The Trip to Europe - Part VIII

Hello, again!

One detail I forgot to mention was that it was in Interlaken that I had my first croissant. You may remember that we had ordered croissants before - it's just that I am not a fan of pastry.
Oddly enough, that croissant was in the extremely awkward situation in the Cafe Hooters. Yeah, try to imagine that. I spent all my time there watching (with interest, mind you) a live Moto-GP race that was being broadcast.

Our last day in Zurich,we visited the shopping complex (well, I might as well call it a mall) in the Hauptbahnhof (the Central Railway Station). After a coffee, and convincing my brain that holding it in is easier than spending 70 rupees, we went around for a stroll in the shops.

On this day, we were also met with a considerable amount of uncertainty. Remember the Paris floods? That's what happened while we were in Germany.
We finally decided that we'd go to Paris and see.

Fast forward to Paris: We landed at CDG. The airport infrastructure - awesome! And all in preparation for the UEFA '16.
We took the bus into the city.
The bus ride is one that I would never forget. That is because it was really unexpected.

The bus ride was long, bumpy, tiring. Yes, it was bumpy. What we saw travelling through the city was also really weird. There is a really prominent separation of communities there.
In addition, the footpaths were encroached upon. There were many shops.

The situation is similar to that of Mumbai, but in Mumbai, there isn't any major segregation of communities.

When we reached the Opera where we were to get off, we saw a lot of tourists - hordes of them, to be precise. We hailed a cab and reached our hotel.
The hotel was expensive and small. Our room had a strong smell of cake (I don't know why). It was all justified though - the hotel is at a walking distance from the Place de la Concorde and the Avenue Champs Elysse (I hope the spellings are right - the French and their unnecessary use of the alphabetical resources), and in my opinion, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumph too (my parents disagreed).

The first day there, we tried to find the city sightseeing bus stop - for about an hour. Really frustrating.

After we got on, it was good, as all other city sightseeing hop-on-hop-off tours, though I was not fan of the music that played in the intermission between two stops.

We got off at the Arc de Triumph. Walked on the Champs Ellyse (pronounced somewhat as 'shomp eleez'). On the way, we dined in daylight (about 8 pm). I had an authentic Onion Soup (it would be redundant to call it a French Onion Soup in the heart of France).

The next day was scheduled for the Eiffel Tower. No new information I can give about it to you.
Time for some photos: Next Post

The Trip to Europe - Part VII

Dear readers,

The description of my trip to Europe has reached up-to my visit to Berlin.

The exit of ours from Berlin left us feeling very odd. We flew by air to Zurich. The airport we passed through was Tegel.
The airport is very big, but it's interior design, especially after the security check, is unimpressive.
The interior designing of airports in major Indian cities is better by comparison, but of course, most of them aren't as big, and are relatively modern, but Tegel did not seem well-maintained enough to be an airport of the German capital.

In Zurich, we went to our hotel by cab. That was the first time in my life that I saw cabs with their own Wi-Fi hotspots. Unfortunately, my mobile phone ran out of battery.
It was, therefore, only at the hotel that I understood the rate of conversion between the Swiss Franc and the INR.

One thing that hits you when you're not a rich Indian visiting Switzerland is that the prices are very high. Zurich is one of the costliest cities in the world, no wonder.

But, I'd have to say that the experience was worth it. Switzerland is a really good place to visit for tourism.

We visited the Swiss Alps twice. We visited Jungfraujoch and Mt. Titlis, in that order.
The details of these tours and the descriptions of these locations is easily available online.

On the first of these tours, I was nervous. Our tour guide kept on reminding us that acclimatisation to the high altitude is necessary. There are, in fact, two stops inside the mountain named Eiger, which are meant for that purpose.
That, however, is not the reason I was nervous. The reason I was nervous was because I visited the Gurudongmar Lake a few years back, and I had a near-fainting experience because I ran outside from the car which had it's windows rolled up. For your information, Jungfraujoch is at 3,466 m and Gurudongmar is at 5,430 m.
The other reason was that I discussed what could happen, if there really was a problem, with my parents, who are both doctors (as in those who treat patients).

