Journal Of A Nomad

Road Trip Through Switzerland - Italy - Austria - 1 (Around Interlaken, Switzerland)

2009-11-29T01:30:00.005+01:00

Since the days for the summer 2009 were numbered (In August) and as I'd good enough vacation days left out, I planned on taking a vacation and doing a road trip through Switzerland, Italy, Austria..and back to Germany. I was pretty much looking forward for this trip, as I wanted to drive on some of the Swiss/Italian/Austrian Alps Mountain Passes, which are closed during winter time. My plan was to drive through Switzerland, to Italy..and then back to Germany, through Austria. Normally, most of the Germans here drive through Austria (Brenner Pass, after Innsbruck), to go to Italy. Switzerland is an other alternative, but is much expensive than Austria, as you would have to buy a Vignette (Motorway Ticket) for the whole year, which costs around 28 Euros. On the flip side, Austria has Vignette's for a week or a couple of weeks/months, etc - which is a more flexible option. I decided to go through Switzerland, just because I wanted to drive through the Alps mountain passes and also meet some friends of mine, who are located at Ticino, Southern Switzerland (Italian part of Switzerland). Also, I like that central area of Switzerland (Berner Oberland), around Interlaken.

We started off on Saturday (Aug 22, 2009) and drove through Lindau(Bodensee) and then the Autobahn (motorway) through Liechenstein, to reach Interlaken. Since it was pretty late, when we reached, I just went to the hotel and hit the bed. The next day, we looked around a bit and then, I drove to Iseltwald (where I stayed a couple of nights, in winter 2007), which is a small village around Brienzersee (Lake Brienz).

Here's a video of me, driving around Interlaken:

Here are a few pics from Interlaken-Switzerland and its surroundings (Iseltwald, Lauterbrunnen, etc):

From Interlaken & Surroundings - Switzerland

Here's a video of 'Brienzersee' (Lake Brienz) at Iseltwald:

A few pics from around Thun/Thunersee:

From Interlaken & Surroundings - Switzerland

And here are a few pics from around Lauterbrunnen, which ain't that far from Interlaken:

From Interlaken & Surroundings - Switzerland

And..here's a video of 'Staubach Waterfalls', at Lauterbrunnen-Switzerland:

Continue to "Next Part Of The Trip".............

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Road Trip Through Switzerland, Italy & Austria - 2 (Susten Pass)

2009-11-29T01:23:00.010+01:00

As we planned to meet some of my friends at Ticino (Southern Switzerland), I planned to start off early from Interlaken, the next day (as I wanted to drive on the Susten pass and reach there in time). 'Susten Pass' is a mountain pass, built from 1938 - 1945 and connects the canton of Bern with Uri. Also, it is one of the passes/route that connects North/Central Switzerland with South Switzerland. This pass primarily serves tourism and offers breath-taking views, as you drive/climb up the mountain. In the summer time, you can see a lot of motor-bikes/cars around this place. Apart from this, you can see good number of people climbing up the mountain, by bikes. I guess, most of these bikers must be professional/avid and regular bikers, as you need a lot of stamina for that. This pass is usually closed between November to June, as its pretty cold up there and with a lot of snow around, which could be very dangerous. In some parts of Switzerland, I guess, it's mandatory to have snow-chains for your tires, in winter.

If you have the stamina and would like to bike around this place, check the following links:

1) Climb By Bike - Susten Pass
2) Bikemap.net - Susten Pass

Here's a video of me driving to Susten Pass:

And here are a few pics from me:

From Susten Pass (Interlaken To Lugano), Switzerland

It was really fun driving around, as the weather was perfect and I was driving a BMW cabrio/convertible. After driving for a while, we reached the top of the pass, where you can check the 'Stein Glacier' and 'Steinsee'. Here's a video, which shows the glacier and the lake:

Here are some pics, which were shot around Stein Glacier and Steinsee (around the top of Susten Pass):

From Susten Pass (Interlaken To Lugano), Switzerland

After spending good enough time there, we headed to Ticino (towards Locarno), as we had to meet some friends over there and stay overnight, at their place. The other part of this pass is also good, but I observed that as you cross the Alps (from North), it gets more warmer and drier, as you head towards South. So, the land on the Northern part of the Alps (like Switzerland, Germany, Austria, etc) offers a different landscape and greenery levels, when compared to the southern part (Ticino, Italy, etc). Its not just the landscape and greenery, the attitude/mentality of people, language and other things are also different, when you cross the Alps, from either side. Here are a few more pics, from the last part of this mountain pass:

From Susten Pass (Interlaken To Lugano), Switzerland

After the pass, I'd to take the St. Gotthard pass, which is said to be the third longest tunnel, in the world (I guess, it's around 17 kms in length). Driving at constant speed inside the tunnel, I felt like I wasn't sure, if I was moving or not, as it was a pretty long tunnel. After crossing the tunnel and driving for around half an hour, we reached our friend's place, which is located around Locarno, which is another well-known city in Ticino part of Switzerland.

Continue to 'Next Part Of This Trip'...........

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Road Trip Through Switzerland, Italy and Austria - 4

2009-11-27T22:07:00.000+01:00

After visiting Lago Como (Lake Como), I drove through Milano (Milan) and took the motorway to get to Lago di Garda (Lake Garda), As with Switzerland and Austria, you have to pay for using the motorway. The only different thing in Italy is that, you pay only for the stretch of motorway, that you are using. In this case, Germany is good, as you don't have to pay anything, to drive on the autobahn (Motorway).

After driving for a while, we reached 'Lago Di Garda' and stayed overnight, in one of those relaxing hotels, around the lake. Below are some pics:

From Lake Garda, Italy

The next day, we drove to some main point around the lake and spent some time at that place (walking and just hanging around, as it was relaxing). After that, we drove to an other place, around the lake and swam on the lake, for a short time. It was pretty humid, but the water was a bit cold. After that, we drove all around the lake and headed to our next destination - Vicenza, Italy. This drive around the lake is one of the well known drives in Europe, as you can have fun driving around the lake, with many tunnels to drive through and a nice view of the lake, at many points around it. Below is a video of me driving around the lake:

And below are some pics, that I shot:

From Lake Garda, Italy

Here's an other video, that I shot at some point, around the lake 'Lago Di Garda':

After driving all around, we headed to Vicenza, by taking the small country roads and state highways, rather than the national highways/motorways. Driving on the country roads is sometimes good, as you get to see some interesting things and is not so hectic. Also, in this case, we had to pay whenever we had to get on the motorway and you wouldn't get much to see (nature or interesting architechture, etc things). Here are some pics that I shot, on the way to Vicenza, from Lago di Garda:

From Lake Garda To Vicenza, Italy

....Continue to 'Next Part Of The Trip'

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Road Trip Through Switzerland, Italy and Austria - 3

2009-11-27T21:14:00.002+01:00

After reaching Ticino, we stayed overnight at my friend's place (who stay at Locarno). These 2 friends I'm talkin' about are a Italian-'Swiss German' couple, who requested us to stay overnight, at their place (they had good enough place to accomodate), as we are meeting 'em, after a very long time. It was a very pleasant experience staying there, talking to 'em, playing with their cute kids. Apart from being a pleasant experience, it was also funny, as the Italian guy's face was pretty animated, when we had conversations. It was fun and a very welcome change from where I live (Bavaria, Germany), as you don't see many people with animated faces, around here.

