Berlin!

Christmas is round the corner and like anywhere in West, the festivities have begun in Stockholm. Almost everyone in office is gone on vacation until the New Year.
After some pondering over the place to visit during the 5 days long Christmas weekend I decided to see Berlin. Two friends from work carried along.

24th December 2008:



At 4 AM we started from Stockholm city to Skavsta Airport, Stockholm. We landed in Berlin at few minutes past 8 AM. It was drizzling but it certainly was a lot warmer than Stockholm.
The history of Germany and the world wars had always intrigued me and it was certainly on one of my favorite destinations. We took a regional express train from the airport to our hostel. We found it to be cozy and David, the owner seemed to be a friendly chap. Thought of having some rest, only to wake up after 5 hours.

We had managed to get the city map from a kiosk in the airport and with its help reached Fredrikstrasse, the most beautiful street in Berlin. Owing to Christmas, the entire street was decorated like an Indian bride. From there we found those double-decker buses plying around the major tourist attractions in the city.



The first stop was the German Parliament. It looked magnificent and had this unique Gothic architecture. We got off and clicked a few pictures. From there we walked till Brandenburg gate. This gate has an interesting history. The western side of this gate was controlled by the US, UK and France. We could still see the embassies of these nations, once known as the Allied Power during and post world-war II. The statue on top of the gate was taken to Paris after Germany was defeated in the 18th century. The statue then held an olive branch signifying peace. Later, Germans got the statue back and replaced the olive branch with a spear. Also the statue is strategically positioned to have an eye on the French embassy.

It was dusky and from the gate we saw a beautiful monument. We decided to see what it was. We boarded a bus going in that direction. This was a monument built to commemorate the victory over Austria and France by the Prussians.


Due to sporadic rain, I suggested to take a look at the city by the bus. Berlin looked beautiful and efficiency of its transport system impressed me a lot. I didn’t witness a single traffic jam in the city which is home to eight million people. Terrific trains and the stations that they stop at! They call the underground ones as U-bahn and ground trains as S-bahn. On the way to Fredrikstrasse we found a Christmas market that caught my fancy. It had beautifully decorated little shops that sold Santas, Christmas stars, colorful balls and dalls and last but not the least, the Christmas tree.
It reminded me of the fairs in India that have amusement rides, toy shops and some unusual stuff to eat and buy. I feasted on delicious langos and a typical German broth that tasted like a multi-veggie curry. After roaming around for a while we decided to go back to the hostel. I was tired and slept immediately.

Christmas, 2008



I felt well-rested and after good breakfast we stepped out for the day’s adventures. We decided to take a walking guided tour of the city. As directed, we joined the bunch of people assembled at Brandenburg square.

We first went to the Berlin wall. The wall had been removed but one can still see a small unbroken part of it. One can also see the sign of bricks which once used to be a wall separating a city into two completely different lands. From there we walked to check-point Charlie, the point where the spies from Soviet and American sides used to sneak into each others sides. We also were taken to the place where Hitler hid in his last days and killed himself. I saw many of the houses in that area still had the bullet marks. We went to the cathedral, the Hombalt university and Potsdamer Platz. We finished our walk on the footsteps of Pergamom museum which was highly recommended by our guide. We bought a 3 day museum pass which would enable us to get in any museum in Berlin.



Pergamom museum boasts of near east and Greek art and architecture. Some of the antiquities were celestial. So was the central altar! Truly magnificent! I specially liked and admired the statues of the Greek gods and goddesses that they excavated few years BC. I heard the church bell of six o’clock which also meant we have to leave this beautiful world of marble and get back to the city. A German friend had long back told me about the German parliament being open for the commoners round the year. I was surprised with this, considering how many countries including my own can do that!! The top of the parliament is a beautiful dome-shaped glass. Once there, we could see the chairs of members of the parliament. The view of the city from there was breathtaking. We were hungry and decided to have something for dinner before calling it a day.

26th December 2008

We woke up early and boarded a train to Potsdam. Had always heard a lot about the magnificence and grandeur of the palaces there. Way to Potsdam is through a thick forest. Also saw a few beautiful lakes. Once in town, I asked a gentleman about the way to the castle. He directed me towards bus 695 which was about to leave. Beautiful houses and brick lanes on the town were oozing the true European elegance.
We reached the castle which looked like a jewel. In front there was a small pond whose water was completely frozen. It had beautifully designed steps and walls which enhanced the charm.

