tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1936201222334136282024-03-13T11:24:11.416-06:00As we travel....Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-86081631436769777942008-11-09T09:17:00.000-06:002008-11-09T09:19:41.779-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzXLsp7E9eqa6NYA5w8f50EwmDLdHvSFRJeX579xNagi84vTOl3ZGO68h-_01aB_L8IbHo2-npJWpn6nBlWJkRBzgFSfsMVEV84zSp0XinL8Dj3SVvufcSjt7dxN_-IwnJxFAOkZ2wfY/s1600-h/move_Page_0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 489px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzXLsp7E9eqa6NYA5w8f50EwmDLdHvSFRJeX579xNagi84vTOl3ZGO68h-_01aB_L8IbHo2-npJWpn6nBlWJkRBzgFSfsMVEV84zSp0XinL8Dj3SVvufcSjt7dxN_-IwnJxFAOkZ2wfY/s400/move_Page_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266677682696421218" border="0" /></a>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-19684896558169783922008-11-09T06:14:00.002-06:002008-11-09T06:15:28.858-06:00Scary-On has movedWe have made the move and there will be no posts here. Our new home - <a href="http://www.ourowncorner.com/scaryon/">http://www.ourowncorner.com/scaryon/</a><br /><br />Do update your feeds and drop by our new placeVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-69354821081023964912008-11-02T08:04:00.003-06:002008-11-02T08:06:19.766-06:00WE ARE MOVINGWe are moving to our own domain - do check out<a href="http://www.ourowncorner.com"> www.ourowncorner.com</a> and please update your feeds. As we get settled in, we'll have more posts coming up at our new place.<br />Drop in soon!Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-85522913924937421622008-10-01T08:44:00.007-05:002008-10-02T17:45:11.218-05:00Dubai - 2<span style="font-family: times new roman;">This post has been in the making for a while but here we go,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">The modern Dubai is filled with tall skyscrapers, and malls. We visited a lot of malls mainly to see and admire their architecture. As architecture buffs we just needed to get to each mall. We did not obviously visit all malls but made it to quite a few.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">- </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://www.wafi.com/">The Wafi City Mall </a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Shaped like a pyramid this mall takes the Pharaohs and mall watching to a different level. Art exhibitions, stained glass paintings and mosaics make this place a must visit in any architecture lover's visit to Dubai. Shopping-wise this place is filled with expensive stores and is not great for bargain shopping. If you are looking for brands and boutiques this is the place to go. They also have a big children's video game arcade next to the rather small food court. We went there on a weekday, mid morning and the place was practically deserted other than a few tourists and locals so were able to click some good pictures.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ql-ZOYo3IeTBbCdnF_utBlYjOE35Xf6fQqpkCOacGE5TdamHPdJkEFo0OmdaPBU-clym7LmvvKf4DvV5_59LdoFAL2r7AReb0Pjqhd1xGDxY_5n3tVSRdAMnhezw32evarSz5_w1YNw/s1600-h/_DSC0905.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ql-ZOYo3IeTBbCdnF_utBlYjOE35Xf6fQqpkCOacGE5TdamHPdJkEFo0OmdaPBU-clym7LmvvKf4DvV5_59LdoFAL2r7AReb0Pjqhd1xGDxY_5n3tVSRdAMnhezw32evarSz5_w1YNw/s320/_DSC0905.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252690626151939122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQCFiITG9hPS2AlR5sl_bJohH9ykfEmAI-rZ4eV7qwu61Dzg6JrT-8oDTj4NFii5tpA_gKnhyphenhyphen1dj8va7hEQ23uWiaQGCAp7Hqbz_GUxkyqQNOZDRj2GPqj594liaMAgBsbkQorNaWz5A/s1600-h/_DSC0914.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQCFiITG9hPS2AlR5sl_bJohH9ykfEmAI-rZ4eV7qwu61Dzg6JrT-8oDTj4NFii5tpA_gKnhyphenhyphen1dj8va7hEQ23uWiaQGCAp7Hqbz_GUxkyqQNOZDRj2GPqj594liaMAgBsbkQorNaWz5A/s320/_DSC0914.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252689083786986754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">- </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://mt.mercatotowncentre.com/default.php">Mercato Mall</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">This mall is a page off Venice. This was the first themed mall in Dubai and a cool place to hang out. The decorations look authentic and I particularly loved the acrobat life-size dolls in display. There was a kiddy corner and a musician entertaining the crowd the day we were there. The place gets really crowded and most of the people are seen right in the lobby near the stage and the Starbucks. For a relaxing cuppa, I would recommend the Second Cup a floor above the crowded Starbucks. There is a Spinney's supermarket in the mall that stocks up most of the luxury necessities. There is also a movie theater inside in addition to fashion wear and usual mall kiosks. There was a food court but we were not hungry and did not head that direction.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmY-ifMiXekeOaiyLMFmxDcb-nzPKk_QTMUsw-VIvomNYXTDIsJRzvvd0F8exr_wbkW1XxjQjYpZE-xC-0ySHtJIHRkiKuuJ5diVtBfN5eOIi5PLqs1CjBDJ_po2JRY7AD1sps7r6uEec/s1600-h/_DSC0747.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmY-ifMiXekeOaiyLMFmxDcb-nzPKk_QTMUsw-VIvomNYXTDIsJRzvvd0F8exr_wbkW1XxjQjYpZE-xC-0ySHtJIHRkiKuuJ5diVtBfN5eOIi5PLqs1CjBDJ_po2JRY7AD1sps7r6uEec/s320/_DSC0747.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252689078930903906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2naGr5qewlNFhdvvqPtGMMZydzihaXs0nHpyYR_0lpLD9pQ3ZjXF12CqNmI7GEWAe2Y68Za9GyULjjT1Sj_PQipzNLBbMstTjQqKrW-hFHYH1WiEtuUqh3a1H7lpaG8wiT1x1seP1r8/s1600-h/_DSC0750.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2naGr5qewlNFhdvvqPtGMMZydzihaXs0nHpyYR_0lpLD9pQ3ZjXF12CqNmI7GEWAe2Y68Za9GyULjjT1Sj_PQipzNLBbMstTjQqKrW-hFHYH1WiEtuUqh3a1H7lpaG8wiT1x1seP1r8/s320/_DSC0750.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252689081068972850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">- </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://www.madinatjumeirah.com/shopping/">Madinat Jumeriah Mall</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">This was our favorite. An old souk recreated inside the modern building with air conditioning, a fake creek and abbra rides that give you great views of Burj Al Arab. This was a last minute visit and I would hated to miss this place. There are a lot of shops, arts, artifacts seem to be the most common items sold. Some exclusive restaurants were around but the architecture - to die for!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbjcQw_3f415kZiA-k4TCqjKkXX2FQj6-RYp41PfiUV9H8rLwYs7nBkfynIHaZwNEfHcPex85H-ET5ZQqLLYR8bvKkDD4ASyg1_jQ2i4QQ8QC0DN2nEZ7DK6O0LDP6sVkVgBlo9vD_7Y/s1600-h/_DSC0943.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbjcQw_3f415kZiA-k4TCqjKkXX2FQj6-RYp41PfiUV9H8rLwYs7nBkfynIHaZwNEfHcPex85H-ET5ZQqLLYR8bvKkDD4ASyg1_jQ2i4QQ8QC0DN2nEZ7DK6O0LDP6sVkVgBlo9vD_7Y/s320/_DSC0943.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252690632095845634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwwMqKvwyN6fSTd2YEkY2dPT2WoRKvI4VnY0_G-53xsSYkxyhQiMYhFMP7QTggCLW3Sse5Dl_8Qq6HGo5XC-2FIOPtjP12rh0MOusP0YVi67NHPfccqzmy57SNjWgB55HKlc8X0eGVfc/s1600-h/_DSC0935.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwwMqKvwyN6fSTd2YEkY2dPT2WoRKvI4VnY0_G-53xsSYkxyhQiMYhFMP7QTggCLW3Sse5Dl_8Qq6HGo5XC-2FIOPtjP12rh0MOusP0YVi67NHPfccqzmy57SNjWgB55HKlc8X0eGVfc/s320/_DSC0935.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252690630342699042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xRjRsT0v1439tbNVHhj9HP4mFS06CRpwc1dWKWcBn0HZ3MsiMn9dZeFsvDa-ufrtzBwbflpZztshrfB2hm_Y5BvxO8FchEHKDVvzOM1BCZZOgppcgF9n2v9s5wRObH71z7J8yi1LQfw/s1600-h/_DSC0974.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xRjRsT0v1439tbNVHhj9HP4mFS06CRpwc1dWKWcBn0HZ3MsiMn9dZeFsvDa-ufrtzBwbflpZztshrfB2hm_Y5BvxO8FchEHKDVvzOM1BCZZOgppcgF9n2v9s5wRObH71z7J8yi1LQfw/s320/_DSC0974.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252689088920658322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Here are more pictures of the modern Dubai. The city itself is a good mix of old and new and a wonderful experience for people like us who need a bit of both worlds!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9zbY1kw6vPAbDgKem4-rzcjWey17neIJaoqKakm4DGAool8UrW82Nimwg_5FhPMQ72QjwwJXX1sgYS5HNnApG5bdvYvpKRA2jdIB7f4dhVDZi5Qhv-p0DQJwZ-KjWoYAEyyaPdlbGHM/s1600-h/_DSC0919.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9zbY1kw6vPAbDgKem4-rzcjWey17neIJaoqKakm4DGAool8UrW82Nimwg_5FhPMQ72QjwwJXX1sgYS5HNnApG5bdvYvpKRA2jdIB7f4dhVDZi5Qhv-p0DQJwZ-KjWoYAEyyaPdlbGHM/s320/_DSC0919.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252689075822295234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclRvgVugv_wgkrmMy4kTaWeQXjtny_n67KgdgnfXJT7-J3v2Zs0gMQCp34-m_3gi8SQLMyprUqKW42B-zMg6tNWEcOIgPIUJV6tLkOmGFonAJm9mrkq2uPX3jCT7rj56vO5E0eScdUdY/s1600-h/_DSC0989.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclRvgVugv_wgkrmMy4kTaWeQXjtny_n67KgdgnfXJT7-J3v2Zs0gMQCp34-m_3gi8SQLMyprUqKW42B-zMg6tNWEcOIgPIUJV6tLkOmGFonAJm9mrkq2uPX3jCT7rj56vO5E0eScdUdY/s320/_DSC0989.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252690633228697746" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLCCU5nlVX0QKQ8cqirsNdqEPqBBX134NCIH212z3im_9bFxXheC7UB6p7iB5Gd7OaN7K4vhH4-HEaIpCc9NtIXE5qZzL_O-Uw2jqpKU5ecab-DXONyATDQ1SUohLKVzHQVzftD511sc/s1600-h/_DSC0924.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLCCU5nlVX0QKQ8cqirsNdqEPqBBX134NCIH212z3im_9bFxXheC7UB6p7iB5Gd7OaN7K4vhH4-HEaIpCc9NtIXE5qZzL_O-Uw2jqpKU5ecab-DXONyATDQ1SUohLKVzHQVzftD511sc/s320/_DSC0924.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252690631075368610" border="0" /></a>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-2776812824754838512008-09-08T09:06:00.002-05:002008-10-01T08:44:03.287-05:00Dubai - 1<span style="font-family:times new roman;">On our way to India, we stopped over at Dubai for a couple of days this summer. Destination Dubai was chosen because we wanted to try out the brand new Emirates non-stop from Houston. Simple enough reason.. and unlike European cities (which typically is the other usual option when flying to India from the US), Dubai itself is small and compact enough to handle in a couple of days without rushing.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> Dubai, we found could be distinctly divided into two - the old and the new. Part 1 is going to be on old Dubai and we'll write about new Dubai in part 2. </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDr7dAl0GlsxY0MH5REc6swb8tEcbr-KDUO0tmEBlxeDZVe9V1JlHwb-j33U_zaod6b9lLsYY3pjZClNnwdwhxeENDPiYfsFUfnGWwcxJi4o2rTx58wYGb0RP7lOiVIkjX-iVUfnsCCwc/s1600-h/_DSC0644.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDr7dAl0GlsxY0MH5REc6swb8tEcbr-KDUO0tmEBlxeDZVe9V1JlHwb-j33U_zaod6b9lLsYY3pjZClNnwdwhxeENDPiYfsFUfnGWwcxJi4o2rTx58wYGb0RP7lOiVIkjX-iVUfnsCCwc/s320/_DSC0644.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243984900360251330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Bastakiya Roundabout</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Old Dubai - If you want to hit the famed Gold Souk or the other Souks this is where you'll head to. Dubai's history is not that old and one of the things that struck us hard was the lack of historic buildings that we love. But there are quite a few things that made up for it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The place to start Old Dubai expedition is Bastakiya along the Creek. The area comprises of everything from a Krishna temple to narrow alleys filled with shops to the Grand Mosque, the Ruler's office and other administrative offices. The area showcases the wind-tower architecture which makes the whole area look so mystique and open.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjLs3q_FMDgEN-7lsb7LvB74ilEqNydOxbCO7kqxvcxSGmYkuof6SKmuVzmX6OZA0wtmWr8TEIRg4qtocU2V0n80WegFVyo6n9yISzzo4oDGdL4MzRnwqXjOwd9EpH97egNYpmwJNIbU/s1600-h/_DSC0670.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjLs3q_FMDgEN-7lsb7LvB74ilEqNydOxbCO7kqxvcxSGmYkuof6SKmuVzmX6OZA0wtmWr8TEIRg4qtocU2V0n80WegFVyo6n9yISzzo4oDGdL4MzRnwqXjOwd9EpH97egNYpmwJNIbU/s320/_DSC0670.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243984901403275138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Wind towers - architectural marvels from those days</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We were in the area by 8am before the art galleries opened so we practically had the area to ourselves and spent quite sometime clicking photos and admiring the architecture. The Bastra Art Cafe and other galleries seemed like places we would have loved to visit but they were closed when we were there and these were small compromises we had to make when we wanted to beat the heat and visit the city fully.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGePHvZpzmUAli6OfDRBgPTc7O8ro73j8oOu8qUWr63H0u9TxvuhoIz0B3kFUfrmd2pHFjdkNmxgslVK2aZz9SNRqTpzg6mn3rGg44Z97CCgn4fqE20cA9uUPW7z4PxZ0GMC5D3ReB2N0/s1600-h/_DSC0689.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGePHvZpzmUAli6OfDRBgPTc7O8ro73j8oOu8qUWr63H0u9TxvuhoIz0B3kFUfrmd2pHFjdkNmxgslVK2aZz9SNRqTpzg6mn3rGg44Z97CCgn4fqE20cA9uUPW7z4PxZ0GMC5D3ReB2N0/s320/_DSC0689.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243986196486853602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The grand mosque</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br />Walking along the creek is fun. One gets to witness the daily life of people -commuters hailing abbras and rushing to work, the pigeons flocking the courtyards, the pious at the temple and gurudwaras were some of the sights we enjoyed. Do walk down the creek early in the morning or late in the evening and enjoy Dubai life swish past you.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7RPJMiee9fqGR34kFzzAjpIXf-gHvUVFbdP8Nkwz9nUpMNeObtQE4zfO6bWlwFsr4pFHheWIpXhZJyp7KwcL14IAho5E_gatp85Y4nNODEKRpcA8YmOUHSHezwfi9Kuc_OydediZt40/s1600-h/_DSC0692.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7RPJMiee9fqGR34kFzzAjpIXf-gHvUVFbdP8Nkwz9nUpMNeObtQE4zfO6bWlwFsr4pFHheWIpXhZJyp7KwcL14IAho5E_gatp85Y4nNODEKRpcA8YmOUHSHezwfi9Kuc_OydediZt40/s320/_DSC0692.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243984903770538130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Our next destination was the Dubai museum housed at Al Fahidi fort build in 1880. This is also in the same area around the creek and it is quite interesting walk as you see so many mosques and interesting buildings as you walk down from Bastaikya to the museum, As previously mentioned the history of the city is relatively not much. But the museum sheds light about the life in deserts and the nomadic way of life. The whole museum should not take more than an hour of your time. Definitely not a must do in Dubai but fit-it-in-if-you-can kind of place. The museum opens at 10 and we had 15 minutes to kill before they opened so we headed to the Starbucks housed in the Arabian Court hotel for some refreshments and cooling down.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHDDlQGaXNFCLbAHFzru6AWYnB75Az9O6BAzX4vSdAfx1547Psjc72bCJYMv-2suR66BDXEL3XjhwlqCBGDCV8FPqDsrDY1mLGKQ-VIIcd2XryaApb2Es7iPI0beUbGi_5Nu7zglctbc/s1600-h/_DSC0713.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHDDlQGaXNFCLbAHFzru6AWYnB75Az9O6BAzX4vSdAfx1547Psjc72bCJYMv-2suR66BDXEL3XjhwlqCBGDCV8FPqDsrDY1mLGKQ-VIIcd2XryaApb2Es7iPI0beUbGi_5Nu7zglctbc/s320/_DSC0713.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243984906635042466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">By the time we were done with the museum and heading out, it was around 11 and the souks had started coming to life. Prior to this trip, we had spent hours reading about Dubai in travel guides published by the leaders Fodors, Formmers, Rough guide etc. They all glorified the souks. But to me as an Indian it felt like walking in Burma bazar. We had gone dreaming about shopping in the textile souks and spice souks and it was a let down. The spice souks with spices filled in jute (<span style="font-style: italic;">saaku</span>) bags displayed at the store front was so much like the <span style="font-style: italic;">maligai</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">kadais </span>(grocery stores) my granny used to frequent inside Gandhi market in Trichy. But ofcourse, today my family shops at Spencer's Daily and More and Nilgiris and Kaveri so jute bags filled with exotic looking spices is a thing of past.. a memory... I am not sure if those stores exist still and I guess I need to make a trip down Gandhi market just to see what changes time and technology has brought in.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LvB-y5vY__mJU0YT1oI_9OoM0KG6gZlA3028nRuY1z-CK5u8UfJR3_h2JYFz14y_olDtfHVfLoGXQk_r-SSm_yymtmd27ESPC7M_acM-SAD4MrBKBp5lcLs-4lLJxiUveF_Zb5hj8z8/s1600-h/_DSC0698.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LvB-y5vY__mJU0YT1oI_9OoM0KG6gZlA3028nRuY1z-CK5u8UfJR3_h2JYFz14y_olDtfHVfLoGXQk_r-SSm_yymtmd27ESPC7M_acM-SAD4MrBKBp5lcLs-4lLJxiUveF_Zb5hj8z8/s320/_DSC0698.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243986202298449698" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Early morning calm at the textile souk<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;">One can very well understand why the Dubai souks fascinates the Westerner. Lanes and lanes of small shops that can unearth anything you dream of and offer you goods 50% or more less than what was quoted in the other store in the yonder is a thrill just like being on a roller coaster. The same reason why we shop at Westlife and Pantaloons and the Citi Center and then walk up and down Pondy Bazaar bargaining. Well at least, the women do it and women around the world are but the same when it comes to finding bargains. And to this I should add that the whole souk area is kept clean and trash is disposed off properly making shopping in streets as hygienic as possible. Ofcourse one cannot avoid the fine layer of desert sand that settles on virtually everything in Dubai.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Gold Souk is what T-Nagar with just jewelery shops. The biggest attraction personally is the lack of fear and assured safety Dubai offers for its gold shoppers. We could walk around without fear after major jewelry shopping. But then, watch out for these guys who walk beside you whispering copy watches for sir, copy bags madam, Gucci, Prada....if you are interested in fake goods follow these people through narrow alleys and small staircases equipped with the latest video monitoring devices and fake goods. And do not forget to bargain.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQlnxDjqs2w810hpbK_zDvpGV74ykEZIS13LmSkpo6qZF-cbOumUA4gw3C87k7DTz3-EyzDcyLhRZeg9bYEAK0PJUGQEz20pzsG_FTetErXh2AVhfB6juW1TAADAE5BczpKgCSLtrAic/s1600-h/_DSC0778.