Lyons

I met Lyons, the seagull, at Marseilles at Chateau d'If. He kept posing for me as we awaited our ride back to the mainland. I so loved this bird, that he became inspiration for my quilling artwork.

Oh and Tanaya, my travel buddy was so jealous of this bird that she kept rolling her eyes at us - our conversations and the photo shoot. Well we finally got to her and she clicked a picture of Lyons and me together. Well guess Tanaya, this post is dedicated to you and the wonderful patient person who were with me on our trip. To Tanaya!

From Lyons

From Lyons

From Lyons

Day 35: London - Turkey - Mumbai - Goa

It was time to go! Our bags packed we rode the tube for the last time to Heathrow Airport. Thankfully Ryan came to drop us. I was sad to go but excited to be at an airport. Simply because it takes me to newer places. And Heathrow airport is mighty and beautiful. A lot of people might not think so, but I loved it. It's no way flashy like the Dubai Airport but a mighty one it is. 

Stepping off the Tube, we walk into the airport. I say bye to my cousin Ryan and thank him for sheltering us while in London and also for feeding us with amazing dishes. But I have to leave, reality is calling me back. 

Damn I am overweight in luggage. Lucky the Turkish Airlines official let me go without paying a pound. Did I say, I gave her my widest smiles? 

After some duty free shopping which involved picking up brandy for my papa, some chocolates for my mama and brother, all we had to do was wait to take off. Not soon we come to know our flights beeen delayed. Holy shit! I have connecting flights all the way to Goa. London - Turkey, with a stop over for 3 hours at Istanbul. Our flights delayed again at Istanbul. That gives me a bracket of less than 2 hours to make it from the International airport to the domestic one in Mumbai, from the initial 7 hours. In Mumbai I had to request security to cut line as I had to hurry to catch my connecting flight to Goa. 

So preoccupied I was here, that I failed to see Bonnie, then my bestest friend and now my husband, waiting to welcome me back. Tanaya spotted him and I was so glad to see him come. We then raced our way to the domestic airport, where you can say Jet Airways was practically holding the flight to Goa for me. I was whisked away in a special van to the aircraft and got a lot of dirty stares from passengers for delaying them. Not my fault I say. 

In Goa, my Mama and Papa were there to welcome me. How happy was I to see them. Hugs all around. So many questions. And my Mom still aghast that I went half the world across alone. :) Anyway there was a homecoming party. My extended family was there to know where I went, what I did and how I achieved this dream of mine. The end of it, everyone was envious. I can only look back and think WOW!

Day 33: A flowery day at Chelmsford

Another day in the county of Essex. We take the train to Chelmford. Violet says we must see this beautiful garden here – Hyde Hall. Problem is we don’t know how to get there. But no worries. We get exploring. At the local bus station we learn that the bus has already left and the next one is in 3 hours. The only to get there now is a taxi.

I think the word taxi had Tanaya and my mind doing mental calculations on how broke we were going to be after this ride, how many more meals would we have to skip… with a heavy heart we decided to cab it out. The route was scenic but I think I was more concerned about the meter ticking.

 Hyde Hall is in the middle of nowhere. On top of a hillock you can miss it, if you are not a local. This 360 acre of land is home to almost all plants on the planet. Flowers the size of your face to exotic trees whose names you had only heard before, can be found in this amazing haven.



Check out my photos below, it shows the garden in full bloom and what you can expect when you visit RHS Garden, Hyde Hall.

After spending all morning and afternoon at the gardens we hitchhike back into Chelmsford. A young gentleman was kind enough to give us a drop back after which we spent some time at High Chelmer Shopping Centre.

Soon it was time to head back to Witham, pack our bags, thank Violet & Bruno for opening their home to us and taking us around and head back to London. It’s almost the end of the trip. I can feel our feet dragging. Not because of the heavy bags on our shoulders, but due to the realization that this fantastic trip will soon come to an end.

Day 32: Witham - Colchester - Clacton-on-Sea

We get up to an extremely quiet house. I tip toe downstairs not wanting to wake up anyone and find Violet already up. I then woke up Tan and proceeded to help Violet spruce up some breakfast. Not before long we were out walking the streets of Witham to find a bus to take us to Colchester.