We went to each castle and were on the train to Berlin at 2 PM. We decided to see the Egyptian museum followed by the National Art Gallery. Egyptian museum was an interesting one. It had real mummies, papyrus, statues, utensils and furniture and jewelry that were excavated from the parts in Egypt and Sudan. The audio guide said a lot about the mummies and papyrus. The writing on papyrus about the medicine, law and art simply amazed me. The civilization doesn’t exist any more but writings tell a great deal about the life that would have been there.

Our next stop was the adjacent National Art Gallery. It had works of many French, Dutch and German artists. It had paintings on Fredrik the great, Shinkel, Germany and the wars.

We had dinner and headed back to the hostel.

27th December 2008

This being the last day in Berlin, we woke up to an early alarm. Got ready and rushed to Schlossgarten. This was just like one of the many castles I had been seeing for past few days. From there I decided to go to the Molecules Men structure at the Preptower Park. It was on the outskirts of the town and along the Spree River. It’s a giant human structure which due to special design gives a feeling you can see the molecules that make up the whole body.

I went to the teknik museum and as the name suggests it had exhibition on the automobile technology. On the first floor it had on display, the first train, many vintage trains, the old two-wheelers from Piaggio, the first Rolls Royce and also the auto-rickshaw from Humara Bajaj.
The second floor had all about waterways. It showed the boats used by the navigators and also the ones in ancient times. It also had a section dedicated to the ships, their engines, the control panel and every detail if one’s so thoroughly interested in. The floor up had all about mathematics. It talked about the developments in the field of mathematics, the major contributors and findings. It had very interesting explanation of lots of commonly misunderstood phenomenon. The top floor was for aviation. It had numerous gliders, wooden planes, commercial and fighter planes and wreckages of many. It displayed the control panel, the evacuation system. It also showed the flying system that men created for years. It also had hot-air balloons that were used a lot in the early 1900 by the military.

I went to the Judaism museum in the afternoon. The museum exhibits the exploits on Jews in Germany and rest of the Europe, the verses of Judaism religion in Hebrew, Jewish literature and art. The ground floor of the museum had three axes namely the axis of holocaust, the axis of survival and the axis of continuity. The axis of holocaust had the names of cities which had concentration camps. The axis of survival had the cities that Jews escaped to survive the war. This axis also had Bombay. The axis of continuity had the places where Jews prospered and left their brutal past behind. The letters written by the parents in the concentration camps to their kids touched my heart and felt like crying. The walls of this museum are unusually tall and there is a lot of void, perhaps representing the absence of Jewish community from Germany. In one corner of the museum an artist had created about 10000 iron faces marking the millions of Jews that were killed during the world war. It didn’t leave me happy.

Switzerland!

The Alps have always intrigued me. Since Switzerland hasn’t agreed to be a part of the European Union I couldn’t visit it last year. Recently they have relaxed it for all the Schengen visa holders and it has become possible to visit Switzerland.
I have a friend Manish who is a student in Zurich. He has been asking me to visit him for quite long and finally I decided to go to the paradise on earth, Switzerland.

On 30th January evening I flew Swiss Air from Arlanda airport to Zurich. It was a very pleasant 2 hours long journey. They offered nice meal and fine Swiss chocolates aboard. The plane flew over South Sweden, Denmark, Western Germany and Alps before landing in Zurich, the cultural and commercial capital of Switzerland. The Zurich airport was perhaps the best I had seen in Europe. I boarded a train to the Zurich Hbf, the central station of Zurich. Once there, I rushed to the meeting point where my friend had been waiting for me. The city looked nice and it was great to see clear sky after many weeks. We took a tram to his apartment. It didn’t take too long to find how efficient the Swiss transport system was.

Day 1:

Decided to see Zurich on first day. Grabbed the city map from tourist centre in Hbf. Went to the famous Grossmünster, the Romanesque church. The two towers in the front make it quite unique. Adjacent to Grossmünster lies another church Fraumünster which has beautiful painting on its windows. St. Peter’s church is just across the bridge. This has a huge clock which can be seen from quite a distance. I went to the Kunsthaus, the Swiss modern art museum which houses works of contemporary Swiss sculptors and painters. I took a walk along the canal and reached Bahnhofstrasse. This being a Saturday afternoon the street was buzzing with shoppers and revelers. It felt good to walk for some time before I headed to the central station to book my tickets to Mt. Titlis. I bought the tickets for train as well cable-car. Took a tram to the lake promenade. This is a 3 Km long walk along the lake Zurich. Beyond the city limits Zurich provides exciting contrasts. It was quite cold and windy but the lakeshore, the small boats parked along the harbor and beautiful hill overlooking it didn’t let me feel the long walk. I kept going and finished the walk. It was quite scenic, but on the way back I had to resist wind. By the time I came back to the tram station I was panting. After spending a day in Zurich I realized what makes it the best place to live in the world. Progress, innovation and change mark Zurich.
It was getting dark so I returned to the apartment. We cooked pasta and pizza for dinner.