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQlnxDjqs2w810hpbK_zDvpGV74ykEZIS13LmSkpo6qZF-cbOumUA4gw3C87k7DTz3-EyzDcyLhRZeg9bYEAK0PJUGQEz20pzsG_FTetErXh2AVhfB6juW1TAADAE5BczpKgCSLtrAic/s320/_DSC0778.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243984914201255922" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Deira City Centre is probably the other place you might want to head out in the area. Though I would not call it Old Dubai it is the oldest mall in Dubai. The Carefour supermarket is a good place to pick gifts, food and bags (for those extra luggage)... The mall architecture is otherwise unimpressive (compared to other other malls in Dubai)... the children's play area seemed to be huge and had many offerings. The food court was decent - very crowded around lunch time...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A good place to stay in old Dubai is the Bank Street area also called the Khalid Bin Walid Street. There are tons of hotels, apartment hotels in the area and it is quite close to Bastakiya area (you can walk to the area in 15 minutes, take an abbra across to the gold and spice souks). The hotels in these areas give good deals unlike the many hotels along the creek that tend to get expensive. Taxis are also easily available to get around Dubai. We walked a lot as we feel that is the way to experience the city and Dubai is very pedestrian friendly. But it does get hot, so remember to carry water, sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">More on Dubai coming soon!</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><br /></span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-90304725398009674942008-09-05T11:15:00.005-05:002008-09-06T06:56:25.677-05:00Wine Country Texas<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >Texas is a country by itself. Amazingly diverse landscapes greet you at every town and it has long been our desire to explore Texas fully. Having lived in Houston for ages we complain about everything - it has none of the charm of the Southern cities, life of NYC, beaches of Florida, mountains of Seattle, Arches of SLC and the list goes on. In fact, I can write a whole book on why we hate Houston. But within Houston and the state of Texas there are tons of to-visit and to-do things which we keep putting off just because we live here.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> Often we plan great things for the weekends but end up canceling them due to commitments and priorities.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >A couple of weekends back we visited another part of Texas - the wine country of Texas. It is no Napa Valley but a fun thing to do.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" > </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://www.messinahof.com/">Messina Hof,</a><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" > a family run wineyard is located just outside Bryan, Texas. A 100 mile drive from home.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigy8M77pH0IdoP3ZFN8zpt2EWlwBv20BhekViEVvG_uXu3xa9r6JdLp26dVye9fbWqmw2JOAcc5rOrLkupcXUUiWgE6uS_5W0wzjn-A_RnvERlfeyGn6-KN4kIl-hpaHfYqlonEiSNK7A/s1600-h/_DSC2384.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigy8M77pH0IdoP3ZFN8zpt2EWlwBv20BhekViEVvG_uXu3xa9r6JdLp26dVye9fbWqmw2JOAcc5rOrLkupcXUUiWgE6uS_5W0wzjn-A_RnvERlfeyGn6-KN4kIl-hpaHfYqlonEiSNK7A/s320/_DSC2384.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242872669388967666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >Harvest season is a grand celebration is any winery. The main reason is you need as many hands as possible to pick the grapes at the right time and usually the right time is not more than a couple of weeks. So with many hands working and eating it becomes a huge party and it has been a tradition in most vineyards.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZxmmjMaVG1qZTN4PuhBgGKkscI9nXX_64l0XCHQAqigBagMwfjQl0fM3Z_N0Q2aHNi5WODX2TeMMcn7yde_2YylZnADHYiMuOWQSQpVU4B-OnFyGnTu2GsNySFB5UrsOxUTipQBFiFw/s1600-h/_DSC2360.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZxmmjMaVG1qZTN4PuhBgGKkscI9nXX_64l0XCHQAqigBagMwfjQl0fM3Z_N0Q2aHNi5WODX2TeMMcn7yde_2YylZnADHYiMuOWQSQpVU4B-OnFyGnTu2GsNySFB5UrsOxUTipQBFiFw/s320/_DSC2360.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242872657513726514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The foggy vineyard</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >At <a href="http://www.messinahof.com/">Messina Hof</a>, they offer this experience and little bit of wine-making classes for a price. After a 30 minute orientation early in the morning around 8am we are in cutting grapes and tossing them into bins. Initially the whole thing is fun and we seemed to have boundless energy but as the sun rises and cutting grapes off the vines for what seems like hours the whole activity starts to seem boring and we are more than ready to stop cutting.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuTJ_HTolS3rTPRE5Ljvf0txKVicheIuMxhaRo54Xbu0GVgbDFJYT-iMbdh0P_haYqRg7QiG227EU7KAIgeHwjwVj8GspLX4lGJOtU2Pv-80c-VKgo5rkvlJc0QE_k4iXAJfJUMIXc9M/s1600-h/_DSC2372.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuTJ_HTolS3rTPRE5Ljvf0txKVicheIuMxhaRo54Xbu0GVgbDFJYT-iMbdh0P_haYqRg7QiG227EU7KAIgeHwjwVj8GspLX4lGJOtU2Pv-80c-VKgo5rkvlJc0QE_k4iXAJfJUMIXc9M/s320/_DSC2372.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242872665240816306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Spanish grapes - lush and ripe<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >We picked grapes for around an hour and half and then headed for more excitement - the stomping. For some reason I had assumed we will be stomping grapes in big tanks (influence Bollywood, Kollywood no doubt) but unfortunately we were in small plastic bins in which they packed 4 people like sardines. Not the best but worth a try.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >It looked like getting your footprints on white tees as you got off the tank was a big event. The tees were overpriced (approximately $20) and totally not worth it imho.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiVtZQ9lCtIESzJmaIa5ZvpI8bfb4xPntfVBYF7V2uiQQTxDHjklPWurTHxenOrAJ8w1P8FQWvSLrmhPqh50NfJvF1QIlfoSY4OYsYGAu5ZKSWE0d8Zm6L4vmVigSF4eL_uyLPcwN4LM/s1600-h/_DSC2392.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiVtZQ9lCtIESzJmaIa5ZvpI8bfb4xPntfVBYF7V2uiQQTxDHjklPWurTHxenOrAJ8w1P8FQWvSLrmhPqh50NfJvF1QIlfoSY4OYsYGAu5ZKSWE0d8Zm6L4vmVigSF4eL_uyLPcwN4LM/s320/_DSC2392.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242872676034773954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Stomping and wine-print tees designed at site and dried<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbHms_mYe801-JWGzrIstUJD-2VA1o7HNh0qHkCcc7aUXvYzVQnpC0sUNZyygusDxKjYtvwlQ5ysplC5zTVnOvwYEAtmd1lUeo1X_XIVzgrl6mXe0J9JEhnckM2jEaOhpL_BZ9r-JePA/s1600-h/_DSC2395.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbHms_mYe801-JWGzrIstUJD-2VA1o7HNh0qHkCcc7aUXvYzVQnpC0sUNZyygusDxKjYtvwlQ5ysplC5zTVnOvwYEAtmd1lUeo1X_XIVzgrl6mXe0J9JEhnckM2jEaOhpL_BZ9r-JePA/s320/_DSC2395.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242872677224319890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >After this is the fun part, the working of the winery.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >The crushers, the storage drums, the yeast, the bottling line are all open to public and a wine-maker leads you through them. At the end of this session we went in for a wine tasting.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNv31TJoAI0WbS2iXyxsRPhv6v_ncXEKXF04ZBa8brCdiUsXT6whPWPgjF6kFHeDx1_OcMN5dtjJWdB0Xlqomltr2UCqSpJvet8gFwu4oMdkdfPDevjrXh2KF1wgETmq8GK2AXldZN-4/s1600-h/_DSC2406.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNv31TJoAI0WbS2iXyxsRPhv6v_ncXEKXF04ZBa8brCdiUsXT6whPWPgjF6kFHeDx1_OcMN5dtjJWdB0Xlqomltr2UCqSpJvet8gFwu4oMdkdfPDevjrXh2KF1wgETmq8GK2AXldZN-4/s320/_DSC2406.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242874139643574834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Grapes being dumped into the crusher and the fermenting wines in the storage room</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRupG08wPlpDwZnCEeL8HucggFzKM99lvdqjz43FRgM49bgYUbosk7JwMfxfxWVp0o9vgtrQxZsBcXq0VobyLZbubh5AveKRxQbVGE43e-f2B6j29aX5W0Fhj60ghjbMzz-QEWpsjqyo/s1600-h/_DSC2411.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRupG08wPlpDwZnCEeL8HucggFzKM99lvdqjz43FRgM49bgYUbosk7JwMfxfxWVp0o9vgtrQxZsBcXq0VobyLZbubh5AveKRxQbVGE43e-f2B6j29aX5W0Fhj60ghjbMzz-QEWpsjqyo/s320/_DSC2411.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242874147754433810" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" ><br />And to wrap up we had a harvest lunch made with fresh herbs from the garden. Perfect way to enjoy an will-it-be-fall-weather-soon Saturday morning in Texas.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" ><br /><br />Harvest festivals typically fall in the last weekend in August at Messina Hof and get filled up early. So you need reservations. Wine tasting and tours are available all through the year. They also have a gift shop, restaurant and a bed and breakfast in the property.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> The restaurant offers specialty dinners and cooking courses regularly. Check their website for more details.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-54875260741536197852008-07-08T23:07:00.008-05:002008-08-09T17:07:14.632-05:00By the sea, In the desert<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Travel in its best is a window into different cultures and a peek into the life of others. As travelers we love to experience life as the natives, enjoy their local delicacies and surprises. In the span of 6 months we have witnessed two different cultures and surprisingly or not-so-surprisingly were able to connect both of them. A small portion of the old time charm from these cultures were sliced and served to us hungry tourists. Ofcourse as any offering to tourists there was a generous helping of commercialization added to it.<br /><br />We were left with memories we would treasure for a long time and will we repeat the same experiences if we ever head out to the destinations again? Read on, <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Hawaiian Luau:</span><br /><br />This was the first and truly Hawaiian experience we wanted to dip our toes into! Luau in short is the Hawaiian party and way of celebration. Anything from a graduation, to a wedding are celebrated as luaus where the family gathers together in the backyard (which often happens to be a pristine beach) to feast on specially prepared party foods. Today what Hawaii offers to its many tourists is a commercial version of the family party. There are a number of organizations that offer a luau experience for its visitors and we chose to experience our luau with Germaine's.<br /><br />Our trip started when our cheerful hostess dressed up in a shirt that screams Hawaii greets us with touristy cheap shell leis. We board one of the many buses plying from many corners of the small island towards party central. The bus obviously filled with tourists like us stop at different hotels to pick up other excited guests. As we head out of town, our hostess turns on a microphone and starts her own stand-up comedy show while dispensing in between facts about Hawaii, luau food and customs. She also found time to make note of people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and ofcourse the honeymooners.<br /><br />A fun-filled 30-40 minutes drive later we were at our destination - palm trees, a abandoned light house, clean blue waters, the setting sun... everything picture perfect - the way a mainlander dreams of Hawaii. At the luau, the first thing done was the prerequisite photograph by a professional photographer and then we moved on to the open area to get seated. Typical luau seating is on straw mats spread out on the sand and low tables. Of course being a commercial operation, our luau offered both traditional and modern table/chair seating.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrgGUoFFcHn8BDs9whJy2FY1KTIWGBzU1_fBSS1zoU4T7mE35lJESg5zCdfdNF8I0RG50fygaqWNzUN6aAf7bbS_VASCUspiUeir-4Bpa601EGJyT0ji0Cxzk-SF03D7HUOkPHkaJGh8/s1600-h/_DSC8254.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrgGUoFFcHn8BDs9whJy2FY1KTIWGBzU1_fBSS1zoU4T7mE35lJESg5zCdfdNF8I0RG50fygaqWNzUN6aAf7bbS_VASCUspiUeir-4Bpa601EGJyT0ji0Cxzk-SF03D7HUOkPHkaJGh8/s320/_DSC8254.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232641079404705282" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br />Within minutes of being seated, activities started. Dancers depicted dances from different Polynesian countries which share the tradition of luaus. Graceful dances, fire dancers wooed the audience. The dances were all short not more than few minutes each, mainly to keep the attention of even the most uninterested person in the audience. And in between the dances, there were announcers who explained the origin and history of the dance form and the mood of the song.<br /><br />Strewn seamlessly inbetween these dances were a mention of the birthday babies, the honeymooners and those celebration other occasions (anniversaries, family reunion, engagement etc). In fact, most people come to Hawaii as a celebration, typically weddings, honeymoons and anniversaries form a big chunk of it. A special mention indeed makes the day and the celebrating guests got a orchid lei and some freebies! It kept the guests occupied and quite a few ooohs and aahs were there to greet the honeymooners and the newly engaged! An army mom with her son got a big round of applause.. Inshort, they brought in the family/belongingness feeling that luau's are all about to the 300+ strangers on the beach - quite an achievement. Typically, the luau being a meeting up friends and family over food event, there is bound to be news and updates and celebrations which the commercial luau tried to replicate.<br /><br />The most important part was the luau food. Hawaiian delicacies were spread out and there was quite a spread. You can read more about Hawaiian luau food <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luau">here</a>. The specialty of the evening was the Kalua Pig - which is basically a whole pig, salted and wrapped and cooked into a underground oven. As a commercial luau, the removal of the cooked pig is a ritual by itself. Drums are beaten, lamps are lit and two men compete with each other on the number of hot burning stones they can remove with their bare hands. And this is where the women guests go ga-ga! It was like watching a chick-flick - well-built men, stripped down to the waist, wearing exotic jewelery and handling burning hot stones and bring food.... what more does a woman want? The food at the commercial luau is at best "mediocre" as expected. As the buffet opens, there is a mad scramble as 300 odd guests make their way down (it is important to note that most of the guests had by then cleaned up the free 3 alcoholic drinks tab at the bar and were drowning in Mai Tais, Blue Hawaiis and Pina Coladas).<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo-pMITY0Og1cxEQ7iS6QJVGhUoKU-40kq6mDbr9LHCFPLjIy46DiB4nBCIb3HjaXqfTcQg2CrMLOCC_Wm8yI46K6msoD9qJgqkXvvoOdHaSibgD-VFx2F7BEq06KTy5gjpPXBBkBQBQ/s1600-h/_DSC8264.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTo-pMITY0Og1cxEQ7iS6QJVGhUoKU-40kq6mDbr9LHCFPLjIy46DiB4nBCIb3HjaXqfTcQg2CrMLOCC_Wm8yI46K6msoD9qJgqkXvvoOdHaSibgD-VFx2F7BEq06KTy5gjpPXBBkBQBQ/s320/_DSC8264.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232641084976079794" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br />As the guests picked on the food (note that I said pick and not eat), the organizers keep us entertained with stories and dance and then start scouring for hula wanna-be dancers! Women of all ages and shapes, take their first lessons in front of everyone and then it was the turn of the men! And here the routine and rather predictable way of entertainment being picking on one individual and making fun of his dance/hip moves when compared to a professional dancer reigned. The guy who was "the chosen one" the day we were there was a jolly good sport and he took everything with a smile. But personally, I find it quite humiliating and embarrassing.. kind of like the reality shows...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwoHn0VATfgWyRWBLTlwGCONvta8TU94BWdOxSpLv7rbJOP-hxyNwcwpoV2esoeGJgLMoFPAPPTwPdBU8hFtlapToaECycALKAG62_N1wcWdox-VWEjotwcjs1Pxu_LGCOzjt-aC0Vt4/s1600-h/_DSC8278.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwoHn0VATfgWyRWBLTlwGCONvta8TU94BWdOxSpLv7rbJOP-hxyNwcwpoV2esoeGJgLMoFPAPPTwPdBU8hFtlapToaECycALKAG62_N1wcWdox-VWEjotwcjs1Pxu_LGCOzjt-aC0Vt4/s320/_DSC8278.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232641088471804114" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br />Time flew and soon it was time to pick up memorabilia (oh they have tons of those stuff, cheap cocktail glasses, tees, shell-leis) and board our buses ( all buses are numbered and you get back on the one you were initially on). The hostess tries in vain to bring life into half-asleep, half-drunk passengers by asking questions and giving gifts but in vain! In fact, on our bus we had one very-drunk grandma who kept insulting the hostess quite badly! Oh! all in the name of luau and a Hawaiian experience!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dubai Desert Safari:</span><br /><br />Unlike the luau, the desert safari can be distinctly divided into two parts - one the modern and touristy part and two the cultural and traditional part. The concept of desert safari is a mix of dune bashing (off-roading along the sand dunes) and a peek into the Bedouin (Arab desert nomads) tribal life. It is one of the biggest tourist attractions in current-day Dubai.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoqAWJGZlZo95HyzaFbVMso5tcGWiHZwmGS3wVHDp0dxisUtGZdE6AmLmpaZ_kyJX6UPO5bYKUL_JP1yOLC77IYkELZNAm6o1mzexTIkrWHNQXwtmXA1B6PQjVUZ53-GVb_mgjfkgltY/s1600-h/_DSC0789.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoqAWJGZlZo95HyzaFbVMso5tcGWiHZwmGS3wVHDp0dxisUtGZdE6AmLmpaZ_kyJX6UPO5bYKUL_JP1yOLC77IYkELZNAm6o1mzexTIkrWHNQXwtmXA1B6PQjVUZ53-GVb_mgjfkgltY/s320/_DSC0789.