see the entire building. You only see the dome after some point of time. But the whole building is in a big square and it simply blows you away.

We had just one small coffee break before reaching Venice. We arrived at the hotel Antony Palace (a 4 star one) at around 4.30 pm. It was the biggest hotel so far and we have wifi free here…Yippee!!!! We were to regroup at 5.30 pm for our night out in Venice with Dinner. So we go up freshen up , connect our laptops/phones/iPad’s to wifi , browse some internet and get ready by 5.30 for the Venice trip. The hotel is not in Venice (which is the island) but is in the Venetian main lands. We can go to the Port which actually takes us to the Venezia island through train or bus or car. It takes around 40 mins of drive there. Hotels in Venice are very very costly (there are reasons for that….because everything has to be transported by boats which incurs service charges for every transfer…i.e. transfer from land to port, port to hotel by boat, etc…I even saw the garbage being taken out in the boat taxi’s). So got to Tronchetto, park the bus, get on a boat, drive to Island of Venice near San Marco point. We have too many islands near by like Lido, Murrano, Burrano etc. But Venice is the biggest of them, because small small islands were connected together. 

There is a Grand Canal that passes between that. Its based on the Lagoon of the Adriatic sea. Its not that we have to go via boats to all the places. But from one end of the Grand Canal to the other, it is easier by the taxi’s (i.e. boats working as taxi’s). We land in Venice (my dream place) at around  6.30 pm or so and go to the San Marco (or St Marco’s square). It is a beautiful square dedicated to the Saint Marco who is the saint for the Venetians and the church there has his remains. It was illuminated at night so beautifully.  We went straight ahead to our dinner place, which was in one of the small street alleys (its so confusing…you cross so many bridges here).  The dinner was a four course Italian meal and it ended with Tiramisu (very very tasty…yummy). After our dinner, we left around 8.45 pm or so to the St Marco’s Square and were allowed to explore by ourselves till 9.30 pm. The square hosts a lots of hotels and restaurants which has live music performed by people. There were three such restaurants that we saw. It was amazing to hear them play. 

I had a field day snapping pictures at night of the square. I couldn't use my tripod because it was getting very cold and I had to make a choice of taking as many pictures of the place or taking one picture of the church with the tripod. So I preferred taking the whole place which was more important to me. It was amazing. It started getting very cold. By around 9.30 pm we regrouped (one family went missing….we found out later that they mistook 9.30 pm for 10 pm, whereas the last boat leaves at 10 pm). We had to wait for them for around 15 mins. It was so beautiful to see the island by night. I couldn't get enough of it. 

While waiting for the other family I was talking to this person whom I liked a lot (he is a 70 year old guy…his wife, who is 60 years old, stuck a nice friendship with me… I really like that pair) and he mentioned how he wanted to do this for his wife and things like that. I told him about how this place was my dream place and that I am a very happy woman now that I was there. He mentioned that at the end of the day, my happiness is what that should really matter to me and I couldn't but get tears in my eyes. On our way back in the boat, I couldn't help but cry, for both sad and happy reasons. Skipping the sad reason for some other time, the happy reason for now is that I got to be in a place where I wanted to be for such a long time and I really loved it. We were visiting the place again the next day too for the Gondola ride and stuff, but nothing beats the night visit. If I could do a happy dance, I would imitate Katherine Heigl (in the movie, I forgot the name, with Gerard Butler) :D I was really very happy….. I was in Venice…Wow!!!! Talk about making dreams come true :). We arrived by 10.45 pm to the hotel and were totally wasted. We had to get up early again to be in Venice by 9.30 am.