Day 2:

Got up early at 4:45 AM. Took shower, packed breakfast and rushed to the central station. The first train from Zurich to Luzern leaves at 6:05 AM. Boarded the SBB train which was quite comfortable even by European standards.

It was still dark so couldn’t see much of Swiss landscape. The train reached Luzern in about 45 minutes.

Within minutes there was a train leaving for Engelberg, the mountain village from where the cable-car to Mt. Titlis operates. This train was different from the train to Luzern. It had only one level of seating and the gauge was narrower as well. The train was full of skiers. By the time train started the dawn had risen and I began to see the beauty of Switzerland. The passing by Swiss countryside, the old houses, the lush green farms, the medieval churches, and the chugging train made my soul happy.

It felt like an eternal joyride. Within half an hour the landscape changed from plane to mountainous and the train began to climb the hill. It was quite steep but kudos to the technology they have, it was able to rise like a phoenix on that slant and rigorous hill. Variegated sunlight was seeping through the trees and that’s when I had first glimpse of Alps. Amazing! Shortly the train reached Engelberg.



Without wasting a minute I rushed to the cable-car station. Exchanged the ticket I had bought for the cable-car pass. I had lots to see on this day but couldn’t resist the temptation of skiing in magnificent Alps. So, I got the ski-gear from inter-sports ski resort and joined the queue to the cable-car. The cable-car way to the peak of Mt. Titlis has two stations. From each station a different type of car goes up to the mountain. The first cable-car can seat 6 people. This was a considerably slow cable-car with a journey time of about 25 minutes. Every car bore flag of a nation. I spotted one with our tri-color. Once at this station I could see many skiers sliding on the white slopes. I put on the ski-shoes and finally skis. Wobbled initially and after little warm-up I skied for about half an hour. Returned the skis at the resort and took the next cable-car which was the size of a huge van. It had a capacity of about 150 people and I was really impressed with the kind of sophisticated system they had in place to make it a reality. From the next station it was the rotating cable-car all the way to Mt. Titlis. The view from this was spectacular. A moment to cherish! Heaven on earth! I was in Switzerland and glancing at the magnificent Swiss Alps. This overlooked the glaciers, the valley and the beautiful village of Engelberg. Soon I was at the summit. There is a huge glacier cave at the top. Had never been into one before, so it turned out to be a nice experience. Also, they had added some special effects of light and sound. I was really emotional when they started to play Jana Gana Mana inside the caves. Wow! I never ever expected it. Listening to my national anthem on Swiss Alps. I got out of the caves and from top the view was even better than from inside the car. Everything white! Pristine white would be an understatement. It was quite sunny then. I clicked many pictures. Played with the snow. It was freezing cold. Temperature of -20 C with wind blowing in full speed can be quite hard as well as harsh. But that didn’t deter me from riding the ice flyer, a sky-gondola that overlooks the glacier crevasses. Once on its chair I began to feel adventurous.

Within minutes a huge storm came from nowhere and brought tons of snow with it. My chair-car began to quiver. Nevertheless, this was nice in-deed. I returned to the top and spent some more time before returning downhill. The village looked even better in the afternoon. I checked the next train to Luzern was in about an hour. Had quick lunch of pasta and coffee and strolled around the village. Beautiful snow-capped homes, the frozen lake and the beautiful hill extending over the terrain meant I couldn’t rest for a minute. In fact I played more with the snow and a passerby obliged by capturing that moment.

I boarded the train to Luzern. This time the view from train was equally spectacular as seen from top or the cable-car. I saw many frozen waterfalls, the glaciers, the canyon and when snowfall started it felt like I was in a wonderland.
Weather in Luzern was not as nice as in Engelberg. In fact it was snowing so vigorously it had slowed down human activity even in a place like Luzern whose residents are quite used to it. I usually like snowfall and with this warm jacket I knew I could roam around as freely as I do on a perfectly fine and sunny day. Luzern is the most visited place in Switzerland. I crossed the river Reuss and went to the beautiful old church. From there I walked towards Lake Luzern. After spending some time there I made my way to the Lion Monument. This sculpture created in the honor of Swiss martyrs of the war with France, was designed by a Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen. This sight was quite moving.
I roamed around the town for few hours, appreciated its beauty and went to Chapel Bridge the most photographed monument in Switzerland. This wooden bridge was built in 13th century to protect the town from any attacks. There is a tall water tower along the bridge which served as a prison. The interiors of the bridge have paintings. I walked along the river Reuss and there is another such bridge on the outskirt of the town. It wasn’t very clear but I could see Mt- Pilatus from there. Once the evening dawned, the view from the chapel bridge overlooking the lake Luzern became mesmerizing. I adored the elegance of the town. I boarded the next train leaving for Zurich and was back in the apartment at 8 PM. It was a day very well spent.