The next day morning, after spending sometime in their house, we walked around Locarno & Ascona, to look around a bit. Locarno is a city in Ticino canton of Switzerland (Southern Switzerland), which sits on the northern side of Lago Maggiore (Lake Maggiore) and is at the foot of the Alps mountains. This city is also well known for the 'International Film Festival', that is held every year, in August. Below are some pics from Locarno (Ascona):

From Locarno (Ascona), Switzerland

After Locarno, we headed towards Lugano and Lago Como (Lake Como), as we planned on looking around a bit (around these places) and then stay overnight at our next destination - 'Lago Di Garda' (German - Gardasee, English - Lake Garda). Lugano ain't that far from Locarno. So, it didn't take much time to be there. As with Locarno, Lugano is also a picturesque city, which sits around a lake and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland. It is also the third largest banking centre in Switzerland (after Zurich and Geneva). Below are a few pics from Lugano:

From Lugano, Switzerland & Lake Como, Italy

We just drove around the lake and then climbed up the hill 'Monte Bre', which is said to be the sunniest spot of Switzerland. Here are a few more pics of Lugano, from Monte Bre:

From Lugano, Switzerland & Lake Como, Italy

After that, we drove towards 'Lago Como' (Lake Como) and stopped by, at some point around the lake, to relax a bit, as it looked less crowded and not so hectic. Although this is so close to Lugano and looks as if it is connected to it, this belongs to Italy..and is said to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Many celebrities and rich guys have villa's around this lake. It's also taken as a status symbol, for many Germans, to have a villa, around this lake. It was indeed pretty good and relaxing, at some points, around the lake (specially, where it's not crowded). Also, the old buildings, villa's and their architechture add up to the aura of this place. Here's a video, that I shot at some point, around this lake:

....And below are some pics, from around the lake:

From Lugano, Switzerland & Lake Como, Italy

That was it, for 'Lago Di Como'. It took a while, to drive around the lake (as it's pretty big) and look around things. After that, we headed towards our next destination (Lago Di Garda - Lake Garda).

Continue to 'Next Part Of The Trip'.....

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Road Trip Through Switzerland, Italy & Austria - 5

2009-11-27T18:38:00.001+01:00

After visiting 'Lago Di Garda' and driving for a couple of hours, we reached Vicenza and tried to find some nice hotel, to stay overnight, at that place. One of my friends (who lived here, for a couple of years) suggested us to stay around 'Monte Berico' Basilica/church, which stands on top of a hill, that overlooks Vicenza. We tried to get some rooms, but it was full...So, we found some other hotel, around downtown Vicenza. It's also a pretty nice location, as it is close to the old part of the city and some good restaurants. Below are some pics of 'Monte Berico' and its surroundings:

From Vicenza - Italy

There's pretty much history related to this city. If you want to know more, refer Wikipedia or any other genuine articles on the internet.

After visiting 'Monte Berico', we checked into our hotel and walked around the old part of the city. As with many other European cities, the old part of Vicenza is also interesting and boasts of great architecture. The style of architecture is much different from what you see in Northern Europe. So, it was interesting and also cosy to walk around and see things. Below are some pics:

From Vicenza - Italy

.....Continue to 'Next Part of The Trip'

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Road Trip Through Switzerland, Italy & Austria - 6

2009-11-26T21:13:00.001+01:00

The next day (after visiting Vicenza), we planned on going to Venice, as that was one of the main places that we wanted to visit, on this trip. It ain't so far from Vicenza (60 kms), but as we drove through the country side (looking around some interesting things), it took around 2 hours, for us to reach Venice.

Venice is a set of small islands in a lagoon/laguna. All the transportation for Venice is water borne, as it is full of canals and no roads. So, if you want to travel to/from Venice, you would have to use the 'Venice Water Bus System' or one of those Gondola's/Vaporetto's/Water Taxi's.

After reaching Venice, we parked the car at one of those building's exclusively built for parking..and which is expensive, as there is huge demand for parking, all the time. After parking, we got the tickets to go to Venice (by the Water Bus System) and I was pretty excited that I'm visiting this place, as I heard and read about this place, since I was a kid. It was pretty hot and humid, but the excitement of visiting Venice, interesting architecture and the beauty of that place, kept me pretty excited. Here's a video that I shot, at Venice (on the way to the central stop of Venice):

And below are some pics:

From Venice, Italy

Here's an other video:

After we reached the main/central stop of Venice, we walked all around Venice and looked at many interesting things. There were lot of visitors around this place and many shops/restaurants are great rip-off points, as everything they sell there is pretty expensive. Below are some more pics, that I shot, when we walked all around Venice:

From Venice, Italy

That was it for 'Venice'....Continue to 'Next Part of The Trip'

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Road Trip Through Switzerland, Italy & Austria - 7

2009-11-26T18:46:00.001+01:00

After visiting 'Venice', we wanted to visit some other places in Italy, but unfortunately we didn't have enough time, as we had to get back to work. So, we planned to go back and as we had some more days off (weekend), we planned on visiting some places in Austria (on the way back). So, we drove North of Venice, towards the Alps mountains (Dolomites), in the direction of Austria. This route also has excellent mountain passes and good enough scenery. So, our vacation mood was not yet over, although we were headin' back home.

The part of the Alps mountains that you come across, when you cross from Italy to Austria or vice-verse are called 'Dolomites'..and are located in the province of Belluno, Bolzano-Bozen, Trento - Italy (North East). This part of the Alps is also famous for skiing and other sports related to mountains. Also, many people visit this part of the Alps, to climb the 'Via Ferrate', which is one of the paths created during the World War I. During the World War I, the border line for Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces, ran through the Dolomites.

