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Showing posts from 2014

Salzburg: Music, Mountains and Mystery

The charm of Salzburg lies in its deceptively simple settings. Like any other European town its set along a river called Salzach and seems to be waiting for the people to come and uplift it's spirits. However, the similarity with other cities gets over here. The glimpse to majestic Alpine peaks towards the south and hint of rolling plains towards the north of it makes it mysteriously alluring.  Salzburg is one of the most popular tourist destination in Austria. Not only because of its scenic beauty but also it's strategic location and its aristocratic links. It's standing as a chic town with latest fashion trends and cultural events makes it popular amongst rich and famous Europeans. No wonder an average Salzburger feels very proud of his city (A little too proud for my liking:))  An average stay in Salzburg can be of two nights three days but unfortunately we barely had two days to spend there. My day started by arriving into the city by road from Munich. I had taken

Purna Kumbh-Celebration of Human Spirit

The sea of people and riot of colours is the first impression of Purna Kumbh that you get. The festival which promises to absolve all your sins and promises you salvation is awaited for twelve years and is celebrated by Hindus with great fervour. No wonder more and more people want to visit Kumbha Melas. Last Kumbh Mela witnessed 10 million people visiting this great assembly of pilgrims making it the largest religious gathering of the world. The power of faith and spiritual zeal is such that men and women, old and young, rich and poor, strong and weak take this journey to one of the Holy cities (Haridwar, Allahabad, Ujjain and Nasik) wherever the Kumbh Mela is held and take a dip in holy rivers. This act of faith is bewildering to many of us. Imagine 10 million people gathering in one place along with sages and sadhus, with positive thoughts and inclinations, the energy becomes electrifying and one feels really revived after this experience. Kumbh in Sankrit means pitcher or urn.

GOLDEN TRIANGLE (DELHI AGRA JAIPUR): LOVE, LURE AND LEGEND

India’s diversity and magical charm is such that while deciding to visit India, it is very difficult to choose one part of India and leave the other. However, if you are looking for cultural heritage, experiencing the lover’s devotion to his beloved, rustic charm of vibrant colours and grandeur of Maharajas and their royal legends and the impact various dynasties and rulers made to modern India, then, Golden Triangle is what you should choose for your trip to India. Golden Triangle is a name given to a tourist route which covers three famous cities of Northern India- Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. This route is usually covered by road and covers almost 900 kms in a triangular circuit. Each leg of the journey takes 4 to 6 hours. These three cities have their Unique Charm and each will amaze you with its distinctive features and delights. This route has many other gems like a bird century or a Heritage resort tucked in some village which can offer you the rural life of India etc. According t

Munnar-Fairytale begins

They said Munnar is beautiful and I felt that no big deal, it must be like any other hill stations which has tea plantations to add to its beauty. So, what’s new? I didn’t expect that I will fall in love with its fairytale like landscape with mist floating all around and everything covered in mystery to be unraveled.   It was not so much of adrenalin of excitement which soared within me when I saw Munnar for the first time. Seeing it was more like the yearning you get after you have found someone so attractive that you can’t stay away from.  My trip to Munnar started from Cochin on a rainy September day. I was afraid that things might not work out again as on my last trip to Kerala I had missed seeing Munnar due to heavy rains. The first 1 hour were just to get out of Cochin to and the northern area out of Cochin where you find very big and flashy houses built from Gulf money. Each house better looking than other and one wonders why people build such big houses and stay all l