Budapest!

I booked my tickets to Budapest, the Paris of eastern Europe. My colleague Frederik had been there once and kept telling how beautifukl he found that place to be. He gave me the rough guide and a few subway tickets he was left with from his trip. I reached Budapest at 8 PM. I had got the currency exchange done at Forex, Gothenburg itself. I took the train to my hostel in Budapest. I bought the ticket in the train itself as the ticket counter was closed. Compared to Sweden or any other place I had visited, I found the tickets to be quite cheap. In fact the HUF were almost a quarter of an INR. The hostel was not easy to locate. I had to wander for some time as they had closed the street for some repair work. At last I was spotted by an elderly couple living in that area and they came to my rescue. The hostel was nice and located by the blue Danube. It was quite hot in Budapest. I took shower and had a sandwich for dinner. I slept immediately to make sure I have an early start of the day.

Day 1:

Got up at 6 in the morning and gorged on heavy breakfast provided by the hostel. Got the map from them and headed to the most famous attraction of Budapest, the Chain bridge. It was a sheer pleasure to see this bridge. It had quite unusual architecture and the palace on the side added its grandeur. I clicked a few pictures and headed to the castle. One side of the river is the older city of Buda and the other is Pest, the newer one. I walked up to the Castle. I was on time to see the change of guard ceremony that’s done at 12 PM. From the top of the castle the view of city was beautiful. The most eye-popping attraction was the Hungarian Parliament. A neo-Gothic jewel it looked so well-architected and unique in the plethora of structures around it. On the adjacent and much taller hill there is the statue of liberty. This statue is to mark the Hungarial liberation of 1955 which ousted the Russian control of Hungary. It was extremely hot so I decided to go on top of that hill in the early morning next day. Castle was nice and looked much alike the one in Stockholm.
On the same hill there is Fisherman’s wharf. That was a nice spot to relax and take pictures of the city. The nearby Mathias church meant I had to see that as well. I got off the hill and crossed the bridge towards Three Seasons hotel. A short walk from there took me to the Basilica which looked like the St. Peter’s basilica in Vatican. I was starved and decided to try the Hungarian goulash soup. Frederik had suggested me to try goulash and langos in Budapest. Goulash soup had mutton in it and tasted like Roghan Josh we cook in India. It had to be eaten with a thick and soft bread. It tasted good and quantity was good enough to appease the hunger. Took metro to the Hero’s Square (Hosok Tere) which was built in the honor of the martyrs of freedom fight against Russia. Not even half a kilometer away was this old castle which had very pretty flowers around it.
I took the train to Ference Tere and walked to the Parliament. It looked even better in the twilight. There had an artificial grave to mark the end of Russian exploitation. The parliament looked like a diamond under the lights. On the way back I clicked more pictures of chain bridge which looked magnificent under the neon lights.

Italy!

Mark Twain once said "The Creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo".

Day 1 :

Took the flight from Gothenburg to Bergamo, Milan. Left office a little early and at 7 PM I was in Milan. Boarded the airport shuttle to the Milan Central.



The central-station is encompassed by a huge dome. It has a palatial façade. It’s the biggest station in Europe. I had booked my train ticket from Milan to Rome online. I just had to enter the booking number in one of those yellow machines which coughed up my travel ticket.
I bought my other train tickets to be used in Italy at Milan station itself. Milan has really old trams running on its wide streets. I just tried one to while away some time. Got to know the cathedral and the city centre are a bit far so decided to visit them on the return date.
I boarded the train at 10:45 PM. Trains in Italy are very efficient and despite carrying the infamy of being late I never found them late even by a minute.
It was a comfortable journey and managed to catch some sleep. I woke up at about 4:30 AM and the panorama truly mesmerized me. Those beautiful vineyards, the lush green slopes and rustic charm of countryside.

Day 2:

I was in the Rome Termini at 6 AM. I found lots of similarities between India and Italy. I was always mistaken for being an Italian and of course the knowledge of Spanish helped too. I found the houses resembled a lot the ones I see in my country. People had their clothes getting dried up in sun over their balconies, courtyards. There were crows sitting on television antennas. People looked much tanner compared to the rest of Europe and of all it was their rash driving that made me nostalgic of India.