The 'Dolomites' also have good number of mountain passes, where you can see lot of bikers/motor-bikers and people driving cars, in the summer time (most of 'em just do it for fun or vacationing around this place). We drove through a couple of passes, out of which 'Passo Staulanza' (Staulanza Mountain Pass) and 'Passo Giau' (Giau Mountain Pass) are well known mountain passes. Below are some pics from Staulanza Pass:

From Staulanza and Giau Pass, Italy

And...below are some pics from 'Passo Giau' (Giau Mountain Pass):

From Staulanza and Giau Pass, Italy

After passing these passes, we stopped at some cool location called 'Lago Ghedina' (Lake Ghedina), close to Cortina - Italy. This lake is on top of some Alps mountain and looks like it's located in the middle of no-where. There is also a restaurant, which is built on the top of the lake (at one edge) and looks like a postcard picture. If you ever happen to travel around this place, check the restaurant : Ristorante Lago Ghedina . Here's a video that I shot:

And below are some pics of the lake, the restaurant and its surroundings:

From Lake Ghedina, Italy

....Continue to 'Next Part of The Trip'

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New York City - 1

2009-05-09T21:00:00.004+02:00

Last month end, I'd a weeklong vacation in US of A (New York City and Niagara Falls) and had a great time, visiting many things that it has to offer. I flew with US Airways and it took a while to cross the pond (Atlantic Ocean). Here are some pics of islands, that I shot, just before we crossed the pond:

From Manhattan - New York City

After crossing the pond, we reached the 'Port Of Entry' (Philadelhia) and it took an additional hour, for us to catch the connecting flight and reach New York City. Ok, now lemme post some info, regarding NYC:

New York City (NYC), also known as the 'Big Apple' or 'Gotham', is the most populous city in the United States and consists of five boroughs:

1) The Bronx
2) Brooklyn
3) Manhattan
4) Queens
5) Staten Island

Its interesting to know that NYC (Manhattan) had a great skyline, even in the 1930's, when there were many countries in the world, which haven't made any progress. In fact, New York City rose to prominence, after the World War II, which resulted in America, drawing all the attention, in the world. As a result of World War II, NYC gradually became the center for many things like Arts, Entertainment, Fashion, Literature, International Affairs (and hence the 'United Nations' was set up). Also, it has become the dominant financial center, since World War II.

New York city was discovered by an Italian explorer (Giovanni da Verrazzano), but the real European settlement started when the Dutch folks used it, as a trading center. Since I've been living in Europe for a while already, I could see some patterns with all the names/languages used in the US. For example, New York was called 'New Amsterdam' before. Also, most of the European city/town/village names can be found in the US. Spanish, British, German, Dutch and French are the most of 'em, that I could identify. For example, the names of cities/towns/villages that end with 'berg/burg/dorf/stein' are German based...Does that mean, they are German settlements? (I mean, do these cities/towns/villages have majority of the German population?)..And are these Germans/German-Jews, the ones who emigrated before or during the World War II? ..Hmm..There's much to history and although, I paid good enough attention to the history class in school, I cant get all the statistics/information regarding this..haha. Also, I started paying more attention to history and culture, since I started traveling to different countries and knowing different cultures (Since it gave me a bit of culture shock! ;-)).

After scribbling the above paragraph, I did some research and found some important info regarding the German settlements in America. Below are some links, if you are interested:

Identifying German Names

German Heritage Map

German-American Stuff

Ok, now I will get back to the trip details. Since we wanted to stay close to the attractions in Manhattan and also get a feel of staying in New York City, we booked an apartment in the 'Upper West Side' part of Manhattan, NYC. So, after reaching NYC, we took a taxi to the apartment and were tired enough to hit the bed.

The next day, we planned on strolling around the city and look at some of the attractions. As we walked along the 'Broadway' street, we discovered that NYC is not exactly like its depicted in the movies and has a lot of royal/nice buildings with pretty good architecture..and people are generally friendly, although its known a bit for its crime rate. This is how it looks like, right across the street, from our apartment:

From Manhattan - New York City

Since our apartment was close to Broadway and 'Central Park', we walked along Broadway for a bit and then went to 'Central Park'. Central Park is a public park in Manhattan - NYC, which is known, not only in the US, but in many other parts of the world (specially because of the Hollywood movies and also because its in the middle of Manhattan and is surrounded by some of the World's most famous buildings/skyscrapers). This park is something like 'English Garden' in Munich, because of its location in the center of the city, with pretty natural-looking lakes/ponds. We had a nice time strolling around the park and also hired a carriage horse. Below are some pics from Central Park:

From Central Park - New York City

America has no real castles like in Germany/Europe, but here are some pics of a castle in the 'Central Park':

From Central Park - New York City

.....And some more pics:

From Central Park - New York City

One more thing, that I would like to say (as I noticed and also constantly hear from Europeans) is that the parks in America have roads running through 'em, whereas in Europe, you wouldn't find that...and this is one of the moot points for Americans and Europeans. ;-)

Continue To 'New York City - 2'....

New York City - 2

2009-05-09T20:20:00.007+02:00

....Continued from New York City - 1

After looking at 'Central Park', we planned on visiting 'The American Museum Of Natural History', which is one of the biggest and famous museums in the world. This is located, just beside the 'Central Park', in the 'Upper West Side' part of Manhattan, NYC. I was interested to look at this museum, because it showcases a lot of stuff related to animals/wildlife (specially the stuff related to dinosaurs), scientific, geographical, archeological, et al. Also, I was partly excited, because I got to see the movie (A Night At The Museum), before visiting NYC and which was shot there.

Some of the interesting facts about this museum are that the museum was found in 1869 and 'Theodore Roosevelt Sr.' (Father of 26th U.S president), was one of the founders. Below are some pics from that museum:

From American Museum Of Natural History - New York City

All the pictures posted above were set up so good, that you believe that they are for real. Also, the painting in the background was done on a wall, which is semi spherical in shape (which gives a 3D effect) and gives you a feeling that the animals are really in the woods of Africa/India or any respective country. Below are some more pics:

From American Museum Of Natural History - New York City

One of the interesting things that are showcased, is dinosaurs. Below are some pics of 'em:

From American Museum Of Natural History - New York City

.....And some more pics from other sections of the museum:

From American Museum Of Natural History - New York City

And here are some pics of 'Manhattan skyline' that you see from inside the museum:

From American Museum Of Natural History - New York City

...And some more pics of ethnic/medieval/cultural stuff:

From American Museum Of Natural History - New York City

...Continue to New York City - 3

New York City - 3

2009-05-09T19:30:00.002+02:00

...continued from New York City - 2

The next couple of days, we looked at many other attractions of New York City. The next day (after the 'Central Park' and 'American Museum Of Natural History'), we took the subway to the 'West 34th Street' and planned on visiting 'Empire State Building' and other attractions around there. Below are some pics of the NYC subway:

From Manhattan - New York City

After reaching, we first checked the "Macy's Store", which is said to be the biggest shopping mall, in the world. This mall is located close to the 'Empire State Building' and can also be seen, from the top of the building. Below are some pics of "Macy's Store", 'Empire State Building' and its surroundings:

From Manhattan - New York City

After shopping at Macy's store, we bought the tickets to check the 'Empire State Building', which was the world's tallest building, for more than 40 years (from 1931 until the construction of 'World Trade Centre'). Now, it is the 14th tallest skyscraper in the world. Also, after sep 11 - 2001, it has once again become the tallest building in 'New York City' (since the World Trade Center was destroyed in the sep 11 terrorist attacks). After we bought the tickets, we were guided to a lift, by which, we reached the top of the building. The lift was pretty fast. So, it didnt take much time for us, to reach the top of the building. Below are some pics:

From Manhattan - New York City

From the above pic, you might think that its 86 stories high. But it aint the case. We had to take an other lift/escalator from 86th floor, to the top of the building (102 stories). Below are some more pics:

From Manhattan - New York City

From the top of the building, you can have a glorious view of New York City and its surroundings (like Statue of Liberty, Manhattan bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Flatrion, MetLife and other buildings, etc). Below are some videos that I shot, from top of 'Empire State Building':

...And below are some pics:

From Manhattan - New York City

In the below pic, you can see the 'Lower Manhattan/South Ferry'. Wall Street is located over there.

From Manhattan - New York City

In the pic below, you can see the 'Statue of Liberty', as seen from top of 'Empire State Building' (It just looks like a speck):

From Manhattan - New York City

..And the flat 'Flatrion' building, as seen from the top:

From Manhattan - New York City

...and some more miscellaneous pics, from the top:

From Manhattan - New York City

...continue to New York City - 4

New York City - 4

2009-05-09T19:00:00.015+02:00

.....continued from New York City - 3

After the 'Empire State Building' part, we just strolled around and headed towards 'Greenwich Village' and 'South Ferry' (where the financial district (Wall Street) of NYC is located). Also, Chinatown and 'Little Italy' are on the way to those places. Below are some pics that I shot, when we walked towards the Midtown and then 'South Ferry':

From Manhattan - New York City

'Greenwich Village' is a well known residential area in Manhattan, NYC and is less crowded and more relaxed, than many other parts of Manhattan. This is said to be the birthplace of 'Beat Movement' and was previously known as the 'Bohemian Capital'. Also, this place is famous because of people like 'Bob Dylan' (who was a resident), 'Nina Simone' (who kick started her career, there) and many others. Below are some pics from 'Greenwich Village':

From Manhattan - New York City

And below are some pics of 'Jefferson Market Library' (In Greenwich Village), which was once a courthouse and now serves as branch of New York Public Library (Looks more like a European castle):

From Manhattan - New York City

After that, we walked around 'Chinatown' and 'Little Italy', which are called so, because the majority of the population in those places, are from respective countries (although the Italian population is spread over different parts of NYC, now). It was pretty nice walking around some parts of 'Little Italy' (or around that), as there were some cosy restaurants (like in Europe) and you can sit outside, when the weather is good (like in Europe).

After looking at Chinatown and 'Little Italy', we took a bus to the financial district (Wall Street), as planned on taking the ferry to 'Staten Island' from the 'South Ferry'. Also, you can catch the ferry the 'Statue Of Liberty/Ellis Island', from there. Below are some pics of the 'Financial District (Wall Street runs through this area of Manhattan, NYC) and its surroundings:

From Manhattan - New York City

.....continue to 'New York City - 5'

New York City - 5

2009-05-09T18:05:00.009+02:00

....continued from New York City - 4

After walking a bit around the 'Financial District', we planned on taking a ferry to 'Staten Island', look around a bit and come back to Manhattan. We didn't plan on going to 'Ellis Island' or 'Statue Of Liberty', as it was a bit late and we didnt have enough time, to do all the things. Also, the ferry to Staten Island, passes close to the 'Statue Of Liberty' and so, there was no use of going to 'Statue Of Liberty'. Also, the entry into the statue was prohibited/restricted temporarily. So, we made the right decision, to take the ferry to 'Staten Island'. Also, we were more interested in visiting all the boroughs of NYC.

As the ferry rode away from Manhattan, we had glorious views of '(Lower) Manhattan skyline'. Below is a video, that I shot, from the ferry:

And below are some pics:

From Manhattan - New York City

And below are the pics of 'Statue Of Liberty', that I shot from the ferry:

From Manhattan - New York City

And here's one more video:

After that, we reached 'Staten Island' and took the train, dropped off at some station and walked around a bit. Staten Island is a borough of NYC, located totally on an island and is separated from 'New Jersey' , by 2 riverbeds and from the rest of New York, by the New York Bay. When you visit this place, you feel like being in a small, typical US town, but not a hectic city. It is said to be the most suburban and least populated boroughs of NYC. Below are some pics from Staten Island:

From Manhattan - New York City

After walking around for a while, we headed back to the train station and then, to the ferry station, to take the ferry back to Manhattan. We planned in such a way, that we wanted to go back to Manhattan, when its getting dark and so, we can have great views of NYC, at night time. Below is a pic, that I shot, when we just took off, from Staten Island:

From Manhattan - New York City

And here's a video of Manhattan skyline at night time, that I shot, when we almost reached 'Manhattan':

And here are some more pics:

From Manhattan - New York City

....continue to New York City - 6

New York City - 6

2009-05-09T18:00:00.014+02:00

....continued from New York City - 5

The next day, we planned on going to 'Bronx' borough, which is the northernmost part of New York City (located north-east of Manhattan). Before heading to Bronx, we walked around a bit and planned on visiting some things, on the way to Bronx. Since 'Columbia University' was on the way to 'Bronx', we just walked around the university campus and looked around a bit. This University is the one, which annually grants 'Pulitzer Prizes' and its also said to be university affiliated with more 'Nobel Prize' winners, than any other university. Here are some pics of the University campus:

From Manhattan - New York City

After the 'Columbia University' part, we also looked at this cathedral on 'Amsterdam Avenue' (called 'Cathedral of Saint John the Divine), which is said to be the largest cathedral in the world, although it was never completely built. Here are some pics of that cathedral:

From Manhattan - New York City

After this, we headed towards Bronx and planned of going to 'Bronx Zoo', which is said to be the largest metropolitan zoo in the U.S. This zoo, like some other well-known zoos has many good things to offer, but whats special about this zoo, is the cool set up of wild life, in natural looking stuff. Here are some pics:

From Bronx Zoo - New York City, USA

After visting the 'Bronx Zoo', we wanted to see the other boroughs of NYC (which we haven't covered yet). So, we thought of going to the south end of Manhattan and walk on the 'Brooklyn Bridge' and have some glorious views of Manhattan (from the bridge) and then head towards 'Brooklyn' and 'Queens'. By the way, the series 'King Of Queens' is a major hit in Germany.

