"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page," wrote St. Augustine. Well, this caught on with me and re-affirmed my travel plans. I had been planning a trip to Europe with my friends this year but it kept getting delayed because of different schedules and changes in itenerary. I was all geared up to fly out so finally on September 1st I left for Germany and never imagined the trip to turn out as adventurous as it did...
The twenty four days of constant travel were amazing. I met a lot of new people from all parts of the world who were kind, generous and willing to go out of the way to help. I was touched by their generosity and felt I too needed to be more helpful. This was perhaps my first lesson towards becoming a better human being. There were other lessons as well, such as travelling light because one has to lug stuff around all the time with mulitiple trains to take, buses to catch and boats to get on.
With so many places to visit, we were constantly on the go. One city after another back-to-back got me high on travel. Initially it was very adventurous. We hiked, walked, ran to catch trains, got lost even with a map, sipped wine, ate gelato's, drank latte's, saw the most beautiful landscapes and explored life like never before. I felt great seeing old friends and making new ones.
Every country had something unique to offer and each day had something new to unfold. The castles, the bascilicas, the rivers, the landscapes were all a treat for the eyes. There was so much beauty in some places that the mind couldn't fathom it at first. My favorite was King Ludwigs' Neushwanstein Castle near Munich. The drive up there was breathtakingly beautiful. The Austrian alps looked gorgeous and the river amidst them added to the aura of the castle that is built high up. King Ludwig was declared crazy in Bavaria but I thought otherwise... the man must have been intelligent to have built a fantasy castle that works magic even today. I wouldn't mind living in a castle like that, would you?!!
Not just that, there were many other moments that took my breath away. The collosium and Vatican in Rome were extremely alluring. I didn't feel like leaving and stayed there in admiration for hours. Rome had history written all over it and to my surprise I loved it. The evening I was to leave Rome, I got lost an hour before my train, so I hopped in a cab and asked the driver to hurry else I would miss the train. I hadn't seen the famous Trevi fountain yet, so I asked him if he could take me to the fountain before we went to the train station. This was a close call and despite the traffic and time constraint, the old man got geared up and drove me to the fountain. I was all excited, I rushed out of the cab took some pictures and had him drop me to the train station. Wow, that was fun!! The island of Capri was another delight. Naples was dirty and not a place I would recommend, but Capri compensated for it. I had the best gelato in Capri and the ferry back to Naples at sunset created an unforgettable journey. It was the best thirty euros I spent... infact every time my friends and I saw something cool, we said to ourselves, "this is the best money we have ever spent."
Venice was another crazy place, easy to get lost in. Just thirty minutes away was an island Lido. While coming back from there in the night on the boat, Venice seemed like a dream. The place I was staying at had a generous host who took us out partying that night. Italian food, multi-coloured drinks at the pub, inspiring conversation, and charming Italian guys... hmmm... that was a perfect evening!! Italy had its own charm and felt very different from other European countries. Pisa was a delight to see and so was Michaelangelo in Florence... it surely tickled a funny bone.
Switzerland had its own charm endowed with nature. The alps, the rivers and the green grass.. and some more grass :) It was the most expensive amongst all the places I travelled to. A friend of mine had forewarned me but I got a taste of it once there. The tourist information center in Zurich convinved everyone there to have a Swiss card which let us use all kinds of transportation... the tram, the bus, the train, the boat, the cable car, and so on. I thought I would need all means of transportation to get around Zurich. Oh, was I mistaken?!! I soon realized that everything was within a walking distance and one didn't need anything except for an occassional tram ride. The swiss have it all though... Rich country! Interlaken and Lucerne were pleasant to see for a short while but not to stay for long and Bern was strange... Whew!!
From Switzerland I went on to Paris. Paris was just alright, not so easy to get around. Their metro system was wild and the stations were old... not my thing. Maybe next time I shall explore the South of France. Paris was a big city similar to Bombay, perhaps that's why I didnt find it all that great.
After Paris I needed to go some place calm and boring. It was time to wrap up the trip, so I took the eurorail to Frankfurt. Frankfurt to my surprise turned out super cool. I watched the Opera with my Australian friend. We ate, drank, laughed, drank some more, talked and chilled... it was all I needed after a long trip. After two days of eating, drinking and chilling, I saw my friend who I was supposed to return home with. We shopped a little, had some more wine... and boarded the plane to come back home. In 24 days I felt like I lived a lifetime. Amongst the five countries I visited Austria and Germany remain my favourite.
This was the best thing I have ever done - taken time to travel, explore different horizons and learn so much about myself and the world. Whether it was making noodles at midnight in a kitchen buzzing with energy in Lucerne or watching the Italian Opera (a language I neither speak nor can understand), whether it was having beer in a crowded pub or riding a bike by the calm river in Salzburg, this was indeed the best time I spent.
The entire experience made me feel content and complete. Being comfortable, having some wine, interacting with friends, eating good food, sipping coffee and laughing out loud were more than enough. I surely developed a sense of gratitude for the simple things in life, for all my friends who travelled with me and for the angels I met along the way who made my journey worthwhile.
24 days, 5 countries and 13 cities later I feel high on life and richer in experience. I am glad I did this and I would do it all over again... there are more countries to explore, places to visit and people to meet!
I was inspired reading a qoute of Mark Twian's that says, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So sail away from the safe harbor. Explore. Dream. Discover."