I found my way to the hostel. Took shower and after breakfast decided to go to Vatican. I bought a 2 day commuters pass which would enable me to take any form of public transport in Greater Rome. I reached Vatican at 9 AM and joined the queue to get inside the basilica. This must have been the hottest day for me in Europe. It was about 42 C at 10 in the morning itself.
St. Peter’s square is majestic. This circle is covered by the pillars and in the front there is St. Peters basilica.

This must be one of the most powerful places in the world considering the control of Pope over lots of issues. In the centre of the circle there lies a beautiful fountain. After some wait time I found myself inside the basilica. It was such an admirable architecture painted all over by the geniuses thoughout the history. The central dome had a gold-plated design. There were tombs of all the previous popes in the basilica and many incredible artworks related to Christianity. People from all over the world trying to get a glimpse of the sanctum sanctorum.
After spending an hour I joined the queue to Vatican museum. This museum houses the works of Michaelangelo and many other great Italian painters. There were marvelous statues and ceiling frescos. Some of the paintings were so vivid as if the characters would come out of the wall any minute. After going through a series of masterpieces the last one to see was the Sistine Chapel. It must have been the most artistically satisfying moment to see and adore the beauty of the Sistine Chapel. What an unbelievable work! Angelo must have been a God’s gift to the mankind. Truly the renaissance artist! I sat there for quite long admiring the Last Judgement until my neck started to ache.

Made my way to the castle which was not too far from Vatican. Crossed the river to Piazza de Espana or the Spanish Steps. It’s a church with lots of steps where people relax for hours in the sun. Very near to the Spanish Steps there is the Roman Temple we know as Pantheon. This was another highlight of the day. Beautiful statues of the Roman deities and the high and lively dome.
Was totally starved so helped myself with a large pizza and a gelato. There is this street where one finds all the Italian fashion stores like Gucci, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace to name a few.


Next attraction on map was Trevi’s fountain.
Had read a lot about this one. Through the zig-zag and narrow streets I found my way to the fountain. What a treat to the eyes! Such a marvel! Hoards of people were around the fountain. So many that there was police to prevent any chaos. There is a belief that if you through a coin over the shoulders and it falls in the fountain you would visit Rome once again. I followed the ritual and my coin landed there as well. It was about 6 PM and I had already ticked off many Roma attractions with a great deal. I headed to the Caesar’s palace. Yet another jewel in the shining crown of this grand city. A white palace with a huge black statue in front. After clicking a few pictures I decided to check an Italian pasta shop. There must be atleast 500 varities of pasta in the shop and a similar number of types of cheese and wines. I got to see a yellow bottle of Limoncello made from lemons in Sicily.
I had dinner of pasta in the hostel and came to this square from where the entire city could be seen. It was a bird’s eye view of the city at night.

Day 3:



Got up early to avoid long hours of wait to the colloseum. It was as magnificent as they had shown in Gladiator.

A giant and standing testimony to the Great Roman Empire. The collosseum was quite an experience. The oval walls of it and the passage from where war prisoners would be taken out to fight with fate to death. Had lunch of pizza and rested for a while. Next to see was Ruins of Rome. The ruins had the entire city of ancient Rome and the palaces of kings Caesar and Augustus.
The grandeur of ruins could tell how it would have been once upon a time. There so much to click that my camera battery and memory both began to complain. That meant I had to go back to hostel and recharge the battery and find another memory card for the rest of the tour. I was able to locate a place where I bought another 2 Gb memory.

Day 4:

Got up at 6:30 AM to catch the eurostar to Florence. Rome had been a wonderful tour experience but I still had a lot to explore in Bella Italia. Boarded the train at 7:40 AM and reached Florence at 10:30 AM. Rome-Florence route is quite scenic and passing them through at 300 kmph made it quite a sight to behold. I navigated my way to the hostel and left my backpack there. I first went to the Castle which had a square-stoned square. Next to see was the Old Bridge which had a house made on the bridge.

In the morning time I didn’t find to many visitors thronging the place. One of the residents advised me to go to the hills from where the red roof-tops of the entire city are seen.

I walked on the serpentine road to the hilltop and yes it was a breathtaking view of the entire town. I could see the duomo, synagogue and old bridge from there. Those roof-tops made a special picture in the scorching Italian daylight. Next to see was Michelangelo’s David in the famous museum. I rushed to the museum and saw all I could hastily.

