The wait is over

Camp Nou.

I made it there. The grandest football venue in the world to watch Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and co. pass the ball around. And to top it all, I bought a front row seat to get as close as possible to the action. That morning, I peeped through Messi's Masserati when he got stranded in front of the gate, and later that evening he was kicking a ball 10 feet away from me. Anyway, my happiness had to be limited somehow, and so to bring about some balance, the match ended goalless with Messi missing a penalty. oh what the hell, the didnt stop the match from being one of the best experiences ever.

It was the highlight of my Spain trip. I was spellbound by the Flamenco show also. I had lots of time, and was in relaxing mood, so I didnt walk around the cities too much. In keeping with Spanish tradition, I also took a siesta almost every day. I saw a bit of Madrid and then spent a few days in Barcelona checking out the city in the morning and lazing around the beach the rest of the day. I chatted up some people and we shared our stories, but the most significant one was my conversation with a German on my way to Munich after landing. He was a retired honcho at Siemens with a holiday home in Spain. For an hour he talked about his life, and Spain and Germany and India, and philosophy and I was just listening so intently. It was interesting to hear him crib about how Germans follow the rules all the time, even during leisure. He had been to India many times for business, and I asked him if he plans to visit again. I almost cried when he said he will never go to India again because he cannot see hungry dying people outside when he steps out of his luxurious hotel. Then he got talking about home and family and money and the joy of having a beer at a local bar with his family and friends. He was reiterating many thoughts in my head and I began to wonder that this can't be a coincidence. He was my 'wise old man'. I was waiting for an epiphany to change my mind, but the opposite happened.

It was a good way to end my much awaited Spain trip. Next time, I will for sure visit the smaller towns and islands instead. Anyway, that wrapped up my Eurotrips for the time being. It is about time I sorted all the pics.

And then I headed north

Benelux without the 'lux' was the final part of my planned summer travel series. We were to spend a day in Brussels, then Bruges overnight and then off to Netherlands.

I didnt expect much from Brussels, but what we saw was pretty nice - a centre resembling Munich's Marienplatz, the Atomium and some nice palace buildings.

Bruges was a quiet little town with the canals, and old houses. We were dead tired thanks to Eurolines dumping us in Brussels at 6am. The first thing we did in Bruges was take a good afternoon nap after checking in. For the comfortable beds, perfect pillows - which make a lot of difference - and full course breakfast in the bar all for 13€, St Christopher's Inn is the best hostel I have stayed in. One incident that marred proceedings was when we were (or rather, I was) refused to be served in a Bruges restaurant. I wanted to try out the mussels and fries dish - which was suposed to be a Belgian speciality - but my friends had to be taught that you do not sit at a table for four and order nothing. Anyway I went to the next place, but obviously the Belgians dont know what we mallus do with 'kallumakaya'.

Next stop was Kinderdjik near Rotterdam, to see the windmills Netherlands is known for. We had to change trains at Antwerp Centraal station, which was an architectural beauty. Never seen a station so pretty.

Only one of the 15 or so windmills at Kinderdjik was functional. Anyway, the windmills along the stream complemented by the brilliant sky that afternoon, meant both camera and cameraman were happy.

Amsterdam - wild, crazy party place - lived up to its name, with the crowded streets where people-cycle-tram move together, the party centres, the 'coffeeshops' and the redlight district. Mischief was in the air, and we joined in some of the fun too (wink wink). But since 'What happens in Amsterdam stays in Amsterdam', no details will appear here. And of course, the city was unlike any other in terms of all the beautiful canals running through it.

It was a fun trip with plenty of diversity in sights and craziness in activity. Amsterdam should definitely be 'high' on the list of destinations for any party-lover.

Landscape Suisse

I guess Switzerland caught everyone's fancy, including mine, after DDLJ and other Yash Chopra flicks. ( Of course, if one is into Hindi movies ). This was quite apparent with the sight of Indian families all over the place.

We had the Swiss pass, so we covered quite a lot during the 4-day trip. Two nights in Interlaken, one in Zermatt, and we touched Zurich and Bern on the way.

With Interlaken as base, we visited Grindlewald, Lauterbrunnen and Murren. We skipped the trip to the top of Jungfrau and Schilthorn because of the overcast conditions shown on the live cams.

The Swiss landscape was quite similar to the landscape of the German Alps, the latter being unspoilt and can be enjoyed for a fraction of the cost. Nonetheless, the mountains and nearby villages were very pretty and the snow-capped peaks were a sight whenever the clouds cleared. What is interesting is that the scenery looks so much better in the photographs I clicked. Must be the absence of crowds in the pics that adds to the surreal effect.