Regarding the 'Brooklyn Bridge', it is said to be one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US and connects the boroughs of 'Manhattan' and 'Brooklyn'.
Here are some pics of 'Brooklyn Bridge' and the view of Manhattan, from there:

From Manhattan - New York City

After all the walking, we were tired enough and took the bus to Queens, looked around a bit and took the subway back to Manhattan. This time, we stopped by 'Grand Central' station, since it is said to be the largest train station in the world (by number of platforms) and also because its close to the 'Times Square', where we wanted to shop and look at one of those 'Broadway Shows', which are known, all over the world. Also, we wanted to book a train ticket to 'Niagara Falls', coz we wanted to explore a bit of New York country side, too.

Coming to the 'Grand Central' station, its pretty big and has a lot of restaurants/food-joints in the basement of the station. There were lots of food items that we liked, but we could experiment with only a few of 'em..haha. Here are few pics from 'Grand Central':

From Manhattan - New York City

After this, we took the subway to the 'Times Square'. Times Square is a popular landmark, not just in the NYC or United States, but all over the world. This intersection/crossroad is at the junction of Broadway and 'Seventh Avenue' and is sometimes known as the 'Crossroads of the world'. Times Square and its surroundings is the most happening place of Manhattan/NYC and a good number of tourists just come to shop around this place. Here's a video:

And here are some pics, from around 'Times Square':

From Manhattan - New York City

After shopping and looking around a bit, we went to some 'Broadway Comedy Show' and called it a day. That was it, for the 'New York City' trip.

...contine to 'Niagara Falls' post

Niagara Falls - NY

2009-05-09T17:30:00.001+02:00

The next day, after the 'New York City' part, we took the morning train to Niagara Falls, by American Amtrak Train Services. Niagara Falls was around 600 kms from NYC and so, it took a while to reach Buffalo City and then Niagara Falls (passing by Poughkeepsie, Syracuse, Albany, et al). The train journey was good and relaxing, but considerably slow, when compared to the fast trains in Europe (like the German ICE, French TGV/Thalys, et al). We took this train, so as to relax a bit and also look at the nature, outside of New York City. After almost 8 & 1/2 hours of travelling, we finally reached 'Niagara Falls', checked in the hotel and walked around a bit, so as to check the falls, on the American side. It was a different feeling walking around the town, as it looked totally dead, as you see no people outside and the streets are pretty wide. This is how one feels, when they live in Europe or Asian countries and go to America. Here are some pics of Niagara Falls (on the American side), at night time:

From Niagara Falls - NY

Niagara Falls is one of the largest waterfall in the world, located both on the American side, as well as the Canadian side. Actually, it's said to be the second largest waterfall in the world and I ain't sure about that. It probably is, because its actually a set of 3 waterfalls, out of which, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are located on the American side and Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side. Around these falls, are the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario (Canadian side) and Niagara Falls, New York (American side). Buffalo is the nearest city to Niagara Falls on the American side and Toronto, on the Canadian side. Apart from this, Niagara Falls is on the Niagara river, which connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, which are 2 lakes in the set of 'Great Lakes' (consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario').

The next day, we spend a lot of time looking at the Falls and all the things around that. It was nice to walk around and look at all the things, as the weather was great. Here are some pics:

From Niagara Falls - NY

And here's a video of the 'Niagara' waterfalls:

And..here are some more pics:

From Niagara Falls - NY

Below are some pics, showing the 'Niagara Falls' town, on the Canadian side:

From Niagara Falls - NY

And...the below are some pics, showing the 'Rainbow Bridge', which connects the US with Canada, across the Niagara river:

From Niagara Falls - NY

And...some more pics:

From Niagara Falls - NY

And ...the pics of the Falls, as seen from the 'Rainbow Bridge' and the Canadian side:

From Niagara Falls - NY

After that, we also walked through the park, on the American side and also looked at the 'Three Sister Islands' and other things. Here's a video, that was shot around the 'Three Sister Islands':

And some pics, from around the 'Three Sister Islands' and the park:

From Niagara Falls - NY

That was it. The next day, we rented a car and drove back to New York City. It was nice driving through the NY and Pennsylvania country side and ultimately entering into Manhattan, looking at the Manhattan skyline, just after the sun set.

Burg Eltz

2009-05-01T17:56:00.004+02:00

Last Weekend, I'd to drive up to a place in Netherlands, for some work (which was around 700 kms)..and while headin' back, I planned on visiting the famous medieval castle called 'Burg Eltz' , which looks like a fairy-tale castle and has a bit of similar setting, like the 'Neuschwanstein Castle' in Bavaria. This castle is in 'Rheinland-Pfalz' state (Bundesland) of Germany and is close to cities like Koblenz/Trier/Cochem.

As for the castle, it is located on a hillock in the middle of the woods and is surrounded on 3 sides, by tributaries of Mosel river (Eltzbach - which is actually a creek) and which are further surrounded by the hills. There is no direct road leading to the castle. So, whoever wants to visit this place, has to park their car at one of those villages (Moselkern or Munster-Maifeld), which are close to this castle and walk for around 2.5 or 3 kms. This kind of stuff, makes for an excellent day trip, as you drive and then walk/trek beside the creek and see this cute castle, located in a isolated place. Below are some pics of Mosel river and the ones I shot when we walked to the castle:

From Burg (Castle) Eltz

After walking for a while, I could see the castle, from behind the trees and was awed by the way its built and in such a cool location, isolated from sophistication (which gives a feeling that you are in some medieval age). In fact, you can see so many castles all over Germany/Europe, but there are few, which are striking in their appearance and have an aura around 'em. Below are some pics:

From Burg (Castle) Eltz

The best view of this castle (which makes it look like a fairy-tale castle) is from the front. Below are some pics, which I shot from the front:

From Burg (Castle) Eltz

After that, I got a guided tour of the castle and looked at some interesting things, inside the castle. This castle is still owned by the people of the same family, that lived there in the 12th century. Below are some more pics of the castle:

From Burg (Castle) Eltz

That was it, for 'Burg Eltz'. After this, I also drove around that place and also visited an other castle called 'Reichsburg', which is around 30 kms from that place. The nature and landscape ain't that bad, over there (although people talk about Bavaria, all the time). Below are some more pics of Reichsburg castle and the nature around there, in Rheinland-Pfalz:

From Burg (Castle) Eltz

From Reichsburg

...and some more pics of the nature around these 2 places:

From Burg (Castle) Eltz

Dubai (UAE)

2008-11-15T11:14:00.001+01:00

At the beginning of November, while heading back from India (after a few weeks of vacation), I'd a stop-over at Dubai (for two days), as I planned on looking around this city, which is well-known for its innovative real-estate projects and other things. I was prepared and had the 'Transit Visa' from the UAE consulate in Germany, before heading for my vacation in India. Anyways, I was a little bit concerned to pass-by Dubai, after reading all the stories from those news websites and other articles, about arresting innocent people at the airports for unnecessary reasons. This is the kind of feeling that people have when they think of travelling to different countries. Indeed, that was a false impression that I had and there's nothing to worry about, if you aint doing anything wrong (or more precisely, 'illegal') and that was proved, after my stay at Dubai. Also, Dubai is a cosmopolitan city with good number of British, Americans, Germans, Africans, Asians (from other countries), Russians, ex-soviet-union countries like Georgia, Armenia, et al.

