EUROPEAN DIARY

PART 3

   Belgium: The Nation known for its chocolates, architecture, fries and football- Belgium was our next destination. Belgium is the neighbouring country of France, Netherland and Germany. They don’t have their own language but prefer using French and German or Dutch. With a population of around 11million, Belgium is a Happy Place to live in.

    We departed from France, Paris to be specific in the morning and reached Brussels (the capital of Belgium) in the noon. The first thing I saw there was an amazing network of Trams on the roads. We went to the Brussels City Centre and found many buildings and palaces in the famous Belgian architecture. They look eye-captivating and also the various floriculture exhibited there. The exotic flowers, make you want to sit there and relax for some time.

Palace

         

Flowers at every end

    Later, we walked our way to the major attraction of Brussels, ‘Manneken-Pis’. As the word Pis suggests Pissing, this is the statue of a small boy pissing. It is believed that because of the urination of this child, the entire country was saved as there had been fire all around. This is the most photographed statue in Belgium but is only of about 60cm in height.

Manneken- Pis

    Then it was the time to treat ourselves with delicious chocolates! There are many outlets nearby selling The Belgian Chocolates and you can buy them. Belgian chocolates are outstanding, they are a bit different than Swiss Chocolates because of the chocolate and milk variation. You must definitely buy a lot of chocolates from there.

   We then roamed in the city and purchased Souvenirs. They have great Souvenirs in the shops like a Glass Boot Having Photos of Belgium. We ate the famous Belgian Ice Cream Bar there and departed to see another sight there.

    It is called ‘The Atomium’.  It is a huge structure with 9 steel balls representing some chemical arrangement (I don’t remember any scientific thing now). Around 500m ahead is a water fountain from where you can click pictures. You might edge to see a rainbow from there as well. The Dutch land was calling us and we had to leave.

Atomium, Belgium

    Belgium is a Nice Country, you can definitely spend 2 to 3 days there. I didn’t do many things there which you’ll can do:                                            1. Eat the Famous Local Food and Fries.

2. Enjoy the night life there by visiting Beer Pubs there, you will not spot people out in the evening but inside a pub.

Belgium is a unique and peaceful country. The people there are very pleasant and interact with tourists properly.

   Thank You Friends for reading another blog of mine. Please ensure liking, commenting on it. Do let me know if I can improve. Hope to publish another blog by next week. See you soon.

EUROPEAN DIARY

PART 2

     Liechtenstein: Today I am going to tell you about another country that I visited- Liechtenstein! Liechtenstein can be better described as a ‘Part of Switzerland’. A very small country (160 sq.km to be precise) situated between Switzerland and Austria. The Population is approximately 40,000 and the currency having the influence of Swiss, hence Swiss Franc, even Euros accepted.

    In the morning we were in Switzerland and within an hour or so, were in Liechtenstein. From this we come to know that road travel in Europe is convenient and smooth. We visited the capital city Vaduz. Firstly, we were introduced to the Local Dotto Train that covers the whole city on roads, the city tour. Then we had to wait for half an hour for our turn, so went to the souvenir shop there, and found a lot of stuff to take back to our country. I purchased as many as 50 stamps of various countries, Golf balls of 5 European countries,and a coin. Got souvenir of many countries in a same place! The people there love Indians, this made me feel great to be an Indian.  

The Local City Tour Train

    Anyways, we were on the local city tour by the time we finished shopping. This was not on any specific train track, but on the road. So it was different as that vehicle looked like a mini train. I saw the local houses there, which are too big and luxurious like Row-houses. Then we stopped near some statue followed by the lush grape yards of the country. Something to capture in your eyes. Then came The Football Stadium! Such a small nation but they have their National Football Team and always represent in Euro’s and World Championships, which is astonishing. Then we saw the Liechtenstein’s Kings Castle. That is at an altitude and is huge. We then went to city centre, which is really beautiful. Austria was calling us, so we had to leave.

Grape Yards

Football Stadium

Local Houses

Castle kind of House

     All this cannot be defined with words but can be captured amazingly with eyes. If you are near Switzerland, Austria or even Germany or France, Liechtenstein can be one of the countries you can visit. There aren’t too many things to do, but many things to capture. You won’t realise it while travelling, but only after you come back to your country and see all the photos clicked. Thank You so Much for reading this Friends. I wait for your responses on this short description of Liechtenstein. 