European Tour - Day 3

16^th April 2013

Pisa 

·         Checked out from the hotel after breakfast at around 8.30 am in the motor coach towards Pisa via Tuscan through the new Aurelia passageway. The route we took is almost (well almost) near the Tyrhannian sea. You can see the sea from a distance and when we cross the Tuscany region, you will see some lagoons. We stopped at around 10.45 am in a place in the entrance of Tuscan region for a coffee and snack break. We see the actual Tuscan region (the place of the rolling hills) only after the coffee break towards Pisa.  The route is scenic, but after some time I fell asleep just like everyone else. But got up in time for the break.  One the way we also see a very cute island Island of Elba where Napoleon was exiled along with the Island of Monte Cristo. They are very beautiful. Since we were travelling in the coach, I couldn't take pictures.

·         When we reached Pisa at around 1.30 pm, I was wide awake and was determined to climb up if I don’t back out at the last minute. Our guide went through the rest of the program and also the significance of Pisa and the leaning tower, how they were restored around 2001 time because it was leaning out fast. Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa , did you know that ? And the wooden nose boy Pinocchio was born here !!!! Seems like Pisa has a University which is the very oldest university and specializes in Science and Mathematics even now. The Square of Miracle which hosts the Leaning Tower is the main attraction of Pisa, even though tourism brings in a lot of money, they also have Livorno Port nearby which adds to the income and also have their own industries to cater to the economy. Its quite a huge and modernized city. We have to get down in a bus stand where all the buses are camped and we need to walk around for almost 5-10 mins to the square. But you also have an option to use a chug chug (a toy train) just like from the story of Pinocchio to go to the circle for one Euro. Since most of them were above 50+ we decided to take the chug chug (also because it was quite hot outside). Once they dropped us in the outside entrance of the square, we again have to walk around for 2 mins along the wall surrounding the square to the entrance of the square.  Both sides of the walk is covered with shops (just like you see in India) and eateries (including McDonald’s). But the grandeur of the Cathedral, the tower stuns you. They are so huge and so white. I never knew that the Tower of Pisa is built of Marble. My God… The view of all the three buildings with a huge lawn before them for the visitors to relax is so attractive. On the other side there are shops again.

·         This was one place where I saw a huge Indian group. I could see churidhar’s and salwars :). As and when I started to take photos, I realized that I had only 1.5 hrs and it would be better to get the climbing of the tower first if its going to take time. So I located the ticketing office and got the ticket for 2.15 pm with only 10 mins to spare. We are supposed to keep our bags in a locker room (which is quite modernized and they give you the card to open it). I took out my wallet and passport and the camera with me and off I went to get done with the climbing. I almost backed out seeing how tall it was, but then I didn't want to regret not doing it just like it happened in Chichenitza. But I did not know what I had signed in for unless I went into the tower at 2.15 pm. It was so cold (remember it was built of marble) that I got the chills (literally). And they gave a small talk about the tower and said ‘off you go’. There were quite a lot of school students (around 25 per group) and they were going so casually. Here I was struggling to breathe even as I completed 25 steps. The steps are so narrow and small and steep, not to mention they aren't flat, and I felt that it was leaning on one side, so I was getting dizzy. It got me scared for a second. I wasn't sure if I will be able to complete it. Bloody hell, I rather regret it instead of losing my life here…that is what I thought… but for every level you have a space available to catch your breath. I am totally out of shape. Jeez… But slowly and steadily I took my time to climb up. Once you are up, you don’t feel that change of the gravity. Its like a flat surface. The top portion reminded me of the Hoover Tower in Stanford. The view of the whole city is so beautiful surrounded by the mountains. You get a very nice and gigantic view of the Cathedral from there. I started coughing up for quite a long time once I was up. It was definitely strenuous. No doubt about it. I never expected this level of steepness. After a few minutes up there and some good photo shoots, it was my time to climb down because I need my water otherwise I might end up coughing all the way down which is not  good. The cost of the ticket is 18 Euros (pretty costly) but they have maintained it very well.  After coming down, got my bags, had my water and started for the Cathedral. But it was already 3.10 and I was supposed to meet the group by 3.30 pm in the boarding point. So I couldn't go inside the Cathedral because it was very crowded and instead walked back to get some food. This time for a change, got a milk shake and French fries (large) from McDonald’s and started eating and walking back to be just in time. Thankfully others took a few minutes longer and so I could finish my lunch and get ready for the chug chug to take us back to the bus. Hey!! I climbed on the top of the Pisa Tower !!!!!! ;) Another new World Wonder seen. Way to go Girl!!!! (a pat on my back)

