The breakfast at the Crowne Plaza hotel was one of the best of the tour so far. With a full stomach, we started off on the tour of the Dutch capital and surrounding areas. The chill wind couldn’t dampen our spirits today as everyone was looking forward to the day with the least travel. The Dutch are a very enterprising lot. Starting with preserving the Herring fish for over a year, the Dutch had made a name for themselves as very shrewd traders. They were one of the first European countries to be unified, possibly the first European republic, started the first limited company through issue of shares, started the first modern stock market, gave rise to the first bank (Bank of Amsterdam) a hundred years before the Bank of England was established, and started the multinational company called the Dutch East Indian Company. It was one of the great powers between the 14th and 18th centuries.
The city tour started off with a visit to the cheese farm on the outskirts, which was filled with a beautiful spread of blue in the sky, green on the ground, and white on the frozen lakes that feed the wind mills. The Dutch are very famous at using wind mills, and it’s a very ingenious idea in using what they have (water) to make up for the lack of natural resources. After all these days of snow and cathedrals amongst the great mountains, the spread of colors over the flat countryside was very pleasing to the eye. We went to see a demonstration of cheese making, where I was surprised to see how hard a two year old cheese can be. After sifting around in the souvenir shops and walking around the beautiful landscape, we got on the bus for a short trip to Volendam.
The streets in Netherlands are really small, with cars, buses, trams and cyclists all sharing the same space, except in the city centre where they have separate cycle tracks. In took us longer to find a parking space than to travel to Volendam. Volendam is a beautiful little village on the shores of Holland, with a few parallel lanes of houses lining up the shores. The famous dykes of Holland save the houses from the power of the North sea, but they are hardly a few meters high. We can fully appreciate the danger posed by global warming in places like Holland, where 60% of the land is below sea level. Volendam has a great stretch for shopping, with souvenir items being much cheaper than at the other places. We also had our lunch here in one of the food outlets, including vegetable salad, fries and tomato soup. I realized how careful you need to be with your words in Europe when I got a big stare on ordering French fries. Most of Europe has been fighting amongst themselves for hundreds of years, so you have to be careful with associating something with the country. The houses in this part of the world are beautifully decorated, and most of the windows are not drawn, giving the keen onlooker a wonderful view of the beauty of the halls and rooms. Porcelain items and paintings are a big draw here, along with lace curtains.
After lunch in Volendam, we went for the Amsterdam river cruise through which we got to know the true blue Amsterdam. It was like the modern Venice, with an intricate network of canals and locks to keep the height of water in check. The buildings of Amsterdam that line up the shoreline are distinctive with its lack of gaps between the walls of buildings. Due to the lack of space, the Amsterdam dwellers are charged by the width of their houses, so they build houses which are narrow and deep. We heard that the stairs are quite narrow as well, so they shift their stuff mostly through the windows. Most of the houses are three windows wide, which open up to move stuff in and out. The canals themselves are home to many, similar to the Ton Le Sap River in Cambodia. House boats line up the canals here, but are strictly regulated with no new house boats possible due to lack of space. These boats can cost from 200 to 500k Euros, which is a pretty costly affair if you want to be floating around in Amsterdam. The low level bridges and the locks are pretty cool. I could even touch those bridges when we were going below them. There are more than 88 beautiful canals in Amsterdam, connecting the city. Outside, the phenomenal Delta project run by the government ensures that the city can run efficiently below the sea level. There are a phenomenally large number of cycles around the streets of Amsterdam, and the parking lot is extremely jam packed, with each stand holding upto 4000 bicycles. God knows how they manage to even find their cycle from the stand.
We went to Gassan diamond factory at the end of the cruise, where there was a demonstration of how they make diamonds. We got stuck there for a while and then had dinner in a Chinese restaurant nearby, before heading to the hotel. It was a glorious day with bright sunshine, temperature of about 5 degrees and a nice tour of the famous city, so all in all, a very nice day.
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The search has just begun !!!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Europe Day 8 – Rhine Cruise, Cologne and Amsterdam
We traveled further along the Rhine this morning to commence a cruise down the river. Germany is known to be quite strict with its numerous regulations, and this stretch of the Rhine river bordered by old castles have been regulated as well, to keep with the old traditions. The dawn sky looked fabulous on the way to the Rhine. A nice hour long cruise was started amidst light snowfall which was very pleasant. I took a cup of Denmark ice cream to complement the chill weather outside. The ice cream with nuts and whipped cream was a treat, and nothing like anything I ever tasted before. The dairy products over here in Europe are so pure and creamy and it just melts in your mouth. There are quite a few castles over the Rhine, built to protect the kings and knights against the invading armies. We leant about the ways how they built the fortresses, how they lived inside and how the invading armies usually go about destroying it. There are some nice stories surrounding the castles themselves and the forests nearby. The river itself was greenish in keeping with the surrounding rocks. The Rhine seems to be the heart line of goods transport in this area with many cargo liners going past us during our short trip.
Once we were done with the cruise, we took a 2 hour trip to Cologne, to visit the famous Cathedral, which has been classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. This cathedral took over 600 years to complete and houses the relic of the 3 kings who offered geese to Jesus. The cathedral is huge with the dome rising more than 160 meters. It has a very flimsy look, but from inside it is quite sturdy. The 10000 sq m of stained glasses that adorn this cathedral inspires awe. The clarity of the paintings on glass is astonishing. We looked around the cathedral, which is based on the trinity concept of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. The relic itself is placed in a golden casket at the altar. We had a quick lunch at McDonalds. There were a few Chinese staff, which was no surprise now. However, they couldn’t understand simple English like “no meat”, and I struggled to explain to them that I am a vegetarian and I needed something to eat. Finally, her German superior made sense out of it, and I got myself a burger and salad. In Europe, we need to pay extra for the sauce, and I got a couple of chilli sauce packets to go with it. In keeping with the quality of food in Europe, both items tasted fresh and delicious and very different from what I am used to in Singapore.
It was a long 4 hour drive to Amsterdam, so I slept most of the way. We stopped for a quick halt along the highway inside Holland. Netherlands is a very liberal country and it was no surprise finding porn magazines on the shelf, which guys were very eager to browse through while their wives, girlfriends and moms were desperate to drag them away. What was funny though was to see a teen guy beg his mom to get a copy of playboy. You can travel in your parents’ company and get them to pay for your trip, but at least you need to have some money in your pocket to buy what you want: P Of course the poor guy never got what he wanted. The Singaporean customs officials won’t be too liberal even if he had managed to convince his mom! We went to the city centre in Amsterdam where there were a few restaurants, including Indian and Chinese. While waiting for our seats in the crowded Chinese restaurant, we had a glimpse into the equally packed Indian restaurant next door and a souvenir shop. Most of the souvenirs made it obvious the city’s status as the sex capital of the world. There should be something in the air, as adult jokes were in free flow all of a sudden amongst the guys. Once the food was ready though, the priority changed and we gobbled up the not so great Chinese vegetarian dinner before heading back to the hotel near the airport. Tomorrow, we will get to know what this city is all about.