EUROPEAN DIARY

PART 1

  Netherland: 3 years ago in June I had been to 10 European countries on a group tour with my family. Out of the 10 countries, one of them was The Dutch Land, Netherland! Our trip started from United Kingdom followed by France, Belgium and then Netherland, but I would definitely want to start with Holland.

    In the Morning we were in Brussels, Belgium and by the evening we reached Rotterdam in Netherland. We went to a nearby Indian Food Restaurant where it never felt that we were outside India with the ambience and service of the restaurant. For the night we stayed in The Inntel Hotels, Rotterdam Centre. Good Hotel with nice scenery around hotel and breakfast facilities. The place is well connected with Tram and underground Metro Station Leuvehaven. Connectivity in Netherlands is no problem.

    In the morning, we were on our way to Hague. 2 peculiar things that I noticed on my way were that there was a separate allotment on the roads for cyclists, and there were beautiful fields and gardens of Tulip Flowers of various colours. Both these still make an unforgettable memory.

The Tulip Gardens Around

    Anyways our next destination was ‘Madurodam’, a park near Hague. It is not just a park but much more than that! The first thing that you would say after entering the park is ‘WOW’. This park is not an ordinary park, it is a miniature park that replicates Famous Dutch Landmarks and historical places in the ratio of 1:25! And everything you want to see in Netherland in a small park! What else would a tourist want? And believe me This Park is a TREAT TO THE EYES! The park consists of almost all the must visit places of Holland like Amsterdam Airport, Port of Rotterdam, Tulip Fields, Football Stadium, etc. Not only the miniatures but also the moving vehicles installed in them entertains everyone. There can be thousands of images and videos clicked, but one of my friend has rightly said, “Eyes Capture, what Camera cannot!” And indeed you would definitely be amazed after visiting this place even without clicking photos. Apart from that there were various shops there to purchase Souvenirs of Netherland. Indeed The whole of Dutch Land in a Park!

Entrance of the Park

The Amazing Airport Miniature

Festival Miniature. 

    We left there in the Noon. After Lunch we went for a Motorboat Cruise (I don’t remember the place). But yes it was another relaxed ride between the city centre. People waiving and greeting always makes you happy as a tourist and you just want to stay in the city. Anyways we had an itinerary to follow and left for another Country.

   This is how I felt in Netherland. Despite having not visited Amsterdam, the country’s capital, I still felt that I saw the whole of the country because of Madurodam. You should definitely go there. I loved the way people live in this country, caring and cycling! I would like to request my readers to share your blog pages so that I can read you’ll. Any Suggestions or mistakes, please comment. Thank You Friends.

A Short 2-Day trip to Karnataka

19^th November, 2016:  “Karnataka”, a state linking India’s northern part to the elegant southern part. I had never been to Karnataka before, so for me I had and have a lot to explore! At the end of this short trip, I just have these words- “Karnataka is amazing!”

                                            I had to attend the Convocation ceremony of my brother in Manipal, but that never stopped me from exploring the other places of interest. We (my mother and me) started from Mumbai at 22:00 Hrs of 18^th November in a train (Mangalore Express). This train was one of the best trains I have ever travelled in India, not because of the speed but due to its cleanliness, facilities, hygiene, and also the route it travels. This train passes through 3 states offering all the types of scenery of the states. As soon as you are in Goa and Karnataka, there seems to be extreme beauty that you can see in the form of lakes, coconut trees, agriculture, etc. We reached our destination Udupi, which is 2 stops before Mangalore at 12:00 Hrs. Basically Mangalore- Udupi- Manipal are co-linear.

                                            We had our stay at Hotel Krishna Residency, an urbanised hotel in a rural place like Udupi. By 17:30 Hrs, we (brother, mother and me) were ready to visit a beautiful about 13km away from Udupi, Kapu Beach! Transportation was no problem with the Local Bus and rickshaws. The unique thing that this beach offered was The Lighthouse! You can climb up to the top of the lighthouse and witness the beauty that the beach offers and also the light radiating from the Lighthouse! It becomes dark early in winters in India, so couldn’t enjoy the spectacular views for long, but whatever it is great because you just don’t see, you can feel it! We (papa joined us as well) returned back and had our dinner at “The Woodlands”, which was near our hotel. It is the best restaurant of Udupi. I enjoyed the day a lot!

