Author Archives: Rajan’s

Medical professional’s by occupation and explorers by heart for all things exotic, be it food, fads or faraway lands. “Sri” is the vagabond husband, whose passion for exploration knows no limits. He loves trip planning almost as much as the travel itself and could really pursue this as a carreer! Every trip is unique, meticulously planned and researched to the D, by Sri to accommodate the littlest whim of the youngest member and the craziest fancy of DW. Ruchi is the partner in crime, stoking the embers of restlessness and egging the hubby to plan the next one! And to pose graciously and get clicked. We love nature and though we land in a big city always, we quickly drive out to the country! This blog aims to be a compilation of our travels (not wanting the memories to fade), our experiments with foods and beverages ;) and sharing everyday novelties of life...especially with an adventurous young tyke amidst us! Also, a catalogue of our travel pictures. Most of the trips have been as a couple but we decided long before conception, that travel can never stop. So post the baby, it was the the baby carrier which was an essential item on the travel list which has helped us traverse the underground caves in vietnam, bylanes of bali, sauntering in the central park or hiking in the Swiss Alps! And then there are the Fockers...both sets of in-laws, who have been our travel companions on some of these journeys which makes things even more interesting while balancing everyone's tantrums! We hope these pages can inspire some of you guys to get out of your comfort zones, rent that car and go vroom….

A “hot” Parisian summer…arrival, stint at Disney and feta de la musique.

So by the time we kicked-off the 2017 French summer trip.. the usual blistering heat of Delhi was giving way to rainy spells, heralding the monsoon season. Our friends joked about it being a European weather in Delhi and were envious about our upcoming sojourn.

As we were landing at the Charles De Gaulle airport, the pilot announced an unusually hot day with temperature of 37 degree, welcoming us all to sunny Florida… or so it seemed. And there I broke into a sweat!

The Paris of my memories was the Paris of dreams.. cool, breezy, with blue skies speckled with fleecy clouds.. sauntering lazily along the seine… But Paris of today was as sunny as tropical Maldives, minus the sea and as hot as New Delhi. Worse, since the Parisians don’t believe in the fans (ventilador in french) or the air conditioning (apparently bad for health) we felt like being back home with a power cut! Soul sapping heat, sweaty sleepless nights. And this is us who should be used to this weather.. the Parisians at least braved the heat much better than us!

On Day 1, we decided to face head long., the exhaustion and sleep deprivation (that happens after a long journey) and against popular advice, went to Disneyland. Thanks to prior planning, this first night we had checked into an apartment in Serris, literally next door to Disney theme park.

We went with zero expectations in terms of what we wanted to achieve, rides that we wanted to get on.. etc.. because the basic purpose was to acquaint little one with this charming place called Disneyland.. full of his favourite characters.. Mickey Mouse being on top of that list.

His high points, in a nutshell, were the carousel ride, the Mad-hatters cups..and the ice-cream. I guess, he was too young and we too pooped to do much. In all a very expensive kind of “experience”.

Next morning we checked out the outlet malls close by (Val d’europe) and stocked up on essentials from Auchan (pronounced “Ossan”).

Had booked a cab to ferry us and our gigantic baggage to Paris downtown, for 70 €, which was economical on the physical front.. sparing us the task of lugging bags to the metro station and beyond.

Once in Paris.. we settled in our (actually Laure’s) apartment (Air B&B), walked down to nearby patisserie and got something to munch on.

Then ambled along the streets of Montmartre and collected our food passports (https://www.le-food-trip.com/en).

Did few tastings in Montmartre including olive oil (Huile’d’ olive) at Ecomusee L’Olivier and Confiture tasting at La Chambre Aux Confitures.

In the evening after dinner and settling rest of the family members, me and mine, decided to walk towards Sacré Couer, a small walk from our apartment. We were aware that 21st June is the day Parisians celebrate Fête de la Musique. This is one day when the entire city comes alive with music and free gigs happening at every corner and plaza.

The residential area around our apartment was pretty much asleep but as we ambled closer to Sacré-Couer, we could hear melodies floating in the air.. and soon the streets were full of life, music and revellers.. bands performing everywhere and depending on your taste you could enjoy a different genre of music. The best performance of the evening was a band of drummers, some 20 odd gifted drummers beating away to glory and the crowd swaying to the beats. A serendipitous, great night!

Udaipur Jan’ 2017

“So many sites, so little time”.

This has been the motto of “Rajans” for ever. Even the “chhota Rajan” has inherited the itchy feet and if mom-dad appear lackadaisical .. he starts chanting…” I miss holidays- I want to go on a holiday” (BTW, by holidays he means a big aeroplane, specifically with in-flight entertainment 🙄)
Since we could afford only a few days leave, we started exploring short trip destinations in North India.. and zeroed down on Udaipur, this trip being long overdue! We planned this 4N trip in Jan, flying back on the republic day. This was good and bad.. good that there wasn’t much commute on the way back home from the airport…but flight did get delayed thanks to congestion at the airport, due to republic day security hold-ups!
We chose to stay in Trident, couple of quick reasons why:

* It was tried and tested and loved; having stayed in Trident Jaipur, many years back.