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The search has just begun !!!
Once we were done with the cruise, we took a 2 hour trip to Cologne, to visit the famous Cathedral, which has been classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. This cathedral took over 600 years to complete and houses the relic of the 3 kings who offered geese to Jesus. The cathedral is huge with the dome rising more than 160 meters. It has a very flimsy look, but from inside it is quite sturdy. The 10000 sq m of stained glasses that adorn this cathedral inspires awe. The clarity of the paintings on glass is astonishing. We looked around the cathedral, which is based on the trinity concept of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. The relic itself is placed in a golden casket at the altar. We had a quick lunch at McDonalds. There were a few Chinese staff, which was no surprise now. However, they couldn’t understand simple English like “no meat”, and I struggled to explain to them that I am a vegetarian and I needed something to eat. Finally, her German superior made sense out of it, and I got myself a burger and salad. In Europe, we need to pay extra for the sauce, and I got a couple of chilli sauce packets to go with it. In keeping with the quality of food in Europe, both items tasted fresh and delicious and very different from what I am used to in Singapore.
It was a long 4 hour drive to Amsterdam, so I slept most of the way. We stopped for a quick halt along the highway inside Holland. Netherlands is a very liberal country and it was no surprise finding porn magazines on the shelf, which guys were very eager to browse through while their wives, girlfriends and moms were desperate to drag them away. What was funny though was to see a teen guy beg his mom to get a copy of playboy. You can travel in your parents’ company and get them to pay for your trip, but at least you need to have some money in your pocket to buy what you want: P Of course the poor guy never got what he wanted. The Singaporean customs officials won’t be too liberal even if he had managed to convince his mom! We went to the city centre in Amsterdam where there were a few restaurants, including Indian and Chinese. While waiting for our seats in the crowded Chinese restaurant, we had a glimpse into the equally packed Indian restaurant next door and a souvenir shop. Most of the souvenirs made it obvious the city’s status as the sex capital of the world. There should be something in the air, as adult jokes were in free flow all of a sudden amongst the guys. Once the food was ready though, the priority changed and we gobbled up the not so great Chinese vegetarian dinner before heading back to the hotel near the airport. Tomorrow, we will get to know what this city is all about.
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
Europe Day 7 – Rhine Falls, Titisee and Heidelberg
The day started brightly with a lot of sun. We started off on time for the 2 hour drive towards Rhine falls in Schauffhausen canton of Switzerland. More of the beautiful scenery was outside, but everyone was tired from the high altitude stresses yesterday, so most of the trip there was slept off. When we arrived at the Rhine, the sun was shining so brightly that I did not get perturbed by the 0 degrees temperature and ventured outside with just a jacket. One thing about Europe in winter is to not be swayed away by the apparent brightness of the sun. The temperature and the wind by the falls made it bitterly cold to stay out without any gloves or cap. I thought Rhine falls was in Germany and so I put all my Swiss francs in my suitcase, which was a mistake as we lost out on a desperately needed hot cup of coffee. The Rhine falls is the largest falls in Europe, which pours 160000 liters of water per second from 23 meters up. The scenery around the Rhine was spectacular, with a castle, a wide river and some old factories lining up the shores. Even spotted a Siemens office there, so if anyone is working there and want to go onsite, you know what place to choose We took some photos and off we went again.
The drive from Rhineland to Titisee was one of the most beautiful drives we have had on this tour, with slippery and winding mountain roads with numerous hairpins. The drive also took us past the border into Germany. With heavy snowfall, the ride through the famous Black forest was irony very white. The landscape as far as the eye could see was filled with snow. I didn’t expect Germany to have more snow than Switzerland, but that’s the way it was here. I was surprised to hear that it takes 3 generations to harvest the fig trees that are abundant in this place. This temperate rainforest is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. The bus had to take detour a couple of times as the usual roads were too slippery for the driver’s comfort. When we finally reached Titisee, with a population of 30000, the guard there had already seen more than 30000 tourists today even in this cold wintry morning.
Lake Titisee is wide 2 sq km lake, which is 480m above sea level with a beautiful backdrop of the black forest. We walked along the brick road to the lake, which was frozen! This was the first time in my life that I had seen a frozen lake Titisee is famous for its marvelous cuckoo clocks, and we went for a short demonstration on the clock making. The clock parts are got from different villages and assembled together. We hurried for a special black forest lunch which contained the local specialties of pork knuckle and a lovely black forest cake. The vegetarian meal contained a very nice mashed vegetarian patty, looking similar to hash browns. The lunch was surprisingly very filling and very nice to taste. During the meal, I could sense the German obsession with timing. Every second of delay with us finishing an item made them really restless, as if the world would collapse the next moment. The German sophistication was also on display with the numerous beer glasses being dried using a centrifuge in a matter of a few seconds. Now, who would imagine that!
After lunch, we went to the frozen lake, where some ducks were trying their best to keep a small puddle of water from freezing by furiously flapping themselves. Some local kids tried to help by breaking the ice. The water was not very cold to touch, compared to the surrounding. The other thing about this place was the obsession with dogs. Almost everyone had dogs and some of the smaller ones were dressed in down jackets, which made them look very cute. Some of the bigger dogs were really BIG and scary. The snow in this place was rock hard and more like ice than the powdery ones that we found on top of Mt Titlis, which wasn’t to my liking. But it was nice to touch and feel the chill run up your hand and numb it in seconds.
The next part of the day was the long 4 hour drive from Titisee to Heidelberg. The snows disappeared from the landscapes and became more flat as we went along. Our photographic hearts sank along with the snow and we tried to sleep most of our way, except for a short break in between. When we reached Heidelberg, it was dark and cold. Heidelberg is a scenic small town on the banks of the river Neckar, famous for its centuries old bridge, castle fort and nice town square. We went to a Chinese restaurant in the town and took some pictures along the bridge. We also spotted a Taj Tandoori restaurant in this place. Wind usually blows over these rivers giving rise to the intense chill. With all our warm clothes on, it was still freezing. Chemical hand warmers are very useful in these places. Today was filled with travel, and marked the halfway point of our trip, which I am sure will be an unforgettable experience.
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
The drive from Rhineland to Titisee was one of the most beautiful drives we have had on this tour, with slippery and winding mountain roads with numerous hairpins. The drive also took us past the border into Germany. With heavy snowfall, the ride through the famous Black forest was irony very white. The landscape as far as the eye could see was filled with snow. I didn’t expect Germany to have more snow than Switzerland, but that’s the way it was here. I was surprised to hear that it takes 3 generations to harvest the fig trees that are abundant in this place. This temperate rainforest is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. The bus had to take detour a couple of times as the usual roads were too slippery for the driver’s comfort. When we finally reached Titisee, with a population of 30000, the guard there had already seen more than 30000 tourists today even in this cold wintry morning.
