While the classic Paris is something we all know — and dream — about, there is another, more fun part of Paris that often gets neglected. This part, a few miles off the main city, is as dreamy, as beautiful, and as classic — in its own way. And it is called Disneyland. A place where all dreams come alive, a land where all wishes … Continue reading Disneyland: A place where all dreams come true
While people from world over go to see Paris, Paris enjoys seeing people. People watching is serious business for Parisians. Whether it is sitting by the Seine watching the boats cruise by — and waving at the tourists occasionally, or sipping espresso from tiny mugs while smoking cigarette after cigarette — and smiling at the passerby, or just lazing in the umpteen parks of … Continue reading Flânerie: The Art of People-Watching in Paris
The home to the Habsburgs and the Opera, the abode of Gothic, Renaissance, Neo-classical and Art-deco style of architecture, the land of tortes and coffee – there is not one but many ways to describe Vienna. Continue reading Vienna: life in slow motion
When it was built, the Eiffel Tower was a temporary exhibit and was to be taken down. But the creator, Gustav Eiffel found ways to keep the tower in use. He created a weather laboratory, a military watch tower, and a radio station atop the mammoth spire. Ultimately, the tower stayed. Such was its grandeur that when Hitler ordered it’s demolition the Nazi governor of … Continue reading Glimpses of Paris
Two days in Paris and I had not yet taken my camera out. I had been lugging it around alright, but was so awestruck that I was not sure if I should soak in the city in or take pictures. I chose the former. Then, this evening, while returning from the Seine cruise, at about 9:30 PM. I caught the glow of the setting sun … Continue reading Soirée à Paris
“Jodi tor daak sune keu na aashey, tobe ekla cholo re…” the words from Rabindranath Tagore’s famous song rang in my ears as I walked along the dusty path early in the morning. It may be a coincidence that I was walking in Tagore’s own backyard. The sole purpose of my visit to Bolpur, or Santiniketan, in any case was solitude. I had heard and … Continue reading In Tagore’s Backyard, Learning a Thing or Two
“Nothing is what it looks like in Cu-chi. Deception, after all, was the weapon used extensively in the guerilla warfare of the Viet Cong soldiers who almost bare handedly fought the western forces laced with sophisticated arms and ammunition. These tunnels, which ran for miles were spread across several levels and served as fortification for army and a center for community life. There were marriages, engagements, courting, and even entertainment that happened inside. It was like a town under the ground.” Continue reading The Secret Life at Cu-Chi Tunnels
“If you try to look up Borobudur in the map, you may not be able to find it easily. You will find Bali, you will find Ubud, you will find Surabaya, but Borobudur is not something many people know about.” My driver tells me as he drives the coach in pitch darkness. It is barely 4:00 AM and I am in the heart of Indonesia … Continue reading Borobudur: The Hidden Treasure of Java
I arrive in Budapest at dusk after an hour-long bus ride along miles and miles of Lavender fields dotted with hundreds of windmills. The picturesque drive has led to a suburb lined with cottages. The houses are adorned with tiny curtained windows and cobbled front yards. Some have bikes resting against their low boundary walls; some flaunt neat flowerbeds with read and pink carnations peeping … Continue reading Quintessentially Europe, And Some More