·         While on the way from Pisa to Florence (or Firenze) we were totally blocked due to a huge accident and that delayed our plans for the evening. We were supposedly to be ready for our own walking tour (to any piazza nearby) if the time permits after checking in the hotel. But by the time we came to our hotel it was around 9 pm and it was quite late. My feet was killing me so I did nothing  but have my vegetarian dinner and go to sleep around 10.30 pm.

European Tour - Day 2

15^th April 2013 

VaticanCity (Sistine Chapel, St Peters Square, St Peters Church, Museum of Vatican)

·         Started the visit to Vatican by around 7.30 am after the healthy and heavy breakfast in the hotel. The drive was around 20 mins and the Musei  Vaticani (Vatican Museum or the city of the Vatican as such) opens at 8 am.

·         When we travel through Rome towards Vatican, we can see the walls that separate Rome and Vatican as soon as we start nearing it. Its astonishing how big those walls are and how they have built their own place inside of another city. There are two entrances to the Vatican city for the designated city tours alone. One is the old one and the other is the new one. They are heavily guarded and you are not allowed to take any big backpack and stuff. If you take then you have to place them in the lockers there and come back all the way again to claim them.

·         The new entrance leads to a place which is newly built for ticketing and entrance to the museums. As soon as we climb up and try to go to the museums you are introduced to the Dome of the Vatican. The famous landmark of the Vatican City. Its breathtaking to see it first hand with your own eyes. Along with the gardens, we see the other side actually. You can take pictures here.

·         After that we enter the museums where in we see different tapestries belonging to various artists and various times, sculptures persevered depicting the various beliefs of the romans and vaticans, the paintings of various artists, the maps of the roman empire. You should see these paintings, some of them are modeled as 3D. Amazing pictures. It just wow’s you. Some of them were in the process of restoration. After that we entered the area that leads to the Sistine Chapel and the St Peters Church

·         But since you are not allowed to take pictures or talk inside the Sistine Chapel in the place before we enter it they have placed some pictures of the same for the guides to explain the various pictures that are there as part of the Sistine Chapel. The Last Judgment, the ceilings , the Adam and Eve thing.. Everything. The guide explained the significance of each and every one of them. Do you know that Michelangelo believed that it was not only Eve who sinned by Adam too and that is depicted in the picture? Also he depicted a cardinal, with whom he had a mutual dislike, depicted as a person on the hell with his genitals caught by a snake as part of his punishment in the Last Judgment? He also put his own face in the skin of a priest who was killed by skinning. It was so unbelievable to hear about those. They prepare you for what you see, but it is never enough. Trust me.  And to top it all, Michelangelo did not want to paint. He was basically a sculptor. Imagine a person who was doing something which he did not want to do and that turned out to be the best of his work. Talk about irony.

·         Michelangelo is really a great artist. To do Sistine Chapel as a single person…Need to really see it in person to see the magnanimity of the work. Just unbelievable. Even though they explained everything upfront, as soon as I entered, I was just floored. Being there all I did was to praise Michelangelo and thanking God that I was able to see his work through my own eyes.  We got to spend some alone time in the chapel, but it is always overcrowded. Even then you get your own sweet time to look around. Appreciate the art. Amazing piece of art.