Lake Titisee is wide 2 sq km lake, which is 480m above sea level with a beautiful backdrop of the black forest. We walked along the brick road to the lake, which was frozen! This was the first time in my life that I had seen a frozen lake Titisee is famous for its marvelous cuckoo clocks, and we went for a short demonstration on the clock making. The clock parts are got from different villages and assembled together. We hurried for a special black forest lunch which contained the local specialties of pork knuckle and a lovely black forest cake. The vegetarian meal contained a very nice mashed vegetarian patty, looking similar to hash browns. The lunch was surprisingly very filling and very nice to taste. During the meal, I could sense the German obsession with timing. Every second of delay with us finishing an item made them really restless, as if the world would collapse the next moment. The German sophistication was also on display with the numerous beer glasses being dried using a centrifuge in a matter of a few seconds. Now, who would imagine that!
After lunch, we went to the frozen lake, where some ducks were trying their best to keep a small puddle of water from freezing by furiously flapping themselves. Some local kids tried to help by breaking the ice. The water was not very cold to touch, compared to the surrounding. The other thing about this place was the obsession with dogs. Almost everyone had dogs and some of the smaller ones were dressed in down jackets, which made them look very cute. Some of the bigger dogs were really BIG and scary. The snow in this place was rock hard and more like ice than the powdery ones that we found on top of Mt Titlis, which wasn’t to my liking. But it was nice to touch and feel the chill run up your hand and numb it in seconds.
The next part of the day was the long 4 hour drive from Titisee to Heidelberg. The snows disappeared from the landscapes and became more flat as we went along. Our photographic hearts sank along with the snow and we tried to sleep most of our way, except for a short break in between. When we reached Heidelberg, it was dark and cold. Heidelberg is a scenic small town on the banks of the river Neckar, famous for its centuries old bridge, castle fort and nice town square. We went to a Chinese restaurant in the town and took some pictures along the bridge. We also spotted a Taj Tandoori restaurant in this place. Wind usually blows over these rivers giving rise to the intense chill. With all our warm clothes on, it was still freezing. Chemical hand warmers are very useful in these places. Today was filled with travel, and marked the halfway point of our trip, which I am sure will be an unforgettable experience.
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
Europe Day 6 – Lucerne
A thing I noted in the last 3 days in Austria and Switzerland is that there are many Chinese people around, and I reasoned that it might due to the increased number of Chinese tourists who cannot speak English. And they do bring new ideas and use their connections to get more travel agencies to tie up with their place of work, like hotels and shopping complexes. And based on the small talk this morning, I confirmed that Chinese were good businessmen. The guys were chatting about how they get their Rolexes from here on heavy discount and go back home and sell them for a huge profit. On the other hand, I felt that doing business on travel makes them enjoy the travel a bit lesser and give more importance to the associated shopping.
I came on this European trip primarily for this day. This day started off beautifully, with overnight rain clearing up the sky. The roads were deserted as today was Christmas day, except for a few buses, in which almost everyone carries their pet dogs as well. I did spare a thought for all those people in the Service sectors, who need to do their job and wouldn’t be able to spend Christmas with their families, like our coach captain who has a lovely 3 year old daughter. We went to the Lion Monument, the symbol of the Swiss guard and took a few pictures. The sad looking lion is a symbol of faith and loyalty until the last breath. The tour manager told an elaborate story around this monument, but I was too busy using my camera to bother much. We even spotted an Indian restaurant Kanchi nearby, but as with everything else, it was closed.
Next up was my favorite part of the tour, the climb up Mount Titlis. We had seen a few pictures prior to booking the tour and it looked awesome. We went in the bus till the base and took a series of 3 cable cars to reach the top, the last of which is the first rotating cable car in the world. The view was simply stunning during the journey with the snow covered slopes forming the core of the spectacular scenery. Given that this was the main activity of today, we had more than 3 hours at the top, which was great. We were cursing a lack of snowfall during the trip, but on the top, it was snowing constantly. We could admire the beautiful structure of the snow flakes as they dropped onto our hands. We were covered with all the warm clothes we had, but we were a bit skeptical about the sports shoes that we had, which might get wet. So, we wore two pairs of woolen socks each, and it turned out to be a wise decision as our feet did not become too cold.
The top of Mt Titlis stands at 10000 feet and it recorded a temperature of -10 degrees Celsius today. That itself wouldn’t have been too bad, but for the strong wind at the top around 30 kmph. The first time we went out in the snow, it was too cold for me to bear, although I had myself covered from head to toe. We had a bit of an experience in the snowy conditions, but had to return back into the roof within 10 minutes. I was so freezing cold that I felt numb especially in my hands and face. I was guilty of trying to act smart and make a snow ball with my bare hands. I had also lost the feeling in my nose and it was more like a squishy lobe when I touched it. I couldn’t see my nose, but I could see my wife’s had turned all black. I have seen a lot of Discovery serials about people being caught out on the snow and Mt Everest treks and so on, but this was the real deal. What a first experience with snow. We then went for a hot lunch. We heard about an Indian restaurant up here, but that seemed to have closed this winter, so we had to make do with some French fries, salad, spaghetti and cappuccino/ shocolade. But I was sick of the constant spaghetti bash in my stomach, so I acted a bit rashly by overdoing the fries, which I had to waste. Switzerland costs a bomb and a simple lunch cost us around Fr 60, which is close to Rs 3000. I had a gulp when I realized that I was sorely running out of Swiss francs and our dinner was at stake.
Having a hot lunch (and it was searing hot) in my stomach and having had a taste of snow, literally, made us better prepared next time around. We had taken a plastic cover which enabled us to slide around in the snow easily, given us an exhilarating experience. The snow was so soft and powdery, and it spits in your face and just melts away seamlessly. It is not like rain which keeps dripping, but it just disappears without a trace once you are in warmer weather, leaving you a bit cold though. We had great fun throwing snow bombs, making snow man and playing around in the abundant snow. The brain reacts a bit slower in these conditions. Before I could comprehend what my wife said, the plastic cover she handed over to me just flew off, and off it went with the wind. I realized it a second later and gave chase, but the wind was just too strong, and it just flew away. Having given up on the precious plastic, we started trekking to the other end of the cliff. It was probably a kilometer long, and we thoroughly enjoyed the trek. In the far reaches of the peak, the snow was so soft that my leg went in almost knee deep. And like it happened with the glove yesterday, God sure didn’t want to disappoint us during this trip. I saw the plastic cover fluttering on the guard rails at the far end like a caged butterfly. I lifted it carefully and presented the trophy to my wife, who couldn’t be bothered less. But what a view we got at that point, with cliffs hanging around precariously. We stayed there for a few minutes before I felt my hands starting to get numb. Knowing that we had a long trek back, I turned around and realized to my shock that we could see not more than a few meters ahead, with thick fog eclipsing everything else. I thought I will feature in the next episode of “I shouldn’t be alive”, if I were to make it out of here :P We carefully mapped the path we had taken earlier and retraced the same path, trying to stay away from the guard poles along the way. We were surprised to see a few skiers starting to ski down slope just as we were coming back in that thick fog, but they would be more used to these conditions than we were. It was such a relief when we finally made it into the roof, and within a couple of minutes, I was back to normal again. We took a quick break and couldn’t resist a couple of other minor excursions out into the wild snowy peak. The snow shower became thicker, but our hearts melted away faster than the snow flakes at this experience.