Light- Radiating Machine

From TOP

             

Light- House

                                          Next day, in the morning around 10:30 Hrs, we 4 went to the famous Krishna Temple. The main temple is surrounded by many small temples. The whole area seems to be holistic. As it was a Sunday, numerous devotees rushed and there was a long queue of about 100 people and more. We however donated some amount to the temple and got an opportunity to visit the temple and get the Prashad (holy food). Indian temples are also known for their cow-sheds. This temple also has a cow-shed with many cows in it. Cows are considered holy in Hinduism. We had the typical South-Indian Lunch in the restaurant and returned back to the hotel. All these are within 300m of the hotel so there is no problem at all!

Small built Temple

Temple beside main temple

Cow walking her way

                  

                                                 

  Then by 17:00 Hrs, we went to Manipal. The Manipal Institute of Technology. This institution covers more than half of Manipal. Manipal is famous because of this renowned University. And I found why i it so. Huge Campus with excellent hostel, food courts, Marena (Sports Arena- Having 3 floored gym, and various sports!) The Convocation Ceremony was great with chief guest as one of their Alumni Rajeev Suri, CEO of Nokia. Boarded a train from Udupi and reached Mumbai the next day!   

Convocation Ceremony

           

    Indeed I had a great time in Udupi and Manipal. Though this was a short 2 day trip, but this motivates me to explore more southern states. And what if I explored Karnataka less, I end with the statement that my trip was memorable and “Karnataka is Amazing!” As you see Family Tourism is a another great way to explore places with happiness. Do travel sometime with your family!

 So for everyone who read my blogs, thank you very much. I have made it simple for people living in foreign countries to understand and will continue to. Please comment as to how you feel it. And please give me your blog address or name in the comment section!        

     

                                               

                         

                                             

INCREDIBLE INDORE!

INCREDIBLE INDORE!

20^th October, 2016, Indore: Indore- Commercial City of Madhya Pradesh. I got an opportunity to visit this majestic city for a squash tournament! Following is the quick-read of what I did in Indore:

v 1^st Day: Arrive at Indore by 09:30 HRS and had the most famous recipe as my breakfast: INDORI POHA!

v Visit to Asia’s tallest Ganapati Idol at Bade Ganapati Temple. Followed by malls like Treasure Island and watching Inferno.

v Artificial look-alike temple: Vaishnava Devi Temple. In the evening explored Hinkargiri and Bijasan, Jain and Hindu Pilgrim places.

v 2nd Day: Went to Daly College, Red Church, White Church and the most famous Indore temple: Khajrana Temple. Also passed by The Great Corridor Road!

v Luckily explored JATRA, an evening fest which happens once in a year, dinner at an ambience filled restaurant Guru Kripa.

v 3^rd Day: Pitra Parvat and a climb up to the biggest Hanuman Statue, Gomatgiri, a jain worship place.

v Evening at Ram Mandir which literally has Ram written throughout the temple. 56 Dukan and Laxmi Narayan milk centre.

v 4^th Day: Visited a school and tried out the local transportation: City Bus!

v  Cloth shopping Street and also visited The Mirror Temple.

v Departure from Indore at 16:25 HRS.

     

                      I stayed in Indore from 21^st to 24^th of October. Connectivity is no problem, because Indore is well connected to the other major cities in India. I boarded The Avantika Express from Mumbai to Indore and vica-versa. Reaching in the morning, at 9:30 I didn’t waste any time of the day. I ate the famous and delicious Indori Poha at Anna Bhaiya Shop. I have my relatives staying there, therefore accommodation was no problem. But Indore has a range of hotels, so staying is no worry.

                          People there have a habit of eating the lunch early and not like me or people from city having food at 2:00pm or 3:00pm. I ate Lunch early and started exploring Indore by 11:30 AM! My cousin knows every interesting place of Indore, so we commenced. Up first was The Bade Ganpati Temple! Indeed I was not too surprised to see the Huge Ganpati Idol, being watching The Lalbaughcha Raja for years. But yes this Ganpati has been there for more than 100 years which is interesting.

               Later on, we went to Treasure Island Mall, which is made upon the City concept. Also watched the movie Inferno at a local cinema. While returning we went to The Vaishnava Devi Temple. Oh My God! It is seriously the best look-alike temple I have seen. You get to experience how it feels to go to the actual temple in the north of India. The cold temperature, low heights, crawling, etc. are the stages to reach the actual temple inside. For sure, a must visit Temple of Indore.