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232641700825956322" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br />We were picked up (behind schedule) in front of our hotel in a Toyota Land Cruiser. We were the last of the 6 guests in the vehicle. Our driver was dressed up in Arabic standard wear, a flowing white Dishdasha and a Keffiyeh. Within seconds we were in and off. The driver (whose name remains unknown) tuned on to one of the radio stations playing some Arabic tunes and we kept ourselves entertained with the views of Burj Dubai playing hide-n-seek amongst the smog and random sights. Some time later, our driver tuned on to the India Vs. Srilanka Asia Cup Final match, unmindful of the fact that that other than us no one understood what was happening. In fact, at some point of time in the middle of dune bashing, one of the guests requested the driver to turn off the cricket commentary and turn-on some music to help her feel better during the roller coaster bashing and the driver refused not-so-politely!<br /><br />Coming back, after nearly 45 mts of driving out of Dubai we were off-road, and were greeted with a sight of more than 50 4x4's. We got down to feel the sand on our feet (and it invariably finds its way to our faces) and our driver started letting the air our of the tires. Soon we were dune bashing. Typically, no vehicle travels alone. Vehicles from the same commercial tour organizer travel together in a line and dune bashing is an experience that is best experienced. I am a roller-coaster fan and dune bashing did not give me the much loved butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling when I am on a roller-coaster but the effect was something different. It was kind of like go-karting and hitting a very hard barrier. It was fun and a bit scary at times. A good 15 minutes into the dune bashing and when the weak-at-heart and stomach start to wonder how much longer, we stop.<br /><br />Miles of sand dunes ever shifting before the eye such a different landscape from the pristine beach in Hawaii, the sand felt same but very different. And in the middle there were 8 white land cruisers and around 50 tourists furiously clicking pictures and gulping down the water. After 10 minute break we were off again heading towards our camp. More dunes, more bashing, a few stray camels, a few settlements in the middle of nowhere and suddenly a fenced area with a stage and big lights greeted us.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHPImlXxvU8AJzQHmk4MUHRmTOSd1bU8v7Jr_B-ytRwsTf8lGezkbsNuzj3TA3tUv79-1mKRbyJcoeEK5q1eV0p2Ec0QxEMXnpp3kwwl1gsYCEK6tF3Tij2D2vIV3qKfl9NKMn3czKxc/s1600-h/_DSC0893.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHPImlXxvU8AJzQHmk4MUHRmTOSd1bU8v7Jr_B-ytRwsTf8lGezkbsNuzj3TA3tUv79-1mKRbyJcoeEK5q1eV0p2Ec0QxEMXnpp3kwwl1gsYCEK6tF3Tij2D2vIV3qKfl9NKMn3czKxc/s320/_DSC0893.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232641709754777858" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br />The camp set in the desert was a sight in itself. Glad to be out of the rather-cramped vehicle, we got down and took in the sight around us. Miles and miles of sand, a few ATVs, the camp and a camel farm were the only things we could see. Three camels were lined up for rides and excited tourists had a day. Personally I felt the camels looked sad and tired might be it was just me. But we opted to sit on the sand and enjoy the sight and sounds around us. A few people headed out on ATV's and other few started sandboarding. All modern additions to the experience of the nomadic Arabic way of life.<br /><br />After a while, we made our way into the camp and there we saw a table set up with two flasks. No name cards, no one near-by to ask and we did drink them. I assume they were Arabian coffee (they did not have the distinct coffee aroma and had more a herbal smell to it) or some kind of date flavored drink. A little beyond there was a man on a stove frying hot dumplings. Drizzled with date syrup the dumplings were out of this world. A little googling research tells me that these dumplings are called Looqemat.<br /><br />As we sat drooling over the dumplings, I spotted one of the guests with fresh mehandi on her forehand. And I started hunting down the henna-decorated and I spotted her. In one of the corners, almost hidden from public view, sat this young lady in a Abaya drawing designs. I sat down to get a design done and tried to make conversation. The woman was stubbornly silent. The few questions she answered she spoke good English but I could not understand why she refused to make conversation. It was then I spotted a changing room where Arabic costumes were available for men and women to try on and click pictures. A photographer - a must in anything that is related to tourists around the world was ofcourse present. It was like a little treasure hunt, each cabin had some small activity and most of them were free (included in the cost) and there was no one guiding us to these - A sheesha corner, a small memorabilia stall, sand art table, a water stand, a falcon.. The falcon had its feet tied and provided a good photo-op to all the guests.<br /><br />Around 50 guests in a camp that can easily accommodate 300 roamed around and after an hour or so, boredom struck. I played the game of putting incorrigible Tamil lyrics to Arabic songs echoing on some really bad quality sound system with my husband who was busy photographing! Probably this is where they can improve on? learn something from their Hawaiian counterparts on how to keep the guests entertained while the food gets cooked?<br /><br />Soon darkness came and the lamps provided a gorgeous glow over the place and it was quite romantic! Imagine this, him and her seated on a mat, in front of them - a low table with a votive candle shedding soft light, the setting sun, sand dunes all around, music with lyrics you cannot understand ... it feels like you are the only two in the world.. throw in some heavenly Looqemat drizzled with date syrup... perfect for a date/special occasion! As we waited holding hands and getting rather irritated a projector was set up and some really bad quality pictures captured by the resident photographer (a Chinese(?) guy) were shown, with hopes of tempting people to buy.<br /><br />Losing interest in the photos we started people watching (the next best part of travel!) and observing the activities the camp employees were engaged in. Silently they floated behind in their traditional wear carrying out their duties in getting the food ready and ofcourse chatting with each other in Malayalam (oh yeah! most of the workers were Indians dressed up! What a fun job! A fancy dress everyday!)<br /><br />The food was served. A mix of Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.. samosas, hummus, pita, falafels, shawarmas, kebobs, fattoush, tabbuloueh , cheese spring rolls were the ones we could identify from our frequent trips to Mediterranean restaurants in Houston. We ate, drank our rationed soda (one can per person), had some custard and payasam (kheer) and waited for action (spelled belly dancer)<br /><br />The stars were out now and we took our seat around the stage and there she appeared! The belly dancer, clad in green n silver she looked stunning. The first music started and she started dancing (or is it shimming?) and it was beautiful. Next she pulled in some men to dance with her. The men tried to shake their non-existent hips! One of the hosts/organizers a man in white, then started pulling all men on to the stage, by force and got the women chantting "Ah Ah Ah" Then the host put in some moves with the belly dancer more like the way a man drooling over a good looking skimpily clad woman! Then the host started pulling all the women rather forcefully on to the stage to dance a song later the men were on again and then the dancer n host disappeared!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0dFr-iQW6houO1InLbsFTAPuWCmwNOoNpc6oEjTknlc7Dd0IrnpiUaXG0AJknz5qCc-Rps76LIowoKI3nb_DwfRajY1r-WLvMl6Nquydy7IIiAdQoJye5TTbFrDEz19CTRsH_7ldJCw/s1600-h/_DSC0895.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0dFr-iQW6houO1InLbsFTAPuWCmwNOoNpc6oEjTknlc7Dd0IrnpiUaXG0AJknz5qCc-Rps76LIowoKI3nb_DwfRajY1r-WLvMl6Nquydy7IIiAdQoJye5TTbFrDEz19CTRsH_7ldJCw/s320/_DSC0895.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232641714397541362" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >As we sat back expecting something big and exciting, the big lights came on and we could hear the engines of the Land Cruisers on signaling it is time for us to leave. Rather surprised by the abrupt end to the show, we walked back towards 10 white Land Cruisers not knowing which one was ours. Our driver spotted us looking rather lost and guided us back to the vehicle and within minutes we were back on road (we did hit some dunes on the desert sand with full tire pressure before we were back on paved roads)</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >We tried to make conversation with our driver and asked him about the cricket match. He just mentioned India lost and lapsed into silence.<br /><br />And soon the city lights of Dubai were there welcoming us leaving us feeling the sea or rather desert of difference a few kilometers can do!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >The desert safari has options for overnight camp stays which we could not avail due to the climate (it is typically not offered in summer). </span> <span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />The desert safari in Dubai and Hawaiian Luau in Honolulu both offered things that were so similar yet different. The luau obviously was more commercialized and marketed unlike the desert safari where I felt so much more can be done.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">But both are experiences that one should not miss!</span><br /></span><br /></span></span></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-86504958503919221782008-07-05T06:27:00.005-05:002008-08-07T09:34:35.079-05:00Dubai Heat Waves....<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Coming up soon...our Dubai Chronicles... where to stay, what to shop and where to shop!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Oh yeah! I am typing this in a few minutes break before heading out for our desert safari!</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-85837739446115947602008-06-02T15:27:00.007-05:002008-08-07T09:34:54.883-05:00Windy City Breezes<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >We were on whirlwind trip to the Windy City. A few good friends, and a wedding drew us towards Chicago. It was a short-trip and more focussed on visiting and spending time with friends than checking out the city. Here are our observations of Chicago.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Bad roads.. and we thought H-town was the worst. Even tollways are like Indian roads in Chicago.</span></li><li style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Suburbs looked pretty! We were there the first weekend of May and Spring transformed the suburbs. The burbs looked like the typical American dream homes... white picket fences, green yards brimming with tulips .. pretty very pretty</span></li><li style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It was cold... it was 90+ in Houston and Chicago's 40's temp and winds did leave us longing for home</span></li><li style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Chicago's downtown was neat... a good mix of ancient and new buildings. The meandering river does add a romantic touch to the city while the trains underground were kind of disturbing</span></li><li style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Sears Tower was disappointing in a way. But it is worth taking a trip up just for the heights-of-tourism (pun intended). The views were not that great and the usual gift shops, photo before entering with backdrops of the tower views were kind of too boring. Also please change the cartoon infomercial on the lifts. The hens running around trying to pass info was horrible.</span></li><li face="times new roman"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwKrYgS0AJxIe6tsGCz7SwTOx3SnBF0MTa5rsWaK2cJrqoSteedSiyr4ZSmkIlag2_nhQMZK5EZkS1pKYMGL8RhNt_aVzdH-h3BA87amhyphenhyphenjZWlvRNYfkRLl_N829CEhHmI4xkcgJQsQo/s1600-h/P5100175+%2817+of+42%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwKrYgS0AJxIe6tsGCz7SwTOx3SnBF0MTa5rsWaK2cJrqoSteedSiyr4ZSmkIlag2_nhQMZK5EZkS1pKYMGL8RhNt_aVzdH-h3BA87amhyphenhyphenjZWlvRNYfkRLl_N829CEhHmI4xkcgJQsQo/s320/P5100175+%2817+of+42%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207752028638302946" border="0" /></a></li><li style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Overall, Chicago did not impress us much. But then we did not have time for more stuff. We really wanted to drive along Lake Michigan and visit some of the architecturally famed buildings. But time constraints were the biggest problem.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Chicago is not in our must-visit-places-in-US but would love to take in some of their architecture, and enjoy on the shores of Lake Michigan a deep dish pizza!</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLkkIyB9IuV4rXXrjzFZE4apo0bLOHb_pO4BEVYABBWkLX5YyFEF2lZGA5hFAVzhIx_tJdTOfqlgJZaZ1oTtdZ11DZVM67p1IRdFqbw5tod8LSFCJ6V-lx5BhEGCjp4Qa2iJnmz6q5Hk/s1600-h/P5100192+%2824+of+42%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLkkIyB9IuV4rXXrjzFZE4apo0bLOHb_pO4BEVYABBWkLX5YyFEF2lZGA5hFAVzhIx_tJdTOfqlgJZaZ1oTtdZ11DZVM67p1IRdFqbw5tod8LSFCJ6V-lx5BhEGCjp4Qa2iJnmz6q5Hk/s320/P5100192+%2824+of+42%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207752243386667762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">View from top of Sears<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p8t2FkEkBb1rAj4WYXOKhiyNetuikuDOBHucNIv17e4Z5kIeT8lZiO2g3KVeX_Rb21M5tblTfR6HqB9ah4C3h489e1OWAWy4iy1MoR9SnFaKawd5kF2McMw6pWEpbNkOn7TEpJ13d-I/s1600-h/P5110213+%2835+of+42%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p8t2FkEkBb1rAj4WYXOKhiyNetuikuDOBHucNIv17e4Z5kIeT8lZiO2g3KVeX_Rb21M5tblTfR6HqB9ah4C3h489e1OWAWy4iy1MoR9SnFaKawd5kF2McMw6pWEpbNkOn7TEpJ13d-I/s320/P5110213+%2835+of+42%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207752247681635074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">And the reason we went to Chicago<br /><br /></span></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-24711999577461118762008-04-19T17:18:00.008-05:002008-08-06T14:46:34.547-05:00Independence, Texas<span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Texas within its boundaries is home to quite a lot of history and ghost towns. A </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">roadtrip through Texas requires not much planning - just an open mind and a friendly nature. It has long been our dream to visit small towns in Texas, soak in their hospitality and history and click pictures!</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3QykWpjU7TZ0N98MES3NQMqQ8kfsdtOXCSfIysh2DwzBoI4ei4UxRS2wAJOUTQAMoxIPHiidHiRdKTDT2LoNvlUdA2wTErdpffCpUSgHDwOgfMtNGI2U1jhKSQcyDsYVO3-rL2U5PJo/s1600-h/P4120118.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3QykWpjU7TZ0N98MES3NQMqQ8kfsdtOXCSfIysh2DwzBoI4ei4UxRS2wAJOUTQAMoxIPHiidHiRdKTDT2LoNvlUdA2wTErdpffCpUSgHDwOgfMtNGI2U1jhKSQcyDsYVO3-rL2U5PJo/s320/P4120118.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191343395242459970" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" > Fields of Blue</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Our first destination exploring small town Texas was at the town of Independence, Texas. Situated 85 miles NW of Houston, getting to Independence is a breeze. We had visited family down in College Station and drove down to Independence from College Station - a mere 40 miles away.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"> As we hit the freeway and moved away from the college town of College Station it was a different country. Farm lands, oil rigs in the middle of farms, narrow roads, trucks whizzing past one lane farm roads. Our first encounter with the friendly nature of Texas was quite an experience. As we whizzed past the farms, V spotted a small lake and two great blue herons (R's favorite bird to photograph) so turning on the indicator lights, we pulled on to the dirt road and the truck driver behind us also pulled over and after knowing everything was fine moved on. It is rare to find such hospitality in the big, bad city of Houston we come from. It touched us and put a smile on our face!</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Unfortunately for R the herons took flight and we carried on into the town of Independence.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> Founded in 1838 as Cole's Settlement, Independence was once a thriving cultural and a major economic cross-road in Texas. But today it is more of a ghost town with tourists stopping for a quick course of history. In fact it was the richest town in the 1840's. The Baylor University was started in 1840's at Cole's Settlement (Independence) as a co-ed school. A few years later, the school was divided by gender and the male's Baylor moved to its current location in Waco, Texas and the female's University of Mary Haldin-Baylor moved to Belton. This moved was one of the steps in transforming Independence into the ghost town it is today. The Independence Baptist Church dating to 1839 is the oldest Baptist congregation and still continues to hold services. Today, the small town is one of the often forgotten tourist destinations in Texas.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnYtLrB1D7hyjoR6FqWT4NERTVu-q_7CFatv-wG2DohZjvjAhX5alD46-qHEtIwREGLt-k2XaJcphmCFhsvPUH0A5DMNjHHx4ckDhaP8T1AbQh4cQGVL3oet6zpxvctDxdDwqKaQsV64/s1600-h/P4120100.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnYtLrB1D7hyjoR6FqWT4NERTVu-q_7CFatv-wG2DohZjvjAhX5alD46-qHEtIwREGLt-k2XaJcphmCFhsvPUH0A5DMNjHHx4ckDhaP8T1AbQh4cQGVL3oet6zpxvctDxdDwqKaQsV64/s320/P4120100.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191340839736918786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">We have lived so close to the town and never made a trip there. There are quite a few must-see places and adding it along with a wildflower hunting trip was a good decision we made. The whole trip took us around 7 hours (including travel from College Station and back to Navasota) - perfect for a spring Saturday trip.<br /><br /><br />Driving towards Independence, the first stop was the Liberty Baptist Church. A small church established in the 1860's as a "colored church". Though the current building is not the one built in the 1800's it still is a part of the history of Independence.