My Europe trip - The northern port city of Hamburg. (Day 1)

       We landed in Hamburg to a light drizzle. The city was almost asleep or at least the part of town on our way to the hotel was and it wasn't even 9pm! The day's wandering had sapped me of energy. I simply wanted to get lost in the softness of the bed that was awaiting me in the hotel. The city reminded me of the tony neighbourhoods we are used to seeing in English movies, replete with well-kept lawns, red brick houses and roads lined with trees on both sides. Such a delight from the mismanaged urbanisation back home.

Swans at the Hamburg Zoo

       We decided to check the restaurant just around the corner from our hotel. To our surprise it was an Asian restaurant in this northern port city and it was pretty full with patrons. There was some Bundesliga match playing in the background. We ordered some food and got down to discuss our plans for the next day. Maybe we were just famished or the food was amazing, but it tasted just so good. Who would have imagined such great Asian food so much up north?

       My friend had office work to attend the next two days while we were to be in Hamburg so the days were left to me to explore the city on my own. The next morning was misty and it caught me praying for the rains to take a break. I had decided to visit the Hamburg Zoo, for want of a better option and for experiencing western zoos for the first time. Again, the day passes came to the rescue. The Hamburg card makes such travel pretty cheap. Our hotel was next to the university so the area was pretty young. I grabbed what turned out to be a yummy sandwich at the station shop before taking a Metro to the Hagenbeck Zoo.

Cherry blossoms.

       The thing about European cities, especially the western ones, is that nothing's really far from a Metro station. You really don't need your personal vehicle to commute. And everything is so punctual! The Zoo was right across the station and I was one of the few visitors dropping in so early. It was a great sight to see not only parents with kids but also old couples visiting the Zoo for an outing. The Zoo was like no other I had ever seen in India, though this statement is just me stating the obvious. The superlative variety of animals from EVERY continent on Earth just leaves you stunned. There were so many new species of which I had only read or seen on NatGeo. The best part was most enclosures were open and modelled to resemble the natural habitat of the species concerned.

       There were miniature mountains for the Ibex and logs and ponds for the bears. Jackrabbits and deer were let free to wander about the Zoo. The Arctic section was the piece de resistance. An entire section of the zoo was constructed to mimic the polar regions. There were ice cold pools for the walruses, penguins, seals and ice structures for the polar bears and emperor penguins. That was surreal! I doubt I would ever get to see all these animals in their original habitats though this was consolation enough.

Walrus at the Arctic centre

       All the roaming around obviously made me hungry and I relished a serving of crepes with caramel and Irish liqueur. Since I had covered the entire globe by afternoon and it still wasn't evening when my friend was to get free, I decided to visit the coastal part of the city. I had read about it online during my research. I decided to take a bus only because I wanted to try every mode of public transport the cities had to offer. The ride was more than comfortable save the occasional cry of a baby on board. 

BlankenSee

       Treppenviertel or this part of town called BlankenSee is a completely different setting from your port-sy Hamburg city. It's located on the coast and looks down on a cliff. That's the USP of the place. The hill side right on the coast. There are tony little houses along the hill side, with winding staircases. The scene is right out of a fairytale. I grabbed a pizza and some local apple pie before heading down the hill. The houses are really pretty. On my way back, I went shopping in one of the supermarkets. That I realised was one of the best decisions I made. You get all stuff really cheap. You should really reload your supplies of yoghurt, juices, chocolates. And you are ready to go wandering again. Always remember to buy from supermarkets wherever you are in Europe. 

       It was already evening by the time I was done with BlankenSee. I decided to spend some time at the Mönckebergstraße at the lake. That's the main shopping district. The place is full of people, eating, shopping, sitting in the steady and strong breeze blowing. That's one place you should wander about. The architecture is really stunning. There's also an obelisk commemorating those dead during the world war.

Hamburg city coastline

       My friend was already back at the office so I had to make a quick dash too. We decided to go the the Landungsbrücken to take a ferry ride across the Elbe. I had read a lot about Hamburg port area at dawn and the multitude of colours the sky is seeped in. The ferry number 62 to Finkenwerder was what was the most recommended. That gives you a superb view of the entire city coastline. The sun wasn't setting for the longest time. I was really keen to see the city at night. On the return journey from Finkenwerder, it was dark, lights had come up and the air was cold. The strong breeze was ice-cold. Literally cutting across my face like a knife made of ice. Thankfully my friend had carried an overcoat which I donned and stood atop the deck alone to click the city. 

