Germany abounds in well-kept parks and ponds. To my surprise, I started spotting wildlife like deer and wild boar casually go about their business even in ordinary parks where people go walking or beer drinking.
I feel at home the minute I set foot in some countries and feel like a total stranger even to myself in some others. With Scotland, it was love at first sight.
The spires of beautiful monuments and hilltop castles dominate the skyline in cities. Cattle grazing on rolling hills with a scenic backdrop characterize the Highlands. And the fishing villages are full of spirit and seagulls. Scotland, brimming with lochs (lakes) overflowing with legends of monsters and heroes, is now my favourite country.
As the harsh winter takes leave and makes way for spring, connecting with nature becomes much more delightful. My daily walks are now much slower, longer and gratifying as I stand and smell the proverbial roses.
While I lived in Bangalore for over a decade, I treated Ranganathittu as my backyard bird sanctuary. A trip to Ranganathittu bird sanctuary had always been a pit stop before heading to big national parks like Nagarhole, Bandipur, BR Hills and the likes. The fondest memories I have of my trips include devouring Kadubu (rice cakes) […]
Dutch villages are known for iconic windmills, beautiful tulip gardens, impressive old town with stunning architecture in the form of churches, archways, museums, and bridges.
Peppered with wealthy people, expensive real estate, and expat community, Sintra is synonymous to splendour. It is home to three palaces and a castle and one of the most expensive municipalities in the Iberian Peninsula. The affluent district is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, and need I say a popular tourist destination.
Only 31 km west of bustling Lisbon, with 30 km of coastline, this seaside village feels like a completely different world. The green of the Sintra mountains framing the azure blue Atlantic Ocean makes for a stunning landscape.
Cascais is like a one-stop shop for vacationers. Beaches, museums, history, culture, sports, stories about spies, food, shopping, you name it, the historic village has it.
Malaga is the sixth largest city in Spain. Palm trees -allegedly nonnative- lined alleys, parrots screeching their lungs off, narrow side lanes packed with cozy restaurants and shops selling knickknacks and over a dozen beaches within the city limit, make it a perfect destination for any kind of traveler.
Bright, yellow trams rattle along the streets shoulder to shoulder with buses. Stunning views of 16thcentury monuments in Manueline style characterize the skyscape. A vast stretch of tropical garden, buildings with colorful-tiled facades, and distinctive museums dot the landscape. The river Tagus studded with 25th of April bridge, the Christ the King statue – inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue of Rio de Janeiro – at the far end, and celebrated eateries make up Belem, the culture capital of Lisbon.
Marzipan Museum in Luebeck During my first University excursion, strolling on the damp streets of Luebeck, trying to digest all the information I gathered about the queen of Hanseatic cities, I first discovered Marzipan. “You must have heard of the famous Niederegger Marzipan”, my guide, a proud local, bragged. “Here’s the Marzipan museum”, pointing at, […]