Europe

Madrid – Amsterdam in bonus !

Madrid – Amsterdam in bonus !

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The tram brought me back to Centrum and I still had about 1 hour to wander so I walked towards the Dam area, which is a famous touristic spot, with lot of fun, museums, shops etc. There was Madame Tussaud wax museum also, but before the wax museum of London, it is quite small,…but still there was long que before it.

I entered the shop and saw one dark niece of Cleopetra silently deep frying the Pakoras, which are stuffed in Falafel. I asked her to make one for me by stuffing with some onions and other things. She quite rudely told me that she will give the falafel and I have to fill the garnish myself. In Lebanon, the Falfel is wrapped in a thin roti, like mexican tortillas. But she took a bread like “рдмрдВрдж” cut it from half and put the pakoras inside and handed it over to me for filling it with other things. I put the garnishes inside and tried it. The taste was no where like Lebanese falafel, but it was sufficient for a poor veg animal like me. Seeing my face, she asked If I did not like it. I told her that it was ok, but not like the one I ate in Beirut.

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Madrid – tour of the city !–(part 2)

Madrid – tour of the city !–(part 2)

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Crossing one side of the garden and after walking for about 2 Kms, we came out of one side of the garden and found ourselves before another famous landmark of Madrid – La puerta da Alcala…. on in desi style the India Gate of Madrid.

The Alcala Gate is a National Monument and it was designed by famous Italian architect Fransesco Sabatini in 1764. It took 9 years to complete this 19 meter high granite monument. This was a real gate to enter the city of Madrid and was erected to welcome King Charles-III into the city of Madrid.

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MADRID — Bienvenido a Espa├▒a !!

MADRID — Bienvenido a Espa├▒a !!

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Hailing from southern Spain’s outcast populations, flamenco dance and music drew early influences from Greek and Roman and later from Indian, Moorish, and Jewish cultures. With the arrival of the Moorish and Jewish populations to the Iberian peninsula centuries ago, Andalusia’s already thriving music and dance inadvertently began extracting characteristics from the newly-arrived populations. The flamenco dance and music that we see today are the dazzling results of centuries of absorbing and flawlessly sewing together elements of this myriad of diverse cultures.

So due to some Indian connection and to watch beautiful girls, in place of fighting bulls or human animals, I opted for flamenco in a famous hotel nearby and was soon drowned into the dance. See a small clip of flamenco dance on youtube to know about this beautiful art :

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Alluring Amsterdam – Part 2

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The shuttle dropped us at Schiphol Airport and from there we took a train to the Centraal Station (20 mins train journey). “Tours and Tickets” is a famous agency which organizes city tours, canal cruises and other tours around Amsterdam city. We went to one of their counters in the Damrak region (5 mins walk from Centraal) and exchanged our Holland pass coupons for a city tour!

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Alluring Amsterdam – Part 1

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Soon after we reached Schiphol, we enquired about where we could take the bus to Kuekenhof. We had bought our Kuekenhof tickets online and this being a combo ticket for the transport (to & fro) and the garden entry, we dint have much to bother about!

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рдШреБрдордХреНрдХрдбрд╝реА – рдХреБрдЫ рдЦрдЯреНрдЯреА – рдХреБрдЫ рдореАрдареА ( рдЗрд╕ рдмрд╛рд░ рд╡рд┐рджреЗрд╢реЛрдВ рд╕реЗ)

рдШреБрдордХреНрдХрдбрд╝реА – рдХреБрдЫ рдЦрдЯреНрдЯреА – рдХреБрдЫ рдореАрдареА ( рдЗрд╕ рдмрд╛рд░ рд╡рд┐рджреЗрд╢реЛрдВ рд╕реЗ)

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рднрдЧрдд рд╕рд┐рдВрд╣ 22 рд╡рд░реНрд╖ рдлреНрд░рд╛рдВрд╕ рдореЗрдВ рд░рд╣рдиреЗ рдХреЗ рдмрд╛рдж рднреА, рдЧрд╛рдбрд╝реА рд╣реЛрд╢рд┐рдпрд╛рд░рдкреБрд░ рд╕реНрдЯрд╛рдЗрд▓ рдореЗрдВ рд╣реА рдЪрд▓рд╛рддрд╛ рдерд╛… рдлреНрд░реИрдВрдХрдлреБрд░реНрдд рдкрдВрд╣реБрдЪ рдХрд░ рдЙрд╕рдиреЗ рд╕реАрдзреЗ рд╣рд╛рде рдХрд╛ ┬ардЗрдВрдбрд┐рдХреЗрдЯрд░ рджрд┐рдпрд╛, рдФрд░ рдЗрд╕реА рдмреАрдЪ рд╣рдорд╛рд░реЗ рдмреАрдЪ рдПрдХ рдФрд░ рдЧрд╛рдбрд╝реА рдЖ рдЧрдпреА. ┬ардЬреИрд╕реЗ рд╣реА рд╣рдореЗрдВ рд╕реАрдзреЗ рд╣рд╛рде рдкрд░ рдмрд╛рд╣рд░ рдЬрд╛рддреА рд╕рдбрд╝рдХ рдорд┐рд▓реА, рд╣рдордиреЗ рдЕрдкрдиреА рдЧрд╛рдбрд╝реА рд╣рд╛рдЗрд╡реЗ рд╕реЗ рдмрд╛рд╣рд░ рдирд┐рдХрд╛рд▓ рджреА… рдпреЗ рд╕реЛрдЪрдХрд░ рдХрд┐ рднрдЧрдд рдиреЗ рдХреБрдЫ рджреЗрд░ рдкрд╣рд▓реЗ рдЗрдВрдбрд┐рдХреЗрдЯрд░ рджрд┐рдпрд╛ рдерд╛….рдмрд╕ рдпрд╣реАрдВ рд╣рдо рдкрдВрдЬрд╛рдмреА рдбреНрд░рд╛рдЗрд╡рд░реА рдХреЛ рд╕рдордЭрдиреЗ рдореЗрдВ рднреВрд▓ рдХрд░ рдЧрдпреЗ….рднрдЧрдд рд╕реАрдзрд╛ рдирд┐рдХрд▓ рдЪреБрдХрд╛ рдерд╛ рдФрд░ рд╣рдо рдлреНрд░реИрдВрдХрдлреБрд░реНрдд рд╢рд╣рд░ рдореЗрдВ рдкреНрд░рд╡реЗрд╢ рдХрд░ рдЧрдпреЗ.