       Before retiring back to the hotel, we gave a quick visit to St. Pauli. That's the red light district of Hamburg. More than anything else, I absolutely loved the slice of chicken salami pizza I had at a Pizza Hut outlet there. That was the best pizza I had had till date. Or probably I was simply extremely hungry. There was also the Hamburger Dom, which is a tri-annual fair but there was too big a queue to venture in. 

       I skipped dinner elsewhere because I wanted to try Sushi at the Asian restaurant near our hotel. This was the first time I was having Sushi and it was gross! Notwithstanding, the day was over. Tired I entered bed, planning my next day. 

My Europe trip - The 13-hour layover in Munich.

       When we were booking the tickets, we had an option to either take a stopover in the Gulf city of Doha or Munich. The former was a short stopover of a few hours but I would not have been able to get out of the airport. I chose Munich. What with my Schengen visa, I could easily roam the streets of Munich the whole day. Me being me, I got down to immaculately planning every hour of the 13-hour layover. I knew I could not leave decisions to my brief stay there and had to know everything about the city - right from the roads, metro routes, places of interest, restaurants, what to eat, shopping and my way back - in advance. Munich airport even had a 25 or so page Pdf guide for people with long layovers! At one point in time, I had a schedule for the entire day ready, with what to eat where at what time included. That I didn't end up following it, is another story.

       The flight duration was around 8 hours though the best part was I was reaching in 4.5 hours. How? That's what happens when you fly west. You gain time! I have flown internally in India but never over a vast expanse of water. In the middle of my sleep in the flight, I woke up to see literally thousands of stars, sparkling brightly alongside me, from up close. Never before had I seen these celestial bodies from so close and so many. The moonless night and the pitch dark sky, aided by the dark expanse of the Indian Ocean, left only those twinkling little beauties to shine.

       The flight landed at 5.45am at Munich airport. As I stepped out on foreign soil (the airport building to be precise), the cold air hit me in the face. I hurried to wear my overcoat. It was around 1 degree Celcius! The sun was yet to rise as I completed my immigration formalities and bought the day-card of the Munich public transport system. 

       My first stop was Starnberg See, a quite, serene lake to the south west of the city, with the majestic Alps as a picturesque backdrop. Since it was only 6.30am, I knew the city would be asleep and there was no point in heading to the city centre. so I chose Starnberg See. The feeling of riding in a metro in Germany was great. These are things you have learnt about while growing up, but to experience them first hand is an experience. The metro even had facilities for cyclists to ride them. People would wait for you to alight and only then step in. the platforms would be clean and the air fresh. The lake had some early morning visitors. I ambled down the road along the lake's periphery. The place was heavenly!

Starnberg See. The Alps in the background.

Trees at Starnberg See.

Starnberg See.

       By the time I had deeply captured the See in my heart and camera my tummy had begun to growl in hunger so I decided to head back to the city centre. Marienplatz is where most of the tourist attractions are. The famous Frauenkirche, the Glockenspiel, the Petrikirche, etc. The Petrikirche is a nice place to get a bird's eye view of the city. The only drawback is the huge climb. the stairs are old-world, steep and numerous! My knees began to ache and I wasn't even there yet. Students get a discount so carry your student ID cards. It's a cramped, square-ish viewing gallery with breathtaking views. Apparently when it's not foggy, one can get to see the distant Alps. Sadly, it was foggy. On my way down the never-ending stairs, in my front was a tour guide. It really made me wonder how she climbed the stairs every single day. The thought made my knees tremble. 

Munich from Pertikirche.

       There are a few famous streets. Maximilianstraße is where you find all the high end fashion boutiques. Kaufingerstraße was the shopping street. I ended up checking a few stores. The whole street was busy with people shopping and eating. I was one of them. In all this I realised I had to pee. I found a public toilet, but walked out when  realised I had to pay 2 euros just to pee! My Indian mind couldn't digest paying Rs.170 for something I can do for free back home. Thankfully there was a mall where I found a washroom. I was again up fora  surprise when I saw an old man collecting tips for cleaning the toilet. Such is the height of taking citizens for granted, that the authorities know people would pay and urinate but not pee in the open. In India, it's the other way round.