* Beautiful hotel, kinder on the pocket than other 5 star hotels,

* Relatively close to the old city (10 min cab ride away).

* Sort of situated on the lake Pichola, in a fabulously lush garden

* Far from the maddening crowd ( as well as the grime) of the city.

* Another plus being part of the Oberoi chain and sharing its grounds with its younger and high-end cousin, the ‘Oberoi Udayvilas’. We spent some part of every day, strolling the lush gardens of Trident, gently merging with those of Udayvilas, hearing the thousand different bird calls, spotting a myriad of fauna including the majestic peacocks and soaking in the spectacular views of the lake as well as the interiors of the hotel!

Many travellers opt to stay within the old city in many of the ancient, renovated Havelis, within walking distance to many restaurants, lake, boat ride etc. Flip side being not much greenery to soothe the eyes.

Day One:

We boarded our flight from Delhi around 13:00, landing at Udaipur airport in an hours time. The airport is located on the outskirts of the sprawling city and is about 40 min cab ride from the city centre.

This day was all about exploring the gardens, the palatial hotel(s) and the lake view!

These hotels also house a wild life conservatory housing wild boars, deers and peacocks which are fed at fixed hours in morning and evening when the onlookers can see these species closely.

Day 2:

After an elaborate breakfast buffet, typical hotel style.. we set course to explore the city. The first choice was naturally one of the iconic landmarks of Udaipur, the City Palace. The short upward sloping walkway leading to the palace reminded me a bit of Neuschwanstein, though more sunny and stark.

The palace must have been a ‘looker’ in its time.. but at present, except for some bits, is not very well maintained. This is a bit sad despite it being under private control. There are remnants of the glorious past but having seen many more majestic marvels of architecture, in India and abroad, we were a bit underwhelmed and after a few mandatory pictures we set course for lunch.

For Lunch we wanted to sample a quintessential Rajasthani meal including the “Dal- bati-Churma”. Our cabbie suggested ‘Krishna’ restaurant, well rated on Trip-advisor and for a paltry amount of 250rs/ thali, does a decent job of ticking all major items. A thali comprises of a pre-fixed menu, on a non-sharing basis.

Post lunch we roamed about the old city… with small shops selling curios..typically touristy, but something that every tourist expects (and likes). Bought some curios/ Rajasthani Show-pieces to adorn our walls from Kajri Arts, recommended again by the cab driver.

About 16:30 hrs, we reached the boat docking site to visit “jag- mandir” temple, situated in the middle of the lake Pichola, one of the many lakes making up this “city of lakes”. Jag Mandir is situated close to the pompous Lake Palace Hotel, under the Taj banner, latter, exclusive to its guests and elusive to others! The timing of the boat ride was good, this being considered the Sunset boat ride with extra-fares.

The short 15 minute Boat ride, toured around the lake with awesome views of the city palace (which looked better in a panoramic view), The Lake palace hotel, other havelis, smaller palaces bordering the lake as well as the beautiful facades of the high- end, lake facing hotels.

The Jag-mandir ( translated as the Universal-temple) still hosts some wedding ceremonies of VIP’s and can be visited at certain hours with a certain fee. At 5’o’ clock, by the time we reached, it was closed.

The facade of the temple is beautiful, though. There is a fancy dine-in, with a beautiful terrace top giving spectacular panoramic views. Special ferries are available for restaurant guests for dinner.

After soaking in the sunset views on the lake, we trudged back..in a cab, to the hotel. Here we enjoyed the Folkdance and music show while enjoying the dinner spread in the roof-top restaurant at Trident.

Day 3:

This happened to be Mademoiselle’s birthday and we set out to make it ‘memorable’. Over the years and over many vacations, we’ve realised that our most cherished memories are those which we’ve experienced at a very slow pace and amidst nature; be it gardens, hills or rivers, while hiking, trekking or cycling. That, in our humble ways, is the best way to experience a place, inhaling the fresh air, making lasting memories!

So we set out cycling around the lakes. We booked a tour with “Art of bicycle trips” based in the old city where we checked in at 7:45 am. They provided us with a child seat which was a blessing and made this cycling trip possible. After the mandatory delays with cycle adjustments and trials, we set course starting with meandering narrow lanes of the old city, wobbling (in my case) our way amongst other cyclists, motor cyclists, cars and cattle, avoiding the open drains. Thankfully this was a short stretch beyond which it was mostly vacant roads with few motor vehicles passing us by.