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJo7v1hAKtVGCmUZwBAT3BO2L9U_MIvOQvTSrMi9gNZUG233CyR-qWWQIGJxQnx4d6gMwGT4TG6e9YE_d58BlgnFMG1F9XFWpcXndilewO21-prSmtuz99UVhbmc653iBDO6A0WVB_cI/s1600-h/P4120045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJo7v1hAKtVGCmUZwBAT3BO2L9U_MIvOQvTSrMi9gNZUG233CyR-qWWQIGJxQnx4d6gMwGT4TG6e9YE_d58BlgnFMG1F9XFWpcXndilewO21-prSmtuz99UVhbmc653iBDO6A0WVB_cI/s320/P4120045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191339439577580194" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Liberty Baptist Church<br /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">Our next stop was Independence Baptist Church. Located amongst old trees the 1873 built stone built church (built after a fire destroyed the older building) fills one with peace. This was the church Sam Houston (ofcourse a Texas household name) was baptized. </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL9d04zZcwY3P3iSfy8u-KYQuIMloW3TvEe1mfzg9SeNVmzeFgYl1w0wV3oaL4LPxawv9gFEmeIIZ2DKigqNCokle0mjm0sZ7Z6gBkVbia-xeeWUqUuYtvDChWCBynPZy0sOcCPAjWmI/s1600-h/P4120112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL9d04zZcwY3P3iSfy8u-KYQuIMloW3TvEe1mfzg9SeNVmzeFgYl1w0wV3oaL4LPxawv9gFEmeIIZ2DKigqNCokle0mjm0sZ7Z6gBkVbia-xeeWUqUuYtvDChWCBynPZy0sOcCPAjWmI/s320/P4120112.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191343386652525362" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Wish gas prices remained the same.....<br /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">Our next destination was the Antique Rose Emporium. In today's world of hybrids and cross-breeds Antique Rose Emproium showcases the best old garden roses. The emporium gardens are free and it was amazing roaming around them and smelling the roses. Roses I buy at the store don't have the smell anymore. These roses smelt like roses.. the strong aroma! We just wished we had packed a picnic lunch to enjoy there. Wildflowers were also abundant in the gardens making it perfect for a lazy spring afternoon. On the other side, the garden sales area was crowded and quite noisy. The antique rose plants sell for around $20 each.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbPJ4gI4ldsj89pGybcZqGtzLTTAYfKIE7UU98YSBJsG0onL6SqsGKTB0Or-MDUVNijexycV8P37Ih9v3eBKD6hqyY_pbTONZWywdJ6GTdgihh2rwtL6ropFmfyo1r1JLLf7sGa6T7J4/s1600-h/P4120052.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbPJ4gI4ldsj89pGybcZqGtzLTTAYfKIE7UU98YSBJsG0onL6SqsGKTB0Or-MDUVNijexycV8P37Ih9v3eBKD6hqyY_pbTONZWywdJ6GTdgihh2rwtL6ropFmfyo1r1JLLf7sGa6T7J4/s320/P4120052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191339443872547506" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagglsLrlLfJsgSwhT2WOzoG7E5-bCleW3nuPcyEjgiWzopL5rFPoL15D0WIaYVPTLlJM8QcTx9lEMYKC9kGDsdXoG2so-OQSWzi8cMIsktAbXzGgAkxAY8n_1-hbRfCqlzn5d6nBB-ag/s1600-h/P4120049.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagglsLrlLfJsgSwhT2WOzoG7E5-bCleW3nuPcyEjgiWzopL5rFPoL15D0WIaYVPTLlJM8QcTx9lEMYKC9kGDsdXoG2so-OQSWzi8cMIsktAbXzGgAkxAY8n_1-hbRfCqlzn5d6nBB-ag/s320/P4120049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191339439577580178" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Pot art at the Rose Emporium<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5U7YS2bxd2iLndPVjbEPWKmLyDnQwYtwE5VBoNfTnYOmEL2p3qez-GjHJiSq55Oy3KnKR8lx0Carl6bBI5Dir7_tR10Ow7eXBB2GR6NPlSKzO3LkWAmShrkOgPSyTPIM_XpqSl0N1l9U/s1600-h/P4120062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5U7YS2bxd2iLndPVjbEPWKmLyDnQwYtwE5VBoNfTnYOmEL2p3qez-GjHJiSq55Oy3KnKR8lx0Carl6bBI5Dir7_tR10Ow7eXBB2GR6NPlSKzO3LkWAmShrkOgPSyTPIM_XpqSl0N1l9U/s320/P4120062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191339448167514818" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Pure and sweet smelling the way they should be!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxSJ7bqIpEgfR-vwjkOHlitYeUJnsGiQVSxKv3SM7v3tMsUNaO5cpJ-3P4KuslJ4Any_8-7aIYDUuPqy9q0xpW2RP0h52TkJJMmGCDGt6GnZc8MbQvPfREPfcY6Z4Wj9GyDtW0M2jAbw/s1600-h/P4120081.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxSJ7bqIpEgfR-vwjkOHlitYeUJnsGiQVSxKv3SM7v3tMsUNaO5cpJ-3P4KuslJ4Any_8-7aIYDUuPqy9q0xpW2RP0h52TkJJMmGCDGt6GnZc8MbQvPfREPfcY6Z4Wj9GyDtW0M2jAbw/s320/P4120081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191340822557049554" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Bottle Art<br /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">In a town with 140 people residing there are no Walmarts or Whole Foods not even a MacDonald's. Lueckemeyer General Store is their all-in-all store. From deli meat to spa products the store carries them all. It is smaller than many of the gas station stores in Houston and is served by a happy couple and their big shaggy dog. A happy Texan family dishing out everything from fresh pizzas to gas. We stopped for some icecream (yeah April is hot in Texas). I cannot imagine a life in such a small town. How different is it from Houston life!<br /><br /><br />Our next destination was the Baylor University ruins and on the way we passed through the Town Square, the old Sam Houston House (looks right at home in this ghost town...). The old Baylor park holds the 4 columns from the main building and some remains of the kitchen from those days. The university was established in 1845 and then separated in 1855 by President Graves. The male and female divisions operated in Independence for 20 more years before the male division moved to Waco and merged with the Waco University. The old Baylor park is now a picnic site and a park teaming with wildflowers during Spring. We missed the bluebonnet season but there was an abundance of Indian paint brushes and the yellow flowers making the sight worth remembering. Along the old Baylor park are few ruins from the good ole days of Independence...<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBTlRl0LYeWdMT7alkzhYFOQK0NZzZW0ZX2QLV1iuqLi7pYcQvqsbu6W-k7TaFD3crRYm-7DdiQf4YcJ7YPhHaYgal_l7IXogbpES6ooUfeYhKpfwm5HIAVNe7BDqhZowJprCahnuCqA/s1600-h/P4120083.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBTlRl0LYeWdMT7alkzhYFOQK0NZzZW0ZX2QLV1iuqLi7pYcQvqsbu6W-k7TaFD3crRYm-7DdiQf4YcJ7YPhHaYgal_l7IXogbpES6ooUfeYhKpfwm5HIAVNe7BDqhZowJprCahnuCqA/s320/P4120083.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191340822557049570" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >The Baylor cloumns</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUi9GZRdV8CYXYPyvAz2TXnetfG2gAWPThG1yr-aG3vDqqfsK5RSEBVj5bFki1VGuNOvoKSCwIAgxXC0uLcxfnNlfKSNhr5CUwNNSN9v5ociQ4lR0zrlVDWUqHtZZD4eWBGYy9eunzm0/s1600-h/P4120096.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUi9GZRdV8CYXYPyvAz2TXnetfG2gAWPThG1yr-aG3vDqqfsK5RSEBVj5bFki1VGuNOvoKSCwIAgxXC0uLcxfnNlfKSNhr5CUwNNSN9v5ociQ4lR0zrlVDWUqHtZZD4eWBGYy9eunzm0/s320/P4120096.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191340826852016882" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Wildflowers waving under the blue sky<br /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">The magnificent old oak trees, the ruins of an historic university, churches that have been around for centuries, roses that smell the way they ought to, a general store that spreads out cheer, friendliness that Southerners take pride in, oil rigs and ranches, great blue herons and blue bonnets, Independence offers them all.<br /><br /><br />Independence is indeed what the term "deep in the heart of Texas" means!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tMQGHu52lB7YyeJfdpHA4bX66jaVKJsrKQwr9s_PP1WmUKRvNAgcBteZs0MJ7HB8yLmLV_r7rHYvjR5YYDXz57VhUGlpN37vO4xQY9uHuj1qgdGvfxQ8kCt2vTTz1iSsFx6uSvO-xok/s1600-h/P4120108.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tMQGHu52lB7YyeJfdpHA4bX66jaVKJsrKQwr9s_PP1WmUKRvNAgcBteZs0MJ7HB8yLmLV_r7rHYvjR5YYDXz57VhUGlpN37vO4xQY9uHuj1qgdGvfxQ8kCt2vTTz1iSsFx6uSvO-xok/s320/P4120108.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191343382357558050" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Ford is the best in Texas<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dZBbgwhdLs8bxswlSbqmdgmklhx_vu1kBKYDAQVGK3nYexiHMll0-GeQhfhnJe904O0t7G1s2vL5KDlbNqo5USzGn2GMx-zSaMwmHHh-n6Az7bKBrZQtQK7w9-Hin2KSBkFjpiJtpRQ/s1600-h/P4120104.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dZBbgwhdLs8bxswlSbqmdgmklhx_vu1kBKYDAQVGK3nYexiHMll0-GeQhfhnJe904O0t7G1s2vL5KDlbNqo5USzGn2GMx-zSaMwmHHh-n6Az7bKBrZQtQK7w9-Hin2KSBkFjpiJtpRQ/s320/P4120104.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191340844031886098" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;" >Winding roads, Spring days<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">R has more pictures <a href="http://lightpixels.blogspot.com/2008/04/hunting-for-color-in-heart-of-texas.html">here</a><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></div></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-26948300732415955252008-04-16T08:06:00.004-05:002008-04-19T17:16:46.686-05:00Texas townsWhat do the words Temple, Independence, Bastrop, Salem, Palestine, Delhi, Athens, Naples all have in common?<br /><br /><br />They are all small towns in Texas.... the next few posts will be our journey to small towns in Texas!<br /><br /><br />Coming up, Independence, TexasVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-78411382109668297982008-04-16T08:00:00.002-05:002008-04-16T08:05:52.874-05:00Germany wrap-up!All about our Germany trip here<br /><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/03/4-days-in-germany-day-1.html">Day 1</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-one-in-germany-pictures.html">Day 1 photos</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-two-in-germany.html">Day 2</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-two-in-germany-in-pictures.html">Day 2 photos</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-3-in-germany.html">Day 3</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-3-in-pictures.html">Day 3 photos</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/romantic-day-4.html">Day 4a</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-4.html">Day 4a photos</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-4-b.html">Day 4b</a><br /><a href="http://scary-on.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-4-b-pictures.html">Day 4b photos</a><br /><br /><br />Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-82818644469731031082008-04-14T09:15:00.000-05:002008-04-14T09:14:27.655-05:00Day 4-b Pictures<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnqFs5WYPBoimuTDumv-9_szZNzucZf4BAkEltOnFEj5DM43vXZoEJc8E80THwYn6dVyrdlDyiHU4PspTrW93XEJzSK4mDX8Vn2MzHVzdlXEuuS6h-qp7IYxwqo1-xZSPNXF6VNRNiyQ/s1600-h/Img0501.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnqFs5WYPBoimuTDumv-9_szZNzucZf4BAkEltOnFEj5DM43vXZoEJc8E80THwYn6dVyrdlDyiHU4PspTrW93XEJzSK4mDX8Vn2MzHVzdlXEuuS6h-qp7IYxwqo1-xZSPNXF6VNRNiyQ/s400/Img0501.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061865478416850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Nördlingen - the city center<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbD5MvZigo4ZyTkbB3cH6HrGX0wPgloZRrtmgUMVyGrR_XlLtDkgOEW0wvWECUGDpeWq_dyf_nlXkh0LY0sRHKHPamgs3jNsshp9Lfb0-K1jYHPwBgG-KWMHnR27tEz57bfO2Q9z_Hq0/s1600-h/Img0502.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbD5MvZigo4ZyTkbB3cH6HrGX0wPgloZRrtmgUMVyGrR_XlLtDkgOEW0wvWECUGDpeWq_dyf_nlXkh0LY0sRHKHPamgs3jNsshp9Lfb0-K1jYHPwBgG-KWMHnR27tEz57bfO2Q9z_Hq0/s400/Img0502.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061869773384162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Saint Georg's Church</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">Nördlingen</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTN5AAQ5PMRWsJv5BUhbcjJnI9OenVCjJ6LwdcC2coqkhJ1L84Lm2qg_G5eNz0dx7OhzC5V66qVZUHWqSRTfWMyrTi4lyr6gxHuPPUKFxzQAdz1YRCzrvUOKs5nFQNqZLaPFFOzd0JP4/s1600-h/Img0506.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTN5AAQ5PMRWsJv5BUhbcjJnI9OenVCjJ6LwdcC2coqkhJ1L84Lm2qg_G5eNz0dx7OhzC5V66qVZUHWqSRTfWMyrTi4lyr6gxHuPPUKFxzQAdz1YRCzrvUOKs5nFQNqZLaPFFOzd0JP4/s400/Img0506.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061874068351490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Dinkelsbüh - my kind of place<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFi6rmOMhr2008gNMe-8VFKUyTJOils5brR_stykrYrECmUuBCs5CYInLwrXMmeV8CwTRGleiYC4KWTrHW1S3pDIw03j2SLFCevezP06N9O6a2qXqzTvImiqdofu3AXezT5w20XoVR5N0/s1600-h/Img0511.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFi6rmOMhr2008gNMe-8VFKUyTJOils5brR_stykrYrECmUuBCs5CYInLwrXMmeV8CwTRGleiYC4KWTrHW1S3pDIw03j2SLFCevezP06N9O6a2qXqzTvImiqdofu3AXezT5w20XoVR5N0/s400/Img0511.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061878363318802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Dinkelsbüh<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjBC_UDU-EmnNFQdl_9C-1e1TCfW9DcC7wEoUUm_MvhlcHj6g2R65bpanlNeEyl8hLeXKzlgQWqq1eSxIFzpqyLkI6yVWzlSD-GAQBw2BCZnAl0_ST5eQNH1ksuqx8HIouX9OV3gy2GY/s1600-h/Img0522.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjBC_UDU-EmnNFQdl_9C-1e1TCfW9DcC7wEoUUm_MvhlcHj6g2R65bpanlNeEyl8hLeXKzlgQWqq1eSxIFzpqyLkI6yVWzlSD-GAQBw2BCZnAl0_ST5eQNH1ksuqx8HIouX9OV3gy2GY/s400/Img0522.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061135333976450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Dinkelsbüh<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFRZUuf_3Dhq9APzJWgxn9lotNTklxN9YQWr4yKjaU_qLDPBRa5odlzzffNHMJShqjwMfBcv3cUvuo8OzRRExyGSSl0PmcCa2fDHUAmlWrg3BHgY7gQWfGTw0II1iOKbvat6ksZ2NYdg/s1600-h/Img0531.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFRZUuf_3Dhq9APzJWgxn9lotNTklxN9YQWr4yKjaU_qLDPBRa5odlzzffNHMJShqjwMfBcv3cUvuo8OzRRExyGSSl0PmcCa2fDHUAmlWrg3BHgY7gQWfGTw0II1iOKbvat6ksZ2NYdg/s400/Img0531.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061135333976466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">St. Jacobs Church, Rothenburg ODT<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNDrMe56lGVfWYuXDH5dUFUkiJCqh_4RqG4J4Z8_lANBapytvI51DASpW_9Dfw8undGZEUwSE8glDIkmRLezI7AIfK-N6GhAC0Q4tk_7SLBMWsAXRz5qMXdpqcaPaQIcQBul65c3kNZA/s1600-h/Img0539.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNDrMe56lGVfWYuXDH5dUFUkiJCqh_4RqG4J4Z8_lANBapytvI51DASpW_9Dfw8undGZEUwSE8glDIkmRLezI7AIfK-N6GhAC0Q4tk_7SLBMWsAXRz5qMXdpqcaPaQIcQBul65c3kNZA/s400/Img0539.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061186873584034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Rothenburg ODT<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEpSZvuEs9VXig2DTlNifglK75Xr4p5Vi_hFtEriYeHxs5RZEZHzgMqxVfyMLpxcK9qhIJHWy6RaOAGTC8X8_paFTftGK-tFOjrbtyjLmMG4zFvUG23Ca9rd9BinddMsKfXPvBhtmxQI/s1600-h/Img0541.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEpSZvuEs9VXig2DTlNifglK75Xr4p5Vi_hFtEriYeHxs5RZEZHzgMqxVfyMLpxcK9qhIJHWy6RaOAGTC8X8_paFTftGK-tFOjrbtyjLmMG4zFvUG23Ca9rd9BinddMsKfXPvBhtmxQI/s400/Img0541.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061195463518642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Rothenburg ODT townhall square<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG69mTxY27XJziBkR-Ws7pCHuwq4E9rl13EK9wqWf9rOoIK8s-Jvsaah6nPq-ZpCvQWwnbRKyOsIfVrqaiVPFZDg-vLGwA-7F8OSdYJKenWDwDWgFH-x8Hf2K7pkazoo4TDTy4hGpHvxo/s1600-h/Img0565.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG69mTxY27XJziBkR-Ws7pCHuwq4E9rl13EK9wqWf9rOoIK8s-Jvsaah6nPq-ZpCvQWwnbRKyOsIfVrqaiVPFZDg-vLGwA-7F8OSdYJKenWDwDWgFH-x8Hf2K7pkazoo4TDTy4hGpHvxo/s400/Img0565.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189061199758485954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Weikersheim - in front of the castle<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih4sfR9mYcYayD89HMNzn5ClBBrKal6i2_0JNFyQARLOTzvgpCga1arJtNhIwq1coNEkpc68Bkg0wm3OGNOXJ80D85RzidHmLpPfpvWIGQUsVGdM5wirz1VtLTIb57rnLsJomXunlWC4/s1600-h/Img0574.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgih4sfR9mYcYayD89HMNzn5ClBBrKal6i2_0JNFyQARLOTzvgpCga1arJtNhIwq1coNEkpc68Bkg0wm3OGNOXJ80D85RzidHmLpPfpvWIGQUsVGdM5wirz1VtLTIb57rnLsJomXunlWC4/s400/Img0574.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189060194736138546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Weikersheim Castle garden<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MhZu2AqOzMr_LYykf_h_85CPlCr0UumMknzpCYe_jaF4dZE64gpCrjr-tVeT7O_1Zfw_-FSpXcWHhGlAl8pHx1_2A027vPObEhbm9IUr008lpu2RDBWHoTamJTT97DJLE2ps7nmvoYk/s1600-h/Img0585.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MhZu2AqOzMr_LYykf_h_85CPlCr0UumMknzpCYe_jaF4dZE64gpCrjr-tVeT7O_1Zfw_-FSpXcWHhGlAl8pHx1_2A027vPObEhbm9IUr008lpu2RDBWHoTamJTT97DJLE2ps7nmvoYk/s400/Img0585.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189060199031105858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Weikersheim Castle garden truly romantic<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNptsi3K9bakMsdMAF_Jbu1qF3CPL8QlpSluRQBXLTy2uOrjSVP-ib4-exEyGJIt14hBN7WOdHxA6Apqp2fMHrcmX13efux7juZGO2vAu2PfBg8ih91-fHhC-Jm45diP04OSlEG9umOM/s1600-h/Img0592.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNptsi3K9bakMsdMAF_Jbu1qF3CPL8QlpSluRQBXLTy2uOrjSVP-ib4-exEyGJIt14hBN7WOdHxA6Apqp2fMHrcmX13efux7juZGO2vAu2PfBg8ih91-fHhC-Jm45diP04OSlEG9umOM/s400/Img0592.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189060241980778850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Weikersheim<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSscr84M13jbpdCXiGdnYPZXctfUuoGk6hIpswj-wwsK9Bs5fVyrqi_jWWz8bPg57-dbqmYEp8MOBykWMmziUSB_TJLnTPTFIMKszL18ju9asKTSgT_Skq76uN7zGVZvWtFV-fUWu2Ni0/s1600-h/Img0611.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSscr84M13jbpdCXiGdnYPZXctfUuoGk6hIpswj-wwsK9Bs5fVyrqi_jWWz8bPg57-dbqmYEp8MOBykWMmziUSB_TJLnTPTFIMKszL18ju9asKTSgT_Skq76uN7zGVZvWtFV-fUWu2Ni0/s400/Img0611.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189060246275746162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Würzburg<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix8LywROMU4cR50dxVfMpZSzOHlJHabNN4EN2l86RPpQz-jOewZo-Uu4tG0XThN04KYlzrmXNs7_vQQnsoRIDrOOJcfOKCWbs59J8fEStxFPy1GzZFjyhkhYzfmrHjFv5uBqvnklewfY/s1600-h/Img0620.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix8LywROMU4cR50dxVfMpZSzOHlJHabNN4EN2l86RPpQz-jOewZo-Uu4tG0XThN04KYlzrmXNs7_vQQnsoRIDrOOJcfOKCWbs59J8fEStxFPy1GzZFjyhkhYzfmrHjFv5uBqvnklewfY/s400/Img0620.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189059305677908194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Würzburg Marienkirche<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHbO3a2weDJ_DrBbUs2K8z0SfmKuDcy_Gerpbm3JODueaAJF9VZSyd0YYq9l3LgRpRdOrREHDMqumAFf-aIy7BR6TFEhc1WG49nHgFLLdF9_Sr5qK0umNPhjHUIrO7k-mt20F3fY-LcA/s1600-h/Img0622.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHbO3a2weDJ_DrBbUs2K8z0SfmKuDcy_Gerpbm3JODueaAJF9VZSyd0YYq9l3LgRpRdOrREHDMqumAFf-aIy7BR6TFEhc1WG49nHgFLLdF9_Sr5qK0umNPhjHUIrO7k-mt20F3fY-LcA/s400/Img0622.