The stay there was very enjoyable for me. Sub-zero temperatures, snow, ice, and a very Indian restaurant with food that had taste, and was tasty. I over-ate and slept soundly on the return journey.

On the trip to Mt. Titlis, we had a Pakistani couple and their grandson along with us. The grandfather was well-travelled. The good  thing with meeting Pakistani people on neutral ground (very much so, in this case (geddit?)) is that you can have good conversations in the common language of Urdu.
When we look into the lyrics of most Hindi Bollywood songs, we realise that most of the lyrics are Urdu. That doesn't come as a surprise. The languages are very similar, since Hindi is derived from Urdu and other Indian languages, Sanskrit, in particular, Hindi is, in my opinion, the symbol of unity in diversity in India.

One thing that I realised after these tours is that Switzerland is a small country. We traversed almost half of the country twice in those tours!

Well, further, further!

The Trip to Europe - Part VI

Welcome back!

Before you start reading this post, I'd suggest you take a look at the photos below.

1. The panoramic view from the edge of the pier at Binz.

2,3. Koenigstuhl, as viewed from Binz.

The rest: the Baltic beach(es).

In Europe, one generally gets drinking water straight from the tap. In India, we filter our water using, guess what, filtering machines. So, we are not used to drinking from the sink. That is also the reason why we bought a buttload (not literally (yes, buttload was a measure of capacity used in olden times)) of water.

The next day, we went to Bergen auf Ruegen, then boarded the train to Stralsund, where I ate a partially tasty (I don't specify good or bad because there wasn't enough taste to distinguish) Mediterranean Shwawarma (I think that's phonetically correct). From Stralsund, we went to Berlin by train.

Silly us, we got off one (or more) station(s) before the Hauptbahnhof, in a suburb. This mistake turned out to be a lucky one - our hotel was closer to this station than the Hbf (obvious abbreviation).

The hotel was nice - featuring the most (I feel) well-known cuisine in the world - the Italian. More importantly, they had what everyone looks out for - complimentary Wi-Fi!

The city hop-on-hop-off tour was, again, very nice. You could also see the big, white ugly American spy instalments there.

We also visited Spreewald! Another pleasant train journey to and from Lubbenau.

Well, further further.....

The Trip to Europe - Part V

Hello, again!

It seems there is a severe lack of opening statements in my blogging vocabulary. Do comment suggestions.

So we went walking from the station to the hotel. Checking in the hotel was not difficult. We then asked the lady who seemed to be the hotel's manager/receptionist (there were about 6 ladies managing the hotel in two shifts, who, I think, worked as managers/receptionists) what she thought we should do.
Again, in incomplete and sometimes discontinuous German (obviously from our side) we decided our route.

We went by an extremely, extremely overpriced taxi.

We first went to Königstuhl (photos below), which are chalk cliffs. They are in a reserved area, and are also a world heritage site.
I also saw the first expanse of the Baltic Sea. That was the first time I was by the sea (on the top of a cliff of chalk) and was chilly.

We came back by a relatively less expensive but expensive nevertheless bus.

The best thing was that the people were very friendly, and were probably scrutinising us alien creatures who can't speak their language and don't seem to understand anything.

The next day, we went to Ostseebad Binz. People visiting Rügen generally stay here, but the hotel prices are about the times as high.

Unlike really cold places in India, where a steaming coffee is much lower in temperature (due to high altitude), I did not have that comfort in Rügen. It is at sea level.

The photos of the pier there will be posted next post. We also bought water bottles there - a lot of them. More about that next post too!

Farewell, until the next post.

The Trip to Europe - Part IV

So, welcome back readers.

The journey from Munich to Lauterbach on Rügen Island is the theme of this post.

Before leaving the hotel in Munich, I had another experience which would cause a person to say, "It's a small world!"
My father met a friend of his in the hotel restaurant at the time of breakfast on the day before we left Munich. He was there for a conference.

As you may have guessed, getting up at 6:30 am local time, forgetting the sandwiches you asked to be prepared the night before and hailing a cab to the airport was not difficult.
The system of checking in was new to me. I have not seen it employed in India yet. There's basically a kiosk in which you enter your details, and it spits out your boarding pass and receipt, and baggage tag(s) and receipt(s).