Jain Temple

                     In the evening to experience the most peaceful places of Indore we went to two pilgrim places near the Indore Airport. Hinkargiri, the Jain worship place was at a bit higher altitude offering cool and peaceful atmosphere. It offered great scenic view of the Airport Runway and also of the whole city.  Also the carvings of these temples are immense.  Later we went to Bijasan which is on the same way. It was lit up with lights and there were a lot of people. The Airport looks great as well- The Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport! The roads opposite to it are transformed and lit up. Day1 ends.

carvings

Hindu Temple

         

   New Day New Tasks! I had a match at Daly College, Daly College is not a college nor a university, it is a school! In every sense it appears to be a royal university with all facilities available. I was wonderstruck to see only students from std 1-12 in it! Regardless of losing the match narrowly, I found amusement in the rest of my journey. We then went to The Red Church and The White Church. They are huge and peaceful.  Next up, we went to The Khajrana Temple. They are really famous for they attract tourist from faraway lands. All the famous people who come to Indore, make it a point to visit it. The temple has huge water purifiers installed and various shops. The Temple is believed to possess superpowers (I am never concerned about that). We reached home by driving through The Great Corridor Road which is like a Speedy Highway.

Red Church

Khajrana Temple

                      In the evening dining was at Guru Kripa Restaurant, which is really amazing. It lures many local people due its fine ambience. I also got to see The Jatra Fest and Sarafa Food Street. Great Day!

                   Day 3 was filled with roaming, roaming and roaming. Firstly we visited The Pitra Parvat. Climbing our way up to the Biggest Hanuman Statue I have ever seen. Apart from the statue, the hill has got trees and plants planted by people long years ago with their names mentioned below each tree. A really innovative concept! Afterwards we went to Gomatgiri to see captivating scenery and Big Mahaveer Statue.

Hanuman Statue at Pitra Parvat

                    Evening was the best part. We went to the extreme part of the city to a Ram Temple near Vaibhav Nagar. This Ram Temple is the most unique one I have ever come across. First we need to write the Lords Name “RAM” 108 times on a paper, this paper then gets used to make up another recycled statue. The Priest only then allows to have a look in the temple. The ceiling, the walls and every other place in the temple has RAM inscribed on it. Really sensational! The temple is also one temple that even worships Ravana, the Lord of Lanka. As an Indian, I would definitely say that is one of the greatest temple that I have seen.

Ceiling with Ram written

Ram Inscribed Everywhere

Ravana 

                    We then went to 56 Dukaan (Chappan Dukan) as they say (56 stores). Indore offers one of the best vegetarian food dishes, snacks and much more. Endless number of unique dishes are found in Indore, that is why I love Indorian food. We also went to drink the world famous milk from Laxmi Narayan Milk Centre which remains open from 7 in the evening to 3 in the early morning. The milk was fantastic coupled with Jalebi, a round Indian Sweet. Long Day! 

56 Dukan- Food Stalls looks like a Festival.

Milk Centre

                     The 4^th day was my time to say a Bye to Indore but Indore had some more plans for me. I went to a School and used the Local Transportation to come back. The City Bus is decent but yes the transportation in Indore lacks numbers and proper service like other metropolitan cities. I also went to a Clothing street which had a lots of variety and fancy clothes. In Indore you can find specific lanes or streets for specific occupation like Jewellery, electronics, etc. At last I had a little time to visit The Mirror Temple which I did. Mind-blowing temple. Temples are a key attraction of Indore. I departed from Indore at 16:25 HRS and reached Mumbai in the morning.

                  This Trip was delightful for me.  Indore as a city is commendable but only lacks certain things like Proper Public Transport, Industries and Traffic Rules. It was a refreshment for me to visit this city of Madhya Pradesh. I was not able to go to certain places like Rajvada- The historical museum of Indore, Iskon Temple, Chowkidhani- an artificial city with amusements. I will definitely cover them next time! So, as per me the 5A rating for Indore will be:

Accessibility: 6/10

Accommodation: 9/10

Attractions: 8/10

Activity: 7/10

Amenities: 6/10

Total: 36/50.

“YOU JUST CAN’T REMAIN INDOOR IN INDORE!”