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189059309972875506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Würzburg Julius Spital</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkRpbMZZiZqrY89HuomsuNonOV6f3uAkTI9am2-wAypLDZlzVhANfImzTqZradlc_iWRhC0_I_Bxe2LZgKQZfxlIvCUv99LGS9OnjOV2SDaycYJ8_Ws3MSupz8s9IakH5sz_cNaRYvIs/s1600-h/Img0624.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkRpbMZZiZqrY89HuomsuNonOV6f3uAkTI9am2-wAypLDZlzVhANfImzTqZradlc_iWRhC0_I_Bxe2LZgKQZfxlIvCUv99LGS9OnjOV2SDaycYJ8_Ws3MSupz8s9IakH5sz_cNaRYvIs/s400/Img0624.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189059314267842818" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhewGFf3mt4zoYFLIDvunSHI7vEPGM9Qj1Lw6UZsRVVJSJ7jTWRzDCqxpt8xgNUFdWuHM1MF8aYYJtXIjEOhYAFD8p58yRunesG6s8KQxRg71BIDMxaPN1exJKom09EjBs1bJgjAx8MsA/s1600-h/Img0640.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhewGFf3mt4zoYFLIDvunSHI7vEPGM9Qj1Lw6UZsRVVJSJ7jTWRzDCqxpt8xgNUFdWuHM1MF8aYYJtXIjEOhYAFD8p58yRunesG6s8KQxRg71BIDMxaPN1exJKom09EjBs1bJgjAx8MsA/s400/Img0640.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189059314267842834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">On Alte Mainbrücke<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNzBiHRswqDAReRD7Td10jgphMucBQIKNxXDrx-NWig5n078VOXxW1U6AYorOf5s7_Z7hgdKQyQ56uSps9F0H4tZYm-ZNPB9QLJxvzTT3QAHuOeab3iVQ0RsfXQuvf4wRXgwfxq7p8vM/s1600-h/Img0651.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNzBiHRswqDAReRD7Td10jgphMucBQIKNxXDrx-NWig5n078VOXxW1U6AYorOf5s7_Z7hgdKQyQ56uSps9F0H4tZYm-ZNPB9QLJxvzTT3QAHuOeab3iVQ0RsfXQuvf4wRXgwfxq7p8vM/s400/Img0651.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189059318562810146" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">There ends our Germany series...<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Rajanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511220129726142212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-88822405416409567772008-04-14T08:13:00.002-05:002008-04-14T09:04:32.877-05:00Day 4-b<div style="text-align: justify;">Heading out of rainy Augsburg after a Chinese lunch, our bus passed through the small towns of Donauwörth and Harburg into Nördlingen. This quaint city has a deep root in history like many of the other towns in the Romantic Road. It is one of the three cities to have a established city wall. Inside the wall, are homes located in a circular pattern. At the center is the Market where Saint Georg's Church (a amazing baroque church). The city is the major city in the fertile Ries depression (a crater 10-25km/6-15mi across caused by the fall of a meteorite 15 million years ago). We walked around the city before heading out to our next destination.<br /><br /><br />Dinkelsbüh surrounded by high city walls, essentially lives in a time wrap or so it feels. The town is everything 13th -15th century style. But that does not mean it lacks modern amenities. We had to buy some very specialized batteries for the photographer's camera and we did it in this town. As we were mainly checking out electronics stores for the batteries, we really did not explore the city much. But we did capture a few good photos and a piece of its history.<br /><br /><br />Our next destination is the much famed, Rothenburg ob der Tauber.Known for its medieval charm and Christmas markets, this city. It was around 5 pm when we reached Rothenburg - a bit tired but ready for the adventure, we walked around the city, visiting the famous St.Jacobskriche, the townhall square listening to musicians and peeping into stores showcasing nutcrackers of all shapes and sizes.<br /><br /><br />As we had previously mentioned each of these towns need atleast 4-5 hours to actually see everything and do justice but with our time crunch we did have to settle for a whirlwind one day trip. Tiring, overload but fun! We really wanted to walk on the city wall tour but just could not fit it in our trip.<br /><br /><br />As the sun set in the horizon we headed to Weikersheim, a small town on the river Tauber. The town boasts of its 12th century castle which belonged to the Hohenlohe family. We got there a little past 6, the closing time but our bus driver/tour guide was able to get us into the beautiful gardens of the castle. We watched the setting sun in the lovely castle gardens and yes it was truly romantic!<br /><br /><br />We had one more stop at Würzburg before we reached Frankfurt. Since our flight out of Frankfurt was the next morning at 9 we decided to get out of the bus at Würzburg and explore the city for longer before taking the rail to Frankfurt. We headed to the lockers at Würzburg station, deposited our suitcase and started exploring the city. It was around 7.30pm and the city was almost asleep. We rushed in to the nearest Macdonald's for a bite and headed towards the Alte Mainbrücke (the old main bridge) lined with Baroque statues of saints. As with all other towns we had been to this one had numerous beautiful churches and buildings like the Julius Spital and Marienkirche. Due to the lateness of the hour we could not visit the famous Residenz. We spent a few more hours around the town before heading back to the railway station.<br /><br /><br />We headed to Würzburg's station and caught the next train to Frankfurt airport. We were there at the airport around midnight, we spent the night, a little uncomfortably on the reclining chairs at the airport before catching the morning flight to Chennai.<br /><br /><br />4 days in Germany, fast, lovely and filled with memories! A wonderful way to spend our 2nd wedding anniversary!<br /><br /><br /></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-27210146678921883482008-04-11T06:28:00.007-05:002008-04-11T08:50:45.223-05:00Day 4 -a<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdJodceFiI2KtLcXILw9fE-3-5IMnrjfWK8q4HoGpsWVKb5LEKjxv4F4My82_3hKEcV1ZiRCBYhVffvomRRYBCgsQ4_i19Awt0R0faddLzTawKGfgb998oK2pwMhpypfgC1D2d4UAeKA/s1600-h/Img0418.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdJodceFiI2KtLcXILw9fE-3-5IMnrjfWK8q4HoGpsWVKb5LEKjxv4F4My82_3hKEcV1ZiRCBYhVffvomRRYBCgsQ4_i19Awt0R0faddLzTawKGfgb998oK2pwMhpypfgC1D2d4UAeKA/s400/Img0418.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187950360194465538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">All through the Romantic Road sights like these greet the eyes! Visual Treat!</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DjN3IDziqPRhRWZwnf-YhrO28rPeF_4x2jVJtFKJlknfTtTZwL6iAdvYGprYAoLkk4kT03stt3cOP1UbTuGMSb8VI2Ljei2LT-J2wjGp6ByBuGfjlyMx_xiydd6UE0qRivZEO8kImtQ/s1600-h/Img0425.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DjN3IDziqPRhRWZwnf-YhrO28rPeF_4x2jVJtFKJlknfTtTZwL6iAdvYGprYAoLkk4kT03stt3cOP1UbTuGMSb8VI2Ljei2LT-J2wjGp6ByBuGfjlyMx_xiydd6UE0qRivZEO8kImtQ/s400/Img0425.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187950360194465554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">WiesKriche looks like a barn! </span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1t-cyuauGIl-dDenXrY1Kxvqy2g4BrVcGCzjSkmsiY0Ha1cywfBB5Xxp5vS-GOdyLgQkHzhJ2ChAclGvc-rY9PXMiM8DaF4aYeP5RK9GVG6ZMIdCWAq-ufrQ82GnTYqdUFwpk26dWwQ/s1600-h/Img0432.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1t-cyuauGIl-dDenXrY1Kxvqy2g4BrVcGCzjSkmsiY0Ha1cywfBB5Xxp5vS-GOdyLgQkHzhJ2ChAclGvc-rY9PXMiM8DaF4aYeP5RK9GVG6ZMIdCWAq-ufrQ82GnTYqdUFwpk26dWwQ/s400/Img0432.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187950364489432866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Rococo style decor - personally not my favorite! But it is still beautiful!<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtKwKNt_7r5JW9w-ZUECBlnmNKK6XeeoG5XJ75HoGnhYF4dBpw2fHylGn_HG7-lyrTjAvPBzzLZhmPlpsqH-Tpk9DY45cmc4OzgGLi5n5jNtoayh8UD2HjExUFMdFec5KHX8ts0Ic-eY/s1600-h/Img0437.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtKwKNt_7r5JW9w-ZUECBlnmNKK6XeeoG5XJ75HoGnhYF4dBpw2fHylGn_HG7-lyrTjAvPBzzLZhmPlpsqH-Tpk9DY45cmc4OzgGLi5n5jNtoayh8UD2HjExUFMdFec5KHX8ts0Ic-eY/s400/Img0437.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187950368784400178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Rococo style decor - personally not my favorite! But it is still beautiful!<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXGFU-u_L60qj63o12UbYkDQzY28SeaXseit8AEFebqFYBfjsosfyzxOroO9zlnUnPB0Qwqnm8zsrz0zcoLR8Yq049yJZJ-jdVgG9zKVnu-pRJRcjkZyj2PaNUCoad-dgHD9_RtHypaM/s1600-h/Img0438.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXGFU-u_L60qj63o12UbYkDQzY28SeaXseit8AEFebqFYBfjsosfyzxOroO9zlnUnPB0Qwqnm8zsrz0zcoLR8Yq049yJZJ-jdVgG9zKVnu-pRJRcjkZyj2PaNUCoad-dgHD9_RtHypaM/s400/Img0438.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187950373079367490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Rococo style decor - personally not my favorite! But it is still beautiful! </span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU4D_VaPoVqPgxiOufElEdFFM7MhXq4n8cNEUrhygAOUrjMm104Q4XYlzXoeydVktMgrYA3dqslckXacLHqobwdOvDW0ynCPzw5DM58pxnDJ9ec_8H-ut-I1jpLaQc1jbRbYp_HCw2d8/s1600-h/Img0449.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU4D_VaPoVqPgxiOufElEdFFM7MhXq4n8cNEUrhygAOUrjMm104Q4XYlzXoeydVktMgrYA3dqslckXacLHqobwdOvDW0ynCPzw5DM58pxnDJ9ec_8H-ut-I1jpLaQc1jbRbYp_HCw2d8/s400/Img0449.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949509790940914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">All along the road there are numerous windmills. At times I feel it spoils the views but renewable energy rocks!<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNppuDDcooYHjeTFwzqDlV8l0f4o5IupZ9XHlGYzqa17GMW_s4pfkBcoHt65-KaJdGmtuFAYQ1OyEMnZ9e-AjRl4ULDKRBQyq6F1ZVbMqLXQ9jhG3W7IxbowUS14SKAwbCT2RYMl_cC_E/s1600-h/Img0456.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNppuDDcooYHjeTFwzqDlV8l0f4o5IupZ9XHlGYzqa17GMW_s4pfkBcoHt65-KaJdGmtuFAYQ1OyEMnZ9e-AjRl4ULDKRBQyq6F1ZVbMqLXQ9jhG3W7IxbowUS14SKAwbCT2RYMl_cC_E/s400/Img0456.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949505495973602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Lech River before entering Landsberg - most of the pictures are from the coach bus! not bad right?<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v1vK556xJBY3AFQKbHCXOX9y6Nvw__1Q6Ubx_ZJAWqxw73n6CVShljV5P45gvLC93tiaqEGcJ8QImopwJJ9FbhTKR_8e9hRh0nErcGxe4lTSQ3RAHpOc1f2IzVT2S-nh0bawoTHzdZo/s1600-h/Img0470.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v1vK556xJBY3AFQKbHCXOX9y6Nvw__1Q6Ubx_ZJAWqxw73n6CVShljV5P45gvLC93tiaqEGcJ8QImopwJJ9FbhTKR_8e9hRh0nErcGxe4lTSQ3RAHpOc1f2IzVT2S-nh0bawoTHzdZo/s400/Img0470.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949492611071666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Landsberg<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfgWcNMPwBGo28yBjpx2cEZcdJhof_dmzTnWHT77B86iy1icbnMjqy4ToNHDovtPfiYC0L7bBMFAYn452ak6t5ltoMeTO2suyK2Dc1guHDfOPXh8zZPT5H6owGjXKgOdr-6uaXN296wI/s1600-h/Img0467.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfgWcNMPwBGo28yBjpx2cEZcdJhof_dmzTnWHT77B86iy1icbnMjqy4ToNHDovtPfiYC0L7bBMFAYn452ak6t5ltoMeTO2suyK2Dc1guHDfOPXh8zZPT5H6owGjXKgOdr-6uaXN296wI/s400/Img0467.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949501201006274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Landsberg city square<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2f1bDei3o-bkbCSswB0mo22JIOfk6RSzhT-DFx5KNeTROLJ2oSKOlSiMN7o5KtZMTCSixRGBQyZGpqgfFeL2Sa8TqTeOGga3T38ogQMMhnoQHN1ljr5dIneyFfyq6KVN5cwmcsylaRc/s1600-h/Img0463.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2f1bDei3o-bkbCSswB0mo22JIOfk6RSzhT-DFx5KNeTROLJ2oSKOlSiMN7o5KtZMTCSixRGBQyZGpqgfFeL2Sa8TqTeOGga3T38ogQMMhnoQHN1ljr5dIneyFfyq6KVN5cwmcsylaRc/s400/Img0463.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949501201006290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Landsberg city square</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUhnehDA9fGKQPtZV60J385Cxk56JdtIkjmShMomQAL-v5Dyiymye7V3lSdHGzQh3j3gl_Rh-6tA2BpdKPEK6k0YPrjgrhIBuPmPn13tXgfwsGUEDaCVOghbbvQHxxA5Q_EyMHOKtDk8/s1600-h/Img0475.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUhnehDA9fGKQPtZV60J385Cxk56JdtIkjmShMomQAL-v5Dyiymye7V3lSdHGzQh3j3gl_Rh-6tA2BpdKPEK6k0YPrjgrhIBuPmPn13tXgfwsGUEDaCVOghbbvQHxxA5Q_EyMHOKtDk8/s400/Img0475.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949088884145762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Landsberg city square and the romantic road coach bus<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQrk4Gx2-YShRmV4YFdSkBVz_hyphenhyphenI7kkp3YpXpM74y2NxV8qqTPoZwsDmTvpiCZT6NY-Ejcjax_NltwjAFAVAZe20AO3kIRxkV6-QcNerdZsPpvJF4VKH-Y0SJeDgtduGYTMLU7aCVL4c/s1600-h/Img0479.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQrk4Gx2-YShRmV4YFdSkBVz_hyphenhyphenI7kkp3YpXpM74y2NxV8qqTPoZwsDmTvpiCZT6NY-Ejcjax_NltwjAFAVAZe20AO3kIRxkV6-QcNerdZsPpvJF4VKH-Y0SJeDgtduGYTMLU7aCVL4c/s400/Img0479.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949097474080370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">City of Augsburg<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhda7ayLjhReey8bo24MjIg2mepKECUIK57F5hQbCpCqOluOa_mE8owt4dr_kdix5i6n14tx-lAJnR9GHK1nhaLb5q8UXXvvIQZJHYaDyx4JLrljKiMr_CaCsRSHIDWKlkKT5e0CUs6HmA/s1600-h/Img0480.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhda7ayLjhReey8bo24MjIg2mepKECUIK57F5hQbCpCqOluOa_mE8owt4dr_kdix5i6n14tx-lAJnR9GHK1nhaLb5q8UXXvvIQZJHYaDyx4JLrljKiMr_CaCsRSHIDWKlkKT5e0CUs6HmA/s400/Img0480.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949101769047682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Rainy City of Augsburg and the criss-crossing electric lines overhead</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ngbtEFI__SOGuFtXbj5VJM4X2NRcAPYx8ITJvIMuH5PTTYGTa4xI1tfNgspoAjG1k8WL8T3DWlE4ErvJXbem5ep-gFnKToMA3l2Slc32oKEc6LRU4_2vNEBKJA4RnO0BzEGmPbYZJMk/s1600-h/Img0484.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ngbtEFI__SOGuFtXbj5VJM4X2NRcAPYx8ITJvIMuH5PTTYGTa4xI1tfNgspoAjG1k8WL8T3DWlE4ErvJXbem5ep-gFnKToMA3l2Slc32oKEc6LRU4_2vNEBKJA4RnO0BzEGmPbYZJMk/s400/Img0484.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187949106064014994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Rainy City of Augsburg</span></span><br /></div>Rajanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511220129726142212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-54209996116981700452008-04-09T13:23:00.004-05:002008-04-11T08:44:38.880-05:00Romantic Day 4 - a<div style="text-align: justify;">Our last day in Germany and we had an ambitious plan. Travel back to Frankfurt via the Romantic Road and enjoy Germany's most popular tourist route. Over 350 kms of culture, heritage, varied landscape... The distance to be covered and the places to be visited made our day quite long. But we were determined to do it.<br /><br /><br />Germany tourism provides daily regular coach service along the Romantic Road and the buses are very comfortable and stop along many small towns. They also have a recorded audio/video about the prominent places to visit in each small town. Ideally the best way to do the romantic road is take 3-4 days, take the bus, hop off at few prominent places and hop in the bus the next day. But as I had previously said the tight time line in our trip made it impossible and we did the romantic road in one day.<br /><br /><br />The bus leaves Fussen at around 10.00am and reaches Frankfurt around 8pm. Bags and camera in tow we headed to the Fussen bus stop and after a few minutes of panic about missing the bus we hopped on to the bus and were off. The bus is relatively empty throughout and clean and neat. Remember to pick up some food/water for the road. There will be times when you miss those. Our bus driver, was a jolly old fellow who spoke English well.<br /><br /><br />The first stop along the road was at Hohenschwangau - the access point for the Neuschwanstein Schloss. The bus actually stops here for just 15 mts. Obviously not enough time to see the castle but we did click some pictures from the bus stop and moved on. Moving on from these touristy places, you can admire the lovely landscape - green rolling hills, the majestic Alps, the towering firs and the farmhouses teeming with flowers. It is a sight I'll never get tired of.<br /><br /><br />Crossing the small towns of Halblech and Steingaden we were greeted with sights of cows grazing and onion-domed churches doting the skyline and competing with the Alps. A big advantage of these tour coaches were that they had huge windows and we could click pictures easily.<br /><br /><br />A little off-beat stop is Wieskriche (Wies Church). A 1700's rococo style church - it is a treasure found in the rarest places. Amist the fields and small farming community I did not expect to see so much beauty. Even the outside of the church betrays what has in store inside. In fact we thought the outside looked like a barn house ;) History has it that, tears were seen from the dilapidated wooden figure of the Scourged Saviour in the 1730's and since then the church has gained prominence. A little rain, a beautiful church, amazing Bavarian dessert - curd dumplings in peach sauce (kind of like our rasmalais), 20 minutes....<br /><br /><br />Again we pass through tons of small towns (Wildsteig, Rottenbuch, Peiting, Schongau, Hohenfurch) where the bus will stop only if previously requested by calling a toll-free number. All these small towns looked beautiful from the bus, with pretty churches and small town flavor seeping!<br /><br /><br />Our next major stop was Landsberg. Located on Lech river, this town was best known for concentration camps during the World War II. The bus stops at the town square a quaint place flooded with flowers and big historic buildings. We spent around 10 minutes in the town, we would have loved to spend more time exploring that place.<br /><br /><br />Out of Landsberg we headed for Augsburg. The city founded in 15BC (it is that old!) and was another concentration camp area under the Nazi rule. The city is a cool mix between modern architecture and traditional stone buildings. The bus stopped in front of the old Renaissance style town hall. Augsburg welcomed us with rains and hunger. So we dashed into a neighborhood Chinese fast-food place (yes they have those every where!). Piping hot jasmine tea, white rice and soy-based veggies later we were good to go. We picked up some more snacks for the road at a supermarket there and moved on. The city has a electric tram service that is kind of strange... crisscrossing electric lines hide the beauty of the century old buildings. So we thought!<br /><br /><br />The rains did play spoil-sport in Augsburg but we had more small town Germany waiting for us. Will continue in the next post!