a memoir of etchings and wanderings
Italy was the last country of our three-week long trip, and honestly, the bit that I was most excited about! Driving through the Brenner Pass, a mountain pass along the border between Italy and Austria we crossed numerous apple orchards and vineyards and began to spot the Italian part of the Alps in a Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara sort of frame, where an endless stretch of road continued with grapes growing … Continue reading “L’Italia” →
Leekh-ten-shtine. That’s how it must be pronounced. So much for geography obsession; before my visit, I didn’t even know this was a country. But as it happens, the Principality of Liechtenstein is an adorable, doubly landlocked alpine country bordered by Switzerland to the west and by Austria towards the east. Vaduz is its capital and that was where we were headed, on the way to our Austria leg of the … Continue reading “Liechtenstein” →
To be completely honest, while we were planning this trip, Switzerland was the place I was probably least excited about – but it happened to surprise me the most. In almost all the other countries, there were these elaborate lists of things to see – museums, galleries, rivers or just anything that made them stand out. In my head, Switzerland was the place where some Bollywood movies were shot, a … Continue reading “Heaven in Helvetica” →
While we had already stepped into Munich at the beginning of our journey, the rest of the Germany journey was yet to begin. One of the largest countries in that part of Europe, it has stood witness to so much history and change, that it has continued to fascinate people from all over the globe. And we were no different. We were driving across the Netherlands from the western most … Continue reading “Deutschland” →
Windmills. Wooden shoes. Canals. Van Gogh. Beer. Some of most extraordinary things in the world are owed to the Netherlands. And we were able to experience most on our one-day trip; getting the best of rural Holland and the modern Amsterdam. We set off from Eindhoven to reach Madurodam, a miniature park in the Scheveningen district of The Hague. Although I found it a tad boring, we had to appreciate the intricacy … Continue reading “Oranje Country” →
It was now time to bid Paris a teary goodbye. Belgium awaited. We drove four hours to the capital city of Brussels, where we first stopped at the Atomium. We were explained what the significance of this iconic structure was, but after I heard that meeting rooms were built in the spheres, they kind of lost me. However, for the education of all, the Atomium was originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair … Continue reading “Belgium” →
Destination next was ‘La Ville-Lumière’ or the City of Light, better known to us as Paris! It is a pity that we could only visit the capital city this trip, the whole of the country is so beautiful and full of history, it would need probably a fortnight or more to skim through. I have absolutely no recollections of the time when I first visited Paris, so was obviously … Continue reading “Paris je t’aime” →
Even before starting out on the UK and Europe trip, I understood that there are a number of travel modes. By this, I mean there are different things that people like to do while on vacation – there is the lets-go-by-the-schedule-and-cover-everything, the I-don’t-care-about-touristy-stuff, the I-only-want-to-shop-balls-to-everything-else, the combination of a few of these and very many others. It really is amusing to see them in action. I belong to the mixed … Continue reading “Dear Old Blighty” →
They say when its time, you just know. The last time I took a trip with my parents was when I was 14 and had a rather amusing fashion sense. This year, being the 30thwedding anniversary of the two most wonderful people on the planet – I decided that it was time. After months of deliberations and intensive sessions of poring over the hundred open tabs in my browser window … Continue reading “Österreich” →