Journeys and destinations...

Marvelous natural beauty of the Sahyadri                                                          Wanna hike here? When its monsoon season, planning a day trip to the Sahyadris is a must especially if you hail from Pune, Mumbai or other cities around the Sahyadri mountain range also known as the Western Ghats. In the rainy season,  the Western Ghats are decked up with lush greenery and dense fog. Monsoon helps bring out the child in you. Free your mind and enjoy the nature’s benevolence. Stand under a waterfall and experience the force of water on your back, enjoy the rains without an umbrella and splash water in streams. Such experiences are immensely invigorating. You will return home physically tired but mentally fresh and happy.

The tallest man-made structure in the world Photo Courtesy: Dimscale                 Some people dream big, really big. But even big seems like a small word for a 2,722 ft high gigantic dream called Burj Khalifa. Dubai saw this dream and turned it into a reality. This building is the tallest skyscraper in the world since January 2010. A visit to Dubai is incomplete without an up close look at Burj Khalifa. As the structure tapers at the top, its greatness can be easily underestimated from afar. But as you reach below it all you can do is stretch your neck as far back as possible and gape at the massive structure. It is very exquisite and beautiful! The way sunlight reflects from the glass windows makes the building stand out and shine brightly. At night the Burj is lit up in splendid lights grabbing attention in the black night sky.              Once you see this magnificent structure, it sets a standard for awe in your mind that no other building comes even close to it.

St. Stephen's coronation statue, Hungary           This stunning statue is located in the small town of Esztergom on the Hungary-Slovakia border.  It is beside Esztergom Basilica which is the biggest building in Hungary. Surprisingly there is no mention of this statue on the designed-for-alluring-tourist websites. I didn't even know it existed till I was directly looking at it. It makes you forget the basilica towering next to it by its sheer presence. It overlooks a beautiful view of the serene Danube flowing between the small houses on both sides.            St. Stephen was born in Esztergom and was a devout Christian.  He spread Christianity far and wide in Hungary. In recognition of his efforts, Stephen was crowned King of Hungary in the year 1000 by Pope Sylvester II. After his demise he was canonized by Pope Gregory VII, making him Saint Stephen from King Stephen.          If only I had so much interest in history during school days. *sigh*

Portugal: The land of explorers That's me! At the Monument to the Discoveries, Lisbon, Portugal         Monument to the Discoveries with stunning view of 25 de Abril Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal               Portugal has given the world many great explorers in the 15 th and 16 th century. Prince Henry the Navigator was one of them in the early days of the exploration era. This magnificent monument was built on the north bank of the Tagus River in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. It is called Mon

The famous tulip garden of Keukenhof, Netherlands Gorgeous tulip flowers            In Europe, there is only one place to be if you want to see innumerable tulip flowers swaying in the wind. Come spring and lo and behold, Keukenhof Gardens become flower lovers paradise. Although tulips are the main attraction, be ready to be mesmerized by many other stunning varieties of flowers. The much photographed tulip farms are actually outside the Keukenhof Gardens and not a part of it. Tourists can rent bikes to explore the farms or take a boat ride on the small canals flowing between the farms.                       Tulips actually stand out among other flowers!             Hats off to the management for arranging this garden for over 60 years. Immaculate is the word that comes to mind on seeing the neatly planted tulip bulbs forming beautiful patterns and designs. According to the official website for the Keukenhof Park, approximately 7,000,000 (seven million) flower bu

The mystical land of Sintra, Portugal    Welcome to the most romantic and mysterious place in Portugal! Just 28 kms away from the modern city of Lisbon is a mystical town called Sintra . The history of this small town dates back to the 1600s always attracting the elite with its natural beauty. The small roads cutting through the mountains full of greenery give a very cozy feeling. The attention grabbing statues by the side of the road set the mood to expect something different. One of the tourist places Quinta da Regaleira has a palace and a very memorable garden. The garden has lakes, fountains, towers, tunnels and many outstanding constructions like the hidden well ‘ Paco Iniciatico ’ also called Initiation Well. It looks like an upside down tower with a 27 meter staircase. It leads at the bottom to a tunnel connecting to other underground walkways with one of the tunnel opening leading to a small pond having stone steps to get out it. It is no wonder that Sintra has

Saint Roch Church, Düsseldorf The first time I laid my eyes on Saint Roch Church   Stupefying statue              One can see a great variety of churches in Europe. They were built in different architecture styles over centuries. Some are grand, some modest, some with a lot of history and some tucked away safely from all the hustle and bustle of tourists. When I was exploring the area around my new home in Düsseldorf, my feet turned towards the direction of Saint Roch Church as I saw the rooster on top of it from afar. Many churches in Germany have a rooster on top instead of a cross and some have a rooster on top of a cross. I didn't expect to see anything out of the ordinary as it was just another church!           I was struck with awe when I saw the huge sculpture of Jesus on the outside wall. I literally stopped dead in my tracks. I had never seen anything like it. It moved me. After observing the details of the sculpture for a while I tried to walk ahea