The Leaning Tower Of Pisa

THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA

The View from the tower. That is the museum 

When we reached Pisa, we planned to stay there for a night and just enjoy one of the seventh wonder of the world. Again our host from Airbnb, gave us the directions and asked to take a particular bus that dropped us very close to her home. It was a sultry day hence the walking with luggage wasn't entirely pleasant but we reached pretty soon, changed and reached The Leaning Tower Of Pisa. It was not as big as I thought it would be but then we took the ticket to climb up and well, that meant lot of climbing- about 150 steps that has never been renovated. They were slippery and tilted to a side. Also no children and people with heart conditions were allowed up there. I could see why. After briefing us about the history of the tower gave us ten minutes to visit and come back down.   ticket also states a particular time when you are allotted to go in since there were a lot of tourists. And we took a few selfies and had some fun lying on the green grass, just watching the beautiful tower in front of us.

A Memory that's etched forever

The First View Inside

All About the Leaning Tower Of Pisa inside

The top most view of the tower

I tried my best to straighten it but it was too heavy

PISA is a beautiful little town and we specially liked walking here. The street food was yum and as usual I tried pizza (hence all the weight gain) and we also had the opportunity of seeing some local music and dances. I did take videos of it and i think it was kind of music that touches soul. Lots of drums and feet tapping. And where else can you find a group of people waltzing at the pavement of the road? It all happened in Pisa.

5 must do things in Budapest

The view from the Castle Hill

A walk in the castle: It was afternoon when we reached Budapest and had taken a beautiful B n B for accommodation. The best part was it being closer to the metro station. Mikhlos and his friend guided our and made our stay simply comfortable. 

Go for this, you will not regret it. It's right in front of Terror Haza

The chain bridge on our biking tour

Stuck in a cafe in Rain

Biking the city 

If you haven’t biked in Budapest, well you will be missing out on many places here that’s difficult to cover in a short time. Our guide took out to so many places starting with the Jewish Colony and then we made our way towards the Castle only to have the rain give up on us. It rained so hard and with our bikes being electric, it had to be parked somewhere. We found a tiny cave like space near the castle road and stood there crammed with several others. Now i know how the holocaust must have felt. Reading all about it and visiting places made me a little queasy already. Good news- we were promised another ride on the bike though the next day for free. We covered the chain bridge, St Stephens Cathedral, The Parliament, Margaret Island, Fisherman's Bastion (On the castle hill) and also the fountain where water stops when you try to touch it. 

The Fisherman's Bastion

You can take the trolley bus lines directly to go up

Terror of Haza (house)

If you are a fan of history then come here. Here you will find real videos of prisoners of war who tell their tale of horror and  injustice. They also hand you their literature for each room you visit so, you can take it home. I saw a group of students inside who were well into it. We are not allowed to take pictures or videos since it's all not to be produced elsewhere. There is a underground prison where they tell how the prisoners were tortured and kept and never freed. It was truly a shocking experience. 

The Szechenyj Bath - Hot spring spa  

Budapest has their natural hot springs so if you have walked all day long and need a little loving then do visit the place for a fantastic relaxation time for yourselves. 

The River Cruise

This was a spontaneous romantic plan my husband made. We spent an arm and a leg for the river cruise and went for a dinner cruise where we had the local dishes of Hungary and loved it. We were served champagne (or beer) and after the dinner, we went over the terrace to enjoy a view of the city lights. It was something. The twinkling lights, the silent sounds of the river and you just fall in love all over again. Like I did. 

Our Cruise Ship

The Ice-cream shop and a walk around the city

As we walked around the city, you come across this little ice-cream shop that serves you in the the shape of a rose petal. Its so beautiful and the line is huge huge huge. We chose four flavours and gelato was one thing we had almost anywhere and every where in Europe. It made a great indulging snack too. Make sure that you just walk a lot to enjoy the city because there are little things that you will notice and that will keep Budapest in your hearts forever.

Incredible flower icecream

My stay in Budapest was perhaps the best. I enjoyed the bike ride with my husband and since I am not to outdoorsy, it really helped me to connect with him in different levels. So add doing something adventurous with your partner soon!

Europe Style Diary- What To Wear?

When planning a vacation abroad in summers, Europe gives you the utmost freedom to dress up like a doll almost everyday, which I did. All the cities had their charm and every weather needed a different kind of outfit. Since I wasn't carrying much and pretty much backpacked, I had to power my wardrobe and make it work for the next twenty one days.