We went to a photo shop below and were made to wear a traditional Swiss dress and pose with a yoodle. While collecting the framed photo, I was surprised to see Virender Sehwag and Nana Patekar staring at us there, from similar photos. Arghhh, if Sehwag can do it, so can I! We went down through the cable cars, but I began to miss the mountain already. Our perky single tour manager proudly announced that he had SMS-ed his ex-girl friend whom he claims is unhappily married. “Wishing you a Merry Christmas from 10000 feet above in Mt Titlis and wishing you were here with me.”
Having come down from the highs of the mountains around 4.30pm, we went for a walk around this small town. We had glimpses of the beautiful swan lake, a bridge built in 1333 and numerous buildings with distinctive architectures. The shops above the ground were all closed, but the weather was much better than yesterday, so it was pleasant walking around. A 5 minute walk from the hotel lies the railway station, which was bustling compared to the rest of the town which was aghast today. We found quite a few Indians wandering about, who might have been here on-site from one of the numerous Indian IT companies with Swiss clientele. I was impressed with an inter-city train departing Lucerne every 2 minutes. The sleeping coaches are single deckers while the seating coaches were double deckers. It was nostalgic for my wife who had spent the better part of this decade traveling between Chennai and Bangalore. We did find that all the shops in the railway station were functioning as normal, including supermarkets, shops and eateries. We did a quick roundup and found packed Bombay pulav in the supermarket and Indian vegetarian fried rice in an eatery run by Indians, which we promptly had for dinner.
Mount Titlis was indeed a truly wonderful Christmas present for everyone on this tour, especially for us who had never felt snow in our hands before. Good things never last, but then how many people were doing better things this Christmas? Off to a different country tomorrow after a good night’s sleep, knowing that I had a truly wonderful experience today. And that I didn’t run out of Swiss francs and compromise my dinner.
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
I came on this European trip primarily for this day. This day started off beautifully, with overnight rain clearing up the sky. The roads were deserted as today was Christmas day, except for a few buses, in which almost everyone carries their pet dogs as well. I did spare a thought for all those people in the Service sectors, who need to do their job and wouldn’t be able to spend Christmas with their families, like our coach captain who has a lovely 3 year old daughter. We went to the Lion Monument, the symbol of the Swiss guard and took a few pictures. The sad looking lion is a symbol of faith and loyalty until the last breath. The tour manager told an elaborate story around this monument, but I was too busy using my camera to bother much. We even spotted an Indian restaurant Kanchi nearby, but as with everything else, it was closed.
Next up was my favorite part of the tour, the climb up Mount Titlis. We had seen a few pictures prior to booking the tour and it looked awesome. We went in the bus till the base and took a series of 3 cable cars to reach the top, the last of which is the first rotating cable car in the world. The view was simply stunning during the journey with the snow covered slopes forming the core of the spectacular scenery. Given that this was the main activity of today, we had more than 3 hours at the top, which was great. We were cursing a lack of snowfall during the trip, but on the top, it was snowing constantly. We could admire the beautiful structure of the snow flakes as they dropped onto our hands. We were covered with all the warm clothes we had, but we were a bit skeptical about the sports shoes that we had, which might get wet. So, we wore two pairs of woolen socks each, and it turned out to be a wise decision as our feet did not become too cold.
The top of Mt Titlis stands at 10000 feet and it recorded a temperature of -10 degrees Celsius today. That itself wouldn’t have been too bad, but for the strong wind at the top around 30 kmph. The first time we went out in the snow, it was too cold for me to bear, although I had myself covered from head to toe. We had a bit of an experience in the snowy conditions, but had to return back into the roof within 10 minutes. I was so freezing cold that I felt numb especially in my hands and face. I was guilty of trying to act smart and make a snow ball with my bare hands. I had also lost the feeling in my nose and it was more like a squishy lobe when I touched it. I couldn’t see my nose, but I could see my wife’s had turned all black. I have seen a lot of Discovery serials about people being caught out on the snow and Mt Everest treks and so on, but this was the real deal. What a first experience with snow. We then went for a hot lunch. We heard about an Indian restaurant up here, but that seemed to have closed this winter, so we had to make do with some French fries, salad, spaghetti and cappuccino/ shocolade. But I was sick of the constant spaghetti bash in my stomach, so I acted a bit rashly by overdoing the fries, which I had to waste. Switzerland costs a bomb and a simple lunch cost us around Fr 60, which is close to Rs 3000. I had a gulp when I realized that I was sorely running out of Swiss francs and our dinner was at stake.
Having a hot lunch (and it was searing hot) in my stomach and having had a taste of snow, literally, made us better prepared next time around. We had taken a plastic cover which enabled us to slide around in the snow easily, given us an exhilarating experience. The snow was so soft and powdery, and it spits in your face and just melts away seamlessly. It is not like rain which keeps dripping, but it just disappears without a trace once you are in warmer weather, leaving you a bit cold though. We had great fun throwing snow bombs, making snow man and playing around in the abundant snow. The brain reacts a bit slower in these conditions. Before I could comprehend what my wife said, the plastic cover she handed over to me just flew off, and off it went with the wind. I realized it a second later and gave chase, but the wind was just too strong, and it just flew away. Having given up on the precious plastic, we started trekking to the other end of the cliff. It was probably a kilometer long, and we thoroughly enjoyed the trek. In the far reaches of the peak, the snow was so soft that my leg went in almost knee deep. And like it happened with the glove yesterday, God sure didn’t want to disappoint us during this trip. I saw the plastic cover fluttering on the guard rails at the far end like a caged butterfly. I lifted it carefully and presented the trophy to my wife, who couldn’t be bothered less. But what a view we got at that point, with cliffs hanging around precariously. We stayed there for a few minutes before I felt my hands starting to get numb. Knowing that we had a long trek back, I turned around and realized to my shock that we could see not more than a few meters ahead, with thick fog eclipsing everything else. I thought I will feature in the next episode of “I shouldn’t be alive”, if I were to make it out of here :P We carefully mapped the path we had taken earlier and retraced the same path, trying to stay away from the guard poles along the way. We were surprised to see a few skiers starting to ski down slope just as we were coming back in that thick fog, but they would be more used to these conditions than we were. It was such a relief when we finally made it into the roof, and within a couple of minutes, I was back to normal again. We took a quick break and couldn’t resist a couple of other minor excursions out into the wild snowy peak. The snow shower became thicker, but our hearts melted away faster than the snow flakes at this experience.
