life in a state of flux

So much has happened since I last blogged. I quit my job and went to Europe.

Left for Vienna via Zurich. The Austrian capital was a good nice clean city. Lots of classical music culture thanks to Mozart, Strauss & co. Best part of Vienna was the St Stephan's Cathedral. A 900 year old gothic church. The city views from the top of the tall tower were awesome. The region surrounding the cathedral was pretty nice too. Loads of nice shops and Kaffeehaus'. Worst part of Vienna - German! Not the people, the language. Listening to it (in trains, trams, buses, tours) makes you wonder if everyone has a severe throat infection. Anyway moving on to Salzburg. What a pretty town! Best part was the lake district, Salzkammergut, in the vicinity which had the most pristine towns I have ever seen. Worst part of Salzburg - German! Onwards to Innsbruck. Well I had heard so much about the town and the Alps surrounding it that I was a little let down. Maybe I have been to the Himalayas too many times and don't think any other mountains come even close in stature and beauty. The town itself was cute to say the least. Best part: Buying crystals at Swarovski museum. Something like this would never figure in my list of Must Do's but I do like a few good things of life and crystals and diamonds are some of those. Worst Part about Innsbruck: C'mon say it with me now GERMAN!

Overall Austria was clean and their houses are way too pretty to describe. The people are well half of them were somewhat friendly. I'd like to believe the unfriendly half is just still pissed about the Anschluss.

Moving now to Italy. First stop Florence. Florence was dirty and crowded and I fell in love with it right away. It is the city of the Renaissance and the art and culture is on display all over. You can walk the tiny ancient alleys of Florence during the day and eat at the quaint pizzerias at night and do it all over again the next day. Such is the magic of the city. Best part of Florence: The sites, the leather market, the lovely pizzeria called Vico Del Carmine. Worst part of Florence: None for now, I'm in love with it remember.

Final destination: Rome, the eternal city. The biggest city on the trip, the Italian capital is an outdoor museum in itself. Roman ruins and famous fountains everywhere. Tourists EVERYWHERE. There is so much to see in Rome that you can honestly spend a month here and not get bored. Unfortunately we had just 3 days so we covered the essentials - Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Vatican and the rest we drove around and about. Best part of Rome: All listed above. Worst Part of Rome: The heat! It was 36C on all 3 days and burning hot. So yeah please go in June when it hasn't gotten that hot yet.
Overall Italy is far more cosmopolitan. People are friendlier and the culture is far more tourist friendly. More importantly Italian is easier on the ears than German. What a relief that was :)

Okay so I am back to Bombay. The city I call home. Humidity, crowds, pesky cabbies, crowded streets at night everything feels nice and familiar. But I leave for Bangalore on Sunday to join my new job. Trying my best to not feel sorry. This is what I have always wanted. Industry of choice, profile of choice just city not of choice for now and probably for the next two years. Small thing to deal with in the large scheme of life I guess. Will be back in Mumbai for good in a couple of years. Until then the monthly visits will keep me in touch with home and my darlings here.     

For now Auf Wiedersehen beloved city. Miss you I sure will.

update

It's been pretty long since I last blogged. Lots of things have happened some of which you already know and others you might not like the Kolkata wedding I got back from yesterday. I have been to the city once before so this was my 2nd time there. Besides the fantastic maru wedding, the highlight of the trip was the breakfast at 'Flurys' on Park Street.

Some observations: 1. The city is very horn friendly. They honk at anything including cattle which only confuses the poor animals. 2. People (taxi drivers, salesmen at stores, restaurant waiters etc) will tell you 10 reasons why some road can't be taken, some gift can't be shipped, some order can't be canceled  without ever once focusing on the solution. On the positive side: 1. All vehicles switch their engines off at signals - the environment and my ear drums were very grateful, 2. They love football and there were flags of Brazil and Argentina everywhere. What was better was that there wasn't a bandh called after both the teams were kicked out of the WC.

All in all Kolkata is a good city if you like driving on one way roads, don't care about customer service,and prefer a more peaceful life than the rodent grand prix that is Mumbai. Of course you expect me to say '"but I still love Mumbai" which I do but I like Kolkata too - makes you feel you are living in 70s.

P.S.

A lifetime of wait is over and I shall finally see Rome. I leave tomorrow night and I still need to pack but frankly I don't care about that right now all I can think of is getting there. I won't be in Rome until the 15th but I am sure there will be lots to keep me interested in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Florence before I finally step foot in Italian capital. Yep that's my itinerary. So Bon Voyage to me and I'll see you when I see you ;)

incredible india

One of the best things to happen to tourism in India was the Incredible India campaign. A friend sent me some of the new print ads. Picking five for your viewing pleasure; Wildlife, Nature, Adventure, Religion, Culture. My favourite, exhibit no.3. For best results; read the copy (click on each picture to enlarge).

freeing me

At times I find myself struggling to break free from the crazy thoughts my mind cooks up. Of late things have settled down in the dark alleys of my brain. I can think clearly and nothing seems so terrible anymore. This happened after my best friend put things in perspective for me in the candid way that he always does. Thanks pal :)

You know how there are certain things we all do that make us feel immensely happy. For me some of those things are going to the mountains, watching the rains, and riding horses. Some of my best memories have included one or more of these.

1. Darjeeling, WB - my first trip to the Himalayas. I can’t forget being stunned by the majestic lush green mountains, neatly cut tea gardens and lovely smiling mountain people.

2. Monsoon 2005, Mumbai - Another memory that will stay with me for a while was watching the rain come down on 26th July 2005. I was safely at home by 2pm and I spent the rest of the day staring at the fury of the monsoon for hours together. It was beautiful and devastating all at once.

3. Giza, Egypt - Riding around the pyramids. I learnt riding when I was a very young and that explains my love for horses. They are beautiful animals with the softest hearts unless you decide to stand at the rear and tickle their hooves. In which case you might find yourself in another orbit.

Point of the Post: Every now and then do things that set you free and meet people who love you back. They make the world seem easier to traverse through.

wonderful photography

Some of the most AMAZING photographs from one of my favourite travel journalists Timothy Allen

Just to give you a peek

ladakh

Those of you who know me know what a travel nut I am. This nuttyness includes travelling to places, reading about travelling to places while not travelling, dreaming about places to travel to and so on.

Like most people my age I think of going to Ladakh ever so often. If I ever go (very likely unless I drop dead all of a sudden) it would be by road: Manali-Leh and Leh-Srinagar. Of the million photographs I have seen of the place it really looks like something else. I'm afraid my visit might lead me to marry a Ladakhi and settle for a life of milking yaks and grazing bactrian camels. Then again its a risk worth taking.

A friend recently told me about this music festival in Leh. Looks/sounds wonderful but late in the day for me to go to. Here's the official site: http://www.theconfluence.in/

Another itinerary thats sounds superb is The Zanskar River Expedition. Read here.

Check out the other journeys on the site too. They have some pretty great expeditions.

All in all my bags are always packed for a trip to the Great Himalayas. Here's to wanderlust, the joy of the unbound life, the joy of seeking, of hoping without limits ...