I reached Dubai sometime around 9 PM and took a taxi to the hotel (At Deira, Dubai) that I booked and was tired enough to hit the bed. The next day, I woke up pretty early, had my breakfast and strolled around that area, to find a book shop and buy some tourist maps. I found a book shop, after walking a bit and planned on going to Jumeira, which is one of the famous areas in Dubai. Here are some pics that I shot, on the way to Jumeira:

From Dubai - UAE

After I reached Jumeira, I walked towards the beach, which is mostly used/occupied by the European/American/Russian tourists. It was pretty hot that day and I felt like jumping into the water, but couldn't do that, as I didn't have much time for that. Also, taking pictures is prohibited around the beach. After that, I'd a conversation with a local guy, about the heat and how hot it would be in different seasons. He said that its cold at that moment and that it would be harsh in the summer (at around 47 degrees celsius). In my opinion, it was pretty hot and burning at that moment (Guess the temperature was between 35 and 37 degrees celsius). In cold European countries, they have bus-stops with radiators. Like-wise, they have air-conditioned bus-stops in Dubai. You can imagine, how hot it would be (although its comfortable in the shade). Here are some pics from around that place:

From Dubai - UAE

After that, I took the taxi to the 'Burj-Al Arab' hotel, which is one of the landmarks of Dubai. Here's a video that I shot on the way (which shows a part of Dubai skyline):

It wasn't that far from the Jumeira beach and so it took, just a few minutes to reach that hotel. This hotel (Burj-Al Arab) is one of the world's famous luxury hotels and its structure is built in such a way, that it resembles the sail of a boat. Also, its one of the most expensive hotels in the world. To visit the hotel and check its interiors, you need to get a permission and for which, you should apply 15 days before your visit. I haven't done much about that and thought that it would good enough to have a glimpse of that hotel, from the outside. There's also an other hotel called 'Jumeira', which is right beside this hotel and is also one of the best and expensive hotels in the world. Here's a video:

And here are some pics from around that place;

From Dubai - UAE

There's also a 'Helipad' at the top of the hotel, on which the people-with-big-bucks can directly land into the hotel. Here's a pic:

From Dubai - UAE

After looking around and taking good pics around that place, I took the local bus to a shopping mall called 'Batuta', which is said to be one of the best shopping malls in Dubai. Also, I thought that I could see many other places, on the way to that mall, as its located at one end of the city. Here are some pics that I shot on the way:

From Dubai - UAE

After that, I reached Batuta mall and got a breather and was waiting to rush into the mall, as I was sweating profusely because of all the heat and travelling from one place to other. I guess, most of the people (apart from the poor labourers and construction workers) stay behind closed doors in air-conditioned houses/offices/malls, et al places. This is also probably the reason why Dubai is wide awake, even at midnight, coz its pretty comfortable and good to do things, after the sun sets. By the way, most of the labourers and construction workers are from villages or other remote parts of India (specially from the state of Kerala, in India). Also, there are huge number of workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Phillipines, et al. Apart from this, there are also huge number of people from India, who work in Banking/Software/Fashion and other fields. This is the reason why 'Hindi' or 'Malayalam' is widely spoken in Dubai. If you know Hindi/English/Arabic/Malayalam, you can comfortably live in Dubai. Here are some pics from 'Batuta' mall:

From Dubai - UAE

After spending sometime there, I headed back into the city, to an other part, where they were building the tallest structure in the world. Here are some videos that I shot, on the way:

And here are some pics:

From Dubai - UAE

After reaching this landmark structure, I spent sometime looking around and shooting some pics. This building is not yet complete, but was officially announced as the tallest structure in the world. It stands above 700 metres at the moment and is expected to rise over 818 mts, when completed. Here's a video:

And here are some pics:

From Dubai - UAE

After that, I headed back to the hotel, as I wanted to reach that place before the rush-hour, when the traffic gets worse and would take around a couple of hours to reach my hotel (which normally takes a couple of minutes, off rush-hours). Here are some more pics that I shot, on the way back:

From Dubai - UAE

That was it, for Dubai. The next day, I just took a stroll around some main areas of Dubai and caught the flight back to Germany. While on the plane, I got to see the 'Palm Jumeira', which is a set of small, artificial islands and is one of the innovative real-estate projects of Dubai. Its a wonderful creation, but unfortunately, I couldn't capture any pics. Thats it! Ciao ;-)

Liechenstein

2008-10-12T04:22:00.003+02:00

Last Thursday (Oct 2), I happened to be there at Google office in Zurich, Switzerland for the 'Open Source Jam' event, where I spent a couple of hours. The next day, after the event, I spent only a few hours in Zurich (since I've been to Zurich before) and took the train to 'Liechenstein' (which is the 6th smallest country in the world), to look around a bit. A few pics from Zurich:

From Switzerland - 2

Liechenstein is a land-locked country, sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, spanning just 62 square kms. It is the 6th smallest country in the world and 4th smallest in Europe (Other being Vatican, San Marino and Monaco). The capital city of Liechenstein is Vaduz. Indeed, its just like a small town, spread over a couple of kms and so, a couple of hours should be sufficient to see this country ;-). As with Switzerland, Liechenstein also relies heavily on Banking/Financial sector, Tourism and other small things. It is also said to be a tax-haven, similar to Switzerland/Monaco (although it aint doing so good and has some economic setbacks, at the moment).