Fountain at Maximilianstrasse.

       Before hitting the streets I had to get a local number so I could co-ordinate with my friend who was in London and was to fly in later that day. The Hauptbahnhof or the main station was a bustling junction of people. And there were so many food stalls. I was lost in amidst all the tasty looking food. I finally settled on a Rotwurst and Brot (Sausage and beard) for breakfast. The most amazing situation of at the station was the phone shop. It was run by a man who looked South-Asian. Till a lady came and spoke to him in Hindi, he didn't show any sign of his roots or that he knew Hindi, all this while he knew I was from India. On enquiry, he said he was from Delhi. that explained a lot! I was shocked to see him sell an 8Gb memory card for 16 euros when I had bought the very same one in India 3 days back for 3.5 euros! But then as he said this is Germany. 

       The fascinating part about Germany was the discipline. Even the pedestrians waited till their signal turned green. The cars stopped to let you pass if you were at a zebra crossing. Cyclists followed traffic rules and had separate tracks and signals for them. I was told that this is the case across Europe. If it really is, that's simply outstanding. I was in awe of the city. Especially the trams. And the S-bahn. And the U-bahn. Actually, everything!

       I didn't have lunch where I had planned to neither did I have breakfast where I was to. But the food that I had was fun. And the shopkeepers always seemed to have change, even if you paid with a 50 euro note for a 1.5 euro bill. Having gorged down my lunch from a streetside cafe, I decided to relax my aching feet in the Englisch Garten (English gardens). This expanse of green is the city's main park. You can ind people idling around, sunbathing, flying kites, playing frisbee with their dogs or just having a gala time. The park is huge and has a river running right through it! 

The river through Englisch Gartens.

       On my way out I stumbled upon the place where experienced surfers surf on the river. yes you heard it right. Surf on the river. There are some rocks and man-made structures which obstruct the flow of the river to enable a nice surf. That was something! In the meanwhile, my friend had landed in Munich and was waiting at the airport. As I headed back I took a tram to Marienplatz for an onward metro ride to the Airport which was around 40 minutes away. As I alighted at my destination I realised there was something wrong. After walking around in circles for over half and hour I realised I was at Marien'en'platz. I hadn't noticed the extra 'en'. Lost, I fervently asked for directions in my broken German. I had a 7pm flight and it was already 5.15pm. 

Surfing in the Englisch Gartens.

       After a while I got really tensed. Nowhere could I see the Frauenkirche which are tall enough landmarks for Marienplatz. I kept walking in the direction of my destination. My legs were hurting badly. And I was worried. But getting lost had its advantages. I passed by the Rathaus or the assembly, the beautiful Isar river, Maximilain statue and the Maximilianstraße . These were places I had ended up giving a miss - well almost. And finally I spotted the church towers. I rushed towards the metro station and caught the next available metro. I reached by 6.20pm, heaving sighs of relief and boarded the connecting flight to Hamburg in time but not without a few tense moments of being lost in a foreign city!

Munich.

       

My Europe trip - Prologue.

       So the time finally arrived when I would be fulfilling my almost 6 year old dream of going Euro tripping. I had decided that when I set foot beyond the Indian frontiers, it would first be in Europe. Ever since my mother gave me in principle approval with a condition that I take someone along, I had tirelessly tried convincing friends and foes alike to embark with me on a Europe trip. Needless to say, the efforts were in absolute vain. Either my convincing skills were far from satisfactory or I had a bunch of hopeless people whom I called friends. The end result was that I pined for Europe for 6 years, ever so occasionally planning, 're-'planning and 'de-'planning my trips. Three years ago, I was almost ready with the itinerary and had even found couch-surfers to host me in Paris and Berlin. But God had other ideas for me in store. I got a job and was on probation which meant no holidays for a few months. I had literally tried convincing almost all the groups of friends I knew - school, college, office, society, etc. But to no avail.