We cycled through mostly flat terrain with gentle up and down slopes with few ascents which were tiring for ‘my’ quadriceps. Passed by small villages, with school-going children happily waving and greeting us (they’re usually enthralled with foreigners), along wheat fields, some mustard fields just getting speckled with yellow, across small hills, passing — fort and finally the serene placid lakes.

The more popular Udaipur lakes, namely Pichola and Fatehsagar are within the city amidst its hustle and bustle. But the smaller lakes that we passed by on this cycling trip were spectacular and serene, unspoilt by urbanisation and tourism. We sat by them and just gawked!

The tour guide Ali, was a sport. An enthusiastic youngster keeping up with the varied pace of all members. Did a pit stop at a dhaba for tea and another impromptu stop at a road-side stall for ‘Rajasthani style sweet-sour poha’- which was delicious! Our little one greatly enjoyed the trip with daddy, calling it a wonderful day!

We wound up this 30km trip by 12 noon, took a cab back to the hotel, ordered room service and crashed! The feeling was of pleasure and pain.. but overall great! The hotel staff surprised us by decorating the room and sending some flowers for the occasion.

Evening was spent relaxing in the grounds and some splashing in the pool. The little one persisted in his efforts to take a dip in the pool and finally persuaded daddy darling to take the plunge. This was possible since the weather was mostly warm, even in January. But that is desert climate for you.

For dinner we had made reservations, along with our new cycling buddies, in a highly recommended restaurant by the lake Pichola, called “Ambrai”. The place did not disappoint in the views; with spectacularly lit City palace as well as Lake palace lighting up the placid lake.

Would not comment too much about the food here as we did not do justice to it. After couple of ‘heavy meals’ over past few days, our tummies were not in a very accommodating mood and we ate light. But immensely enjoyed the views!

Day 4:

Set out for some pending sightseeing. I had visited Udaipur last, when I was 1 yr old and have seen pictures from that visit all my life. So this day, my agenda was to recreate that picture.. before after kind. After enquiring from my parents as to the spot where the pic was taken and correlating with our helpful cab driver, we reached Fatehsagar lake. Nehru garden is located in the centre of the lake, a 10 min boat ride to the gardens. It’s a rectangular garden with domed gazebos at it’s corners.. and after speculating as to which looked nearly the same spot.. we started clicking pictures. This was a fun activity!

Post this activity, we had to tick another major kid attraction which is a camel ride. Since we had done the same with the little one in Jaipur, he was looking forward to this.

In the evening we bought tickets for a puppet and folk dance show in “Bhartiya kala Kendra” at 18:00 hrs. This was entertaining for the kids and adults alike, the auditorium being packed to the hilt. Gave us a glimpse of the entertainment forms of yesteryears,at the Maharaja’s Darbar, aka, King’s courts. Skilled dancers balancing their feet on pots and pans, and balancing pots on their heads.
Dinner was to be another light affair; by this time we understood that we could not digest the greasy meals. Had read about ‘Grasswood cafe’ in the old city so we thought we’ll try it out. This was a hole in the wall but such a friendly relaxed vibe to the place that we loved it. Dotted with quirky curios, fairy lights and foot tapping music.. we felt transported to another place. The food (tuna sandwich, salad, maggie 😊) was delicious including the smoothies😋. Happy tummies means happy souls who went to bed and dreamed happy thoughts.

Day5:

Last morning in The city of Lakes, needless to mention, we sat on the breakfast table for nearly two hours. Then lounged on the garden bench spotting many bird species, few being the elusive cuckoo, both male and female of the species, the coucal, sunbirds, bee-eaters, green avadavat, drongo and ofcouse the Peacocks!

Bid Adieu to Udaipur and flew back to New Delhi at noon.

PS: Don’t have his picture, but this is the number of our very sensible, responsible cab driver called Mohd Rafiq (mobile: +91 98291 91649), who was more like a personnel guide and chauffeur throughout our stay!

Sun and Tan- in spectacular Maldives!

This impromptu Trip to Maldives with family in the month of September was a totally theatrical act with last day confirmations by busy bodies and last minute flight bookings. We were flying through Colombo (Srilanka), deciding to spend three days there, as a night stay in Colombo becomes mandatory, according to flight timings (More about the Lanka journey in a subsequent post). Funnily, we began the first leg of the journey in Lanka while still researching our options in Maldives.

Finding a suitable stay in Maldives is not anything like researching other trips to Mainland’s – say Europe/US etc..(this was reiterated and rubbed, by my dear brother on whose shoulders had befallen this mammoth task) him being the “originator” of this trip! He had a “task sheet” dictated by all…to find a beautiful, secluded resort, on the off-beaten path, without too much tourists , only water villas, throw in a seaplane also, and accommodate 5 ½ bodies.