·         After that we visited the St Peter’s Church, which is supposed to the longest church in the world. Again the dome of it was done by Michelangelo. Again a bit over crowded, with lot of school children coming in with their work books and writing down things :). It is really a very big church, again the best part being the dome part, where the Pope presides. Everywhere you turn you see work of art, either in the form of a sculpture or a painting. You have the door there, just like our sorkavaasal, which is closed for now and which will be opened on a day in 2020 it seems. You can spend hours inside inspecting each and every painting and sculpture.

·         After that we come back out to the St Peters Square, remember the Angels and Demons. Its sort of a dejavu moment, as if I have been there already.

·         New Pope was elected very recently and his public appearance is to happen on Wednesday. So all arrangements were being made in the St Peter’s Square. Brought back a lot of scenes on mind from the Angels and Demon's movie. Nothing beats seeing them in real. Just so surreal.  Once through the St Peter’s Square and through the Roman Columns, you are again back to Rome and out of Vatican. Lot of restoration is going on in many places. We saw the various palaces and official apartments that hosts the Pope and other members.

·         We had our lunch and our little time for souvenirs near the St Peters Square and started our way back to Roma for the Colosseum visit at around 11.30 am.

    Roman Colosseum and Roman Forums

·         Reached the Colosseum at around 12.00 pm and it was getting quite hot by then. We have seen the Colosseum in movies, but its huge with a H. We got down near the Arch (sort of like the Victory Arch) and lot of other ruins that are located near. Did you know that the Colosseum was fully made of Marble and had lots of sculptures in it and that those were stolen for placing them in Vatican? Too bad. Lot of parts of the Colosseum is destroyed and they have rebuilt some of it, but unless you see the inside of it you never know the size of it. And climbing it to the 2nd floor is not an easy task. The steps are very narrow and very very steep. I felt like I had climbed almost 10 floors by the time I did that one floor. Because of that lot of people stayed back downstairs after the guide explained how things used to be in the Colosseum and what happened during those days. From above you can see the other ruins and the arch too. We had so many school children doing the visits. After the visit to the Colosseum we started to walk towards the Roman Forums which are the other set of ruins which hosts the temples, shrines and other political offices that were built. It was quite a long walk and the tour of the Colosseum and the Forums completed by 1.15 pm.

·         Reached back to the hotel at around 2.15 pm for a break

·         Started at around 4.45 pm for a Roman tour to various squares and the dinner. First stop was in the Trevi Fountain. Our guide told us how the concept of throwing three coins started on this fountain (it was after a movie Three Coins in the Fountain that this belief got popular. The first coin is to come back to Rome, the 2nd one I dont remember, and the 3rd to meet the love of your life... no one in our group wasted the coins anyways and it was way too crowded for the evening ) From there we walked around to Piazza de Popolo and Piazza de Novana (where Tom Hanks was almost killed in the fountain…) Piazza de Novana is an artist’s place. You can see lot of artist showcasing their work and many of them working with their colors. There are also lot of restaurants alongside the piazza (a square actually where people meet) which offers great view. These squares reminded me of Guadalajara and the Cathedral square which I visited.

·         After that we went to the ancient Rome again for our dinner in Hotel Luciani. It was a four course meal and too heavy. But a few of the group mates (all old people by the way) along with one of the waiter there (a cute bald guy) danced for the music and made our day. He also gave all the ladies (that includes me too) in the group a yellow rose (along with a quick peck on the cheek). I was the only vegetarian on the group and the waiter guy had to take care of my menu separately. By the fourth course, all I wanted was to lie down and sleep it off. Temperature dropped off by the time we entered the hotel and when we left it at around 10 pm (around 2.5 hours of dinner with music and laughter), we just did not have enough energy to see the Rome by night (couldn't take pictures) and as soon as I hit the bed by 10.30 pm, I passed out.