We went to a photo shop below and were made to wear a traditional Swiss dress and pose with a yoodle. While collecting the framed photo, I was surprised to see Virender Sehwag and Nana Patekar staring at us there, from similar photos. Arghhh, if Sehwag can do it, so can I! We went down through the cable cars, but I began to miss the mountain already. Our perky single tour manager proudly announced that he had SMS-ed his ex-girl friend whom he claims is unhappily married. “Wishing you a Merry Christmas from 10000 feet above in Mt Titlis and wishing you were here with me.”
Having come down from the highs of the mountains around 4.30pm, we went for a walk around this small town. We had glimpses of the beautiful swan lake, a bridge built in 1333 and numerous buildings with distinctive architectures. The shops above the ground were all closed, but the weather was much better than yesterday, so it was pleasant walking around. A 5 minute walk from the hotel lies the railway station, which was bustling compared to the rest of the town which was aghast today. We found quite a few Indians wandering about, who might have been here on-site from one of the numerous Indian IT companies with Swiss clientele. I was impressed with an inter-city train departing Lucerne every 2 minutes. The sleeping coaches are single deckers while the seating coaches were double deckers. It was nostalgic for my wife who had spent the better part of this decade traveling between Chennai and Bangalore. We did find that all the shops in the railway station were functioning as normal, including supermarkets, shops and eateries. We did a quick roundup and found packed Bombay pulav in the supermarket and Indian vegetarian fried rice in an eatery run by Indians, which we promptly had for dinner.
Mount Titlis was indeed a truly wonderful Christmas present for everyone on this tour, especially for us who had never felt snow in our hands before. Good things never last, but then how many people were doing better things this Christmas? Off to a different country tomorrow after a good night’s sleep, knowing that I had a truly wonderful experience today. And that I didn’t run out of Swiss francs and compromise my dinner.
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Europe Day 5 – Innsbruck and Lucerne
The breakfast at Salzburg was pretty good, especially the cake was yummy. Yoghurt seems to feature in the breakfast in Europe, at least in Italy and Austria so far, and I loved it along with the fruits on offer. We kicked off quite early in the morning having only one aim; to reach Lucerne in time for some shopping and dinner. We heard that the shops close there by 4pm with some shops open till 6pm, so it was a rush against time from the start.
We went to Innsbruck first, stopping briefly at Auto Grill for some hot chocolate (Shocolade in these parts). Innsbruck is a small town in Austria with a population of about 150k, named after the Inns river that flows through the town with a fabulous background of the Austrian Alps. Innsbruck immediately struck me as a more commercial town than Salzburg, with buses and trams, residential apartments and a very lively Christmas atmosphere. The small streets had been decorated very well by the residents, with various life-size dolls hanging alongside the houses. It was very different and an exciting experience.
The world famous crystal shop Swarovski is based out of Innsbruck with a factory nearby. It was a very rushed, but very enjoyable experience looking through their impressive collection. Once we were done with a flower and bird at Swarovski, we were on the road again towards Switzerland. The mountain ranges were whiter, with more snow capped mountains filling up my camera. I have taken more than a thousand pictures so far under 5 days, and it can only get bigger. Suddenly, I realized that I haven’t changed the time zone on my camera, ensuring that the pictures were embossed with the date as of Singapore, rendering all photos taken after 5pm to be the next date. I had realized this when I was at the Singapore airport, but then I totally misjudged my memory power, leading to this pathetic mistake.
By this time, the tour manager had established a rapport with the traveling party, and started rambling with his life story interlaced with humor and wit. He smartly injects his meaningless talks with points of note, history, geography, philosophy, art and music. I have a feeling that he might be worried about his customers being bored, but with a scenery as abound as the one outside, that’s the last thing to happen even on 6-7 hr journey between places. The Alps has countless tunnels, and some of it is quite long. Sometimes, it acts as a distraction to a photo shoot, but usually offers some breather between spectacular views, where we can try to doze off. Invariably the eyes open once the sun comes out of the other end. I couldn’t help admiring the hard work that should have gone into building these highways in these places.
We passed through into Switzerland at about 2.30pm, a new country and a new currency for the next two days. Liechtenstein is a small principality of about 160 sq km, which we passed within 10 minutes. Next up was the highway to Luzern, which is the German form of Lucerne. I have read a lot about this wonderful place, which is a 20 mins walk end to end and is the tourist capital of Switzerland, as three of the famous mountains are accessible from here, and it has a beautiful lake nicknamed the Swan Lake, which is full of, guess what, swans. Switzerland is not all snow as people expect. It is a very nice mix of green hillsides, snow capped mountains and beautiful lakes all blended into one. Unity in diversity also applies to its languages and religion, with German, French and Italian all widely spoken. We arrived at 3.30pm and were supposed to buy whatever we can by 6pm.
We went to Bucharer, which is the largest retailer of watches and jeweler in Switzerland, famous for its premium Rolex. Pressed for time, we threw in whatever we could get our hands on, and not shockingly raked up a huge bill. We then went out to find out a pitch dark sky at 4.10pm and the wind blowing extremely cold. We went to the next shop that was open and shopped around a bit more, and then got some bread to munch for dinner. We spotted a couple of Indian honeymooners shopping around as well. People were running here and there to find an open shop without much luck. Having not had lunch and exposed to an extreme cold, I was running a mild headache and desperately wanted to eat something. We went to the nearby McDonalds to hear that they have closed. I came back to the central square by the lake only to find that one of my gloves had disappeared. The cold weather took over and made my hands numb within a few minutes. Never underestimate the cold, never. I was shaking all over at 5pm. Dropping all the bags in the bus, I went back in search of the missing glove. I traced back a couple of shops we had gone into, but the people here are least interested in entertaining people after their closure time, even if the person is desperately searching for his glove without which he is certain to freeze to death :P With fervent prayers in my lips, I ran around to McDonalds when a guy came out. I went around to check on my glove and caught him just as he was about to throw the glove into the bin. God does exist in cold dark high corners of the world at 6pm! What an experience today was. Tomorrow is the highlight of my trip, going on top of a 10000 feet high snowy mountain. Can’t wait to get started, with my gloves on :)
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The search has just begun !!!