This, trust me is a humongous task. First of all, accommodating odd numbers is always a pain in the ***, as finding suitable villas/ family rooms with odd number of beds can be only managed through direct phone calls to the resort. On top of that, trying to find a resort, which allows a two year old, in a water villa is difficult as most resorts will try to place such a family on beach villas. And then try getting some sort of a “Deal” and deciding half board vs full board; A single resort island (more of an island secluded feel) or a larger island with multiple resorts (with some more dining options but a generic feel to it).

The journey began with an early morning short flight from Colombo Bandaranaike Airport, starting at about 7:20am, reaching Male International Airport on Hulhule island (right opposite Male) in about 45 min with a daytime temp of about 39 degrees.. Hubby got a free upgrade to business class- lucky for him! In general, we found the Srilankan air crew very hospitable n friendly… Good job guys!

After finishing immigration formalities.. We checked at the “Gangehi” kiosk where the coordinator effectively got us checked in for our next Sea-plane ride to the Gangehi island via Trans Maldivian airline. Carrying Booze into Maldives is strictly prohibited so don’t bother trying to stock up for days ahead- be ready though, to shell out loads of USD!

The Seaplane ride was underwhelming…It sure is great for pictures and ticking an experience, but on the whole a slightly claustrophobic ride, in scorching heat (the cabin being open to the exterior without any air conditioning) and very noisy.

Some sights do make up for it all, like the numerous island and atolls sparkling on the vast expanse of Indian ocean! The 30 min journey ended with a short boat ride to the island itself…followed by welcome drinks n easy check-in.

Gangehi is a small island and the only resort on this island. .. So self contained, beautiful functional villas.. We had a deluxe water villa (for three) and a normal water villa between us.

Georgina, the local marine biologist, told us about the presence of small baby (reef) sharks n Sting Rays, abounding the water here.

Small island resort does mean that one is dependent on their restaurant only, but these guys did not disappoint! Both for the vegetarians and the sea food lovers there’s plenty to eat with a loads of variety. We were booked, full board (all meals inclusive) so that we didn’t have to think about the next meal, and could just relax and enjoy the serene blue! As for me the veggie lover, the sheer number of fruit-veggie combos was mind blowing and I enjoyed a hearty, healthy, carb-free meal, morning, noon and night!

Icing on the cake were the desserts, especially the seasonal ice-creams churned out by their Indian origin dessert chef, everyday! From coconut to cashew-date, amaretto to passion fruit sorbet.. All simply delicious!

The first afternoon, we just crashed, after a sumptuous meal as all were sleep deprived. In the evening we decided to check out the premises, walking on the beach, circling the island.

Our villa, no 31, according to me was perfectly situated with just enough depth of water to wade in… Good for baby n us.. With a beautiful sand bank right across and perfect view of the setting sun!

This was one place we spent every evening, smitten with the awe-inspiring landscape, the gorgeous colors of the evening sky, against the darkening waters, the endless expanse of the horizon and of course the beautiful sand bank meandering into the depths of the water, taking us a little closer to heaven with every step! Also a delight for photography enthusiasts!

The li’l one had a blast, splashing in water, spotting sting rays, reef sharks (babies) and other smaller fish, swimming in these waters and making sand castles, while we bid adieu to daylight.

Incidentally the wind makes this eerie howling kind of sound at night over the ocean which was a bit waxing for me initially, but then somnolence took over.

Day 2:
I opened my eyes at about 7:10…and the first thought was “oh god, I missed the sunrise n it’ll be too bright by now”… But then I decided to peek through the curtains… the vista was jaw dropping.

A bit of cloud cover on the horizon changed the colors from stark white to shades of crimson n orange against the austere blue! Aah, what a perfect morning! I spent a few solitary moments on the deck, absorbing every moment, then woke up dear darling and went for a short stroll again on the perfect sand bank!
For breakfast, the chef n his team did a spectacular job of keeping everyone happy and content!

Bro n I went snorkeling.. First on our own.. Wary of the sting rays which abound in these waters.. and then again in the evening with the local expert who hails from the UK.. There is enough coral and sea life, just ½ km from the beach at the drop-off point into the deep dark sea!

In the evening, again on the spectacular sand bank, we saw a washed up jelly fish!

Next day arrived with spotty clouds, first indicator in 3 days that we were visiting during the wet season! During my customary, solitary morning walk around the island, I saw this spectacular rainbow.. Adding that perfect touch to the perfect holiday!

After breakfast we again, lounged in the common room for some time, some of sitting on the deck surrounded by the turquoise waters! Once again, rented some snorkeling gear and decided about doing a longish stretch in the afternoon… But …heavy clouds n a massive downpour, washed away those plans.. Luckily the skies cleared in the evening for a lazy saunter on the sand bank…I know its by now clichéd, but yes… the highlight of the trip was the sand bank!