Colchester is a historical army town. Remember the rhyme Old King Cole, well I presume it originated here.  The major of the day we spent visiting the Colchester Castle Museum , a beautiful park adjoining it and another museum whose name I cannot recollect. After a lazy lunch by the pond feeding the ducks we walked about the town till we stopped at a local bar for some drinks.


Tada! Let me introduce you to the most fantastic drink on this planet. PIMMS!  This drink is mind-blowing. I loved it and I suggested when you in England please walk into a bar and demand it! Do check this link for more information.

By now it was early evening, time to head back to Witham as Bruno, Violet’s husband, was taking us out for dinner. Freshened up we head out to Clacton-on-Sea. Yeah we are going to the beachside. Lovely! Clactopn-on-Sea was closed for the tourist off season. But the beach in twilight is so perfect. We dined at a restaurant at Clacton Pier. The food was delicious.



A light rain ended the evening as we drove back. All in all it was a wonderful day in the English countryside.

Day 31: Getting to Witham

Witham was not on our travel plans. But having come to England I had promised to meet a much cherished friend, who also was my next door neighbor in Goa. Violet is a real nice person and we experienced first-hand what a lovely host she is. From cooking us a sumptuous welcome to Witham dinner to taking us around the county of Essex, meeting Violet was so much fun.

Getting to Witham was quite an eventful journey. From Glasgow we had to get into London first as we were supposed to meet Violet’s husband Bruno there. However were some train lines down and most of the trains were not plying. We were almost going to give up and proceed to Clapham Common (Ryan’s place) when the indicators signaled a train to Witham. A mad dash to grab a seat saw us in an even stuffed up train. The situation did not improve all along the journey. At Witham station things did not improve, thankfully we met up with Bruno who was able to take us to his home.

We were hungry and like I said before Violet had prepared a sumptuous dinner which we all gobbled up in silence. It was quite late in the evening and after catching up on the years we missed we called it a night. Tomorrow Violet has promised to take us around Witham and the county of Essex.

By the way I must mention Violet has a cozy and amazing home with a lovely garden

Day 29: Exploring Edinburgh

Our day began with a ride into the heart of the city. After this we decided to simply walk about. So off we went exploring Princes Street - the main shopping street in Edinburgh.

We decided to explore the Princes Street Gardens, situated just next to Waverly railway station. The gardens are beautiful, with perfectly manicured lawns, oak trees, wooden benches and roses as huge as one's face. All I wanted to do was sit on the lawns and soak up the sun. From the gardens below you also get a glimpse of the Edinburgh Castle. The gardens also houses the famous Scott Monument. It is a Victorian Gothic monument dedicated to Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott. The tower rises almost 200 feet high and has a series of viewing decks. 

From the gardens we decided to wait for the bus to take us up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. However after a futile wait we trekked up and were exhausted by the time we got there. Queues to enter the castle were humongous, so be prepared for them. The Castle is a  must see for every person who visits. There's a lot you can see here - from the crown jewels, hammerbeam roofs in the Great Hall to the Chambers that housed the prisioners of war. At one o'clock there's the master gun fire, which recreates scenes of yesteryears. While you are here don't miss St. Margeret's Chapel and the Dog Cemetery. 

After the gun fire, we said goodbye to the Castle and walked down the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is a beautiful cobbled street leading from the castle to Holyrood abbey down the hill. The Royal Mile is Edinburgh Old Town's busiest tourist street. 

Taking in everything along this street, our eyes fell on a board that read 'The Whisky Heritage Centre'. So... we are in Scotland, from where you get the best whiskey's and we don't enjoy the moment? Ha! With a little coaxing from Tan we went in and decided to indulge in a Scotish Whisky Experience. We took the Adult Silver Tour which amounted to 9.50 pounds. At precisely 13:15 began a sensational journey with a whiskey glass in hand. Note: you cannot have a shot at it, till the end of the tour. The tour is a ride through a replica distillery. It's here you learn the whisky making process and the stories behind this magical craft 

After that we were back on the street. And guess what we get to see. A Jaguar! Not the animal, but the car. Whoa baby, what a machine. And it was booked for a Scottish wedding. The entire entourage was pretty. The bride, the bridesmaids and the men in the quilts. There were bagpipers too lending to a true Scottish experience. We just stood there and looked. Oh so pretty! Now all this was happening just outside St Giles Cathedral. The Cathedral has been a place of worship for the Scottish people for nearly 900 years.  