Key pieces to carry:

1. Stockings: You can wear it on a dress and shorts. But do not forget to take extra pairs cause you never know when you will need them. I had to buy one from the super store and paid a lot more than it costed in India. Try in different colors too. Europe is the place to experiment with florasant too. 
   
2. Leggings:  Black leggings work out so great and doesn't take much room. It's super comfy and you can wear them under anything at all. If you are a T shirt person then carry these and save space in your bag for those souvenirs. 
   
3. Dress: Short or super short or just long- dresses in Europe looks great. In fact if you love to model for the camera, then wear them just to look pretty. Leave your bangles and bindis at home if you are wearing them for the first time. 
   
4. Sweater: Jackets are great but sweaters are better. Take some really thin knit ones which would come under your dress too. It doesn't have to look the Oswal grandma types, so look around in stores like Mango or Calvin Klein.
   
5. Walking shoes:  The biggest mistake you could do to yourself is not bringing your workout shoes. Do not go for those fancy canvas ones because seriously they suck when it comes to comfort. And its a trend in Europe to wear those colourful ones too and they wear them under dresses, shorts, jeans!
   
6. Ripped jeans or shorts: I have seen extreme ripped jeans and shorts. And with a nice shirt it does look cool. Looks great for a leisure I-Don't-Care-Look too. 
7. Scarfs: This one can make any outfit shine! So just go for one bright woolen pashmina and cotton ones with colors that matches anything. I took a red pashmina and a pink and blue cotton ones. I didn't mind the space they took too. 

These are a few of the things that I carried. And it made a big deal! 

The City Sightseeing in Vienna- A Photo Diary

Vienna as a city had much to offer. And as and when you reach the tourist spot which was ours, that started from St Stephen's Cathedral, everything had been a walkable distance from there. The beautiful pavements and cobbler stone pathways here and there, silence of this place, despite being so busy, had indeed given us something to carry forward. Since it was sunny and not really a great weather to walk long, we took the City Sightseeing bus. It was Air conditioned and we could actually see the city without loosing our minds. To tell the truth, its a big city and if you want to see the Schonburnn Palace, then you really need all the energy to see the inside of this very huge palace. Some of the other places we visited were the Hofburg Palace, now all converted into a museum, The Vienna State Opera, St Peter's Church, Austrian Parliament building and few more places that just we came across while taking a walk along the way of the palace. 

We were living very close to the main shopping street so everything we wanted to eat was close by. Even the metro was just a 10 minutes walk away. Travelling in Vienna was never a problem and perhaps that made the day a very pleasant memory to take back home.

A sunny day in Vienna

St Stephen's Cathedral

Autumn Foliage

Votive Church, a view from a cafe

In The City Sight Seeing Bus, listening to audio guide

Part of Hofburg Palace

The local food delights- Schizel 

Paris- The City Of Romance

It was a beautiful evening when our flight landed in Paris. And as we took the metro to Jaures, where our hotel was, our excitement towards getting to know the city began. The metro was just adjacent to the airport as in most cities these days so after a few asking around, we finally got to our stay for the night. It was a small hotel with a large window for a view of outside. Right outside our hotel we had lot of options to have dinner. We chose Le Jaures that served tomato salad and chicken sandwich for the evening and it was just the thing after our famishing walk all evening. Because the first day abroad, there is always a feeling of getting lost.

Cafe Le Jaures

Our Hotel

Arc de Triomph

Love locks, a tradition of biding locks together and throwing the key in River Seinne

As we get closer to Eiffel Tower

After a quick breakfast in McDonalds which was just below out hotel, we decided to visit the Eiffel Tower. The metro took us directly at Arc De Triomph which is a memorial sire for all the soldiers who fought and gave their lives for their country. It was a beautiful structure carved with lot of detailing. If you are a fan of art then Paris will not let you down. But we skipped the museums here frankly because we just wanted to see as much of Paris as possible and the museums would take half of our days. So the famous Mona Lisa painting was ditched. Instead was taking cab to the Eiffel Tower from Arc de Triomph, we just walked the Champs-Élysées street. It was a long walk but certainly a scintillating part of our day where we could see the cafes, the churches, the little boutiques on our way. And as we neared this wonder of the world, the sight was just getting better. We must have clicked pictures at every distance possible. 