<br /><br /><br /></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-21004563992266239772008-04-09T06:31:00.005-05:002008-04-09T07:47:21.605-05:00Day 3 in pictures<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aZIp6AMM02y_2EGvKNVONwqE8f50CAQrJqHYfAGmX3X0ihOI2A_RBepwu4TRJaYmgroh6_Y4MU_kHowFsRlmDo1Ru-uT0hEnqcUmQgvH0ppy51YTAlfPEkoVbmNekGil43p4Ramu0Yo/s1600-h/Img0234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aZIp6AMM02y_2EGvKNVONwqE8f50CAQrJqHYfAGmX3X0ihOI2A_RBepwu4TRJaYmgroh6_Y4MU_kHowFsRlmDo1Ru-uT0hEnqcUmQgvH0ppy51YTAlfPEkoVbmNekGil43p4Ramu0Yo/s320/Img0234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208594701289378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Old and the new - </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Schloss</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hohenschwangau</span> and </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Neuschwanstein</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Schloss</span> </span></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"></span></div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uoml80SsZq_XQCHmTcQ0cZphPHamezyjUnUD856euuUIut0P2XNKkc24Xrl1Gztad3RjoYlWw2dBGLxNFRYfhnVxbQTGlAhjxIPJmuQg97ZHuJTOePGywHyXrTTag43r2ccakYGiaS0/s1600-h/Img0266.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uoml80SsZq_XQCHmTcQ0cZphPHamezyjUnUD856euuUIut0P2XNKkc24Xrl1Gztad3RjoYlWw2dBGLxNFRYfhnVxbQTGlAhjxIPJmuQg97ZHuJTOePGywHyXrTTag43r2ccakYGiaS0/s320/Img0266.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208598996256690" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Teal colored lakes, towering firs... anyone will fall in love with this place<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmadAheLT8U2izjI9vuWMYj9PIN93BsqeP6b9TOMikQy1BK1ix92XJ4xJhrbAt4IwnS7BOEL6x0A4VNcqDubZf1zEU1rzWDg123OmuBAbI4Xi8DBbX-vYueQi11Wg7sUiSCxUOgVkOv6E/s1600-h/Img0268.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmadAheLT8U2izjI9vuWMYj9PIN93BsqeP6b9TOMikQy1BK1ix92XJ4xJhrbAt4IwnS7BOEL6x0A4VNcqDubZf1zEU1rzWDg123OmuBAbI4Xi8DBbX-vYueQi11Wg7sUiSCxUOgVkOv6E/s320/Img0268.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208598996256706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Schloss</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Hohenschwangau</span> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDPvN4JIEtuxPI4MInpf4JYOk65eKb63tedcOaGssfTEAJGgDv37XLFvwtYS-mksxuS7TeOUgiOtaYwSB6HUF-Rwn7iJV7HA2FoQNrH6lIdXkYU8vuiaWZQLVw_pz_nG8G4d_FGlzFkI/s1600-h/Img0277.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDPvN4JIEtuxPI4MInpf4JYOk65eKb63tedcOaGssfTEAJGgDv37XLFvwtYS-mksxuS7TeOUgiOtaYwSB6HUF-Rwn7iJV7HA2FoQNrH6lIdXkYU8vuiaWZQLVw_pz_nG8G4d_FGlzFkI/s320/Img0277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208603291224018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Neuschwanstein</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Schloss</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> - no wonder Disney wanted this to be Cinderella's castle</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJzq4ePLPxg_qZaqK_Tl7HOmmVc_163zxvAnO3czXg6ED7SbVUr2wVYF5bAKONCAUG6J9RsYcH8hodASQ2VW9gp3TqnPYKGOQHuRP1qfiSk_9s2ARH4bPoydq7rX-BQku_J0JmESitLQ/s1600-h/Img0290.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJzq4ePLPxg_qZaqK_Tl7HOmmVc_163zxvAnO3czXg6ED7SbVUr2wVYF5bAKONCAUG6J9RsYcH8hodASQ2VW9gp3TqnPYKGOQHuRP1qfiSk_9s2ARH4bPoydq7rX-BQku_J0JmESitLQ/s320/Img0290.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208607586191330" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">You wonder what this is? Scroll a few pics down</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncOoDpBHvnqzMvHF5sBXPALF-1Z407cETpNij6YYtsGczzqFPotcYSjRvBEGvIbFrAtT-zCKpWwD2HyrFGy0UDgtew2_Q1L671cHfdvUvaHx32tqzvtUVCRfZyBQdEjZ-Wc7l1adgDXM/s1600-h/Img0277.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncOoDpBHvnqzMvHF5sBXPALF-1Z407cETpNij6YYtsGczzqFPotcYSjRvBEGvIbFrAtT-zCKpWwD2HyrFGy0UDgtew2_Q1L671cHfdvUvaHx32tqzvtUVCRfZyBQdEjZ-Wc7l1adgDXM/s320/Img0277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208075010246498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Neuschwanstein</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Schloss</span> </span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXxUT_02a8jOnCy2Yve4dJVmC62hmahGeyKciElqJoMGLvESrzQ7dyCg68kkSq0Jw6rduTsJzAOg2WFONZY9-sFVIoxUn3-htO4WDxuNvEo2udAQTetfXJF__w9o-hWFflRsnaNg1JQ4/s1600-h/Img0296.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXxUT_02a8jOnCy2Yve4dJVmC62hmahGeyKciElqJoMGLvESrzQ7dyCg68kkSq0Jw6rduTsJzAOg2WFONZY9-sFVIoxUn3-htO4WDxuNvEo2udAQTetfXJF__w9o-hWFflRsnaNg1JQ4/s320/Img0296.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208075010246514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Neuschwanstein</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Schloss</span> </span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyDxVfZrDfssSmxYtHjXDope78NF4zRkVLQJx_hXv0oFiIBzckyT6QSX3oOrFJnfbU7xHmJQtOKIdsaquA2Q3ibSPoAcTWovWtqToVTeP2FLhQWv0L8fkPVkueyv7zOvz5riohFocbwI/s1600-h/Img0330.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyDxVfZrDfssSmxYtHjXDope78NF4zRkVLQJx_hXv0oFiIBzckyT6QSX3oOrFJnfbU7xHmJQtOKIdsaquA2Q3ibSPoAcTWovWtqToVTeP2FLhQWv0L8fkPVkueyv7zOvz5riohFocbwI/s320/Img0330.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208079305213826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Neuschwanstein</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Schloss</span> </span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9EUmxkidIYBF1bJMgKc8yocRDpRICDPTJafVoYoC249tpgEgbprDHP0F39-LdmOPASnoNzzR8s8BEIWMfMQahpAIak-sj694chyphenhyphencokr70hvWPo0XhXuC1KG7rA6mH70DbfIDOIBB38c/s1600-h/Img0334.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9EUmxkidIYBF1bJMgKc8yocRDpRICDPTJafVoYoC249tpgEgbprDHP0F39-LdmOPASnoNzzR8s8BEIWMfMQahpAIak-sj694chyphenhyphencokr70hvWPo0XhXuC1KG7rA6mH70DbfIDOIBB38c/s320/Img0334.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187208083600181138" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"> </span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Marienbrücke</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> (Marie's Bridge) over the deep </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Pollät</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> Gorge.. We were over that bridge and took pictures<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVcNLce5pY7Orfg9BH5P8S6mr_MqxDyAXf6uyAlDGJuZNxe9vF9WvRUIgSifSJJw16uG8Xs81lvuVFuMAikE5Pl3ANC1KelXyrKKvq-ZU0qP0770exI3Vf4yKR6qNEHK5McBBK7gqlz8/s1600-h/Img0343.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVcNLce5pY7Orfg9BH5P8S6mr_MqxDyAXf6uyAlDGJuZNxe9vF9WvRUIgSifSJJw16uG8Xs81lvuVFuMAikE5Pl3ANC1KelXyrKKvq-ZU0qP0770exI3Vf4yKR6qNEHK5McBBK7gqlz8/s320/Img0343.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187207606858811170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Neuschwanstein</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Schloss</span><br /><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWEoubMyn7__8yiq2fKC1JfO3gH6sOyKO5OtO1extMHUB57R3vf3OsZd2_b0dtKwykkFKKCc3dlrhYyIqDIXXMDPGqkKDXK2_D9r4YalTcQ1TU189CFXxydsLW-eRnQpHB2aC481QYyI/s1600-h/Img0346.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWEoubMyn7__8yiq2fKC1JfO3gH6sOyKO5OtO1extMHUB57R3vf3OsZd2_b0dtKwykkFKKCc3dlrhYyIqDIXXMDPGqkKDXK2_D9r4YalTcQ1TU189CFXxydsLW-eRnQpHB2aC481QYyI/s320/Img0346.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187207611153778482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"> </span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Neuschwanstein</span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Schloss</span> - the castle still is incomplete</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnh-poeHNfgvRrISvNTo-VQaJbYMgawjVQBPtMWXEC73aA1g3QILf_btLvZhA1SBHu1aySzUFnU4lnw3bb9pwlNnjQR3_0JCECmY03Ul650hSIlq55vTgoY7by6pn9_IwmdJ26eOO5bs/s1600-h/Img0349.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnh-poeHNfgvRrISvNTo-VQaJbYMgawjVQBPtMWXEC73aA1g3QILf_btLvZhA1SBHu1aySzUFnU4lnw3bb9pwlNnjQR3_0JCECmY03Ul650hSIlq55vTgoY7by6pn9_IwmdJ26eOO5bs/s320/Img0349.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187207619743713090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Marienbrücke</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> (Marie's Bridge) milling with tourists</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fUKC4I1E3ge3IelACDjf4ihTXkDPJ4Q6aLRDWuRkAmjqlgXc8H-iUA2wtMdqCwosXJmXrLwbBlt7mk4dwnPqv1lpBtXoMCJiFYwReW9ZPPpUcqr5Hz7Clg-qs2n-tgB5IzsTspO3iNI/s1600-h/Img0357.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fUKC4I1E3ge3IelACDjf4ihTXkDPJ4Q6aLRDWuRkAmjqlgXc8H-iUA2wtMdqCwosXJmXrLwbBlt7mk4dwnPqv1lpBtXoMCJiFYwReW9ZPPpUcqr5Hz7Clg-qs2n-tgB5IzsTspO3iNI/s320/Img0357.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187207624038680402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Marienbrücke</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> (Marie's Bridge) milling with tourists</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0DHG235kXHXtvRPnI83kSd2k-S24C-HlZc8xz4pAmDQyKm0VIi1yHpJ6LY1cOuZLJ8LZjzyTkzcjK8103McFZXUT5CYo61lPQscLvJzunuIIL3M7EB2Hyqd8sBGJDpFNTcDptQ5XeZc/s1600-h/Img0363.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0DHG235kXHXtvRPnI83kSd2k-S24C-HlZc8xz4pAmDQyKm0VIi1yHpJ6LY1cOuZLJ8LZjzyTkzcjK8103McFZXUT5CYo61lPQscLvJzunuIIL3M7EB2Hyqd8sBGJDpFNTcDptQ5XeZc/s320/Img0363.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187206911074109202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47"></span> Trekking down</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU9Pj95e4Q0A7u10D4ntVJh-tFiEd8VEPN9S7T2rlfsVieGSFW-S7xbMoltazd5C5fe03PZ3BJWcycls7xFEVahtDD5jo9M6OEg5TFpBl28lKmd1bIZcjUI5c4l-UkpZGFFcGv9-1mWU/s1600-h/Img0364.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU9Pj95e4Q0A7u10D4ntVJh-tFiEd8VEPN9S7T2rlfsVieGSFW-S7xbMoltazd5C5fe03PZ3BJWcycls7xFEVahtDD5jo9M6OEg5TFpBl28lKmd1bIZcjUI5c4l-UkpZGFFcGv9-1mWU/s320/Img0364.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187206902484174594" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IXIi5nKre5quSkKQ1dZ7LKASOk6HHKZQ83M6PkJjELlc55ZPkUMp2HOVd8A8BFne0y8nG9nk2Ohwy4ybGzHDB4i67xetdbyuSg9dM1R5JDMc01J5RWq7Q1ADe1lm9X5aF76m5XJt4gM/s1600-h/Img0405.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IXIi5nKre5quSkKQ1dZ7LKASOk6HHKZQ83M6PkJjELlc55ZPkUMp2HOVd8A8BFne0y8nG9nk2Ohwy4ybGzHDB4i67xetdbyuSg9dM1R5JDMc01J5RWq7Q1ADe1lm9X5aF76m5XJt4gM/s320/Img0405.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187206850944567010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Bollywood in Fussen<br /></span> </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ2ua-hBF5Ga-FFmnsZHk6ZbVtUL2GZ3ao3us-BwzaXdeS-CPbQWmfVM8bqWOXashYHRCZw_HpP_E0cr_KRMjcCb9aDSvzK5lAHZKdf2DyE1H0PltWlFK-S-vU-NnZcWcXVGThWckdLw/s1600-h/Img0396.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ2ua-hBF5Ga-FFmnsZHk6ZbVtUL2GZ3ao3us-BwzaXdeS-CPbQWmfVM8bqWOXashYHRCZw_HpP_E0cr_KRMjcCb9aDSvzK5lAHZKdf2DyE1H0PltWlFK-S-vU-NnZcWcXVGThWckdLw/s320/Img0396.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187206855239534322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Another pic of Fussen - lovely and beautiful</span></span><br /></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-10927441349260711852008-04-08T15:04:00.004-05:002008-04-08T15:41:00.494-05:00Day 3 in Germany<div style="text-align: justify;">Day three plans were quite simple. Tour the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Neuschwanstein</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Schloss</span> - the 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> century Bavarian castle - the creation of mad king Ludwig. Better known as the Disney inspiration castle, it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area.<br /><br /><br />What draws visitors to the castle is its location. It literally hangs between 2 mountains, scary and an engineering marvel compared to the construction situations in the 1800's. Another aspect is owner, the mad king. King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ludwing</span> II, was crowned the King at the age of 18 when he was still the shy dreamer. The King conceived the idea of a private retreat of solitude in the mountains, little far off from his family castle - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Schloss</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Hohenschwangau</span>.<br /><br /><br />Adding more mystique to the whole castle is fact that the King was declared insane without medical examination in the June of 1886 and his mysterious death within 3 days of being declared insane.<br /><br /><br />After a breakfast at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Suzanne's</span> consisting of amazing whole grain bread, eggs and assorted cold cuts, we took a taxi to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Neuschwanstein</span>. We first explored the old family castle - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Hohenschwangau</span>, a little one and not that impressive. And then took the laborious longer trek to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Neushwanstein</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Neushwanstein</span> is only accessible by foot or a horse carriage. We decided to trek through the woods - a little longer but well-worth it. The slight drizzle and chill in the air were actually invigorating. The teal lake, the towering firs, the castle spires all added to the beauty. Something that can just be experienced.<br /><br /><br />We first made it to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Marienbrücke</span> (Marie's Bridge) over the deep <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Pollät</span> Gorge. It was definitely scary being on top of a bridge built in the 1880's and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">of course</span> thrown in 1000 tourists jumping around and clicking photos just like us. More photos and we made way to the castle. The castle can be viewed only by means of a guided tour and no photography inside the castle is permitted. We waited for our turn and enjoyed the tour inside the castle. It is amazing to see the amount of thought, architectural elements and ornamental decorations gone into the castle.<br /><br /><br />After we were done with the tour, we decided to trek around the castle. The wooded area around the castle has numerous trekking trails and we decided to take one of the longer routes. Most of the trails are paved partially and beyond a point most people turn back. We decided to go on and walked down to the river and then continued on. Slippery trails, rains, lack of a watch to keep track of time and absolute no knowledge of how much further we needed to go added to the pleasures of being out in crispy green forests. Suddenly we finally found ourselves back at the parking lot, wet and muddy and realized we had actually trekked all the way around the mountain.<br /><br /><br />We took the local bus back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Fussen</span> and a shower and sleep were in order. We spent the evening walking and exploring <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Fussen</span> further and shopping for souvenirs. The nutcrackers, the cow bells (yeah the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">DDLJ</span> ones) and cuckoo clocks from Bavaria are very famous.<br /><br /><br />We had a long day planned for our final day in Germany!!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong></strong></span></span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-63118782772018325602008-04-02T14:44:00.003-06:002008-04-03T09:56:32.394-06:00Day Two in Germany<div style="text-align: justify;">The plan for the day was to travel the 290 miles South of Koln to the city of München(Munich), walk around and explore the city and head out to the tiny village of Füssen near the Germany-Austria border.<br /><br /><br />We planned to take the Intercity Express (ICE) train out of Koln early in the morning and reach Munich by 10am. And we made it, in spite of being half-asleep. The train speed through towns and we slept.<br /><br /><br />First job in Munich was to locate the storage area and store our suitcase so that we can walk around the city in peace. Munich is the third largest city in Germany and the home of the famed Oktoberfest. As with any modern large city, Munich has an uptown with steel and glass buildings towering the skyline but it was not our plan to explore the modern architecture, so we headed out to the crowded city center - inner city - Marienplatz. It is home to Munich's Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) and th<span style="text-decoration: underline;">e</span> Neues Rathaus.<br /><br /><br />The walk to Marienplatz from the rail station is around 15-20 minutes, with amazing sights along the way and well worth it. We were there when there was a local political meeting happening so it was quite crowded and cops all around and stuff. The important points of interest along the walk to Marienplatz include the Stachus (Karlsplatz), Rathaus-Glockenspiel (considered the most famous in the world), Frauenkirche and the Viktualienmarkt (marketplace).<br /><br /><br />We spend quite sometime, people watching and sampling the local delicacies. We found a cute bakery that served hot-fresh-out-of-the-oven Bavarian style rolls and pizza and went crazy with the choices offered. One thing we realized here is that soda is cheaper than water. So we stuck to soda and just walked in circles for hours taking pictures and exclaiming over sights. We were like children at a toyshop, every building said a story, and had so much detail. It was so easy to fall in love with the city. <br /><br /><br />At 12 noon everyday, the Glockenspiel springs into action. By 11.30, people mainly tourists were lining up around the plaza for a good view. R set up his camera with his telescopic lens and we were able to view the action clearly and capture some good pictures. It was like the old cartoons we used to see as kids, elves and men dressed up in the vivid red shirts and knickers, waving hands and dancing in a circle. A tip here is don't get stressed out that the action will stop, the Glockenspiel rotates for quite a while and in fact we walked away while it was still moving.<br /><br /><br />Our plan was to take the 3.30 train to Füssen and we slowly made our way back to the station. We did some shopping, picked up local baked delights and fruits for the train journey. We made it to the station in time, picked our suitcase and got into the train. Unlike the trains we have traveled so far, this was a "local" train, which just meant, it was more like our Indian trains. Slow, basic amenities and stopping at all villages.