Back on our path, we did a lot of window shopping, before we came to the end of the street and face to face with the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. Holyrood Palace is the setting for state ceremonies and official entertaining. It's said that the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II spends one week in residence at Holyrood Palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range of official engagements and ceremonies.The palace is open to the public throughout the year, except when members of the Royal Family are in residence. No photography is allowed inside in the Palace. The Palace however is extremely rich in decor. The State Apartments are renowned for their magnificent plasterwork ceilings and collection of tapestries. Frankly, the palace did not impress me. I found it overtly rich, but on the other hand it gave us a glimpse into the royal life. 

The Palace grounds also holds the ruins of the 12th century Abbey. It is said that the abbey was built in 1128 at the order of King David I of Scotland, at the very spot where he had a vision of a stag with a cross between its antlers. The Abbey is also the burial place of several Scottish kings and it was here that Charles I was coronated king. The ruins are a result of the roof giving way in 1768. Today the Abbey has an almost eerie feeling to it. But I loved this place. It was so tranquil. Making my way through the ruins, feeling the stone, you can't help but marvel at the architecture and effort gone into building such a place. 

It was almost five in the evening. Tan and I were drained and hungry. However before we call it a day, there was one last place we had to visit. The Scottish Parliament. The architecture of this place contradicts the Palace opposite. This place reeks of modern architecture. We sat here for a while admiring the contrast of the place and enjoying the sprinkle from the fountains. 

From here we waited for the local bus to take us to Princes Street where we hoped off at KFC and feasted on some chicken. 

What a day it was. Back at our hotel, and after a warm bath relaxing our tired muscles we sat to watch a documentary playing on TV. It was Queen Elizabeth love story and marriage to Prince Philip. What a perfect way to end our day in Edinburgh! 

Day 28: Off to Edinburgh

It was time to set off again. This time on we were off to Scotland. I must confess, I am not a fan of the Brit Rail or the National Express. Mostly because one can never seem to get a reservation on it! So here we are at King's Cross Station waiting to board a train to Edinburgh. Watching the indicator... waiting... watching... waiting... making a mad rush for the train. Apparently you can sit anywhere till the person who has reserved that seat comes along. Crap!

Anyway amidst everything, we make our way to Edinburgh and after almost four and half hours we are at Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station. Yet again it was a classic case of we getting lost. Well we managed to track down a bus, the wrong one... had to get off and find the right one, thankfully this bus driver was kind enough to point us out to our hotel. 

Parkview House Hotel, 14 Hermitage Place, is ideally located just opposite a parkland, whcih at that time was buzzing with a local fare. The place was cozy and super comfy for a bed and breakfast. After settling in, Tan & I decided to take a little walk around the place, to find a local mart. We stocked up on bread, cold meats, chips and cold drinks, which would all come handy in preparing our dinners. 

After this since the local fare was on, we decided to walk about in the park. Back at our hotel, dinner was prepared - sandwiches and coke, and we soon got planning our day tomorrow in Edinburgh. 

A few hints: For  local transport familiarise yourself with Lothian Buses transportation system, bus tracker, planner, timetables and much more.

For route maps, click here. 

London by Bus

By now we were pretty much familiar with London. However Richie, one of my cousin’s friends whose house we were staying in at London, got us free tickets to ride the Original London Open Tour Bus so we hop on to see the city and get to know a little more about the places and history. Check this out for all the places you can visit.

It was a rainy day again; viewing London from the roof top was out of the question. Still we managed to have a pretty good ride in this mega city and a Free Thames River cruise. Awesome!

We joined the Red Tour bus from Picadilly Cirus and off we went visiting the following sites. Victoria, Wellington Museum, Hyde Park, Speakers' Corner, Madame Tussauds, Regent's Park, Oxford Street (great for good deals on shopping, do visit Primark), Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Statue of Eros, Leicester Square, The National Gallery, Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards' Parad, Downing Street, Big Ben & Parliament, The London Eye, Covent Garden, Fleet Street, St Paul's Cathedral, Monument, London Bridge, London Dungeon, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern, Sherlock Holmes Pub, Westminster Pier, Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace.