Grabbed delicious pasta at one of the stores and got on the train to Pisa. It takes about 45 minutes from Florence to Pisa and on the way there is lovely countryside. Bought one gelato and walked to the leaning tower. Yeah, it was a very touristy thing to go up the tower and get a picture. It’s funny but the truth is that the bad engineering has made this tower such a hot travel spot.

The tower is tilted and they have tied the base of the tower to the massive twin iron spheres to make sure it doesn’t tilt to the point of getting uprooted some day. The castle was equally stunning as the tower and together they made a great background for some nice pictures.



I saw people posing in the funniest of ways around the tower to make it look as if they are pushing it from the bent side or a few supporting it from their shoes. I bought some souvenirs for my nieces and nephews. On the way back I took a different route which had a historic bridge over the river. The houses around it must have been more than few thousand years old.
I took the train to Florence and got off at one of the stations little before the Florence city. A beautiful Italian village was nearby. I walked towards the hills, saw how the farmers lived and worked. Captured a few snaps of their lovely abodes and boarded the next train to Florence. It was getting dark and without wasting any minute I reached Florence Dome.


It was a very special cathedral with a very fine work of marble on its outer walls. I sat at the steps and admired it for a long time. I also wanted to see the green-topped synagogue so began to walk till there. The streets in Florence are very different from the rest of world. Every square inch is made of stones and they are quite narrow. From a distance the synagogue seemed to be just half a kilometer away but I realized it must have been about three kilometers. My legs throbbed but I didn’t want to give up. From synagogue, I returned to the Dome squarw where I bought some juice, dry fruits and cookies. I took a stroll around the town and at about 8 PM had dinner of lobster ravioli and salad. Garlic bread was the best I had tasted in Italy. Following this, I went to the old bridge. There was a band playing live jazz and the same place which looked almost deserted in the morning had so many humans vying to find a place to sit. I joined the crowd and it was quite a moment sitting on the bridge and listening to the harmonies emanating from the guitar. I almost instantly lost all my pain and tiredness. I sat there for an hour and reached my hostel at about 10 PM.

Day 5:


Got up at 5 in the morning to catch the Eurostar train to Venice. One the train reached the blue lagoon I started to plan my day in Venice. The moment I stepped out of the Venice station awe struck me. Wow, the most special place on earth, Venice! They say, there is no other city like Venice in the world. I bought a 24 hours boat pass and journeyed to St. Marco’s square in the centre of Venice. The way to square was full of beautiful marble bridges and it complemented the turquoise blue color of water. There is a castle with the lion with wings mascot of the city of Venice at the St. Marco’s square. From St. Marco’s I took another boat to the Murano island. This island is known for its world class Italian glass.

The houses on this island had very vivid colors. Each one having a different color from its adjacent ones. There were flower pots at each balcony, further enhancing the effects of color. The stores in Murano sold finest glasswork, all manufactured locally. From there I hopped on the boat to Burano island.
The houses had even more colors than in Murano.

This island is known for the handicraft work. Canals were narrower with sleek boats plying on them. The next island I went to was Torcello. Here there was a medieval church still standing tall in all its glory. The water here was green unlike the other islands where it was blue.
I came back to Venice and had lunch. In Venice you find ambulance boats, boats as police vehicles, boats used as fire-brigade vehicles.



They call the boats used for public as buses and the boats you call them at your time as taxis. I decided to see the bridge of sighs known so after the prisoners who sighed when taken to the jail connected by this bridge. From there I headed to the grand canal which as the name suggests is the widest canal in Venice. The Charles Bridge is something nobody visiting Venice wants to miss and I didn’t either. It’s a covered vridge very different from all other bridges in Venice. The narrow canals joining the grand canal had gondoliers sailing their gondolas. The shops in Venice had those beautiful masks you see in the pictures of Venice festival. Those masks make the best souvenir from Venice. I aimlessly took any boat and went to different parts of the island. In the eveninf I was back to St. Marco’s. It was the time when the restaurants created an unbelievable atmosphere at the entire square. Each one had a live band playing some classics like Beethoven and Mozart. Almost everyone was driven by this symphony. After a while I went to Lido, the island where Venice film festival is organized. This was a different and considerably new and posh island. Wide and tarred roads, modern homes and upscale cars. I had something to eat at one the pizzerias and kept going to the other end of the island. It was fascinating to see the islands at night. It was about 2 AM and I decided to go back to the station.

Day 6:

I waited for about two hours at the Venice station and took the train to Milan. On the way I saw the town of Verona going by but couldn’t visit it as I had to return to Gothenburg the same day. I reached Milan central at 8 AM and that left me about 5 hours to see the Milan city. I took metro to the Duomo station. Milan cathedral is just outside the station. It was the most beautiful cathedral I had seen.