We went to Innsbruck first, stopping briefly at Auto Grill for some hot chocolate (Shocolade in these parts). Innsbruck is a small town in Austria with a population of about 150k, named after the Inns river that flows through the town with a fabulous background of the Austrian Alps. Innsbruck immediately struck me as a more commercial town than Salzburg, with buses and trams, residential apartments and a very lively Christmas atmosphere. The small streets had been decorated very well by the residents, with various life-size dolls hanging alongside the houses. It was very different and an exciting experience.
The world famous crystal shop Swarovski is based out of Innsbruck with a factory nearby. It was a very rushed, but very enjoyable experience looking through their impressive collection. Once we were done with a flower and bird at Swarovski, we were on the road again towards Switzerland. The mountain ranges were whiter, with more snow capped mountains filling up my camera. I have taken more than a thousand pictures so far under 5 days, and it can only get bigger. Suddenly, I realized that I haven’t changed the time zone on my camera, ensuring that the pictures were embossed with the date as of Singapore, rendering all photos taken after 5pm to be the next date. I had realized this when I was at the Singapore airport, but then I totally misjudged my memory power, leading to this pathetic mistake.
By this time, the tour manager had established a rapport with the traveling party, and started rambling with his life story interlaced with humor and wit. He smartly injects his meaningless talks with points of note, history, geography, philosophy, art and music. I have a feeling that he might be worried about his customers being bored, but with a scenery as abound as the one outside, that’s the last thing to happen even on 6-7 hr journey between places. The Alps has countless tunnels, and some of it is quite long. Sometimes, it acts as a distraction to a photo shoot, but usually offers some breather between spectacular views, where we can try to doze off. Invariably the eyes open once the sun comes out of the other end. I couldn’t help admiring the hard work that should have gone into building these highways in these places.
We passed through into Switzerland at about 2.30pm, a new country and a new currency for the next two days. Liechtenstein is a small principality of about 160 sq km, which we passed within 10 minutes. Next up was the highway to Luzern, which is the German form of Lucerne. I have read a lot about this wonderful place, which is a 20 mins walk end to end and is the tourist capital of Switzerland, as three of the famous mountains are accessible from here, and it has a beautiful lake nicknamed the Swan Lake, which is full of, guess what, swans. Switzerland is not all snow as people expect. It is a very nice mix of green hillsides, snow capped mountains and beautiful lakes all blended into one. Unity in diversity also applies to its languages and religion, with German, French and Italian all widely spoken. We arrived at 3.30pm and were supposed to buy whatever we can by 6pm.
We went to Bucharer, which is the largest retailer of watches and jeweler in Switzerland, famous for its premium Rolex. Pressed for time, we threw in whatever we could get our hands on, and not shockingly raked up a huge bill. We then went out to find out a pitch dark sky at 4.10pm and the wind blowing extremely cold. We went to the next shop that was open and shopped around a bit more, and then got some bread to munch for dinner. We spotted a couple of Indian honeymooners shopping around as well. People were running here and there to find an open shop without much luck. Having not had lunch and exposed to an extreme cold, I was running a mild headache and desperately wanted to eat something. We went to the nearby McDonalds to hear that they have closed. I came back to the central square by the lake only to find that one of my gloves had disappeared. The cold weather took over and made my hands numb within a few minutes. Never underestimate the cold, never. I was shaking all over at 5pm. Dropping all the bags in the bus, I went back in search of the missing glove. I traced back a couple of shops we had gone into, but the people here are least interested in entertaining people after their closure time, even if the person is desperately searching for his glove without which he is certain to freeze to death :P With fervent prayers in my lips, I ran around to McDonalds when a guy came out. I went around to check on my glove and caught him just as he was about to throw the glove into the bin. God does exist in cold dark high corners of the world at 6pm! What an experience today was. Tomorrow is the highlight of my trip, going on top of a 10000 feet high snowy mountain. Can’t wait to get started, with my gloves on :)
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The search has just begun !!!
Europe Day 4 – Salzburg
Looks like everyone’s heart was fluttering as we got rid of the SAD (seasonally afflicted disorder) syndrome to get ready an hour in advance! However, rules are not meant to be broken here, and we had to wait for the clock to strike 8.45am to start off. Bonjourno (good morning in Italian) to the captain and off we went. The climate was fantastic with a very pleasant 5 degrees. I was freezing in Rome at 9 degrees with all the winter clothes on a couple of days back, and I was just in my sweater today enjoying the weather. Yes, that’s how fast the body adapts! I still had my moisturizing cream and lip balm on, not to take any chances.
The journey today was through the Italian and Austrian alps, and was thoroughly memorable. They say life is measured by the moments that take your breath away, and we had plenty of those today during the transit. “Wow” came out involuntarily out of me, and by the time we passed the Austrian border, I was smiling so broadly that my neighbor said I wouldn’t want to leave this place. I didn’t, actually! What breathtaking views were bestowed upon us today. I was thanking God profusely to just feast my eyes on the natural beauty. My camera was hyperactive, but soon I realized it was fruitless. The camera is still not as powerful as the human eye, and it can only capture so much of the beauty. And compared to what I saw in front of me and what I saw on the screen, it was such a shame that I felt like deleting the picture immediately. Capturing the photo was almost like blemishing the dreamy landscapes all around me. Bliss is a state of mind where nothing else matters, and I was in pure bliss for the entire 7 hours. I did prefer the snow capped mountains of the Austrian Alps more, though! I could not believe both the world wars begun in such a serene country!
We stopped on the highway for lunch in the best location I have ever had my lunch in. What a view on offer. The Austrian food was another highlight. We have to pick whatever you want and pay according to the size of the plate. The garden salads came from the opposite slope! Rice, potatoes and vegetables were cooked in Austrian style, which was very different but equally nice. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and was smiling even broader than when I had come in. Much better than the grilled Italian eggplants! “Piatti Stupendo”. I did notice that the Austrian people were more stoic and composed than the emotional Italians. Most of them speak German, although they would hate you for life if you called them one. Italians are very fashionable people, with attention to the finer details of dressing, where you can pick any male or female to be a model. Austrians on the other hand are very serene people who are happy doing what they are doing. The Austrian gals seemed to have more natural beauty, possibly due to the low make up. They did not seem to be obsessed with the way they look, and came across as more homely. I just muttered “Danke” (Thank you) on my way out, and I would tell that they were pleased with that.
The emotional torture continued with more fabulous landscapes all along the way to Salzburg. We also caught a glimpse of quite a few cable cars and skiers on some of the gentle slopes. I would love to race down the slopes one day, but I knew it won’t happen on this trip, so was content with looking out of the window. We reached Salzburg just as the sun was going down at 4pm. Having walked through the famous Mirabell garden park, we crossed the river to catch a glimpse of the old castle that protected the great Austrian-Hungarian empire a few hundred years back. We also walked past the birthplace of Mozart and the various statues that adorn the place.