<br /><br /><br />The train was mostly empty and was frequented by locals mainly. Most of the time, we enjoyed the coach to ourselves and were exclaiming over the beauty around us. Since the train was empty, we streched out legs in the seat in front of us and the ticket checker got pissed off at us and probably bashed at inconsiderate tourists in German. Not knowing a language is bliss at times!<br /><br /><br />The world around us was so different and beautiful. As we left the crowded cities and moved into the countryside. It was rolling green grasslands, the tall Alps in the background, doted by cute homes and cows. Soon we were in Fussen.<br /><br /><br />We had booked a room at Suzanne's Bed and Breakfast. The place was recommended by Rick Steves again. It was a splurge for us considering our budget. So we choose their cheapest attic room for a couple of nights. Though the place was highly recommended by Rick Steves, we read mixed reviews, mainly about Suzanne herself. But we went ahead with it, as it was close to the railway station.<br /><br /><br />The walk from the railway station to Suzanne's was about 3-5 minutes and located admist so much beauty. Our attic room was basic with two single beds and a shower stall where R had to sit and bend to prevent bumping. But the room was absolutely comfy and the views were divine. Since we were in the attic, we were cut off from the rest of the crowd so we enjoyed our peace and quiet.<br /><br /><br />The main idea for us staying in Fussen and not Munich was to visit the famous Disney-inspiration, Neuschwanstein Castle also known as the Mad King Ludwig's castle. We had booked the first tour of the castle at around 8am online based on numerous suggestions read online. But Suzanne serves breakfast at 7.45am and we had to skip either the breakfast or the castle trip. So she went ahead and called the castle people and rescheduled our whole tour and it was really nice of her.<br /><br /><br />We rested for a while and then went to explore the town. The town actually is quite small and can be explored easily. The town goes to sleep early and make sure you hit the restaurants early if you want to grab a bite. We wandered around aimlessly browsing through shops and found a quaint Italian place to have dinner. It was one of those cafes on the town center and we sat there eating and watching people.<br /><br /><br />Back at our room, we slept watching the stars shine over the alps. Beautiful and romantic! Everything we wanted the holiday to be!<br /><br /><br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-9384274075362734392008-04-02T05:23:00.006-06:002008-04-02T09:19:17.416-06:00Day Two in Germany in picturesWe'll write, we promise.... soon<br />Till then enjoy the pictures!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFtrakgmx0iMtOCYIlIS0JTwWENXGf9aU2rf5ROS5278uZH5HpzleGoQifVqewI1Vv9MP2P6qPWUmfaQmv46NRIMqbsGZ9aY0oMOXRKqYVwugEWfaTDN0cK_enT1D9BctJtbL7hvn3DY/s1600-h/Img0142.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFtrakgmx0iMtOCYIlIS0JTwWENXGf9aU2rf5ROS5278uZH5HpzleGoQifVqewI1Vv9MP2P6qPWUmfaQmv46NRIMqbsGZ9aY0oMOXRKqYVwugEWfaTDN0cK_enT1D9BctJtbL7hvn3DY/s400/Img0142.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607971781861826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Milling Crowds, Lovely Buildings<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XU0GuvwkAtMhPzX-hEwUywlf1Io6hM1iOgf8Sh3eg-YGuvp61Qf6uHGFSgM0WWcHtHsWtlm2Gr_B97lTnNImaQFKfyQTL3MmOKJM9-I112r-k5UEh-ZwRjNDoo_ZhJSq5IiAnX8eHPw/s1600-h/Img0111.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XU0GuvwkAtMhPzX-hEwUywlf1Io6hM1iOgf8Sh3eg-YGuvp61Qf6uHGFSgM0WWcHtHsWtlm2Gr_B97lTnNImaQFKfyQTL3MmOKJM9-I112r-k5UEh-ZwRjNDoo_ZhJSq5IiAnX8eHPw/s400/Img0111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607482155589954" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Court House and the Cop Vans</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtlD63zTxONSijUjRuAjAUBCj0Rmy-lqD30WWx2YVBMkErGOv1SsQ4cpBGFqJXycRoplCvp2QfsubZsv9az68dgLvaQfLQco772jRCorAAvJ4p6OZmmcaoPf0_ZfiNTa-XhqvoSLLBIA/s1600-h/Img0164.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtlD63zTxONSijUjRuAjAUBCj0Rmy-lqD30WWx2YVBMkErGOv1SsQ4cpBGFqJXycRoplCvp2QfsubZsv9az68dgLvaQfLQco772jRCorAAvJ4p6OZmmcaoPf0_ZfiNTa-XhqvoSLLBIA/s400/Img0164.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184608676156498386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The glockenspiel at 12<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDnUc0cJ2DRavIQYs9a0w1oSTfEGnsjArdBHSnEJwoNR9aWrX6hU5kouOWAJ_li9f_7qRoxRApAFH355lnvQG4JFki-D2DNl73a0X7bvNsgOWe9ISjsvTRkrJemcPRzDgJCh9s6rNzNY/s1600-h/Img0170.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDnUc0cJ2DRavIQYs9a0w1oSTfEGnsjArdBHSnEJwoNR9aWrX6hU5kouOWAJ_li9f_7qRoxRApAFH355lnvQG4JFki-D2DNl73a0X7bvNsgOWe9ISjsvTRkrJemcPRzDgJCh9s6rNzNY/s400/Img0170.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184608680451465698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Shopping at the marketplace</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67rHdUgH39PeRhyirbftZLSy9nmlZKcxlg1IVw0WK1S_tmyWgg2bQpg59Mhh76V0_njcswBAzeJEv8jLyZvSh73jHntEAkYoqSDbvEBEqK1pkRyCbSgDLyy1WyCsnA50ZYDHBIOH7lqM/s1600-h/Img0129.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67rHdUgH39PeRhyirbftZLSy9nmlZKcxlg1IVw0WK1S_tmyWgg2bQpg59Mhh76V0_njcswBAzeJEv8jLyZvSh73jHntEAkYoqSDbvEBEqK1pkRyCbSgDLyy1WyCsnA50ZYDHBIOH7lqM/s400/Img0129.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607958896959874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Our idea of perfection - sunny day, blue skies, few clouds, flowers, lovely old buildings<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtGdozeI-UzV60-EJv6drL5MAaiCqRT0z57uplUajUz3o2E6nJZf57FlDRYvdl12RNRFqx9DOCfSJ41rDc_BYNQrlWfodRtkWzDSAgyhjiJ7k36RX7eV8DD-YrNIFLv6x8u_Q3MfsphA/s1600-h/Img0130.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtGdozeI-UzV60-EJv6drL5MAaiCqRT0z57uplUajUz3o2E6nJZf57FlDRYvdl12RNRFqx9DOCfSJ41rDc_BYNQrlWfodRtkWzDSAgyhjiJ7k36RX7eV8DD-YrNIFLv6x8u_Q3MfsphA/s400/Img0130.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607963191927186" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Another sight that caught our eye<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHAaOfTl-2Z_cI9dCIFAhgnQM1ToyCn9HuyebVAKG8QjzKkPFUCpA3mueD50ueTXOYI6WznNg8BlwHDDtUvd7n0oF__K9TeoUjUm9fd6562LcdtqeuC2rpZ5-CqQ7CAGRxXgnEc35dBs/s1600-h/Img0131.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHAaOfTl-2Z_cI9dCIFAhgnQM1ToyCn9HuyebVAKG8QjzKkPFUCpA3mueD50ueTXOYI6WznNg8BlwHDDtUvd7n0oF__K9TeoUjUm9fd6562LcdtqeuC2rpZ5-CqQ7CAGRxXgnEc35dBs/s400/Img0131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607967486894498" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Street Entertainment<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJTgvfVMdCUg40rX9CA53swuv2UfEcTGZwocujYzUql8OSw4AYh8wxax53rJUlV7CJQvzF3A8B_bx56vmSW_7cWTq9X2UOcKjOAjZhL7RVWurrKeNdkwR-ob1tB6sAxrejRpN5fCRyPI/s1600-h/Img0136.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJTgvfVMdCUg40rX9CA53swuv2UfEcTGZwocujYzUql8OSw4AYh8wxax53rJUlV7CJQvzF3A8B_bx56vmSW_7cWTq9X2UOcKjOAjZhL7RVWurrKeNdkwR-ob1tB6sAxrejRpN5fCRyPI/s400/Img0136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607967486894514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The City Center</span><br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3FYeNrWfNVx6W8sMhG0-l163XE3-A3Po_DgecXNUvZ35z-d9mqBIWSR-I44c3agvHS_p8rkDpsaxpvuUfMjUmg1DCAJrOv65sRsjEi_r2ySyeVUgh1FD39RMeenkZAK19bSA_mEp4Cg/s1600-h/Img0122.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3FYeNrWfNVx6W8sMhG0-l163XE3-A3Po_DgecXNUvZ35z-d9mqBIWSR-I44c3agvHS_p8rkDpsaxpvuUfMjUmg1DCAJrOv65sRsjEi_r2ySyeVUgh1FD39RMeenkZAK19bSA_mEp4Cg/s400/Img0122.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607490745524562" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Flower shop at the market place<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxX2itITTUCo1NAXIwwPE5kMvHPvTKDKyM0uL8wtAjN_8Q1tXZCwVJ9_F-zSHALIyHwGoHQcvTqNdBHtrsqTpPg5CHo9IdvRtebNGHjWv9nh45FD3Wo-Y-MveRAnDMit4wVsKT96-Rq8/s1600-h/Img0123.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxX2itITTUCo1NAXIwwPE5kMvHPvTKDKyM0uL8wtAjN_8Q1tXZCwVJ9_F-zSHALIyHwGoHQcvTqNdBHtrsqTpPg5CHo9IdvRtebNGHjWv9nh45FD3Wo-Y-MveRAnDMit4wVsKT96-Rq8/s400/Img0123.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607495040491874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Street Musicians<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovrE2_yyOtZzKXq2FmgvggHJQjwkQtDbtd_mdNzFoEzWLNC3WCQHKpDx8sV4NYfALbnspoWvDc3PGq-j5QxC6JCOqrToMwQbWhxgNCFU7MYj2WVR5OCmyGf-OORR5Q869QDR_9kkjsvw/s1600-h/Img0126.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovrE2_yyOtZzKXq2FmgvggHJQjwkQtDbtd_mdNzFoEzWLNC3WCQHKpDx8sV4NYfALbnspoWvDc3PGq-j5QxC6JCOqrToMwQbWhxgNCFU7MYj2WVR5OCmyGf-OORR5Q869QDR_9kkjsvw/s400/Img0126.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184607499335459186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Window Planters blooming and lovely</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLadToRKktMG0IwidQszUq-OGiTGCzj2PK2uCVJ1pX92dKCVpE-KTW2-E2hhXlMqhFUBIx5JScLXPeQhM4sSgYfUM_hyO475UXIIBBJwmZqaBOICjcQnBKhASuDD_n7JJbSHgaQh-McHE/s1600-h/Img0206.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLadToRKktMG0IwidQszUq-OGiTGCzj2PK2uCVJ1pX92dKCVpE-KTW2-E2hhXlMqhFUBIx5JScLXPeQhM4sSgYfUM_hyO475UXIIBBJwmZqaBOICjcQnBKhASuDD_n7JJbSHgaQh-McHE/s400/Img0206.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184609255977083458" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZKLZNQG5WkQGrsv6zrQsZRQQazhD2EwIHU4MpSa5ltasNp2c7i3pR3pcCKSs7LeSX1nZy5GFxhYCyhDUxt6_Q-kNZod-7BHzcIdvjz0o7bWT4CMxvB0KDeP1eMkoRRQ9vPPtfcfdN3g/s1600-h/Img0192.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZKLZNQG5WkQGrsv6zrQsZRQQazhD2EwIHU4MpSa5ltasNp2c7i3pR3pcCKSs7LeSX1nZy5GFxhYCyhDUxt6_Q-kNZod-7BHzcIdvjz0o7bWT4CMxvB0KDeP1eMkoRRQ9vPPtfcfdN3g/s400/Img0192.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184609264567018082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Traveling to Fussen along the Germany-Austria border, the towering Alps, the green rolling grass, the red roofed houses, bliss!<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb3nbFWI6VIL-agmxsc19r02d_DRPMea8QE54deOSTA3IQvrBK2G69KphV0MQjrcL8cMREXD_KeBaIYo4z53GcKxvksTy8MD-YPKEvBeTmSImRJTQFiqdgtIaSJn86LN-ShTe78YYJgw/s1600-h/Img0183.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb3nbFWI6VIL-agmxsc19r02d_DRPMea8QE54deOSTA3IQvrBK2G69KphV0MQjrcL8cMREXD_KeBaIYo4z53GcKxvksTy8MD-YPKEvBeTmSImRJTQFiqdgtIaSJn86LN-ShTe78YYJgw/s400/Img0183.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184608697631334914" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The typical German home, beautiful and homely!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP60jVKxVqJllgbOTodNAhRPfk-sgCMIQ9SL2T1JISwpmz6Wsl8Z8lw68gUOZGdwC9XBuISeeArqOPG2hqTD9vcJzDKVF0RlMgYHWLeH6AKs0SYYGts9c7bPCh7yarME_rUGvmby6R-zA/s1600-h/Img0196.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP60jVKxVqJllgbOTodNAhRPfk-sgCMIQ9SL2T1JISwpmz6Wsl8Z8lw68gUOZGdwC9XBuISeeArqOPG2hqTD9vcJzDKVF0RlMgYHWLeH6AKs0SYYGts9c7bPCh7yarME_rUGvmby6R-zA/s400/Img0196.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184609255977083474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Lakes and towering mountains - kind of the DDLJ setting</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENXQkdPu0y5NGuOrSjzRDmYqvNbCs1WW0c_GW3ok7EIR5hxQnYm6nvowH9stldM09iGuh2FQ9qZ0Gcgqsz5OQb5aXTQxiO_72JZmS-CNBccVkT23rijFkq-rVn7qBfnug5eNOIjn1uGY/s1600-h/Img0207.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENXQkdPu0y5NGuOrSjzRDmYqvNbCs1WW0c_GW3ok7EIR5hxQnYm6nvowH9stldM09iGuh2FQ9qZ0Gcgqsz5OQb5aXTQxiO_72JZmS-CNBccVkT23rijFkq-rVn7qBfnug5eNOIjn1uGY/s400/Img0207.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184609251682116146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BJmwH_R4f5JDuZt6zyS4bRyrVHF1zK1JkracSio4XIfi0DVRBOlcCV2XzzyH9jm_SP2TvV5nvCv9MEhVVF3jJ1hStLV2VCgQ79UYzI9_lR0TvmBw6ptpacvmHgYZLOXHTGpLFiew2UE/s1600-h/Img0212.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BJmwH_R4f5JDuZt6zyS4bRyrVHF1zK1JkracSio4XIfi0DVRBOlcCV2XzzyH9jm_SP2TvV5nvCv9MEhVVF3jJ1hStLV2VCgQ79UYzI9_lR0TvmBw6ptpacvmHgYZLOXHTGpLFiew2UE/s400/Img0212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184609251682116130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The town of Fussen, the perfect small town...<br /><br /><br /></span></div>Rajanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17511220129726142212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-42341274430423240162008-04-01T05:24:00.006-06:002008-04-01T05:34:55.338-06:00Day One in Germany - pictures<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42UOAwu1FIajHINSs6xKHXPmgPgW5n34FHUWkyqGsLeSy3qbzx_LS_eYlRRlfCErxqfGf4z06Wn9KsrhkhhLIK2j3sNqFjrTDS078XHr2_PVq3_0At8-MG1aFAyCSfzVMe3ahy4PjZ3A/s1600-h/Img0001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42UOAwu1FIajHINSs6xKHXPmgPgW5n34FHUWkyqGsLeSy3qbzx_LS_eYlRRlfCErxqfGf4z06Wn9KsrhkhhLIK2j3sNqFjrTDS078XHr2_PVq3_0At8-MG1aFAyCSfzVMe3ahy4PjZ3A/s320/Img0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184236541756966306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Koln Rail Station - old and historic</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJW6y7oKCxWmUW13rG5YKczfbtuxuGyMpIVM74AVBDj-7b81e7KcNeBcU7sRf_CQAX4Ag61Tf0IdABriU0bAnOlm_1GwfD5yYX77Jr391-42c4UJEmnzIe03NZ95_7RCM3l3sIHJ56L0/s1600-h/Img0004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJW6y7oKCxWmUW13rG5YKczfbtuxuGyMpIVM74AVBDj-7b81e7KcNeBcU7sRf_CQAX4Ag61Tf0IdABriU0bAnOlm_1GwfD5yYX77Jr391-42c4UJEmnzIe03NZ95_7RCM3l3sIHJ56L0/s320/Img0004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184236550346900914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A view of the Koln Station from the Hotel</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJsRYNvtadS7y4kv5PNFGYYRd5QjGUQoe3XuATrUyT3NtJtGWjMN7aAxbWgfEMc0PrQtxCAWXvxHpMxM9KpbgEZKDp9U0yqJ3uHY3umT3o1-LpEzcAt9Ojeroz3NmnzHZS2gxoEC8-PU/s1600-h/Img0019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJsRYNvtadS7y4kv5PNFGYYRd5QjGUQoe3XuATrUyT3NtJtGWjMN7aAxbWgfEMc0PrQtxCAWXvxHpMxM9KpbgEZKDp9U0yqJ3uHY3umT3o1-LpEzcAt9Ojeroz3NmnzHZS2gxoEC8-PU/s320/Img0019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184236550346900930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Co-existing in peace - the cathedral and rail station blend together<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwA_QNyMAoJ913V8zH4a9VxbyyVO71yOyVkRN2wVCEan5hSqqEhpnu0q8AxlKNixi1U9KXGZxDPNFkhSZeVjYWBkQCUl4R5x9tKO7wgHmr454CoSfB1p_qxj-IiIZDAcQbh30eCLKHW0/s1600-h/Img0045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwA_QNyMAoJ913V8zH4a9VxbyyVO71yOyVkRN2wVCEan5hSqqEhpnu0q8AxlKNixi1U9KXGZxDPNFkhSZeVjYWBkQCUl4R5x9tKO7wgHmr454CoSfB1p_qxj-IiIZDAcQbh30eCLKHW0/s320/Img0045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184237074332911074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Architecture marvels in every direction<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSa09P1P1W8CkvFwNe_q2J50bQ1qR085DP5LivlrdQLIRxtjrGu75AkzvuxZ5FvPqFEZizeztHsPZ_6fXTmRStQwtWblETp7HzS9LCv29ZXfYh1Yj8RqNx20hy7aGieGEy6sYPjYZrfzQ/s1600-h/Img0050.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSa09P1P1W8CkvFwNe_q2J50bQ1qR085DP5LivlrdQLIRxtjrGu75AkzvuxZ5FvPqFEZizeztHsPZ_6fXTmRStQwtWblETp7HzS9LCv29ZXfYh1Yj8RqNx20hy7aGieGEy6sYPjYZrfzQ/s320/Img0050.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184237074332911090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Spidey meets Granny<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV2hDnP1BQHwekUrFaOC94Cxo5XuQSxnrYnSwEXeKE0o08jFBABhjdnMsOKvcTWfN7c-AghYOriChlhp4KoF4WrQQ-oHpBvrnFVaFCencz1ysnXeXmqunpsIsjDHCRjFNlfFqRmxAzLk/s1600-h/Img0062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV2hDnP1BQHwekUrFaOC94Cxo5XuQSxnrYnSwEXeKE0o08jFBABhjdnMsOKvcTWfN7c-AghYOriChlhp4KoF4WrQQ-oHpBvrnFVaFCencz1ysnXeXmqunpsIsjDHCRjFNlfFqRmxAzLk/s320/Img0062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184237894671664658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjjfQd55ixyPs5GZZnvMH2vGQGyHM_NyGhsPnVzMwD7pZFnILTUb1ytejcDeMevKidbm8-w0WQwvg_KmYE1a19E8et8_Ms9g1UJvYnyMXdlXE95IV_2Qzl4d0chhBwKjUJVub6iq2HJQ/s1600-h/Img0064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjjfQd55ixyPs5GZZnvMH2vGQGyHM_NyGhsPnVzMwD7pZFnILTUb1ytejcDeMevKidbm8-w0WQwvg_KmYE1a19E8et8_Ms9g1UJvYnyMXdlXE95IV_2Qzl4d0chhBwKjUJVub6iq2HJQ/s320/Img0064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184237898966631970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Views from the parks on Rhine</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KngI-ju6u5-z7522Nm8Ixy3L-yBkXHwWZvPXvStJ8xYTKfZdObSWir_tAzqCqAZNI5kkqlGXCR2oYUG38tNwVWdGlzWAYCkEMsKPFDARG5XL-OgE5YsP8bUMz-JZNlzbO31GPEd5wWo/s1600-h/Img0082.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KngI-ju6u5-z7522Nm8Ixy3L-yBkXHwWZvPXvStJ8xYTKfZdObSWir_tAzqCqAZNI5kkqlGXCR2oYUG38tNwVWdGlzWAYCkEMsKPFDARG5XL-OgE5YsP8bUMz-JZNlzbO31GPEd5wWo/s320/Img0082.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184237903261599282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Lindt Museum<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5aNepHbZoTlvYNMRMGF0jalqqWA2NLjsDdVpvWxJy_IhNZw8EwkAp1WNqKp55xS15j2oy67HtjQ82FFXv3wZJj1UUpfj6GI-EVzhvH30Lh_KXC1OGesfIZ38fFbZ0NNj-AccOlMFF64/s1600-h/Img0083.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5aNepHbZoTlvYNMRMGF0jalqqWA2NLjsDdVpvWxJy_IhNZw8EwkAp1WNqKp55xS15j2oy67HtjQ82FFXv3wZJj1UUpfj6GI-EVzhvH30Lh_KXC1OGesfIZ38fFbZ0NNj-AccOlMFF64/s320/Img0083.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184238178139506242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The fountain of chocolate!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fa61CV1Tnr_tHx2xHABWh7C_g0Ag4xokNDfbvYPJRRxy89i9REGPFzNwaBv75mnjlGhiRXYlPPhlFVmg0JGauNGcOCr7kwiunCO3DTUVzkG_vQctfmPI-i8lotOcFAmvEvWfp27ddLg/s1600-h/Img0087.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fa61CV1Tnr_tHx2xHABWh7C_g0Ag4xokNDfbvYPJRRxy89i9REGPFzNwaBv75mnjlGhiRXYlPPhlFVmg0JGauNGcOCr7kwiunCO3DTUVzkG_vQctfmPI-i8lotOcFAmvEvWfp27ddLg/s320/Img0087.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184238182434473570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Dom Cathedral</span><br /></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-62661466771681342772008-03-31T07:19:00.005-06:002008-03-31T08:45:50.629-06:004 days in Germany - Day 1<div style="text-align: justify;">We spent 4 days in Germany, backpacking and pinching pennies to see the country during the summer of 2006. Why Germany was the first question many of our friends asked us. Europe has so many treasures and lovely places to visit was their argument. We choose Germany just coz Lufthansa gave us the best deals to India and we were counting our pennies. Why 4 days they asked, again the budget, wedding in India and holidays were our answers.