The twenty four days of constant travel were amazing. I met a lot of new people from all parts of the world who were kind, generous and willing to go out of the way to help. I was touched by their generosity and felt I too needed to be more helpful. This was perhaps my first lesson towards becoming a better human being. There were other lessons as well, such as travelling light because one has to lug stuff around all the time with mulitiple trains to take, buses to catch and boats to get on.
With so many places to visit, we were constantly on the go. One city after another back-to-back got me high on travel. Initially it was very adventurous. We hiked, walked, ran to catch trains, got lost even with a map, sipped wine, ate gelato's, drank latte's, saw the most beautiful landscapes and explored life like never before. I felt great seeing old friends and making new ones.
Every country had something unique to offer and each day had something new to unfold. The castles, the bascilicas, the rivers, the landscapes were all a treat for the eyes. There was so much beauty in some places that the mind couldn't fathom it at first. My favorite was King Ludwigs' Neushwanstein Castle near Munich. The drive up there was breathtakingly beautiful. The Austrian alps looked gorgeous and the river amidst them added to the aura of the castle that is built high up. King Ludwig was declared crazy in Bavaria but I thought otherwise... the man must have been intelligent to have built a fantasy castle that works magic even today. I wouldn't mind living in a castle like that, would you?!!
Not just that, there were many other moments that took my breath away. The collosium and Vatican in Rome were extremely alluring. I didn't feel like leaving and stayed there in admiration for hours. Rome had history written all over it and to my surprise I loved it. The evening I was to leave Rome, I got lost an hour before my train, so I hopped in a cab and asked the driver to hurry else I would miss the train. I hadn't seen the famous Trevi fountain yet, so I asked him if he could take me to the fountain before we went to the train station. This was a close call and despite the traffic and time constraint, the old man got geared up and drove me to the fountain. I was all excited, I rushed out of the cab took some pictures and had him drop me to the train station. Wow, that was fun!! The island of Capri was another delight. Naples was dirty and not a place I would recommend, but Capri compensated for it. I had the best gelato in Capri and the ferry back to Naples at sunset created an unforgettable journey. It was the best thirty euros I spent... infact every time my friends and I saw something cool, we said to ourselves, "this is the best money we have ever spent."
Venice was another crazy place, easy to get lost in. Just thirty minutes away was an island Lido. While coming back from there in the night on the boat, Venice seemed like a dream. The place I was staying at had a generous host who took us out partying that night. Italian food, multi-coloured drinks at the pub, inspiring conversation, and charming Italian guys... hmmm... that was a perfect evening!! Italy had its own charm and felt very different from other European countries. Pisa was a delight to see and so was Michaelangelo in Florence... it surely tickled a funny bone.
Switzerland had its own charm endowed with nature. The alps, the rivers and the green grass.. and some more grass :) It was the most expensive amongst all the places I travelled to. A friend of mine had forewarned me but I got a taste of it once there. The tourist information center in Zurich convinved everyone there to have a Swiss card which let us use all kinds of transportation... the tram, the bus, the train, the boat, the cable car, and so on. I thought I would need all means of transportation to get around Zurich. Oh, was I mistaken?!! I soon realized that everything was within a walking distance and one didn't need anything except for an occassional tram ride. The swiss have it all though... Rich country! Interlaken and Lucerne were pleasant to see for a short while but not to stay for long and Bern was strange... Whew!!
From Switzerland I went on to Paris. Paris was just alright, not so easy to get around. Their metro system was wild and the stations were old... not my thing. Maybe next time I shall explore the South of France. Paris was a big city similar to Bombay, perhaps that's why I didnt find it all that great.
After Paris I needed to go some place calm and boring. It was time to wrap up the trip, so I took the eurorail to Frankfurt. Frankfurt to my surprise turned out super cool. I watched the Opera with my Australian friend. We ate, drank, laughed, drank some more, talked and chilled... it was all I needed after a long trip. After two days of eating, drinking and chilling, I saw my friend who I was supposed to return home with. We shopped a little, had some more wine... and boarded the plane to come back home. In 24 days I felt like I lived a lifetime. Amongst the five countries I visited Austria and Germany remain my favourite.
This was the best thing I have ever done - taken time to travel, explore different horizons and learn so much about myself and the world. Whether it was making noodles at midnight in a kitchen buzzing with energy in Lucerne or watching the Italian Opera (a language I neither speak nor can understand), whether it was having beer in a crowded pub or riding a bike by the calm river in Salzburg, this was indeed the best time I spent.
The entire experience made me feel content and complete. Being comfortable, having some wine, interacting with friends, eating good food, sipping coffee and laughing out loud were more than enough. I surely developed a sense of gratitude for the simple things in life, for all my friends who travelled with me and for the angels I met along the way who made my journey worthwhile.
24 days, 5 countries and 13 cities later I feel high on life and richer in experience. I am glad I did this and I would do it all over again... there are more countries to explore, places to visit and people to meet!
I was inspired reading a qoute of Mark Twian's that says, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So sail away from the safe harbor. Explore. Dream. Discover."
1 comment:
hi kashish,
your language, the topics u selected, and the style of presentation .. all are unique.. (as you).. why did u stop writing ??? waiting for the next...
regards and ebst wishes
shafeeq(retv)
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