We loved Zermatt, for being a quiet town with the majestic Matterhorn overlooking it.

We spent a lot of time in trains. This included six hours on the Glacier express, which was a tourist trap I fell into. Switzerland is the place to hike, but I was with people who did not want to walk a mile, forget hiking. I feel a view is best when it has been earned. Would have definitely been an adventure. But anyway we didn't have too much time, and the only adventure I got was with white-water rafting. It was my first time, but the river was too calm and the thrills were hard to come by. Class III-IV rapids it seems, we were never remotely close to falling over. The guide said water levels were low, and it gets much better when the levels are good. At least, he allowed me to take a dip in the cold water for some time, and fake a fall-rescue sequence. Also, the photographs tell a different story.


Lovely place, but Switzerland does not fit the bill for 'Heaven on earth' yet. I guess it needs to be explored the the right way with a more relaxed time frame, maybe then it will get my vote.

A Parisian Affair

I dont remember why I always put visiting Paris for later. I think it had something to do with the aura that I associated with the city, that I wanted it to be extra special when I first went there. With my easter weekend plans going down the drain, making that Paris trip was suddenly the most convenient option. So in a flurry I booked my tickets deciding to bask in all the aura by myself.

Easter weekend meant that Paris was really crowded. But it also meant that the city was bustling with life. I guess that is the case throughout the year. I loved the street musicians and artists, especially at eh Sacre couer, whipping the crowd to a song-and-dance frenzy.

The Eiffel tower the symbol of Paris, was magnificent, even more at night with the lights on. I spent a good 8 hours around it, revelling in the moment, and taking pictures. Sheer beauty.


I went to Versailles Chateau but skipped it after seeing the queue there, and instead, went to Rolland Garros, which for me was far more significant than another cathedral or castle. The tour was very enlightening, and I can now watch the French Open with a fresh perspective.

Walking down one of the most gorgeous stretches of land, from the grand Arc de Triomphe down the awesome Champ de Elsyees to the Louvre, I realized why this was billed as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The charm, which for me makes a place memorable, was there to see.


The Louvre was a disappointment. Descriptions in French and sold out audio guides ruined it for me. And I failed to see how the Mona Lisa, which was clearly a tourist attraction, was a better painting than many of the others on display. Anyway, it was the last part of my trip, and after downing a sumptuous beaf steak with cheese sauce, I went to catch my mitfahr.

No trip ends without adventure, and it turns out that the guy had committed to more people than the places he had in his car. We decided to dump the guy and look for alternate transport. Looked like I was in for a long night, possibly lying around in the station. But they dont call me bookie for nothing. While the others bought train tickets at double the price, I went to Eurolines station and waited hours till the time of departure of the bus to Germany. Persistence always pays, and I got a last minute ticket thanks to a no-show.

I was unsure how travelling alone would work out. But there was enough life on the streets to keep me occupied. And I could go where I wanted when I wanted. The map in my hand took me everywhere, and I didnt have to listen to any 'My feet are hurting. Lets get back', a regular thing with many of my travel mates here. And I dont know how many would have been game for 8 hours doing nothing around the Eiffel.

Paris, the City of love, the City of Lights was beautiful. The Champs de Elysees deserves more than a 20 minute walk, and I will be there again, next time with company.

When someday became today

One of the things on my 'someday' list was skiing, and when SkiDubai came up, I thought that it would be the closest I would get to crossing it off. I didnt know then that pretty soon I would be skiing in the Alps. I had planned it for this winter, and have been gathering all the ski equipment for over a year now. So got myself registered for this weekend course, and what an awesome weekend it was. Though I felt like a loser when it started, I somehow stuck in there, and at the end of it I was so thrilled because my moving, turning and braking were all so smooth. The first day's skiing was only on a small slope, but today I was skiing on the beautiful alpine slopes on a snowy day, and I am a happy man. I fell a lot, but nothing too nasty and not as much as much as I thought I would.





I am not done with skiing, and more trips are on the cards. I am really glad I finally got it rolling. I think everyone has a 'someday' list, and should make an effort to shorten it. Lack of motivation levels and enthusiasm ruins it for most people. Luck has played it's part for me, but I am sure nobody in the same position as me feels the kind of satisfaction I am feeling right now. Let the good times roll !!

Bon Journo Italia

A trip to Italy was on the cards for a long time. There were so many things about the country that fascinated me, that Italy was where I wanted to go on a long vacation. Ok it was not going to be the luxurious relaxing vacation, but more of a backpacking budget adventure.