рд╣рдореЗрдВ рди рддреЛ рдпреЗ рдкрддрд╛ рдерд╛ рдХрд┐ рднрдЧрдд рдХреЗ рдорд┐рддреНрд░ рдХрд╛ рдирд╛рдо рдХреНрдпрд╛ рд╣реИ рдФрд░ рди рдпреЗ рдХрд┐ рдЙрд╕рдХрд╛ рдкрддрд╛ рдХреНрдпрд╛ рд╣реИ…. рдЕрдЧрд░ рддрдм рддрдХ mobile phones рдХрд╛ рдЖрд╡рд┐рд╖реНрдХрд╛рд░ рд╣реЛ рдЬрд╛рддрд╛ рддреЛ рд╣рдо рдпреВрдВ рди рдЧреБрдорддреЗ. ┬ардЦреИрд░ рд╣рдо рдХреБрдЫ рджреВрд░ рдЪрд▓рдиреЗ рдХреЗ рдмрд╛рдж рд╕рдбрд╝рдХ рдХреЗ рдХрд┐рдирд╛рд░реЗ рдЦрдбрд╝реЗ рд╣реЛ рдЧрдпреЗ рдФрд░ рдпреЗ рд╕реЛрдЪрдХрд░ рдХрд┐ рднрдЧрдд рд╣рдореЗрдВ рдкреАрдЫреЗ рди рджреЗрдЦрдХрд░ рд╢рд╛рдпрдж ┬ардпрд╣рд╛рдВ рдкрдВрд╣реБрдЪ рдЬрд╛рдпреЗ рдФрд░ рд╣рдореЗрдВ рдорд┐рд▓ рдЬрд╛рдпреЗ…рдкрд░ рднрдЧрдд рд╕рд┐рдВрд╣ рдХреЛ рди рдЖрдирд╛ рдерд╛ рди рдЖрдпрд╛.

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Iceland —Snow Saga

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The hot summers (+15 Deg C) had gone and slowly the winters were setting in. I was waiting anxiously for the goddess of snow to decorate Iceland, like a new bride. The Sun was becoming paler and had lesser shining times, coming out leisurely and running away hurriedly.

Now let us see the beauty of those places of Iceland, about which I have already explained in my earlier posts…. a different view of Iceland in winters.

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Portsmouth & Spinnaker Tower – Day 15

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Today was our 15th and second-last day in England. Our plan for the day was to be at the beach in the morning, then go to see the Spinnaker Tower in Gunwharf Quay in the afternoon, and finally take our Coach back to London (weтАЩre in Portsmouth, remember?)

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A Swiss road trip..

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тАЬI’m afraid of heightsтАЭ…I mumbled. He gave me a WTF look.. Are you kidding? He probably wanted to ask. He was not wrong. Here I was going to jump off the cliff in few minutes. how the hell was he going to believe that I was actually scared of heights…it’s not the height. ItтАЩs the steep downhill slope.. I can go uphill and probably reach heaven like Juthisthir did.

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Benvenuto a Roma – Welcome to Rome!!

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ROME – doesn’t this word alone trigger your imagination? Doesn’t it make you feel the romance in the air? Doesn’t it talk about style, culture, history etc etc ?? Yes, it surely does! The city is full of offerings for all varieties of travelers. It offers its best to everyone and makes sure that no one person goes back unsatisfied!! Am I talking like an ambassador of Rome who is proudly publicizing about it?? Naah, but frankly, I don’t care how I sound right now. All I want to do is to share my experience about my 2 day tour to this city which SURELY wasn’t built in a day!

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Portsmouth Ahoy! – Day 13 & 14

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Our 14th day in London was much more fun тАУ for me. Our plan was to go to this town called Portsmouth. It is a waterfront city, with a lot of fun stuff to do, like arcades, amusement parks, and the most important of all, beachesJ. It is also the birthplace of Charles Dickens. Mausi Ji has a house there, and so we were going for an over-night trip.

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Southend-on-Sea Visit тАУ Day 12

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We could see the water shimmering white, much closer to the beach now. The beach had started looking a rich shade of yellow, and we could see those cute little typical English houses in the background, beyond the beach. Anyhow, we reached the little pier all excited, hoping for some coffee or food stalls. However, the pier was just that тАУ a pier. It was a wooden structure, with a huge-ish area to walk about in and a few benches to sit on. The view was quite lovely, and there was something about standing in the middle of the water, with the wind in your face and the sun shining above. The water tide had come in quite a bit and I wanted to get back to the beach. The next train was due half an hour later, and so I decided to make the most of it.

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