Destinations

There is something about Switzerland that makes me break my rule “no country twice unless all country once”. I have been to Switzerland thrice in the past one year and I can’t wait to return. My ultimate wish is to retire amongst the green pastures of the Alpine country hearing the chiming of cow bells and climbing up and down its many mountains – my only doubt is if I can live up to the Swiss standard of life. Here are the five things that make Switzerland the perfect world – 1. Cleanliness – The country is spotless and immaculately clean. The Swiss are obsessed with cleanliness. You can see people vacuuming the outside of their houses and scrubbing clean everything that is visible to the eye. With an environmental performance index (EPI) of 95.5, this European country ranks first in cleanliness.  2. Robust Public Transportation – A dense network of railroads, buses, tramway lines and even boats operate on a systematic timetable allowing you to reach almost anywhere in Switzerland once per hour. In most cases one ticket is enough for a journey even if numerous railway, bus and ship operators are involved. Switzerland has the highest train density in Europe, a higher proportion of the population uses public transport and they travel longer distances than in any other country except Japan. They work with the goals of 95% arrivals with less than 5 minutes delay and 75% with less than 1 minute delay which are regularly achieved. 3. Hiking Paths – There is no end to hiking trails in Switzerland totalling a 66,200 kms. The best thing is that hiking paths are signposted with direction, distance and time to destinations. You can keep walking into the alps and always find your way back. The Roads are so well-marked that you can never get lost in …

Hagia Sophia, Ottoman Palace, Baklava, hhmmmmn, Bosphorus…hmmmmmn mezze…the bazaars… All done. Well done! What else now?”Belly dance…okay…how about full blown Turkish cultural program…at Hodga Pasha” I proposed to my friends. “Well, we could consider it,” was the response. The truth I already knew. The final decision was going to be mine. But I was the one who thought longest and hardest about spending 60 Turkish Lira for a dance that could turn out touristy, tacky, badly coordinated. It was a game of ‘should I?’ or ‘should I not?’ I played around with the idea and kept the decision for later not committing to either going or not going. After miles of walk around the historical lanes of Istanbul our spirits were more energized. The museums are closed, the bazaars have shut, the sun is down. Two drinks and many food plates later, what do we do now? “How about the dance show you mentioned?” on in the company said. “Oh okay. Let’s go.” And that’s how I went along with my party to Hodga Pasha Cultural Center for the Turkish Dance show.Watch this little clip about the dances and my review on it.Do I recommend one of the cultural dance shows that get advertised online or in the tourist quarters of Istanbul. Yes! Yes! Yes! I highly recommend the show that I have been to – The Hodga Pasha Dance Show. It is phenomenal! Turkish dance, soulful music, great musicians – you will not believe the value you will get from this one. In fact, you will forget all about money – you will be lost in the dance and music. My only regret is that life is not as colorful, joyful and soulful as was this dance and music show. It was my last evening in Sunday and now very …

The Istanbul Archaeological museums consist of three buildings with three museums – Archaeological Museum, Ancient Orient Museum, Tiled Kiosk Museum. The former two were built in 1891. The tiled kiosk however dates back to 1473. Here are a seven items in Archaeological Museum and Ancient Orient Museum of Istanbul to look out for: 1. Treaty of Kadesh – It is the oldest peace treaty dating to 13th century BC a copy of which hangs at the UN headquarters. The treaty was agreed upon between Egyptian and the Hittite dynasty after the battle of Kadesh known to be the biggest wars of 2. Lions of Ishtar Gate – The Istanbul Archaeology Museum houses lions, bulls and dragons from the Ishtar gate of Babylon dedicated to Goddess of Ishtar. It was the 9th gate in the ancient city of Babylon constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II. Through the gate ran the Processional Way which was 180 m long and on each side were placed 60 lions each made of glazed bricks. Some of these lions are now in the museum of Istanbul. But most of them are in Berlin where the Ishtar gate has been reconstructed in the Pergamon museum. The Lions of Ishtar gate 3. Oldest Love Poem – 8th Century BC inscription on a tablet from the ancient Babylonian times. The king was required to marry a priestess every year for the fertility of soil and women. The poem is said to have been written by a bride for the king. Shuu Sinn. A cuneiform Tablet Here is the translation of the poem from Istanbul Archaeological Museum: “Bridegroom, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet, Lion, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet. ………………… Bridegroom, let me caress you, My precious …