Things started out on a rather sour note with Farid forgetting his passport and missing the flight, and then the train that we planned to catch to Venice being cancelled due to strike. Delayed or cancelled trains are common in Italy, impossible to find in Germany. The contrast between the Germans and Italians became pretty clear by the end of the trip. If anyone talks about hot Italians, I will tell them Germans are definitely better looking. Maybe not in your face sexier, but taller, simpler and prettier. The people there were rough and loud, Germans being so much more polite and polished.

Pisa is a tiny place, with nothing more than the complex with the Leaning tower. Yet another city with a river running through it and lots of bridges built across it. We had our last gelato by the river on the last night.

We had to go to Florence, to find another train to Venice. We had 2 hours, and I had this panaromic image of Florence in my head, that I wanted to capture. I didnt know what the place from where you get the view was called. I went up to a guy with an SLR who looked like a tourist, and explained what I was looking for, and voila, he said Piazza Michaelangelo and we set off. We reached there a little before sunset and this snap is the best of the 50 or so I clicked. This was all I wanted from Florence, and I got it because of the cancelled train. The silver lining.

Venice, the floating city, was extremely pretty. I loved it more at night, with all the crowds gone and with 'Wish you were here' on repeat in my head. The place was unique with the vaporettos (water taxis), gondolas and the narrow water streets running along the old colourful buildings. I went to a beach after months. Also memorable was the final boat ride we took in the evening, to take us wherever it went. The sunset and the clouds were magnificent, and my camera was happy.

Next stop, Milan. I was there for one reason. The reason why any football fan would go to Milan. The San Siro. Toured the museum and the stadium, but sadly had flight tickets to Rome booked and couldnt stay for the match that night. Nonetheless, I was delighted to be at one of the most important footballing destinations in the world. And I picked up a gold plated coin with the Stadium on it.

We flew to Rome that evening. Thank God for Ryanair and its incredibly cheap flights. Lots of time and money saved. What was really funny was the prerecorded victory music played on landing. Anyway, reached Rome Ciampino airport, which was not too far from the centre unlike the Munich(memmingen) airport. The metro in Rome was really shabby, though the graffiti on the trains was pretty cool. We checked into Sweet Hostel and the nicelooking girl at the reception asked us to join for a dinner party at a club tat night. Sounded cool to me, like a chance to check out Rome nightlife, but Farid wasnt interested. Bloody hell !!! So we went to the Collosseum , which was a 10 minute walk from the hostel. There I was, next to the most impressive historical structure, thinking about Maximus in Gladiator. It was mindblowing. I put the camera on the platform, from where I could capture the whole building. Lots of shots later, after repeated adjustments to my tripod ( a combination of wallet, lens cover and handkerchief ), I got the perfect photo, with a 20 second exposure. The lost chance to party was already out of my head. Then we headed of on a crazy tour, tring to find a place to eat. Farid would just not settle for a place, he had some dish in mind which was nowhere to be found. We finally got into one place, had pasta, which tasted just ordinary. Then, with the long awaiting us, went to sleep kinda early.


The next morning we picked up a Roma pass, which was probably the only the mistake we made. We headed to the Vatican and reached the magnificent St. Peters square. Then we saw the St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Actually I felt quite bored staring at all the art in the endless Museums. And it didnt make too much sense, because we didnt get a guide. We left the Vatican and headed towards our camp, Fabulous Camping. It was outside Rome, and our room was a nice little place, not bigger than 100 square feet, with 3 beds and a loo. It really was fabulous. Just that it wasnt close to the beach as I had thought. The sun had already set, but I had made my mind to hit the beach come what may. So we took a bus in the direction of the beach, with Ketan worried how we would get back. And we did get back, but not before finally reaching the (tiny) beach, listening to the sounds of the moonlight illuminated ocean, and staring into emptiness. Bliss.

The next day we headed to the Ancient Centre. This time I joined a guided tour, and was transported back in time. We went inside the Colloseum, walked up to the Palatine Hill, where lay the castles of Roman emperors, and went to the amazing amazing Roman forum, and imagined being in the age of the Caesars. The guide did an awesome job of explaining the history behind all that we could see, and I was extremely impressed by the stories and the structures. Then we went to the Pantheon, with the spectacular opening in the dome, and then the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi was so beautiful I couldnt stop clicking photos of it, till I got the perfect results. And before I left, I dropped a coin into the water which, according to Roman tradition, means I will return to Rome. Now that really wouldnt be surprising, as I was totally mindblown by the Eternal city. That day, Rome made it to my favourite cities list.

(to be continued)