·         In Rome, you can drink water from the taps and there are lots of taps flowing with water everywhere in the city. I am not sure why they don’t close it. It’s free flowing water. And it tastes good too. Traffic is very bad. Even though they have metro and frequent buses, people prefer to take their cars and the roads are very very narrow so there is too much traffic issues. And people driving two wheeler's are like Indians, they drive without any rules :) 

European Tour - Day 1

14^th April 2013

·         Started the journey with the 3 am Lufthansa flight from Bangalore to Frankfurt. First time in my flying experience I got some sleep during the flight (instead of watching as many movies as I can) because I do not have time for that once I land.

·         Landed in Frankfurt at 9 am local time. The scenery before the landing was very picturesque. It looked like a valley with settlements in groups. I couldn’t get my camera (phone) for some pictures. After a leisure stroll through security check and passport verification (they stamp on the EU visa) came to the boarding point to Rome flight. Completed the book Salvation of a Saint (a Japanese thriller) which I had got in Bangalore.

·         Started from Frankfurt to Rome at around 12.30 am local time. When we arrived in Frankfurt it was so cold, I had to wear my jacket. But by the time the flight was half way through to Rome, it became quite hot. Got to see the Swiss Alps from the flight. God…what a sight it was. It was like watching the opposite of Grand Canyon. Snow covered peaks everywhere. It was magnificent.

·         Landed in Roma, Italy at 2.30 pm local time. Baggage collection took an awful lot of time. One sad thing that happened was that in the flight they gave us snacks (a sandwich) but it was a non-veg one with Chicken and cheese. So all I could get hold of was a cup of coffee and some apple juice. I had booked a taxi to my hotel online that way I had less pressure when I landed in this new place.  Thankfully my taxi person was waiting with my name written on it and I can bet that he cannot even pronounce first half of it correctly and guess what he can speak only little English  , so the whole taxi trip was a very quite one.. 

·         The route to the hotel reminded me of SFO… small roads, cars parked on both sides, ups and downs, regular traffic signals etc… Except that there were no sign boards in English and since it was Sunday it was almost empty and so I could get to the hotel in almost 30 mins. The taxi rate is around 60 Euros.  Tipping is expected.

·         Pineta Palace,  the allotted hotel as part of the tour is a small hotel with small rooms (so small that I  couldn’t fit myself comfortably in the shower room…and in the bed, all I could was lie on one side…thank fully I was the only one using the room so I clubbed both the beds together to get more space). There is no free wifi (extra charge of 10 Euro’s for 24 hrs.) But the position of the hotel is so secluded, it is very serene. I got a balcony in my room. I guess all of them have it. I could see the neighbor’s balcony. Thankfully, no one was occupying that room. It had centralized A/c. The outside temperature was around 21 degree C so it was quite warm, but by the time the day started to end, it got colder and colder.

·         Since I was very hungry, I went to the lounge bar for some snacks. Ordered a cappuccino and a pizza Margherita (Do you know that Pizza Margherita became popular in Italy after it was prepared by Napolitans, people of Naples,  in honor of Queen Margherita of Rome with the pizza showing the flag of Italy i.e, tomato, cheese and basil for red, white and green …) and guess what.. the pizza was big enough for four people.. good god….now I am stuffed till the morning breakfast.

·         Met the tour director (a young Croatian woman around late twenties to mid thirties) in the lobby at 6 pm. She explained the details of the tour especially the ones that will be done in Rome for now and the rest will be explained as and when we go. Seems like we will be covering around 4000 kms by bus. Got introduced to very two cute old ladies. One is a New Zealander and the other is a Scottish but settled in New Zealand. They are touring this on their own. Seemed like around 65+ or so. I liked them instantly. I am not sure of whom else I would get to meet, because most of them have come in groups. Also saw a Srilankan family of 5 people.  Need to get ready for breakfast at 6.30 am tomorrow. The tour starts tomorrow around 7.15 am. Pretty early start as we have only tomorrow for the whole of Rome. Let us see how it goes.  Even though I slept well in the flight, I am still beat. It’s better that I get my beauty sleep otherwise I might not be fully conscious for the things that I will be seeing tomorrow.  The excitement begins. 