There are other paid activities on the island like deep sea-diving, which we skipped this time, having seen a lot, snorkeling. There is sunset fishing, dolphin spotting n kayaking etc.. But just lounging on the deck on your own water villa.. Surrounded by pristine waters and watching the sun go down was the ideal “activity”on a holiday to this tropical paradise!

Blissful three days! Will be back for sure.

Tit-bits about driving in this part of the world- Germany/ Austria

Drive from Neuschwanstein (Füssen) to Montreux (Switzerland-CH) was a straight 6 hour long, exhausting drive, motored mainly by DH. Only high point of the ride was the Autobahn, one of the only roadways in the world where you can drive as fast as you want!!

We needed to buy a vignette (akin to a permit) to pass via Austrian motorway, available at most border towns, in this case, the German town of Lindau.

Austrian are known to be finicky about this, casting heavy fines for an otherwise cheapish 10€ vignette. In both Austria and Switzerland every user of the highways is required to pay this road tax instead of a toll, and prove the payment by a sticker called a vignette. The Austrian 10€ vignette is valid for a week, while the swiss permit costing 40€ is valid for an year!

So while driving we kept seeing boards saying Lindau 20km ahead, then 10, then 5.. And we started panicking.. And then I saw a board, “Wilkommen Australisch”… shucks…and then at the last moment we saw an Ausfahrt (an exit in Germany) so we rammed our van down it.. Phew! We finally got to a petrol pump and bought the vignettes..

Some of the nations in the european union expect an IDP -International Driving Permit, in addition to a valid Drivers licence, some of those being Austria, Greece and Italy. So just because we were meandering through Austria for small stretches, we applied for the same from our country- why take a chance.

In comparison to the Awesome Autobahn, the French Roadways allow a maximum speed of 130 kmph.

…and keeping in spirit of everything French and arty, the Exit signs in France (Sortie) are in Italics… 🙂

Schloss Neuschwanstein & a beautiful afternoon in Füssen

Day 4-

We spent the night in Füssen, a small boutique town just 5 min drive away from Neuschwanstein castle. During the planning stage, we couldn’t get a decent accommodation in Hohenschwangau, a small town at the base of the castle, also the home for the original and smaller, Hohenschwangau castle.

So, Füssen was seen as the second best option. But reaching the town, we were pleasantly surprised by its quaint, old-world charm, cobblestoned streets lit in an orange glow. The Hotel Sonne Füssen was an icing on the cake, which went beyond all expectations, which were already high, after having read great reviews. This was a beautiful hotel, decorated in a quirky and eclectic manner!

This morning we ambled to the restaurant and feasted on a lavish breakfast, definitely one on top of the list during all our travels! We gorged ourselves, then set course relatively early by 9 ish, for Neuschwanstein castle, …the fairy tale castle celebrated by Disney..
DH had visited the castle 10 years back, on a tour starting with a train ride from Bahnoff station (Munich) till Fussen, then a bus from Fuessen to the base of the castle, followed up an uphill hike with a Japanese student guide. He remembered that the inside tour of the castle was pretty boring (by our point of view), just like all other palaces and castles, with the routine of gold inlay everywhere… So this time we decided to skip the indoor tour and decided to head straight to the best vantage point for spectacular views of the castle from the Marienbrücke (Mary’s bridge).

So we started walking uphill from the bus stop, a very steep hike and saw this regiment of German army passing us, using this path for rigorous training!! As we hiked up, we were overtaken by huge horse drawn carriages, with 15-20 people sitting in, some of whom gave us…the breathless sweaty mortals’, supercilious looks. That lasted till the half way point beyond which everyone has to walk up…Huh!!

We just motored on and reached the bridge meeting a pleasant young Frenchman who insisted on talking to us in impeccable Hindi.

The views of the castle from Marienbrucke, are Classic with the majestic turreted Castle rising amongst dense woods surrounding it. Obviously, traveling during the Fall season is even more beautiful with the verdant greens interspersed with hues of orange and red! This I know because I bought a magnet with such a picture!

The bridge can get a bit crowded, very windy and younger ones need to be firmly taken hold off.

After taking the mandatory pictures, we walked down, and drove back. There is an alternate adventurous hike down to the stream, at the back of the castle, which DH had loved last time but in company of younger and elderly, we went the routine way. …And yes we, the non-drivers, tried some Glühwein (just like Mulled wine), on the way down, which tasted heavenly after the strong winds on the Marienbrucke!