The journey to Liechenstein, from Zurich is just a couple of hours (around 2 & 1/2 hours).I'd to take the train from Zurich to Sargans (Switzerland) and from there, another short ride on the 'Liechenstein Bus', to get to Vaduz (Liechenstein). Here are a few pics that I shot, on the way to Liechenstein:

From Switzerland - 2

After reaching Vaduz, I spent a couple of hours looking around the centre (which is where, you can spend sometime and see the main things of this country - apart from the castle on the hill). There's not much to do around this place. So, a couple of hours should be good enough for this trip. Also, I heard that the castle (which sits on a hill and overlooks the capital of Liechenstein - Vaduz) is closed for public (since it is still home to the prince of Liechenstein). So, I didn't plan on going there. Apart from that, I looked at some other areas of Liechenstein, like Schaan-Vaduz, et al. Here are some pics from Liechenstein:

From Liechenstein

I also walked around the main shopping street and got some souvenirs. It wasn't that comfortable to walk around, as it was raining a bit and also that I had to carry my backpack. Here are some pics from around that place:

From Liechenstein

That was it, for Liechenstein. Later, I took the bus to Buchs (Switzerland), where I rented a car, so that I stuff my backpack and other luggage in the trunk of the car and drive around and get to my next destination (Davos, Switzerland). Once all the formalities were done and I got the car, I drove through Chur, Landquart and headed towards Davos, Switzerland. Davos is a small, town/village located on top of a mountain and surrounded by mountains. More formally, it's an 'Alpine Ski Village' (offering skiing and other stuff) and said to be a famous resort too. One more important thing is that this place hosts the 'World Economic Forum', every year (in which bigtime politicians and other business people from all over the world attend the event). In Europe, most people treat this place as an rich people's resort/skiing place. In general, Switzerland is an expensive place, when compared to many other countries in Europe. Most of the foods and other things cost around 2 times, as much as in Germany.

After driving half-way through, it turned dark and my car had to climb up the mountains, to reach Davos. I was a bit concerned, as I'd to drive on a narrow road (not all the way), on a mountainous landscape, which I'm not familiar with and also the fact that its dark and one side of the road is a deep valley. To make things worse, it was raining cats and dogs, which turned into a heavy snowfall, after a certain altitude. It was snowing all over the windscreen and affected the visibility. I heard that in some parts of Switzerland, you cannot drive your car without snow-chains. Although I drove at moderate speed, there were some crazy guys (obviously driving Porsche/BMW/SUV), overtaking me on that small road. Maybe they are Italians?!?!

After sometime, I was at an altitude that it doesn't go up anymore. The land and trees were totally covered with snow. Since it was totally white everywhere, I could see a bit of the landscape, from inside the car, at night time. It felt like driving in a magical world (specially because it doesn't snow in Germany in that part of the year and also that I come from a place, where it doesn't snow).

Later, I reached Davos, checked-in my hotel and stayed around that place for one day. I planned on going to St.Moritz too, but since it was snowing and the weather condition wasn't so favourable for driving around that place (on the mountains) and also that I'd to get back to home and start working (the next day), I drove back to Zurich, returned my rental car at the Zurich Airport and headed back home. I thought of posting my Davos trip info in a separate post, but I couldn't do it because I lost my camera (pretty new and expensive), in Zurich. Indeed I didn't lose it. Somebody stole it! So, I dont have pics to support the 'Davos Trip' post. I still regret losing all the wonderful pics that I shot in Davos and its surroundings. Anyways, thats it for the trip! Driving around Davos, in the Alps, with all the snow, beautiful nature, huge glacier lakes and mountainous landscape, was the best part of the trip. :-)

Oktoberfest 2008 - Munich, Germany

2008-09-26T22:26:00.014+02:00

At the beginning of this week, I had this oppurtunity to attend 'Google Developer Day' event at Munich, Germany and so, I planned the trip in such a way that I can also visit the Oktoberfest, which happens for around 16 days, starting from September 16th, every year. Since a long time, I was very much looking forward for this 'Oktoberfest' event, just because it is said to be the biggest folk festival in the world (although its known to many, as a binge-drinking event). I started off from Nuremberg/Nurnberg on Monday (Sep 22), by the ICE train, which sped to a max of 301 km/hr and took me to Munich (which is approx. 170 kms from Nuremberg), in just an hour.

I was specially keen on visiting Wiesn (Oktoberfest Grounds/Theresienwiese), because I heard from my German colleagues, that a lot of people from all over the world show up for this event, just to get drunk, in one of those tents, which are specially set-up for the event. Sometimes, I wonder why someone has to travel a long way to get drunk. Maybe its something special to get drunk in a strange place with a typical German/Bavarian setup?!?!

Indeed, a lot of events (similar to Oktoberfest) happen all over Germany (specially in Bavaria), during the summer-time. Also, Oktoberfest was similar to the 'Volks-fest' that happens in Nuremberg/Nurnberg (Bavaria, Germany), apart from a couple of differences. Oktoberfest, when compared to other fests, is pretty big event and also the typical Bavarian setup, gives special appeal to that. By special appeal, I mean the way, all the tents are built up specially for this event, people dressed up in typical Bavarian dress' (Lederhosen and Dirndl), German beer, music (specially Bavarian) and the way people fight, sing or dance holding that huge mug of beer. ;-) Also, during this Oktoberfest-time, if you happen to travel by Munich's Metro train, you will get to see a lot of people wearing 'Lederhosen' (for men) or 'Dirndl' (for women) and heading for the event or back to home. Here are some pics from Oktoberfest, 2008:

From Oktoberfest 2008 - Munich

After looking around a bit, I went inside a tent (LoewenBrau) and got to see to the real Oktoberfest mood, with all the people drinking up those huge mugs of beer or singing and dancing to the typical Bavarian/Bayern music, played by one of those Bavarian bands. Here's a video:

And here are some pics:

From Oktoberfest 2008 - Munich

After that, I just headed back to the hotel, which was far off from the centre (as I couldn't find a reasonably priced hotel, at that time). I didn't spend much time there, as I'd no company and also for the reason that I went to Munich for some work purpose (for attending Google Developer Day). Anyways, here's one more video:

And some more pics, from around that place:

From Oktoberfest 2008 - Munich

Trip To Innsbruck - Part 3

2008-07-05T03:12:00.007+02:00

After looking around 'Wachlensee' (Germany), we headed towards Innsbruck (Austria), which was around 30 kms from that place. It was a pleasure to drive through the Alps, across the German-Austriaan border, as the weather was great and the whole trip offered great scenery in that mountainous landscape. Here's a video that I shot:

And here are some pics:

And here's the first glimpse of 'Innsbruck':

Innsbruck is named so, because it lies on the banks of the river 'Inn'. Literally speakin', 'Innsbruck' means 'Bridge On River Inn' (based on the logic that 'bruck' means bridge and Inn is the name of the river). It is the capital of 'Tirol' region of Austria and is one of the most touristic parts in Austria, apart from Vienna and Salzburg. Also, many Bollywood and a couple of Hollywood movies were shot here. Here are some pics from Innsbruck:

Innsbruck is indeed a pretty nice university city/town and is one of the major skiing points in Austria. As with many other European cities, the old part of Innsbruck is the best part and is typical with many old buildings, cafes, restaurants, et al. Here are some pics from the old part of Innsbruck and the central park (close to the old part):

Since the Euro 2008 soccer championship was happening at that moment (hosted by Austria and Switzerland), there were a couple of 'public viewing' spots in public places. As part of this tournament, Innsbruck also hosted 2 Euro 2008 matches - Spain Vs Russia, and Spain Vs Sweden. Here's a pic:

That was it, for that day. Later, we checked into the hotel and dropped off.