Looking...

I don't know why this thought crept upon me yday. So here I am trying to put it out and let it go. I don't remember much from my childhood. Hell, I don't remember much of lot of my life unless it has had some impact on me. Talk about selective amnesia or may be just plain old denial. Whatever...But every now and then this one memory creeps upon me.

I was in high school, if my memory serves me right. I was watching TV and was so engrossed in it. My mom wanted me to get the comb for her. I was not happy to take my eyes off the TV. But then if I don't, then my mom will give me hell, so I get up and check the shelf and tell her that it wasn't there and go back to my TV. She told me that it was there and that I should get up now and get it for her. So I do the second attempt to fetch it and I really don't see it there, so I tell her that she might have misplaced it and happily go back to TV. She gets up, goes to the same shelf, gets the comb from the same damn shelf that I have been looking and then comes back to me and catches me by my ear and gives me a earful. After a few seconds, I tune out her words and I start laughing making her more pissed off. But honestly, the only thing I remembered at that time was that I was almost all the time looking at the comb every time I searched but never seeing it. Because I was more concentrated on my TV. My looking was just a way to get her off me so that she won't disturb me :).

I don't know why, but every time I misplace something and search for it, I remember this incident. Then if I don't find it the first time, I put some more concentration to really look for the lost item. Recently, when I was talking to my friend about everything and yet nothing, I realized how in life, there were quite a lot of things that I looked at, but never saw the things for what they were, because  I was not prepared for what I would feel if I really see it and understand it , I was worried that I was looking too much into things and mostly I was just plain stupid. When it matters, how I really don't see things that are laid out before me, just like the comb. But life has been good to me and has always give me more than one chance and I have had good people to help me see. I have also been trying to do good on my part to not repeat the same thing over and over again. But its sort of a pattern and I find myself in it too many time even without myself realizing it. That is why that particular memory doesn't ever go away. I won't deny that at times, just looking at things and not really seeing into it helps, because it makes me a little less judgmental but that is also my undoing. It also leads to hurt especially when someone makes me see it in black and white. I know I am rambling a bit here, but  another incident invoked this memory again in me. I definitely feel bad about it, but then I am a tough gal.   I just hope that I don't miss anything important in my life, just because I am not seeing it enough. That would suck. 

Hot and Hotter

When I thought last year's summer in Bangalore was hotter than the previous year, well it's hotter now than the previous year... So year by year Bangalore's summers equals the likes of Coimbatore (it can be really sultry out there in Summer) and, to most extent, that of Chennai (as far as I hear from my friends). Since I am in Bangalore now for almost 3 weeks (actually sort of stranded here) I can only imagine how it would be in Hyderabad. I heard that it is like being in an oven :). This is the first summer (or the starting of it) where my capacity of my fan is being stress tested. It is running almost 24/7 (a small advantage of having an inverter). I go to sleep almost the early hours of the next day thinking that it might be a little better in the early mornings...but nope...all I do is wake up feeling sweaty and sneezing (God knows why). I just can't sleep after 7 am max..its that hot. Earlier I used to think twice before taking my car to places like BDA complex because getting a parking is difficult. But now, I don't care..I am ready to hunt for parking spaces but I need my car and my A/C and some very loud music (currently Linkin Park's Living things and 2013 Grammy's collections is playing non stop in my car). What has the world come to... But one good and bright thing of this... I get to wear my coolers or shades or sunglasses or whatever it is called most of the time. I have a weakness for it... that doesn't mean I wear it like in Billa (Ajit's) movie or something...but I do prefer to wear it whenever I get a chance...

Two days of rain in Bangalore did nothing to quench this heat. And to think that this is just the beginning... Oh God... Its all our doing so we have to bear its brunt. Hardly any trees, too many buildings, less ground water... I am going to get some reprieve from it for some time from next week ;) but will be back by the time Agni Natchathiram starts :(. If only I can escape some where till June...