Coming back to Füssen by 12 noon, we first went to a super market to stock up on essentials for our long road journey ahead.
Then we went down cobble stoned streets led by Sriram who was looking for this Vegan restaurant called Casa Veda…which had tremendous reviews on Tripadvisor. This was a self service restaurant with funky decoration.. We tried the soup of the day (smoked pumpkin, coconut, curry leaves and veggies) and the meal of the day with tasty vegetables, greens including asparagus & mild spices ( without the heat). The meal was so good that we ordered seconds. For dessert we had Chia seed pudding with fresh strawberries, and a Johannisberry (Redcurrant) cake…In all, a Delicious, heavenly affair! Sriram got a lot of thumbs up and pats on the back for his excellent choice of hotel and restaurant.

To call it a perfect afternoon, we shopped at the gift shop of Hotel Sonne Füssen which was again loaded with eclectic lamps and other curios. Happy Me!

Rest of the Day was spent in a long, pretty dull and dreary road journey to Montreux…more about it in the next post… Guten Tag.

Two nights in Munich- Day Zwi

Began the day…passing this Mercedes Benz ? Headquarters…Definitely felt like Germany!

Our plans for this day was to visit Viktualienmarkt, akin to a farmer’s market, a foodie’s delight!

Enroute we stopped at Marienplatz for the Glockenspiel. The clocktower has a twin-level moving (puppet like) figures, with a king and queen, musicians, courtiers etc. Nice for a short stop, but not with rain! I forgot to mention that the second day had rain all the time, and we had reason to thank our hotel staff for sending us of with umbrellas.

Once inside the market, we first entered a cheese and wine shop, tasted and bought a truffle cheese (melt in the mouth stuffed brie with the aroma and taste of truffle cutting through) and rosemary cheese. There were many charcuteries, but with four vegetarians there wasn’t much point…

We then went to a wine shop and bought two German wines, troken (dry) white Riesling and robust red Spätburgunder. Rieslings in US etc are commonly sweet wines, but here, dry tasty Rieslings are the norm. The Spätburgunder (pronounced Shpæt Boorgoonda) is German for Pinot Noir, and is called so, as it’s late ripening compared to Burgundy Pinots. Delish wine anyway…This buy started our wine bottle counter. W2, meaning two bottles.

The next shop we went to was Honighaus, where everything was about honey including beeswax candles, organic honey and… Mead which is an alcoholic drink made from fermented honey and water, best drunk warm.

We tasted a glass of Mead, bought a bottle of Honigwein aka Mead and also bought some liqueurs. W3.5

Next we moved onto some gift shops, some fruit shops, more cheese and more wine shops.

We thankfully didn’t buy more wine bottles, but we stumbled on a delightful shop “Chocolates & more!” that hubby had researched about before.

The shop had the usual run of nougats, flavored chocolates, chocolates with rum, with nuts, orange peel etc, but it was when we asked for dark chocolates, single origin, that the young lady got animated, and started bringing the most exotic chocolates, including an Amadei couverture dark chocolate drops (pistole) Venezuelan raw cocoa bar, different types of cocoa beans, (African, South american, Sri Lankan) roasted and unprocessed (yummy Cocoa tasting!!). While the ladies and the baby were getting raptures sipping on the delicious hot chocolate; DH and dad tried out different bars of Ecuadorian and Madagascar chocolates (bean to bar) and some Criollo chocolates from Venezuela.

After this heavenly experience we sauntered through the market, buying some fresh fruits, some more beer tasting, ogled at some beautiful crafts works and then decided to eat some more!

We reached the same alley with Andechser am Dom and decided to try Augustiner today. We had a tasty tomato soup, some Ravioli like German dish, Sauerkraut and Nuremberg sausages along with a wheat beer.

The one notable point was our server, a tall Valkyrie in a “Lederhosen”. I researched it later and found that there is a recent fashion of girls dressing up in these leather short pants; you only look good in them if you are fit!

After miscellaneous shopping and eats, we headed back. Dinner that night was at an Italian place called Mozamo, close to our hotel, with super thin crust wood fired oven baked Pizza with some good Chardonnay!

Gute Nacht!

Two nights in Munich- Part Ein!

Ah, Munich! Aptly described as the city of Beer & good cheer!

Day1- Delhi to Munich (june 2015)

After an uneventful flight, we landed in Munich at 6:00am, nearly 7 hours before the usual check-in time. Since we had only 2 nights to make the most of Munchen, we decided to power through the day, after dropping the luggage at our hotel-Laimer Hof.

Being a sweetheart, I decided to take some load of my hubby and In-laws and tried to lug more luggage than my slender shoulders could carry and ended up getting a back sprain and losing my sunglasses in the process!..I know..already!

Our hotel Laimer Hof is in a residential neighborhood, close to the Nymphenberg palace and within walking distance to metro and bus stops. Nice place with helpful staff.