Great work on the white marble. I found hundreds of pigeons on the square. A little boy came and asked me if I want my picture with the pigeons. I thought that would be great. Then he offered me corn seeds which he asked me to keep on my open hands. The pigeons saw it and he immediately took my snaps. The fashion complex which houses all the big Italian brands signature stores is just 5 minutes walk from there. I walked around the city for some time and returned to Milan Central. I took the next bus to Begrgamoo and I checked I still had about 1.5 hours. I decided to see the city of Bergamo in this time,. It was quite an old town and quite nice to my surprise. I took the train to the airport and flew back to Gothenburg. It was such a great trip to remember. At times I lost my way, when asked for directions the people didn’t know English. Somehow I managed with Spanish. Tasted finest gourmet Italian food and got to see some of the most wonderful man-made wonders.

Norweigian National Day in Oslo!

My friend Jeetu had been asking me to visit Norway on 17th May, which happens to be the national day of Norway. Oslo is about 3 hours by bus from Gothenburg. So on 16th May evening I started and reached there at about 7 PM. The way to Oslo was very hilly and there were few really long tunnels. The panorama in Norway was remarkably different from what’s seen in Sweden. I felt Oslo must be the greenest capital in the world. There are huge valleys, wide-spread fjords and lush green hills around the city centre.

Jeetu had come to pick me. We boarded the fast train to his spartment in Alsker, a beautiful and upscale sub-urb in Oslo. His apartment was on a hill and it was quite adventurous to walk till there. This was one of his flat-mates birthday so had nice cake and ice-cream to eat as well. Jeetu cooked some Indian vegetables and rice. Retired early that night as we had planned to see the national day celebrations in the city centre.

Day 1:

Got up early and reached the Castle where the parade from all around Oslo ends. It wasn’t the kind of day I had expected it to be. It was extremely cold and I wasn’t rightly dressed for it. Temperature had dropped about 15 C in a day. It began to rain which in some time turned into snow. There wasn’t much happening there at 8:30 AM in that bone-chilling cold. So we asked one of the residents and we were directed to the right street. And voila, there it was.. the procession a la our republic day parade sans display of military power. There was fun and festivity in the air and every single citizen seemed to be on the streets. Elderly, middle-aged, youth, boys, little kids all carrying the national flag and yelling the war-cry out of the lungs.
We joined the parade and it felt good to be a part of it. Norway was ruled by Denamrk and Sweden for decades and the Norwegians seemed to value the hard-fought independence.
They were just going berserk and it was heartening to see such a great participation from the countrymen, young and old alike. The parade gathered near the opera house where many other groups joined. This day also marks the graduation day for the students there. They were dressed in a kind of funny red baggy cargo pants and white jackets.

Las Vegas

I just got back from Bangalore on the 22nd December and was still having jet lag. Was unsure if I should drive to a far off place or just relax during the vacation. Friends from Intel asked me to join them for Las Vegas & Grand Canyon during Christmas vacation. I took a Nissan x-terra and drove it down overnight from Folsom. So here I was in Las Vegas in Christmas 2005. It doesn't take much time to figure out why is Las Vegas the hottest tourist destination in the world. I read somewhere spending Christmas in Las Vegas is like spending Halloween at the Vatican. But that, of course is part of the appeal. Of late Las Vegas has become the Entertainment Capital of the World. As we come out on Las Vegas Blvd 'The Strip', I'm amazed at how crowded the place is. It is not a usual throng though. Not as many college kids. Not as many children. The people I see outside the window as we drive down Las Vegas Blvd are regulars. We have returned like lemmings to the village of the lost souls.

Las Vegas is situated in the vast Mojave Desert. To start a casino in this desert was an idea of celebrity gangster Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel. In 1940s Nevada was the only state where Gambling was considered legal. Also it’s proximity to Los Angeles must have been another reason why Bugsy chose this place over others. He realized his lifetime dream of a casino hotel ‘Flamingo’ which claims to be the oldest casino in Las Vegas. Since then there have been many casinos built around the Las Vegas Boulevard commonly known as ‘Strip’. We stayed in Vegas for three nights and when we were leaving we felt so much remains unexplored, unseen. You experience Venice, Rome, Paris, Egypt, Greece, and Arabia all in the stretch of two miles.