For the first part of the next day, we got the work done and later, planned on going to the 'Ambras' castle, which is located at one end of Innsbruck, on the hilly part of the Alps. Here are some pics from 'Ambras castle':

After looking at 'Ambras castle, we headed to the 'Swarovski Crystal World', which is one of the touristic parts of Innsbruck. Its indeed located out of Innsbruc (a couple of kms away), at a place called 'Wattens'. Its not one of the things that local people are interested in, but it's one of the touristic parts of Innsbruck (specially for visitors from far off countries). Here are some videos that I shot, on the way to 'Swarovski':

And here are some pics that I shot when we drove towards 'Swarovski Crystal World' from 'Ambras castle':

After we reached 'Swarovski Crystal World', we bought entry tickets and looked at the 'crystal world/exhibition' for some time. In the beginning, we thought of it as a boring one, but gradually we liked some things around thatplace. Here are some pics from 'Swarovski Crystal World':

That was it, for the 'Trip To Innsbruck'. For more pics, check the slide-shows below:

Innsbruck:

Swarovski Crystal World:

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Trip To Innsbruck - Part 2

2008-07-05T01:09:00.003+02:00

The next day (after overnight stay at 'Kochel'), we drove to the lake around that place called 'Kochelsee'. There are indeed 2 lakes around this place (Kochel) - 'Walchensee' and 'Kochelsee', of which 'Wachlensee' is much bigger than 'Kochelsee'. Walchensee is located a bit higher in the Alps and 'Kochelsee', at the tip of the Alps. Because of the altitude difference, Germans/Bavarians built a power plant, using the water that flows from 'Wachlensee' to 'Kochelsee'. Its called 'Wachlensee Kraftwerk' and is one of the oldest power plants in Germany, being built around the 1920's.

Around these two lakes, a lot of people camp around and do activities like hiking, trekking, surfing on the lake or just relax. This applies specially in the summer, as the climatic conditions are good to do outdoor activities. In winter, both the lakes are probably frozen and so, the only thing that you can do is to ice-skate on the lake. But be it winter or summer, its beautiful and offers great scenery.

Here are some pics of our hotel surroundings at Kochel:

And here are some pics from 'Kochelsee':

We didnt plan on swimming in the lake, as the water was still cold (although it was pretty hot outside). So, after looking around a bit, we drove to that power plant (Wachlensee Kraftwerk) and had a brief look at things there. Here are some pics:

Later, we headed to 'Wachlensee', which is just a couple of kms from that place. Here are some more pics that I shot, when we stopped by, at some view point:

In a couple of minutes, we reached 'Wachlensee' and I was much impressed by the surroundings...much better than 'Kochelsee'. The surroundings were great, weather was great, water in the lake was clear and blue (which reminded me of French Riviera). There were good number of campers, surfers, people sun-bathing and other visitors around, as the weather was great and also because it was a weekend. Before takin' a dip in the lake, we spent some time sitting in a restaurant beside the lake and just enjoying the breeze. Later, we put on the swimming gear and took a dip in the lake, although it as a bit cold. Here are some pics from around the lake:

There was also a 'cable car' around this place, by which you can get to the peak of one of the Alps mountains. Here's a video that I shot from the cable car:

And here are some pics of 'Wachlensee' and its surroundings, that I shot when we took a ride on that cable car:

After reaching the peak, we hiked around that place for a while, got back to our car and headed to Innsbruck - Austria. Here are some more pics that I shot, when we hiked around the peak of that mountain:

Thats it, for this part. I will cover 'Innsbruck' in the next part of the trip. Auf Wiedersehen! :-)

For more pics, check the slide-shows below:

Wachlensee:

Kochelsee:

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Trip To Innsbruck, Austria - Part 1

2008-07-03T23:55:00.006+02:00

Last week (on Monday), I had to go to Innsbruck (Austria) for some work and since it was around the weekend, I planned on spending some time around Innsbruck, by startin' off early, on the weekend (Saturday noon). As we had to pass by Munich, we also planned on lookin' around a couple of places/lakes and if possible, swim or get a dip in the lake. One of the best things about Munich is that, there are so many lakes (small to big) around it and so, people stayin' in Munich have many options to spend quality time on the weekend or any other time (specially in the summer) - apart from many other things, that Munich offers.

We set off from 'Nuremberg' on saturday noon, reached munich in around 2 hrs and then headed towards 'Bad Tolz'. In German, 'Bad' means 'Bath'. So, dont take the literal English meaning. Infact, if the name of the place starts with 'Bad', it means its a 'Spa Town/Village', which implies its kind of a 'Health Resort' or a place, where you can restore your health. It might not be applicable to all, but this kind of 'Spa Town/Village' concept exists everywhere.

On the way to 'Bad Tolz', we had a brief stop for a couple of hours, at a place called 'Reutberg', which has a well-known monastery/church and a lake called 'Kirchsee', around that place. Here are some pics, that I shot when we approached that place/monastery:

After that, we just parked our car and headed towards the lake, instead of looking at the monastery, as we thought of swimming or just havin' a dip in the water, depending on water temperature. We walked a couple of kms, to reach that lake, which is located between small hills. The lake wasn't that deep and water in the lake was very clear. So, we had a great time around that place. After that, we walked back to the monastery, had our lunch in the 'beer garden', looked at that small monastery/church and headed towards 'Bad Tolz'. Here are some pics from 'Reutberg' and 'Kirchsee':

Later, we drove to 'Bad Tolz', which wasn't that far from 'Reutberg' and looked around that place. Some of my friends were interested in that place, just because there is a German/Bavarian crimi-series called 'Der Bulle Von Bad Tolz', which is based at that place. Its indeed a nice hilly town/village on the banks of the river 'Isar', in south Bavaria, Germany. Here are some pics from that place:

Later, we drove towards 'Innsbruck' and planned on staying overnight, somewhere close to the 'German-Austrian' border. We decided on a place called 'Kochel', which is a German village, close to the 'Austrian' border and is at the tip of the 'Alps' mountains. We decided on this place, as we thought we could look around some of the well-known lakes around this place, called 'Kochelsee' and 'Wachlensee', the next day. Also, it was late enough when we reached that place. Here are some pics, as we approached 'Kochel':

Later, we checked into some hotel in Kochel and called it a day. Please check the next part of this trip, for more info.

For more pics, check the slide-shows below:

Reutberg And Kirchsee:

Bad Tolz:

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