After dropping off luggage we took the tram to Karlplatz, then the train to Münchner Freiheit (Freedom of Munich- World War II name coming from anti Nazi radio station broadcasting from here) this is in Schwabing, and a really pleasant walk towards our goal Englisischer Garten.. You walk past the most delectable cafes bakery’s wine bars and what not..I planned on walking though half of this garden ( which happens to be larger than Central park!)

We first stopped at Seehaus, by the lakeside which is a Paulaner bier garden, where the vegetarians enjoyed their first ever, Obatzda (a cheesy savoury dish), Pomme frites (French fries) & a kirschkuchen (cherry cake). I had a currywurst, a Movenpick ice cream for the little one couple of Pils and wheat beer to drink, where the wheat beer won hands down, as everyone’s favorite! Oh…and forgot to mention the Pretzel!

Next we strolled on along the lake towards the Chinese tower, or Chinesischer Türm, another beer garden, only to have “German beer, in a Chinese Tower, in an English garden in Bavaria”!!

There were plenty of fun rides for the little one as well as the oldest carousel in town! It was pleasing to see carefree children enjoying the mud and puddles without over –protective hovering parents.

We appreciated the Pfand system. You pay a deposit for the Stein, and after you finish, you go back with the empty mug and Pfandmarke (token) to get back 2€ per mug!!

From here, we got a little lost, wandered a little and eventually reached the Eisbach welle, after following some soaking wet students on the bus.

The Eisbach is a man made standing wave, that all young surfers come to practice and show off. The vicarious exhilaration of watching black clad surfers taking up the challenge of surf’s up was just awesome!!

Another short bus-ride brought us back to Karlplatz, from where we walked through Viktualienmarkt- a food market which was closed on Sunday, to Marienplatz, where luckily the breweries weren’t.

At Andechser am Dom, we sampled (probieren) some of their monastery beers, had a Käse Spätzle (another vegetarian dish- just like Gnocchi, but smaller and made of cheese), Butter and Spargel (asparagus) and Nuremberg sausages. The food was one amongst the best on the trip.

We then walked to Chocolaterie Beluga (used a Munich map app) and had their chocolate sticks dipped into hot milk.. The orange and cinnamon chocolate was good, but the rum and chocolate was under-whelming.

Finally on a loaded tummy, waves of somnolence washed over us and with aching limbs, we trudged back to our beds, tucking in early!

Summer of 2015- The Plan!

So the travel pangs began…it had been 9 months since the last big holiday and the urge of being in a different land, amidst foreign folks, breathing a lungful of exotic aromas was too overpowering! So hubby and I started casual chit-chat about which continent, which country. Which sites we would love to see and capture? Since, I was dying to see Munich, one place that DH had been to, without me 😉 and since DH was trifling through Beer at present, we decided on Bavaria!!

Usually during the planning stage, I just sip coffee and DH burns the midnight oil. And usually I rise, just near full term to say ‘Why not this and why not there’, completely baffling my sweet husband! So for the last couple of trips, he has started to bombard me with links and itineraries so that I’m part of “The Plan” right from the word go.
One such link took me to Rick Steve’s Itinerary which included Bavaria, The Black Forest, Berchtesgaden, and Lauterbrunnen with the most beautiful, and tantalizing photos. Just looking at those pictures of Lauterbrunnen gave me goosebumps! That’s how we added Switzerland to the trip which expanded to Montreux (as some of you know by now, a trip to a wine region on a holiday is sort of mandatory), Cochem- the German Wine region on the Mosel River, to Bamberg- home to the Smokey Rausch Beer and added some short trips to Neuschwanstein Castle, Berchtesgaden and R’o’d’t (will expand later).

This is how we eventually did it! In and out of Germany, Skirting through Austria, through peak commute in Switzerland, and detouring through French-Alsace & Lorraine!

Along the way, my In-laws joined the bandwagon and we were set to go in the month of June, far from the maddening heat in Delhi.

DH, during the trip, had the mammoth task of balancing the needs and demands of the baby, the grand-babies, the whimsical wife, and the Taciturn Sister; some of them being Teetotalers, vegetarians, nature lovers, shopping addicts, and foodies..Ha!!

Hi there,

We recently came across the german word ‘Gemütlich’ – translated as feeling of warmth and amiability to all, which usually describes my state of mind as I publish a much pondered post.

We are a Generation X couple, living a Uber cool life in a hot city where we expertly juggle our jobs, an increasingly demanding adolescent and managing a nuclear household in New Delhi, all without any screaming or meltdowns! While last bit may not be true… what’s a fact is that we preserve our sanity and live day to day, always dreaming and planning our next get-away! Pretty early on, in our married life, we discovered each other’s passion for travelling and live to explore the world and its bounty! Passionate nature lovers, and wine enthusiasts, most of our trips involve some hiking, biking, lush wine countries and gorgeous pictures on the way!