The beautiful Salzburg city was full on with Christmas celebrations with the town centre lit up and the old town church area full of Christmas stalls. The whole area had a very festive ambience, and we couldn’t help but be drawn in by the feelings. We roamed about the numerous stalls selling everything from Christmas tree decorations to artwork and winter wear, taking our time with each. We got a few mementoes and were frantically searching for the winter shoes that are waterproof. This was our last chance, as Swiss shops in Lucerne would be shut down during Christmas and we will be left out in the cold, literally. Just as we spotted the shop and the shoes we were looking for, we noticed that the shop has closed! Most of the shops here close by 6pm, so unfortunately, we were a bit too late. The shop keepers are least interested in going that extra minute for a potential customer, and that is how it is in this part of the world, even in a tourist town like Salzburg. We realized a lot of other tourists also got caught out by this timing issue.
We had our dinner at Restaurant Yuan, a Chinese restaurant with a decent ambience and dinner. But after yesterday’s gourmet meal, we were left a little disappointed, although we weren’t too hungry due to the late lunch. Having checked into the hotel quite early in preparation for a long day tomorrow, I caught up with my yesterday’s backlog to keep my tour diary up-to-date. Austria seems quite relaxed in terms of sexual content, with porn magazines on display in highway stops and erotic channels available on TV. With a lovely wife beside me, I did not dare take advantage of either: P
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
The journey today was through the Italian and Austrian alps, and was thoroughly memorable. They say life is measured by the moments that take your breath away, and we had plenty of those today during the transit. “Wow” came out involuntarily out of me, and by the time we passed the Austrian border, I was smiling so broadly that my neighbor said I wouldn’t want to leave this place. I didn’t, actually! What breathtaking views were bestowed upon us today. I was thanking God profusely to just feast my eyes on the natural beauty. My camera was hyperactive, but soon I realized it was fruitless. The camera is still not as powerful as the human eye, and it can only capture so much of the beauty. And compared to what I saw in front of me and what I saw on the screen, it was such a shame that I felt like deleting the picture immediately. Capturing the photo was almost like blemishing the dreamy landscapes all around me. Bliss is a state of mind where nothing else matters, and I was in pure bliss for the entire 7 hours. I did prefer the snow capped mountains of the Austrian Alps more, though! I could not believe both the world wars begun in such a serene country!
We stopped on the highway for lunch in the best location I have ever had my lunch in. What a view on offer. The Austrian food was another highlight. We have to pick whatever you want and pay according to the size of the plate. The garden salads came from the opposite slope! Rice, potatoes and vegetables were cooked in Austrian style, which was very different but equally nice. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and was smiling even broader than when I had come in. Much better than the grilled Italian eggplants! “Piatti Stupendo”. I did notice that the Austrian people were more stoic and composed than the emotional Italians. Most of them speak German, although they would hate you for life if you called them one. Italians are very fashionable people, with attention to the finer details of dressing, where you can pick any male or female to be a model. Austrians on the other hand are very serene people who are happy doing what they are doing. The Austrian gals seemed to have more natural beauty, possibly due to the low make up. They did not seem to be obsessed with the way they look, and came across as more homely. I just muttered “Danke” (Thank you) on my way out, and I would tell that they were pleased with that.
The emotional torture continued with more fabulous landscapes all along the way to Salzburg. We also caught a glimpse of quite a few cable cars and skiers on some of the gentle slopes. I would love to race down the slopes one day, but I knew it won’t happen on this trip, so was content with looking out of the window. We reached Salzburg just as the sun was going down at 4pm. Having walked through the famous Mirabell garden park, we crossed the river to catch a glimpse of the old castle that protected the great Austrian-Hungarian empire a few hundred years back. We also walked past the birthplace of Mozart and the various statues that adorn the place.
The beautiful Salzburg city was full on with Christmas celebrations with the town centre lit up and the old town church area full of Christmas stalls. The whole area had a very festive ambience, and we couldn’t help but be drawn in by the feelings. We roamed about the numerous stalls selling everything from Christmas tree decorations to artwork and winter wear, taking our time with each. We got a few mementoes and were frantically searching for the winter shoes that are waterproof. This was our last chance, as Swiss shops in Lucerne would be shut down during Christmas and we will be left out in the cold, literally. Just as we spotted the shop and the shoes we were looking for, we noticed that the shop has closed! Most of the shops here close by 6pm, so unfortunately, we were a bit too late. The shop keepers are least interested in going that extra minute for a potential customer, and that is how it is in this part of the world, even in a tourist town like Salzburg. We realized a lot of other tourists also got caught out by this timing issue.
We had our dinner at Restaurant Yuan, a Chinese restaurant with a decent ambience and dinner. But after yesterday’s gourmet meal, we were left a little disappointed, although we weren’t too hungry due to the late lunch. Having checked into the hotel quite early in preparation for a long day tomorrow, I caught up with my yesterday’s backlog to keep my tour diary up-to-date. Austria seems quite relaxed in terms of sexual content, with porn magazines on display in highway stops and erotic channels available on TV. With a lovely wife beside me, I did not dare take advantage of either: P
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
Europe Day 3 – Venice
The day started off with a stern warning from the tour leader to not mess with the tiny little string in the bathroom, which seems to invoke emergency help. The irony is that it’s so close to the shower that it can be triggered quite accidentally. The travel from Florence to Venice itself was something to remember. European drivers have a strict regulation on travel and rest times, and so we could only start by 8.45am due to the late night yesterday. We were on routine travel on the highway, and had a hot cappuccino along the way, ignorant that our first taste of winter travel awaited us. As it happened, one stretch of the road was snowed in, and there was a huge jam for a few miles. We had a long wait for about 2 hours, during which time some of us had the pleasure of relieving ourselves in the snow with a backdrop of the Alps. As the guide said its part of the experience! Lunch stop was a bit of a hassle as we did not know what vegetarian items are available. After a long fruitless scan of the menu, we decided to trust our eyes and spotted some pizzas. I realized by observation that the folks there do not understand English. My preparation of the European dictionary came in handy as I proudly blurted out “Avetti Piatti Vegetariano Pizza” (Do you have vegetarian food/ pizza?). Then it happened. The waiter talked for about half a minute in Italian at the end of which I had no idea what to say. With my wife threatening me not to make any fatal mistake, I did not know how to respond. Thankfully, the next guy in line helped with the translation. So, we settled down with a pizza margarita, which means tomatoes and cheese. It was very soft and creamy and by far the best pizza I have had in my life.