Since we had not taken a ticket online, we couldn't skip the line and had to wait a good 45 minutes to get our hands on the ticket. There are two ways to go up, you could walk your way or take the elevator (which can never be a bad option if you want to get to the top soon. And it was as beautiful as i imagined, almost as if I was in a french film, watching the world from my eyes. Words feel short but it's as good as you know it will look. The structure was actually made to direct travellers by Augusts and soon became one of the tallest structure in the world. They even have a restuarant in the first floor and if you want to be seated soon then reserve a table or else if you want to wait and no where else to go then they could accommodate you. The second floor was even more unbelievably breathtaking and windy. But it felt good. There is even a place dedicated to kiss. So if you want to carry a memory then click a good one with your partner. It costs nothing to show love to your partner after all.  

We took a metro to Pantheon next and it's full of famous critics and writers. But in a grave. You are supposed to hold silence while you visit them. You can click as many pictures you want to. Again. It was HUGE. And full of artsy statues all over the place. It was our lucky day too because that day the entry was free. So you can imagine we saved a little on our first day.

It took us exactly three days to explore Paris. The city is booming with tourists at this time of the month and the day was crystal clear with a bite in the wind. So a warm pair of inners was a boon to have carried the last minute. So whoever told you May is summers in Paris forgot to mention that the sun is out with cold air. And this was just day 1.

The Great Europe Holiday- How to plan a holiday last minute?

I am been off blogging for a while and soaking in the culture of other countries for a while and it has been, wait-for-it, absolutely amazing to begin with. Of course we had our share of planning the last moment and actually acing it like a pro. Unfortunate for us, our travel agent backed out and we were left with just a sketchy plan and the money we had saved for the trip.

Planning in one of our journeys in train

From Prague To Budapest

Paris Metro Station. The best connected city. 

Get A Pass:

When you know that you have to go and the VISA stamp is staring right on your face then just make a travel plan. The best thing you could do is get a euro rail pass. This railway pass is divided into three categories- single country, four countries and 24 countries. The gobal pass is the most flexible if you want to change the route you had planned earlier. This pass means that you get to use any train from country to country but (And yes, you have a magic formula that I will tell you now), you have to get a reservation done which is as less as 3 to 4 euros. And without a reservation, its as good as not carrying a eural rail pass, so avoid any drama with the TT in the train and get reservations done as soon as you reach the first country.

Get a multi currency Card: 

Getting a multi currency card will ensure you with money that could be transferred from India too. Your relative could put the money if are short and that way you will not feel penniless. It's better to check out the currency of each country before deciding on one. My suggestion would be if you are adding Budapest and Prague in your list of countries then you have to have Krowns and Forints
with you.

Carry Cash:

At Berlin central station

If you plan to visit the country side and want to just relax away from the city then it's best that you have cash in hand. Also not only will you save on food but also you will have change with you for souvenirs on your way. The kebab stalls and the Asian food stalls are cheap and sometimes great on the go if you are in a hurry to get on with out sight seeing.

Cheapest deals online:

Accommodation should be your next priority. If you are looking for hotels and have enough to squander on stay then go ahead. It will cost you a bomb even if you plan to only sleep in the room anyway. The best favor you could do to yourself is check the websites like Airbnb.com and Lastminute.com. Do give breakfast and bed accommodations a chance. They worked out great for us and that could be the best way for you to meet the locals.

And we relaxed because our planning was just going perfect. Yes alcohol is permitted on board. 

Carry a GPS aka Smartphone

After getting your accommodations done, save them all on your maps. That way when you arrive, you will know the exact location of your destination. Also if you think that you will need to come back to the particular place then keep saving locations. It works great offline too and you will have cafe's wifi and hotspot wifi everywhere in Europe so you will have no problem in saving locations.



Airtickets:

Contrary to what people say, air tickets are not expensive the last minute. You will get good airlines like Air India too. But be sure to book them before you leave.


Booking tours:

You can reach your destination and book your tours right in the city. There are tour offices that provide you will deals and combo deals that would suit your itinerary. But do not pinch money now that you have reached your dream place. Just go for what makes you happy and will make your memories evergreen.

This are a few tips to have a holiday if you really do want to get your hands dirty with planning at the very last minute. You will actually get so much confidence in yourself that you will already be on your way on ditching the travel agent for your next trip abroad.