       I remember, during my last week at the job, my colleague's tarot reading capabilities were discovered. This was almost 2 years back. We insisted on her doing Tarot readings for us, before she went on her pregnancy leave. So on her last day at work, we all gathered around her while she laid out the cards. I don't have much faith in these stunts and hence asked her a question which didn't have much bearing on my life - 'Would I be able to visit Europe before I turned 25?' She looked at the card I had drawn and positively answered, 'Yes and a friend will help you'. That elated me momentarily and I forgot about it soon thereafter. 

       In February, this year, a friend of mine asked me join him for a trip to Europe. I took a month before I said yes, my colleague's prediction constantly at the back of my mind. It was as she had said. I was 24, well below the 25 age mark I had set myself and here was a friend offering to help me with the execution of the trip. It took me some time to decide. I decided to go on the trip pretty late. I was waiting for my results and since I hadn't qualified for the interview, I was now free to go.

       I was to fly out on the 31st of March. And it was already the 18th. I had to apply for a visa! We made a rough itinerary and applied to the German Consulate in Mumbai through VFS. They took 2 days to process it. At the end of the 3rd day, the verdict was - Visa rejected! Apparently they found my documents unreliable and they couldn't ascertain my intention to return back home. What irked me was they not having called me even for an interview. Here I was, a simple lad, who was really enthusiastic to visit Europe and they with a swipe of their pen, crushed my dreams. It was 24th already. We decided to change the itinerary, make proper bookings, give detailed information and reapply the next day, which was a Tuesday. My flight was on Sunday night.
       I applied again on Tuesday. Now all I could do was wait. I had put all my other preparations on hold. Packing my bag wasn't even on my mind. To some extent, the first rejection had reduced my enthusiasm and interest in the trip. In the meanwhile we tried seeing if we had any contacts at the German consulate. We also considered applying through the Italians as we had some friends there. A friend enquired the next day in the morning, even before I had woken up. The only information that came out of the call was that my application had been processed but the result was still a suspense. I decided to leave for the VFS office even before my status was updated. By the time I reached there, my letter had reached VFS. Everyone there, right from the security guards to the lady who accepted my application, was curious. She actually asked me to open it there itself and let her know the result. I did.
       I was going to Europe! What followed were celebratory calls to everyone. I had to now speed up my preparations. Sunday took its own sweet time to arrive. There I was at the new T2 terminal. Yes, it's beautiful. I ambled around taking in the ambiance. I was ready to fly. I was ready to cross the Indian frontier. I was ready to Europe!

Jaipur - Solo Backpacking Trip. Days 1 & 2.

January is the month of fog. The fog delayed my train by a few hours and I chugged into Jaipur in the afternoon. Half the day was already wasted and I had to salvage the remainder. I wandered off to the Pink city after freshening up and I had absolutely no idea what to do next. On my way I decided to book a 'Jaipur by Night' tour of RTDC. That was to happen at 630. I still had to have lunch. So on I went to the Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds as the foreigner calls it. Was it a cliche to begin my trip with the mandatory clicking from the opposite footpath of the Hawa Mahal? Maybe. Did I have another option? Not really. One thing I realised over my two days in Jaipur (or for that matter the entire Rajasthan, with the benefit of hindsight of course) is that the state is really a desert. When it comes to good food, there is a severe paucity. Finding a decent place to eat was a task. Add to that all the 'pavitra shakahari bhojanalayas (Sacred Veg. Restaurants)' around the city screaming at you how "'a'pavitra" you are!

By the end of the day I had figured out the bus system. As I rushed back to the RTDC tour, I gulped down some hot, steaming Gajar Halwa. I had always wanted to eat this street side, on a cold winter day. Delhi is where I had visualised myself do it, but then destiny had it written for Jaipur.