The wait for the flight to Hamburg wasn't long. That's because there was Wi-Fi on the airport.

On the flight, my parents selected the vegetarian sandwich, and I the non-vegetarian one. It was a turkey sandwich. It was basically like a turkey slice and some white sauce in what looked like a hot dog bun. Do you want to know what it tasted like? - Bread.

From Hamburg airport, we went through to the Hamburg central railway station - the second largest in Germany. Yes, it was impressive. Our train was, I must say, quite humble. The platform it was to stop on had limited Wi-Fi. The train had no Wi-Fi of its own.

I had a coffee in the train. You might think that's irrelevant. It is.

I remember we changed a train somewhere. Oh the second train, the pantry was managed by a German woman. Her accent was too German for my two year education in German to comprehend. The only way me and my father managed to order was by pointing at the menu card, and annoying her. Finally, as we left, she made a noise I won't forget. Imagine someone makes such a face 😝, with eyes open, lips pissing on the tongue, blowing out. That was the noise.

We disembarked at Bergen auf Rügen. Negotiated in funny Indianised German with the employee at the small station got tickets and waited for about 20 minutes.
The trains there run on time, but the doors don't open unless somebody opens them.

The train was surprisingly small - it would be more appropriately called a shuttle.
This train took us to Lauterbach, where there is just one platform and some seating arrangement and a timesheet. The train we went in was the only train that came there - I think.

Our station (and probably the whole town) was at a walking distance from the station, with our luggage meant for 2 weeks.

Further, further. (Geddit?)

Auf Wiedersehen!

PS: That means "till seen next", by the way.

The Trip to Europe - Part III

Hello, again!

To recapitulate, the city hop-on-hop-off tour was on the first day in Munich, the Royal Castles tour on the next.
On the third day, we went to Bertschesgaden (I hope I've spelt it correctly) and Kehlsteinhaus (popularly known as the "Eagle's Nest")

The famous tunnel and elevator, which is made of brass, with a mirror from Venice and goes 124 m vertically, built in Hitler's time.

I really won't bore you with what is there, as the information available elsewhere online would be much better.

What I will tell you though is that the route to Bertschesgaden goes through Austria - you cross the international border - but since it's part of EU, it's almost as if no one cares.

We also encountered a "close" encounter between our tour bus and a local truck. The on-board commentator displayed her displeasure thawing the small road, and the difficulty in the operation (of two big vehicles crossing each other on the country road). Where I was seated, I could see the gap between the two - it was about 4-5 inches!
I guess for a European person that's, "So close!😱"
I can assure you we encounter very similar situations in day to day traffic. Another point for Indian drivers being the best.

Well, then on the next day, we traveled from Munich to Lauterbach, Rügen.

More of that next time!

Auf Wiedersehen!

The Trip to Europe - Part II

Hello, again.

So, my first day in Munich...
After reaching the hotel and adjusting ourselves in there, we went for the city hop-on-hop-off tour.

The hop-on-hop-off tour is a very good idea. You hop on a bus, listen to live or recorded commentary, hop off if you want at a stop of your choice. This is available in most of Europe's big cities.

Then, after nightfall, that is about 9 or 9:30 pm, we went to dine in a pizzeria (also across the street). I practically "fell" asleep after coming back.

The reason for that is no rest for about 42 hours, with my body operating on a false indication of energy, fueled by five black coffees. Remember I woke up in Bangalore at 6:45 am on 27 May? Well, I slept at about 10:00 pm in Munich on 28 May, local time.

More importantly, the coffees were awesome, like the film I watched on the way to Abu Dhabi - Kung Fu Panda 3!

In the second day in Bavaria, we went to the famous Royal Castles tour. The first stop was Linderhof - built by the controversial fairy tale king - Ludwig II.
Inspired by the Palace of Versailles, this is a very beautiful and small (to be a typical king's favorite residence) structure.

The second, Neuschwanstein, literally meaning New Swan Stone, has probably inspired the Disney castle! It looks as if it's a materialisation of a fairy tale, and has, in fact, been inspired by the tales sung by Wagner.
A photograph of Neuschwanstein

An interesting fact is that the castle was never completed......