The Italian Alps offered very nice picturesque scenes, keeping the camera in constant action along the way. We finally reached Venice at around 3.30pm, along with a double decker train that pulled up into the railway station. Venice has captured the imagination of the world in more than one way over the years. It is supposed to be a very romantic place, and Shakespeare glorified it in his Merchant of Venice novel. Discovery channel has, in more than one occasion, classified this sinking city as a primary target of global warming. Venezia as the Italians call it is really a unique city, with its own culture and art. It is essentially some 116 islands interlinked through canals and numerous bridges. Mussolini’s smart-ass minister threw in a few industries to impress his general, thereby adding some carbon footprint to the otherwise green city. In fact, Venice is one of the eco-friendly cities of the world, with most of the travel through foot and gondolas.
We took a water taxi from the pier to St Marks square, from where we took in the breathtaking sights of the square and the cathedral. Venice’s cathedrals are classic, with different eras contributing different architectures to them. Surrounding St Marks, you can see gothic, neo-classical, renaissance and Roman Catholic architectures, each with its own distinctive features. It was drizzling when we reached it, so we had to use the umbrellas to get around. We were a bit lucky that it was low tide and so we boarded one of the gondolas to take a 45 min trip around the streets of Venice, pun intended.
The Venetians are quite laid back and know how to enjoy life. The gondolas are amazing things. Very narrow, very buoyant and very stylish just like the Italians themselves, they made sharp turns with the slightest twist of the one-sided paddle. Venetians are decreasing in number, with only about 60k people still left, which is quite obvious from the numerous dark alleys and ghost buildings. It’s such a shame to leave such a historic and unique city. However, life goes on with Christmas preparations in full swing, adding color to the vibrant city on water. Numerous tiny bridges connect buildings, making libraries and shops accessible by foot. A lot of houses and restaurants are just an inch above the high water mark, leaving me wondering the immense damage that is posed by rising water levels to this city.
We went to the original Murano glass factory, whose business is no less affected, with only two families still in this business. We had a short demonstration of glass blowing, which is a dying art in itself. The artist was fabulous and well known throughout the world. I had seen him on Discovery before, but to meet him in person and seeing his skills was exhilarating. We did get a couple of beautiful red and blue Murano glasses with our names engraved on it for posterity. Venetian red is unique, just like the city itself, so any article with that color is usually about 20% costlier than the other colors.
There was an hour to roam about after that, and we went helter skelter through the numerous zigzagging roads and bridges in search of a toilet. WC is the acronym for that, although I am yet to figure out what that stands for. After 15 mins of frantic searching through every corner with an arrow, we were about to give up and possibly burst out before we traced it. Euro 1.5 later, we were satisfied with our finished business and walked back through the alleys. Guys are generally good at directions while gals are pathetic, and Venice is a nice place to prove that theory correct!
We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and stuffed ourselves with the best meal on the tour so far. No grilled eggplants and lots of Sichuan chilli that reminded me of my mother’s molaga podi (chilli powder)! It was a fantastic 9 course vegetarian meal, and I couldn’t have enough. I would have eaten all night long if the tour leader hadn’t dragged us into the bus to get to Hotel Antony before our rival group. The effort was worthwhile as we got the best room of the tour so far! I was so impressed by Venice that I started to write the day’s account when the computer battery died and my droopy eyes won over the excited heart. But I knew that the tour is just getting into the fabulous part of Austria and Switzerland where our experiences can only get better!
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
The Italian Alps offered very nice picturesque scenes, keeping the camera in constant action along the way. We finally reached Venice at around 3.30pm, along with a double decker train that pulled up into the railway station. Venice has captured the imagination of the world in more than one way over the years. It is supposed to be a very romantic place, and Shakespeare glorified it in his Merchant of Venice novel. Discovery channel has, in more than one occasion, classified this sinking city as a primary target of global warming. Venezia as the Italians call it is really a unique city, with its own culture and art. It is essentially some 116 islands interlinked through canals and numerous bridges. Mussolini’s smart-ass minister threw in a few industries to impress his general, thereby adding some carbon footprint to the otherwise green city. In fact, Venice is one of the eco-friendly cities of the world, with most of the travel through foot and gondolas.
We took a water taxi from the pier to St Marks square, from where we took in the breathtaking sights of the square and the cathedral. Venice’s cathedrals are classic, with different eras contributing different architectures to them. Surrounding St Marks, you can see gothic, neo-classical, renaissance and Roman Catholic architectures, each with its own distinctive features. It was drizzling when we reached it, so we had to use the umbrellas to get around. We were a bit lucky that it was low tide and so we boarded one of the gondolas to take a 45 min trip around the streets of Venice, pun intended.
The Venetians are quite laid back and know how to enjoy life. The gondolas are amazing things. Very narrow, very buoyant and very stylish just like the Italians themselves, they made sharp turns with the slightest twist of the one-sided paddle. Venetians are decreasing in number, with only about 60k people still left, which is quite obvious from the numerous dark alleys and ghost buildings. It’s such a shame to leave such a historic and unique city. However, life goes on with Christmas preparations in full swing, adding color to the vibrant city on water. Numerous tiny bridges connect buildings, making libraries and shops accessible by foot. A lot of houses and restaurants are just an inch above the high water mark, leaving me wondering the immense damage that is posed by rising water levels to this city.
We went to the original Murano glass factory, whose business is no less affected, with only two families still in this business. We had a short demonstration of glass blowing, which is a dying art in itself. The artist was fabulous and well known throughout the world. I had seen him on Discovery before, but to meet him in person and seeing his skills was exhilarating. We did get a couple of beautiful red and blue Murano glasses with our names engraved on it for posterity. Venetian red is unique, just like the city itself, so any article with that color is usually about 20% costlier than the other colors.
There was an hour to roam about after that, and we went helter skelter through the numerous zigzagging roads and bridges in search of a toilet. WC is the acronym for that, although I am yet to figure out what that stands for. After 15 mins of frantic searching through every corner with an arrow, we were about to give up and possibly burst out before we traced it. Euro 1.5 later, we were satisfied with our finished business and walked back through the alleys. Guys are generally good at directions while gals are pathetic, and Venice is a nice place to prove that theory correct!
We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and stuffed ourselves with the best meal on the tour so far. No grilled eggplants and lots of Sichuan chilli that reminded me of my mother’s molaga podi (chilli powder)! It was a fantastic 9 course vegetarian meal, and I couldn’t have enough. I would have eaten all night long if the tour leader hadn’t dragged us into the bus to get to Hotel Antony before our rival group. The effort was worthwhile as we got the best room of the tour so far! I was so impressed by Venice that I started to write the day’s account when the computer battery died and my droopy eyes won over the excited heart. But I knew that the tour is just getting into the fabulous part of Austria and Switzerland where our experiences can only get better!
Random Access
The search has just begun !!!
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