Istanbul stands in the center of the two continents and in the center of Istanbul stands the grand Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophias has been described as the ‘architectural wonder’ – the gem of the Byzantine empire, later the proud possession of the Ottomans and now the symbol of secular Turkey. The building has stood at the heart of the empire that laid claim on it. Justinian’s word still ring in the columns of Hagia Sophia, “My Lord, thank you for giving me chance to create such a worshipping place.” Pleased of his finest creation, he said proudly, “Süleyman, I beat you.” At the spot where two previous churches each ravaged by riots and fire, the Emperor ordered the building of Hagia Sophia in 532 AD. Completed within 6 years, Hagia Sophia was the crowning glory of Byzantine empire.  Such was the allure of Hagia Sophia that when Mehmet, the conqueror entered victorious into the city of Constantinople his first stop was the church of Hagia Sophia. A muslim priest was called in to read to Shahada and the Eastern Orthodox Cathedral that stood for 1000 years was now a mosque. There onwards, the grand structure of Sophia Hagia inspired the many other mosques built in Istanbul during the Ottoman rein, all looking like the prodigies of Hagia Sophia. When Kemal Ataturk secularized Turkey, he converted Aya Sophia into a museum opening its doors to all sending out the message that Hagia Sophia was indeed a heritage of the world. Even though the building is not an official place of worship, it continues to be contested upon by the Islamists and the Greek Orthodox Christians. For a traveler, like myself, the building is an awe-inspiring grandeur that has a spirit of its own – unfallen, untarnished, unbeaten. We are the privileged ones who can see the images of Virgin Mary at the …

Although small in size, the little town of Ravello is by no means little in its stature as a leading tourist destination in Italy. The total population of the town is 2,500 with its central piazza overlooking the Duomo di Ravello brimming with tourist enjoying coffee and drinks or strolling up and down trying to locate a secret corner. Except that there are no secret corners in Ravello – at least not between May and September. After a quick walk around the town, avoiding extremely crowded Villa Ruffolo, Duomo, Piazza and Ravello’s many touristic ceramics and art shops, we decided to tread a little further away from the popular hangouts of the tourist in the area.   Welcome to Ravello: Beautiful little town established in 6th Century AD on Italy’s Amalfi Coast As we walked away from the crowds into a little street on the other side of the cathedral, we saw two musicians, one with a guitar and the other with a mandolin, seated by a door leading into a little terrace garden overlooking the sea. And as we entered the garden we had a moment of calm as we sat on a bench. Escaping the tourist buzz, we were now in the Amalfi paradise we had hoped for. Smell of lemon groves, soothing views of the revered “Italian Riviera” and musicians practicing their strings in the background. Just as I thanked the Lord for the good fortune that brought me here, I realized that we may be intruding a wedding party. A group of 20 people had entered the little garden space. The guests were hugging and congratulating the new couple. We had a few minutes of discomforting curiosity trying hard not to look at the married couple as they posed infront of the camera. The musicians were now playing their practiced tunes. The rhythm of guitar and mandolin lifted …

Naples is said to be ‘the city of damned’ with mounds of waste and violence of organized mafia. It is quite often referred to be the ‘shit hole‘ of Europe. Offensive as that may be, tourists have reasons for such extreme reactions to the city. (Read: Four reasons why people hate Naples)But not all go unhappy and shocked. There are many pressing reasons why this place which was one of the great capitals of Europe in 18th century is so loved by a section of travelers. Chances are you may love it too. Sfogliatelle napoletane – The many layered, shell shaped pastry “invented” in 18th century 1. Pizza – It is not a couple of great outlets that people line infront of, it is the whole city sitting by wood fired while specially milled flour, tomatoes and cheese of a particular specification are brought together in Neapolitan style for what is the most authentic and unarguably the best pizza in the world. This place is the birth city of Pizza and Neapolitans take their reputation with pizza very seriously. Neapolitan Pizza Association is an association of pizzerias representing those making the true Neapolitan pizza. Since 1984, the association has established International regulations for what is a true Neapolitan pizza made from ingredients sourced from a list of approved suppliers. I can name a few pizzerias – Friggitoria, De Matteo, Da Michele but I realized that the list is practically end less. No matter where you go and order pizza you will get off the table with a great meal that will be extremely kind to your pocket. 22. Archaeological Museum: Visit to Naples is incomplete without a visit to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. If you are fascinated by the Roman towns – Pompeii and Herculaneum that were devastated by volcanic eruption and preserved under its pyroclastic flows,  then before you head to …