So all you genial folks out there, flip through the pages, walk with us and enjoy some amateur photography. These trips may not be path breaking, but everytrip is special, planned meticulously by dear darling, and always a bit off-the beaten path!

Bonne journée!

Königssee & to Füssen

Day3 – Narrated by Sriram

After first two relatively touristy days spent in Munich, it was time to head to the road! We woke up early for breakfast full of apprehension as a long day beckoned. But first we trouped down for breakfast…

Our second morning breakfast at Laimer hof was fantastic thanks to Sebastian the owner whose personal attention definitely made a difference! He served hot breakfast, fresh coffee, hot chocolate for the little one and kept up a cheerful conversation with everyone.
After getting directions from Sebastian to the car rental location-Laim , I and dad reached the pick-up location with the passport and driving license, forgetting the booking confirmation.. All three are usually needed for picking up the vehicle.. But luckily lady at the counter wasn’t fussy and as soon she heard my last name she chirped…oh, the Minibus!! Taken aback, we realized that the 9 seater van, a Ford Tourneo, that we’d rented was big enough to look like a minibus (comfortable van with two passengers sitting along with the driver in the first row, one car seat and two adults in the next row and ample space for 5 suitcases and three bags.)

Set out with DW in the front seat navigating, as always, while waiting for the GPS babe to activate… We took the scenic drive avoiding the Austrian highway, driving towards Siegsdörf, then Inzell, on the way meandered through German village roads and passed Chiemsee, and finally reached Königsee (pronounced Kueenigcee).

We arrived with rain and wind on our back, enough that some of us were wondering if it would be worth stepping out..Berchtesgaden (and eagle’s nest) was definitely out because of the overcast weather. I tried to reassure everybody that we would be traversing lake Königsee in a covered boat, but there first was a short wet cold walk from the tourist information center to the dock that had everyone wondering…

So we had to saunter into a very inviting cafe, displaying all its bounty…got hot coffee, chocolate, strawberry tart and apfelstrudel.. I think we shared the strawberry tat, kept the apple strudel , and squashed it in luggage on the subsequent trip 😉

After buying tickets we got into the boat with a whole class of French/ Swiss children… For the most, the school teachers kept the children in a cheery and not too noisy order..

It was very beautiful in the covered boat with some light rain and thankfully not as cold. Half way to the first stop the captain switched off the electric engines, to cut out the noise and blew a few notes pausing to let us hear the echo… It was eerie and at the same time beautiful…

The first stop was at St Bartholomo, a beautiful church with orange onion domes where everyone got off. We the smart, well researched lot, knew that the most awesome views were from the boat and decided to stay in the boat for the next stop..

Salat, the second stop, is at one end of lake Königsee, where all get off and walk to the next lake, the Obersee..

We got down at a small harbor, with a beautiful wooden arch, and after utilizing the WC, tottered on for a 15 minute hike.. It was a lot like half an hour going through pouring rain, muddy puddles that our little one wanted to jump in, passing many laconic German cows, mama cows and baby calves.. And we realized that we were missing one person. I had to run back get Dad…who was patiently waiting by the WC..

The final view at Obersee was worth the wet hike.. Lovely wooden hut giving a great foreground, the placid lake and mountains all around hiding in the mist..

After hiking in pouring rain with only our (wet) jackets keeping us sort of dry we got back to the harbor, got on the boat and reached land..
At Königsee, seeing everyones bedraggled appearance, I knew we needed some hot nourishment…and happened upon the Hotel Koenigssee Restaurant, specifically looking for German vegetarian options. The restaurant had pleasant seating with large wooden round tables, and good portions.

We ordered the Spargelzuppe (white asparagus soup), Kässezuppe (cheese soup), omelette with asparagus and some more. Surprisingly the cheese soup was the most appreciated.

We drove back and reached Füssen quite late about 9:30, and fortunately our rooms were still held for us! The city of Füssen had an otherworldly charm in the evening, with beautifully lit warm glow to the cobble-stoned streets.

The second surprise was the Hotel Sonne Füssen. Now while booking the hotel, I had looked at many many hotels in the vicinity, but I didn’t like their reviews, and the ones I wanted were not available.. I finally booked Sonne Fuessen knowing it was expensive, but it really exceeded expectations, starting from the staff, who were extremely helpful, the ambience, with beautiful gowns on tasteful mannequins, paintings and quirky lights in the corridors..

Each room had it’s own different decor and paintings..

We got together and had a light meal, furnished on the spot with the groceries we were carrying..and many of the party called it a long day, crashing on the luxurious beds!
Anyway after reaching, I and dad went down to the bar to have a glass of wine, we tried a Chardonnay and local German Riesling ( Trocken meaning dry).. The Riesling was excellent.. the chardonnay was passable.. The bar at this place seemed a happening site with lots of couples in snazzy outfits, arriving in great rides!

Thus ended the long day…