<br /><br /><br />After booking the tickets we started researching. Personally we find the research part of equally exciting as visiting new places. The usual Frommers, Fodors, Rough guide series on Germany made their way home. As with all other travel planning we usually find one book which actually captures what we want to do. And for Germany, it was Rick Steves. We loved Rick Steves, off-beat suggestions and back roads and soon it become our primary book and we did use other books just for tips.<br /><br /><br />Our plans/itinerary were based on certain factors<br /></div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>Photo-ops - when you are a photo enthusiast, every vacation you plan must have ample photo-ops</li><li>Budget - we were on a tight budget</li><li>Time - a tighter time frame, we were not able to spend more than 4 days in Germany</li><li>Architecture - we are big time architecture and nature people and prefer smaller town to big towns.</li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;">With our preferences clearly chalked out we started fitting in places, schedules and maxing out on the 4 days.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 1:</span><br /><br /><br />Our Lufthansa flight landed in Frankfurt airport around 8.30am. We had previously looked into the airport maps and guides and after clearing the customs and a few questions in a mix of what-R-called-German and English we were able to locate the luggage storage room. It costs us around 7 euros per bag per day. We dumped our big-stuffed-India-gifts suitcases in the room and with our camera bag and one suitcase started our trip around Germany.<br /><br /><br />Probably the best thing about Europe is their rail system. We walked down to the rail station in the airport, activated our rail passes we had previously purchased online and boarded the train to Koln. 110 miles away and a couple of hours on the rail, we were in the lovely city of Koln.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Köln Hauptbahnhof </span>is a sight by itself. The building built in 1859 right on top of the famous Koln Cathedral and across from the Rhine was our first taste of Europe beyond the airports of Frankfurt and London. We stood there a few minutes in awe at the high steel beams and arches, cameras came out and we were in element, clicking pictures and capturing memories.<br /><br /><br />We had found <a href="http://www.hostel-cologne.de/">Hotel-Station</a>, very close to the cathedral, the rail station and at a backpackers budget. The hotel was recommended by Rick Steves and we had booked a room with attached bath online. The walk from the rail station was just under 7 minutes and of course added to it is at least 3-5 minutes spent awing at the cathedral and the Benz taxis on the road.<br /><br /><br />The hotel is mainly a youth back-packer central, noisy with free internet and a small coffee/snack bar in the front. Our rooms were in the 6th or was it the 7th floor, clean, very small and sparsely furnished. It served our purpose, a clean place to sleep that night. A quick shower later we were out.<br /><br /><br />It was just past 11 and we went in search of something to eat. We had printed maps and picked up some from the reception desk at the hotel. But we actually found them unnecessary if there was someone in your group who has some direction sense you can survive Koln.<br /><br /><br />Like the old time, Indian cities, the Cathedral with its towering spires forms the center of the city. And around it is the main shopping district all closed to traffic and a busy bustling place for all activities. We found a lovely bakery selling fresh, out-of-oven pastries and stocked up and started walking towards the cathedral. Clicking pictures, feeding the pigeons, people watching, watching the sleek silver-red trains stream past, admiring the intricate carvings in the church. The church dating back to the 1800's has a very rich history and is known to be the only structure in Koln that survived the World War II bombings.<br /><br /><br />Walking around the perimeter of the cathedral we were treated with sights so similar to Indian temples. The only thing missing were the elephant blessing people and slipper stands. A superman look-alike, the Mozart drawing on the floors, ice cream stalls, shops selling tacky stuff like Koln famous colognes and a few good items.<br /><br /><br />August being the on-set of summer in Germany is certainly a good time to visit. Perfect weather, flowering plants all over added to the lovely architecture of the city. We spent quite a while around the cathedral and then ended up walking to the parks by Rhine for a impromptu picnic. The parks along Rhine was filled with locals carrying picnic baskets and enjoying the sun. When in Koln, picnic like the locals!<br /><br /><br />Our next destination was the Lindt schokolade museum. Lindt truffles have long been our favorite and we were not going to miss this chocolate museum. Situated in the Rhine river (in fact it looks like a fortress), the museum is a brisk 15-20 minute walk from the cathedral. The entrance fee was a little too much, but yeah V does anything for chocolate. History of chocolate, the making and free samples make up for it. It is an interesting place for any chocoholic to visit. They have a small cafe dishing out chocolaty stuff and a gift shop. Give yourself an hour to 90 minutes to visit the museum.<br /><br /><br /><br />We walked back following the cathedral towers and some more pictures around the cathedral and a quick stop and the local bakery for some bread and rolls for breakfast next day we were set. The jet lag was getting to us and we hit our motel for some sleep. Our plan was to catch the first train to Munchen at around 5.40am. So we needed to be up early.<br /><br /><br /><br />There ended Day one in Germany.<br /><br /><br /><br />R's pics of Koln are <a href="http://lightpixels.blogspot.com/2008/03/temple-tales-3-cologne-cathedral.html">here</a><br /><br /><br /></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-53602120702318597442008-01-29T10:06:00.001-06:002008-08-08T10:07:27.197-05:00What next?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><br />With quite a bit of traveling in 2007 (NY, Niagara, Phoenix, Seattle, New England and Hawaii) we need to now build our travel fund again before we head out anywhere. And a new job and a proposed trip to India in 2008 are more excuses for us not to travel. But that does not mean this space will see no activity. We plan to write about our old trips and in the works are San Antonio, Germany and Caribbean cruise. R already has a few wonderful photos from these trips in his blog. Check them </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://lightpixels.blogspot.com/2008/01/let-there-be-light.html">here</a></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://lightpixels.blogspot.com/2007/12/its-cruise-time-again.html">here </a></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >and </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://lightpixels.blogspot.com/2007/08/this-day-last-year.html">here </a></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >and oh yeah I missed </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://lightpixels.blogspot.com/2007/11/on-romantische-strasse.html">this </a><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">We also plan to write about all the small towns in Texas we stumble upon! Watch out for action!</span></span><br /><br /><br /></span></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-16823632720745526112008-01-01T09:28:00.000-06:002008-01-05T07:34:15.171-06:00Day Ten in Hawaii<div style="text-align: justify;">Our last day in Hawaii. Part of us wanting to stay in the Aloha State for ever while another side of us wanted to be home! We choose to carry our luggage out and not take part in the ship's disembarkment schedule. We were off by 8am and on our Thrifty car rental pretty soon.<br /><br />Our first stop was Honolulu's famed Chinatown. Teaming with activity and exotic food and fruits this place was a treat. We treated ourselves to some Chinese pastries and Jackfruit smoothies.. yummy! V also got her much wanted floral lei... sweet smelling and really cheap in Chinatown!<br /><br />We also visited the only royal palace in US. After visiting the pretty and grand ones in India and Europe this was a let down!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx0YN_JryIwGXTi8mM02886IlcRYyVW89MScqXxbqRUm6_O_bcDoETiwYkBC235ptumnelG9038pTL8Ynko_4sfxuuTaWjebB6v2bddKim4PiQCx96HDtPJT26k6wE5U24yg-MTyt1ww/s1600-h/PC180342.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx0YN_JryIwGXTi8mM02886IlcRYyVW89MScqXxbqRUm6_O_bcDoETiwYkBC235ptumnelG9038pTL8Ynko_4sfxuuTaWjebB6v2bddKim4PiQCx96HDtPJT26k6wE5U24yg-MTyt1ww/s320/PC180342.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151984448727182242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The so-called palace</span><br /></div><br />Off we went towards Oahu's North Shore. A quick stop at the over-priced Dole Plantation ended up with a ultra-sized Pineapple Split and a walk through the world's biggest maze! A fun place and more suited for kids in my opinion! But a sure tourist trap! We were lucky to watch a few minutes from the finals of the Billabong surf competition along the pipeline. The pipeline is the hollowest and biggest of its kind in the world and has surfers from all over trying their best to ride it. For people with no knowledge about surfing it was kind of strange to watch it. It was like watching a foreign movie with no sub-titles! Fun though!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbvVXUKwlVgfM5NL8GmNhvmBKFErIRtu2PrCgEy9OHcF9tjvJJxk97IxsPENRVev274_0wO8lESdfUhMB6MlpI7n1gVrILhKNLlMve3WdD0OK-rWGtpelxTN3m2pvxZItwRlibgaI75Y/s1600-h/PC170927.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbvVXUKwlVgfM5NL8GmNhvmBKFErIRtu2PrCgEy9OHcF9tjvJJxk97IxsPENRVev274_0wO8lESdfUhMB6MlpI7n1gVrILhKNLlMve3WdD0OK-rWGtpelxTN3m2pvxZItwRlibgaI75Y/s320/PC170927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151984410072476514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The gigantic Pineapple split</span><br /></div><br />We had to stop for shave ice at Haleiwa. Two of the best places for shave ice in Hawaii are right next to each other. Each with a big line! We stopped at Atikos just coz the line was smaller and it was amazing. The ice melts in your mouth, smooth as silk unlike anything else we had on our trip! For a bit of drama/adventure try adding beans at the bottom of your shave ice. It is just plain beans (like black beans) boiled and added. Yes it is strange to imagine boiled beans in shave ice but the contrast is amazing and yummy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9LMCI2wPjNI5b6dF4llHZA3RZp9zqtyQZZg9rPjSH3XwQ3Eu6IZZwFETay2czi4uxDMvALlSbP0M0TzHv_gPBDBfZvRUx_0agpvR4AJEKy0ibcV6gyus99xlEsCFPdZo-sLbNhMhD8k/s1600-h/PC180349.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9LMCI2wPjNI5b6dF4llHZA3RZp9zqtyQZZg9rPjSH3XwQ3Eu6IZZwFETay2czi4uxDMvALlSbP0M0TzHv_gPBDBfZvRUx_0agpvR4AJEKy0ibcV6gyus99xlEsCFPdZo-sLbNhMhD8k/s320/PC180349.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151984440137247634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Atiko's Menu<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooh41DpnCyrbHeWoD8861tSiO3rBv1ih-nedBnIFQsVOm7NiNU7MAkIDXP-iHTJ3Q1Ns1juh7D3EoqqFQ_B1OreV5Bc83bUSnNYOD8_HIN9ojJQrtIV1TYx568zdHqfi0oVLPzEZIiN0/s1600-h/PC170944.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooh41DpnCyrbHeWoD8861tSiO3rBv1ih-nedBnIFQsVOm7NiNU7MAkIDXP-iHTJ3Q1Ns1juh7D3EoqqFQ_B1OreV5Bc83bUSnNYOD8_HIN9ojJQrtIV1TYx568zdHqfi0oVLPzEZIiN0/s320/PC170944.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151984431547313026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Anyone recognize the surfer? He was one of the finalists<br /><br /></span></div>After a pit stop we were back on the road, a bit tired and ready to head back home! We drove along just oohing and aahing at the beauty! It was a nice drive and by 6pm we were back in Honolulu. We headed to the Ward Center Stores just to spend some time! Window shopping, net browsing and a sub later we were ready to return to the airport and catch our flight home.<br /><br />Delta flight from Honolulu to LA was a breeze. We were asleep before takeoff! But arriving at LA we realized our Houston flight was delayed by over an hour and they were not able to fit us in an earlier flight! We waited in LA and then reached Houston only to realize, one of our suitcases was missing. Well it really just had dirty laundry and some memorabilia. Afterwards we realized our suitcase (just 1 of the 3) went to Salt Lake City from Honolulu! Don't ask me how they did it! We got the baggage the next day. So it was fine!<br /><br />And thus ended our trip. We nursed a fit of coughing and runny nose for nearly a week after that and slowly got into the Christmas and New Year celebrations!<br /><br />And as they say, what happens in Hawaii stays with you forever! We'll cherish this trip a lot and have memories and photos to last a lifetime and more!<br /></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193620122233413628.post-43836320729623622622007-12-29T18:50:00.001-06:002008-01-01T17:02:13.354-06:00Day Eight and Nine in Hawaii<span style="font-weight: bold;">Day Eight:</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />This was our last port of call and we were on the oldest island in the Hawaiian archipelago - Kauai. This island is famed for its waterfalls, the sheer cliffs, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific - Waimea and of course the Jurassic Park locales. Most parts of the island are inaccessible and the best way to take in its beauty is from air, from a helicopter.<br /><br />And that is what we did. We had booked with Island Helicopters for an hour flight around the island. The weather played a havoc and finally we were in air only by 3pm. And this meant our other plans went haywire. We had to cancel our car rental and be content with taking the helicopter tour and taking it easy in the ship.<br /><br />The helicopter trip was just amazing. The abundant rains that canceled our tour in the morning made sure that there were waterfalls in every direction we turned around. Rainbows doting the horizon, the cliffs of Napali Coast and the waterfalls were sights that cannot be described. We were glad we took it. A heli ride scares many people off and it is quite expensive and as I said before we were so glad we took it. It was once in a life time trip and it was amazing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS8zwWxkhtQMwI9t6mCuvziYqSOM1VUGkBlPpOqGwgoKJOPq3jQ-RpzHsEIpKTXjY7h2AefOvqSVXro3YQcw7f-wKksrR-udylXBoy7g5ghabo4SZeBM4Lx8FO9ugEmD49R5f0mlu-lA/s1600-h/PC150744.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS8zwWxkhtQMwI9t6mCuvziYqSOM1VUGkBlPpOqGwgoKJOPq3jQ-RpzHsEIpKTXjY7h2AefOvqSVXro3YQcw7f-wKksrR-udylXBoy7g5ghabo4SZeBM4Lx8FO9ugEmD49R5f0mlu-lA/s320/PC150744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150644328736516850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09gFweWccXxY5qFIVdOeHcadrnQMbG-WckPluCXXGaxqwByfHKEd8YrpGGr3jRlTfzRCRI9gxp1SevKn4nXEBB09Fo9WQ11tgR0EwqOn_87JmxREC3BniGuqoepd_hw5u5pjzXmxxgK0/s1600-h/PC150750.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09gFweWccXxY5qFIVdOeHcadrnQMbG-WckPluCXXGaxqwByfHKEd8YrpGGr3jRlTfzRCRI9gxp1SevKn4nXEBB09Fo9WQ11tgR0EwqOn_87JmxREC3BniGuqoepd_hw5u5pjzXmxxgK0/s320/PC150750.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150644341621418754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJmAsBlPx-w7yQKNQ348_WFaUmBQxemOML54FvbF81arrao0ejCCJsoqbGJcMtpZlHuGv-A9wdCmVH5xuIl93-D0ukOIc9ORn4gHgYWdxicfV4T3NIHG0pHufaNdA5LBf6lwS9f_hHYY/s1600-h/PC150779.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJmAsBlPx-w7yQKNQ348_WFaUmBQxemOML54FvbF81arrao0ejCCJsoqbGJcMtpZlHuGv-A9wdCmVH5xuIl93-D0ukOIc9ORn4gHgYWdxicfV4T3NIHG0pHufaNdA5LBf6lwS9f_hHYY/s320/PC150779.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150644345916386066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTTreoLJnr0YSaEsiZ_IdZsd4wIfu9U8eqCuK_VPFZgy7KAmuGZEJhKGpaJKBtGa7oozSVszgkWEOyTtvS9EtBOrnGWCZvhq_4vPS7PTr8DIaUG9NqEu60z8H3FZTVNr-X7whBJQ7LCQ/s1600-h/PC160273.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTTreoLJnr0YSaEsiZ_IdZsd4wIfu9U8eqCuK_VPFZgy7KAmuGZEJhKGpaJKBtGa7oozSVszgkWEOyTtvS9EtBOrnGWCZvhq_4vPS7PTr8DIaUG9NqEu60z8H3FZTVNr-X7whBJQ7LCQ/s320/PC160273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150646068198271810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />After the ride, we spent the rest of the day taking it easy and hitting a few stores to shop for souvenirs. We had Tex-Mex dinner at Paniolos on board the ship and enjoyed free entertainment on board.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day Nine:</span><br />Almost at the end of our cruise, we started the tough job of packing! We spent the morning at Kauai's Walmart ;) and enjoyed the ship's sailing through the beautiful Napali Coast. Seeing from air and sea made a good contrast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfok9daKjkCnvbKe1BJHZuSuTOvGrnTNWr2OlxHrH4zHdVes1rNGKi5-zQhBOoctv-7d-_F70oLZC12Q6_R_x5IGQbnBqPyATssSzjNj0LODW5wlEqLANkcDhDylEZ6h1LAyCXtIMigQ/s1600-h/PC170335.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfok9daKjkCnvbKe1BJHZuSuTOvGrnTNWr2OlxHrH4zHdVes1rNGKi5-zQhBOoctv-7d-_F70oLZC12Q6_R_x5IGQbnBqPyATssSzjNj0LODW5wlEqLANkcDhDylEZ6h1LAyCXtIMigQ/s320/PC170335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150646059608337202" border="0" /></a><br />This is when Baby bro got his revenge with the photographer aka Captain by asking him to pose for a picture, the poor guy was pissed off!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1a7_Wsv9aRtQe6XBWeZu4XXn6rBrGoIGIrJe-v0zz6rLsTlSlY3KtxaDr71YaitA35ym60oIF4rkJX1XzA744XKLRGkDU48G0hykUoKYEFPFm0ID63YpDNwVJpgYN9PfA7WE7yZgffz8/s1600-h/PC170330.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1a7_Wsv9aRtQe6XBWeZu4XXn6rBrGoIGIrJe-v0zz6rLsTlSlY3KtxaDr71YaitA35ym60oIF4rkJX1XzA744XKLRGkDU48G0hykUoKYEFPFm0ID63YpDNwVJpgYN9PfA7WE7yZgffz8/s320/PC170330.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150646076788206418" border="0" /></a><br /><br />While V headed off for a quick lesson on ribbon lei making, the guys enjoyed a lazy game of table tennis. Dinner at Alizar, finale show at Stardust Theater and the trip was almost over.<br /><br /></div>Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12508407173459620612noreply@blogger.com0