RTDC was in a mood for cutting costs, of course at our expense. So they decided to squeeze in 9 of us and a driver into a Qualis. After the initial grumbling, we got on talking terms. The driver took us through the well it city and showed us the architectural wonders, explaining as they came. I feel this trip is a must do because seeing the City at night otherwise without your own vehicle is costly, if not impossible. The best part of the trip was Amer. The majestic fort, lit in all its splendour. Sadly, the fort vanished in thin air as we were getting down to click.After 10 minutes of uncertain anxiety, generators were switched on, but the fort was only half lit. The power failure couldn't have been timed better! Our final stop, after a very long time spent at a phony 'government approved' handicraft shop, was the fort of Nahargarh or the Tiger Fort. A couple with us in the car, who was visiting from Nepal ended up buying a 'Ruby' pendant for Rs.8,000. I still doubt its genuineness. Apparently, the fort in its heydays was in the middle of a forest full of tigers. Hope their spirits rest in peace, since most were butchered in paltry hunting games! The fort offered a surreal image of the city, the lights blazing to give an image of a city on fire. RTDC arranges a simple, vegetarian meal at the cafe on the fort which after the really long drive up the fort is a god sent gift.

That ended the day's travelling for me. Zostel was like heaven for my tired body. I am itching to sing paeans to Zostel but I'll put that as a footnote at the end of this post.

I decided to check out the old city again. The old city of the Pink city is a walled area, with numerous gates to enter and exit. The main one seems to be the Ajmeri gate. There are numerous markets which sell all that you would want. From footwear, to clothes to ghee to books and to jewellery. It's a treat to just roam around the area. I went to the City palace to see it from within. You can safely not take the camera ticket as more than 75% of the place is out of bound for photography. So it's money down the drain. They have guided tours and neat, numbered tour stops which I found impressive. It's not a huge palace so you could get done quickly. In the vicinity is the Jantar Mantar or the astronomical observatory. I skipped it this time as this was actually my second visit to Jaipur. Finding food was again an issue. I went into this fancy place called Lakshmi Mishtan Bhandar or LMB as its called. They were charging Rs.450 plus taxes for a Thali! I had to do an about turn as my conscience would not allow me to pay for something so overpriced. I get better thalis and cheaper rates in Mumbai!

On my list next was the gigantic fort of Amer. It's around 8-10kms away from the city. There are regular an frequent AC as well as Non-AC buses to take you to and fro in around Rs.10-15 only. So you could reconsider spending on that pricey Rickshaw. The fort is set atop a hill and has a winding cobbled pathway all the way to the top. A long wall runs along the periphery of the hills. The fort seems to have been very well protected. One can simply get lost in the numerous pathways, hidden rooms, narrow staircases which wind their way through the Fort. Seeing the fort against the setting sun is a sight! Have managed to capture a few photos of this silhouette. There are also a few actual 'Government shops' that sell handicrafts. I would strongly recommend that you buy souvenirs here. They are the most reasonably priced. I bought a pair of Blue Pottery Mugs for Rs.270 whereas in the city the same were being quoted from Rs. 650 to Rs. 1100. 

The Jal Mahal or the Water Palace lies on the Amer road and I hopped out of the bus to take a stroll and capture in some gaiety. A quick snack of deep-fried papads was welcome.

Now all that was left on my itinerary was some shopping, window or otherwise. The streets of the old city were bustling with activity. The markets were lit and colours were strewn all over. The winter chill was noticeable. One thing I noticed was the number of shops selling kites for the Hindu festival of Makar Sankrant. I went around looking for a pair of Mojdis (traditional shoes). Finally bought a pair at Rs.250.
All this walking had made me hungry but again since there wasn't a good restaurant in sight I ended up picking up burgers from McDonalds. This was to be, as I later found out, my only non-vegetarian meal on the entire trip. I headed back to the hostel. I had an early morning train to catch to Bharatpur.

Amer at night

One of the many staircases in Amer

Papad near Jal Mahal

Bangles near Jal Mahal

City Palace

One of the many gates of the Pink City

Jaipur as seen from Fort Nahargarh

Amer Fort

Jal Mahal

Albert Museum

Hawa Mahal

Fort Amer - skyline

The wall around Amer - skyline

P.S. I had made bookings at  Zostel , a recently set up backpacker's hostel. Yes it's a bit off the main city area, but it's pretty much well connected by buses/autos. And it's a lovely hostel. Clean and freshly painted with bunkers beds. 24 hours free Wifi and running hot water. Free electricity. They even let you cook your own meals in their kitchen. Run by a group of friends, it's a very chilled out and cosy place. Aniruddh, one of the partners running Zostel, was very kind enough to help me around. Met a few fellow travellers. Shared experiences and tips. Was fun all in all.