In Las Vegas you get to see that nationalism and provincial borders have become immaterial. Americans are the minority here. At dinner you will notice German being spoken at a table to your left, Spanish behind you, French and Japanese everywhere else. You look out over the crowd and realize that wars are fought because the world's wealth is so poorly dispersed. With bounty of riches in their pockets, Germans eat breakfast next to Jews, Chinese next to Mexicans. You get two different experiences during the day and neon-infused night. As we stayed there all over the weekend we got to enjoy the both. You can’t miss the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas. The nearly 1100-foot behemoth can be seen from anywhere in Sin City.

In a city celebrated to hold the outrageous, it's still crazy to learn there are thrill rides atop the tower. Even more daring than the people who thought of introducing the rides on top of the tower: the nuts (someone like me …) who ride them. None of the four rides would be mostly striking if they were planted on the earth, but at more than 1000 feet above the famous strip, they're all beyond savage. In fact two of them may just be the most breathtaking, if not frightening, rides on the earth. It's all about psychosomatic quivers, and these rides give acrophobia a whole new gist. When the Scream totters over the rim of the Stratosphere, or when Insanity hangs loosely, revs above the Strip and tilts its cars down as if to throw out its riders, mental thrills just don't get a lot more extreme. The Big Shot is a typical drop tower ride, but when you're freefalling 1000 feet in the space, you’re very likely to get the goose bumps. For those too fastidious to brave the attractions, just riding the top of the tower is an exploration. It was a day well spent enjoying the wild rides.

It’s dusky and we are ready to experience the city soaked in neon lights. As we pull up to the MGM Grand, I hear a cop shouting "Hey buddy is it Christmas Eve?". It is a justifiable question as during our drive and then walk on the strip I have not seen a single Santa. There are no twinkle lights strung across Las Vegas Blvd. The place looks the same as it does on the other days of the year. The Vegas casino resorts have always put you in a different world of mesmerizing neon and extravagant adornment. Its astounding architecture, the mesmerizing entertainment of the world-famous Blue Man Group, gondola rides along the half-mile canal make Venetian the most elegant casino in Las Vegas.

Inspired by the grandeur of Venice, the Venetian treats you to an unparalleled array of amenities and attractions. You have gondolas and canals inside casino. This breathtaking mega-resort combines the latest technology and the venerable art and culture of the European jewel: Venice. The Venetian's take on this world-renowned city and the Italian eleganza is a must-see. Coming to this resort is as close as you'll come to visiting Venice itself. I was surprised by the visitors taking pictures of the ceiling as if they were in The Sistine Chapel. Some detailed, exquisite frescoes cover the arched ceiling. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is in the Palace of the Vatican, the official residence of the Roman Catholic Pope in the Vatican City. Just a few yards from Venetian, stands this royal casino.. Bellagio. As you enter you witness the true European elegance. The Fountains of Bellagio was the most mesmerizing experience in Las Vegas. On a huge lake in front of the casino you witness a splendid ballet of dancing fountains choreographed to melody and illuminations. Few minutes from Bellagio, the Mirage casino is famous for it’s colossal volcano show. Set on a three-acre lagoon, the Mirage Volcano is a splendid display of more than few thousand lights mechanized to simulate erupting lava. The volcano is fifty feet high and erupts much higher into the air.

Each and every square inch in Las Vegas is so picturesque you tend to snap anything you see. After this we got to know about the Pirates Show at the adjacent Treasure Island. Visitors simply got awed by the excitement and allure in this spectacular action-musical show. From audacious swordplay to high-diving acrobatics and eye-popping pyrotechnics, the show was full of countless thrills. Having seen these extravagant, nerve-wrecking displays we made our way to Caesar Palace Colosseum and to our surprise there was Celine Dion’s show ‘A New Day’ which turned out to be an extravaganza of music and magnificent special effects. The show boasts of the largest indoor LED screen, beautiful thespian lighting and stunning surround sound. By the time show ended I was too tired of having fun.

Hotel Luxor’s enormous pyramid is a miracle of construction, and has become a distinguishing signpost in the city of lights. Rising around 400 feet into the desert sky and proclaimed to be the world's brightest beam of light, Luxor guides visitors across the desert toward Las Vegas from miles away. While driving to Las Vegas we could see this light as far from 80 miles. There are many more theme-based casino resorts like Aladin, Monte Carlo, New York New York, MGM, Circus Circus, Mandalay Bay, Wynn, Stardust and Excalibur. Each of them is equally brilliant and unique. All I can say is once in Vegas you feel like staying there forever. In Las Vegas one can’t go back without trying a shot at dice and cards. And even though I'm a firm believer in luck, I'm not really much of a gambler. I wish to write more about other casinos and fabulous shows but that will make my blog difficult to read in one sitting. It can be described only in so many words; beyond that, experience has to take over.