MUMBAI FOOTBALL ARENA

11^TH October, Mumbai: Mumbai Football Arena, Andheri Sports Complex was the place for an electrifying match of the Hero Indian Super League between Mumbai City FC vs Atletico de Kolkata. I was one amongst the other 7000 eagerly anticipated people.

                                           Mumbai Football Arena is the new football stadium for the home club Mumbai City FC. It is located at Andheri, one of the major suburbs of Mumbai. It is easily accessible, not like the previous cricket-football stadium Dr.D.Y.Patil stadium a bit far from Mumbai. Therefore I started at 5:00pm along with my cousin for the match at 7:00pm. We reached there in half an hour and collected our tickets from a centre nearby. We also purchased Mumbai City FC, our clubs jersey to support and cheer for them. We were inside the arena by 6:15pm…….

                                             I never thought that the arena would be such! It was fantabulous! It felt like we had come to watch a Champions League Match, such was the environment. Being a football addict, I loved the appeal outside the stadium, with various games and events organized. As soon as we stepped in the stand, the football field came alive! It was a dream of mine to witness a high quality match and football pitch, which seemed to come true.

                                            Entrance of players, toss followed by Kick Off! The intensity of both the home and away supporters were at peak. At 30^th minute Matias Defederico gave Mumbai the lead, and the crowd erupted! The match was interesting. At the stands the home supporters chanted for Mumbai’s glory and Referee’s wrong decisions (Hindi slangs)! It was half time and we thought of leaving for a quick break, but could not go away because of the amazing performances of tricks, juggling, balancing by some of the supporters of Mumbai City FC and also that of the Mascot.

                                            Game resumed after the break, Mumbai were reduced to ten men. The match seemed to end with Mumbai winning, only to find Javi Lara of Atletico de Kolkata stunning us! He secured a point for his team and the lost spirit of their fans. It ended as Mumbai City FC 1-1 Atletico de Kolkata.

                                            Personally, I loved watching the football match at the new football stadium. Also loved cheering and chanting for my club along with other Mumbaikars. The only thing that I missed was: Absence of Sunil Chetri and Diego Forlan. Though Forlan was on the stands, he wasn’t included in the squad, nor in the reserves. But that’s fine, because youngsters like Jackiechan Singh got a chance to play. Loved the experience! Hope you go to watch sports matches in the stadiums from now! It is much better recreation than watching movies or going to malls! 

A day in Mumbai Local

                                  A DAY IN MUMBAI LOCAL
6th October,Mumbai: I am a common man like all of you. I live in Mumbai, so I get to travel in a Mumbai Local Train. Well, this experience is great for some, and disastrous for some! I live in Malad, a suburb in Mumbai and travel daily to Churchgate, 30 Kms from Malad. After College I go to Andheri and return back to Malad! This might be confusing for you'll, so to put it in simple words, I travel from one place to another only because of THE MUMBAI LOCAL.
                                   The Local that I board is the one that goes from Borivali to Churchgate and vica-versa. I have travelled in both second class and first class compartments. People say that you find less crowd in the first class, but now as I travel daily in first class I would say its as difficult as the rest of the compartments to get in the first class coach!
                                   LOCAL TRAIN IS THE LIFELINE OF MUMBAIKARS! I have seen many people changing two to three locals to reach their respective destinations. One such incident happened with me recently. I had to go to Thane for a Squash Competition. I took a train from Malad to Bandra and then from Bandra to Dadar. All the routes mentioned are in the Western Line. But then I had to go in a train from Dadar to Thane which is in the Central line. I never experienced such uniqueness in Mumbai Local. I came across new stations like Sion, Vikhroli, Kanjurmarg and what not. With every passing station I had a curiosity as to is the next station Thane? The train running on Central Lines are faster than the Western ones, I inferred. Finally I reached Thane but didn't get to step on the station because of the wild crowd waiting for the train to go back to CST. I somehow pushed everyone aside and descended down. Finally I reached Thane!!!
                                 Mumbai Local offers fantastic experiences despite of the trouble to get down, verbal fights,etc. But it also teaches how to live life. Many aged people sharing their experiences with the new generation. New day and new hopes, thats what Mumbai Local offers to you. I am just 16, but yes Mumbai Local is the part and parcel of my life! Travel via the Mumbai Local and experience the MAGIC!