So, farewell.....temporarily, until the next post!

The Trip to Europe - Part I

So, hello.
The first part of my memoirs about the trip is based in India. I went to Bangalore to visit IISc, as I mentioned.
From there, I went to Frankfurt, via Abu Dhabi. Nothing great there.
All this was on the same day.
So, I woke up at about 0645 IST, reached Abu Dhabi at about 0130 (yes, at night) local time. After a wait, of which the duration has fled from my mind, boarded another plane to Frankfurt. Reached there at 0715 local time, then traveled to Munich by train, then by taxi to the hotel.

Yeah, that was the first leg of travel.

If you live in India, one thing hits you as soon as you exit the air-conditioned airport. That is cigarette smoke, at least its smell. Next, the gaps in the pavement are decorated here and there by cigarette butts.
(By the way, in India, smoking is a punishable offense in public areas)

I liked the German trains. Mainly for two reasons - I like trains, and their efficiency.

But, you don't hear the rhythmic noise of the train there. The trains, either run very smoothly, or have very good soundproofing. That noise is a feature of trains that I actually like.

The hotel in Munich was odd, real odd, especially for someone like me. About a distance of certainly less than 100 m from the railway station, it was very convenient, and quite inconvenient, as you will probably understand.
Have you heard of cabaret? Well, there was one right in front of our hotel, and there were also a table dance something and probably even a strip club!
I'd like to remind the dear readers that I was (and am, as of this post) 17 years old, and traveling with my parents.

That apart, the hotel itself was quite good, though the room was smaller and more expensive than the one we stayed in Bangalore (in a VERY good hotel).
The restaurant in the hotel was open for breakfast, which featured various types of bread, and a variety of cuts, which I did not identify. I asked, "Chicken?" and was pointed to the chicken salami. Yes, I identified the cheese.

A tip for those going to the western world, from the eastern - they have very bland food.
So, a chicken slice, a cheese slice, and another cheese slice, sandwiched between two pieces of bread taste like, you guessed it, bread.

Well, I'm bored writing for now...

See the next post!

PS: I think I've added an option of email subscription.

An Apology

I am not even going to bother checking when the last post was posted....all I remember is that it was a long time ago.
What I am going to do is apologise, for not posting any post earlier than this post.

The HSC exams I had been blabbering about ended (for me) on March 4, coincidentally my birthday and that it's when I got my smartphone with questionable internet speeds.
Now that I have successfully transitioned to 4G, and have a stable network, I hope it will stay that way.

Now, there are going to be two types of readers - one who wonder whether it's worth their time to start reading this blog (it probably is), and those who probably think that I'm a lazy fellow (I am).
To the first type, I suggest reading some earlier posts first.
To the second type, continue.

To bring things up to speed, the HSC exams ended. Then was the JEE Mains examination. Then the CET. Then was the BITSAT, followed (finally) by the JEE Advanced exam.
The respective results - I got 93%+ in HSC, enough marks (not that great) in JEE mains to qualify for Adv. 180+ in CET (not half bad). 340+ in BITSAT (also not considered wonderful), and a rank within the top 2600 (in all of India (that's a lot of competition (and parentheses))) in JEE Adv.

Now, based on these marks, I didn't check further for BITS. I was getting IIT Madras based on JEE Adv ranks.
Now, based on the CET and HSC result, I got a rank within Maharashtra within the top 220, based on which I got admission in a world renowned institute in Mumbai (which is the most generalised way of saying it as there are many world renowned institutes in Mumbai).

So, I am basically free from the 23rd of May, after which I visited IISc, Bangalore (world renowned too), then visited Europe (about that in the next post). Then, I was finally free after 9 June or so, which is the reason for my apology for not responding earlier.

I was very bored (VERY bored), and this idea pops up in my mind. Good that it did. I hope you agree.

I have also decided that I am going to type until I'm bored, or have nothing else to write (which probably won't happen). I hope this works ensure you read till your mind's content.

So, visit tomorrow (after 25 hours (tomorrow is a very vague term addressing international audiences))

Good bye and good luck (to me, especially)