Greg McElhatton says “Naples made me hate life.” Leif Petterson says he went around looking for gems in Naples and found none. He ends his travelogue with a passionate suggestion “Don’t go to Naples!” Hal Licino issues a similar advisory “Avoid Naples” but in much stronger terms. It brings out extreme reaction from visitors. Such abhorrence for a city is unbelievable. Never before I read tonnes of reviews about a place telling you not to visit it (except in cases where the place is in a war or experiencing political instability). But, in a country like Italy, there is a city that is so hated that people say they would not visit it even if paid to do so.  Here are four key reasons why people hate Naples so much! 1. Garbage – The foremost reason travellers dislike Naples is garbage. The locals are known to dump the garage onto the street. As you walk from street to street a glass bottle or a bag of something may just fall from the skies and land on your head. Tourists complain of hoards of trash mounted in front of buildings and houses and the constant smell that follows you around in the city. This place does not stand up to the Western standard of hygiene and sanitation. Here is an interesting article in Independent discussing just when the waste situation in Naples got bad. 2. Crime Scene – As you step out of the central train station in Naples and step onto the lanes leading up to Piazza Gabrialdi you see local and immigrant population walking around selling expensive gadgets for cheap. It makes you want to hold onto your back pack tight and run to your hotel room and hide there till its time to leave. Travel bloggers have reported being pick pocketed and robbed in the city. The danger is palpable. …

Travel File No. 5: Borough Market Where do you go for your purchase in London if you are food fashionista? For fashionable gourmet local and international produce – the chefs, the restaurateurs and the gourmands endorse the Borough Market. In the heart of London, a stone’s throw from London Bridge station is one of Britain’s  most famous and renowned food market. It is a sprawling affair offering exciting local and exotic gourmet produce, a foodie’s haven, the say, a place for anyone who cares about the quality of the food they eat. Filled with amateur cooks and professional, or those who simply just happen to love eating throng its halls filled with aromas, taste and colours. The market itself is steeped in History. Existing on the borough high street since the 13th century, it was closed down in 1755 by the parliament. But a group of local residents raised money to buy a patch of land and reopened the market. The present buildings were designed in 1851. But it was in the 1990’s that the market is said to have begun its retail transformation. Stallholders come to trade at the market from different parts of the UK.Traditional European products are also imported and sold here. Produce sold here includes fresh fruit and vegetables, fine cheeses, oils, spices and seasonings, fresh and cured meats, sea food, freshly baked bread, confectionary,  and pastries. There is also a wide variety of cooked food on sale.With 160 market businesses – farmers, bakers,  selling their produce, it is said to be Britain’s answer to famous European markets like the Bocqueria in Barcelona or the Marche Bastille in Paris. Borough Market has become a fashionable place to buy food, glamourised by the British media, chefs and movies that shopped and shot here. All this media attention has created …

Pisa on your Italy itinerary Pisa can be a quick stop when travelling from Rome to Venice. The leaning tower of Pisa is wonder of the world due to the unintentional tilt in the tower. The Leaning tower of Pisa The 56.70 m tall tower began leaning since its construction began in 1178. Its construction was halted twice and resumed with its construction spanning  344 years. The tower itself was constructed as a bell tower to the cathedral of Pisa. The complex includes a cathedral, bell tower and baptistry. Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa) houses artworks by several prominent artists. The bell chamber was added in 1372 in the building. The city of Pisa Pisa is the capital city of province of Pisa in the Tuscany region. Pisa was a powerful Maritime Republic in the 11th century. But its fate declined 1284 onwards after it suffered a major defeat at the hands of Genoese fleet. Pisa is a university town. It is said that of the 100,000 residents of Pisa, 60,000 are students. If you are stopping for a short day trip in Pisa, you are recommended to walk your way from the station to the tower. Drop your luggage at the station lockers and look for the very hel information center. We were provided by a map of the city and suggested routes to the tower from the information center. By walking through the city, we were able to discover Pisa, it beautiful river side, cafes, market stops, and buildings. Frescoes on the ceiling of the archway The visit to tower timed. The view for the top of tower is spectacular. View of Pisa from the Leaning Tower  If you have more time of hands you could explore Pisa’s other monuments, squares and museums. Sources: About Pisa: http://wikitravel.org/en/Pisa About getting to tower for Pisa Centrale: http://www.livornonow.com/how_to_get_from_pisa_centrale_train_station_to_the_leaning_tower_of_pisa Other …