We did not get down the bus for major of the tour. While in the other European cities the tour bus proved to be economical, in London however it was short of a nightmare. You get caught in traffic at every junction.

 Tan and I split ways at Trafalgar Square and decide to meet up at Tower Bridge for lunch. So in the meantime I go off on my own. I visit St. Paul's Cathedral. Like the other Cathedrals’ in Europe, this place was rather simple. I guess I was just too used to the grandeur of the Basilicas in Rome. I then walk across to see the Millennium Bridge. I had heard so much about it - the architecture, the design, but I was utterly disappointed by it.  

I get back on board the bus and head to Tower Bridge and meet Tan. I loved Tower Bridge. It's old and it's magical. We spend some time by the park watching the Thames pass by and the beautiful cityscape that I have so come to love. Not toot soon we hoped onboard for our cruise on the Thames. Lovely ride with a standup comic! All good things come to an end so soon and so also it was time to get off at Westminster Pier and head home to Clapham Common.

A Date with Diplodocus

Awesome! Entry Free. Situated just off South Kensington station, getting to the Natural History Museum involves a short walk, except in our case a walk in the rain. It's supposed to be summer in England for crying out loud! We made a mad dash to the entrance of the museum and after a quick stop at the washroom we were left feeling a little less drenched.

The moment you step into the museum you feel dwarfed by the enormous skeleton of a Diplodocus dinosaur. The museum is home to more than a million specimens from fields such as Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. What's amazing is that in this museum you will also find specimens collected by Darwin himself.

As you explore the museum do lend an eye to it's architecture. Victorian in nature with huge vaulted halls, it also boasts of an ornate terracotta facade, mouldings of which are symbolic of diversity in nature.

An extensive powerhouse of knowledge, I suggest you set a day aside just to explore this place. While at the museum familiarize yourself with the different coloured zones which will lead you to different galleries housing the specimens. The Red Zone revolves around the history of the Earth. Here you will find specimens of rock, gemstones, dinosaur eggs, dinosaur skeletons, etc. The Green zone will bring you closer to birds, fossil reptiles, plants and the primates, the Blue Zone houses dinosaurs, mammals, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and human biology and the Orange zone has a wildlife garden and Darwin's centre.

Be prepared for the crowds and educational groups thronging this place.

Do check out my photos on how our trip to the Natural History Museum unfolded.

Day Out at London Zoo

London Zoo at Regent Park is one of the most spectacular zoo's I have ever seen in my life. In India the zoo's are in a pitiful state and best avoided. However the London Zoo is a must visit! It's educational and helps you get away from the buzz of the city. A perfect way to unwind.

At the zoo simply follow the route to meet the different animals. Click here for the interactive map of the zoo and experience what we came across.

Do visit the London Zoo website  for more details and plan your trip better.

221B on Baker Street

Oooo we are going to play detectives. We are going to snoop our way to Baker Street. And try finding 221B.

Not difficult since we were geared with our maps and Ryan on speed dial. But then again, you are talking about Tan & me, we get lost everywhere. And so looking for 221B, we walk right past it and begin to think we are lost. Luckily everyone in this country speaks English and soon we were guided to our destination. The home of  Sherlock Holmes. You can easily miss it if you don't pay attention to the signs. 

The house of this fictional character, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a quaint little thing and has an eerie feeling to it. You almost expect Sherlock Holmes to appear behind you smoking his pipe. As you climb the steps you start to realise how easy it is to make real of non-fiction. Spread over two storeys, the home now a museum is immaculate maintained with real life wax figurines and memorabilia. At every level you can find scenes recreated from his books. 

Exploring this place, I made friends with a young attendant and we got talking. She asked me from where I was and having said Goa, she got into narrating her experiences of my home town. We chatted for sometime before it was time for me to leave. But the good thing is that she pointed things out to us we would have normally missed. Like the book filled with letters from little kids. Super hilarious stuff. Check out two of my favourite letters. 

Also check my photographs to see how my day unfolded in 221B on Baker Street.

Day 23 cont... An Evening in London

In the evening after a short nap we set out along with Ryan to get acquainted with London. From Clapham Common we take bus no. 137 to Oxford Circus. Here we head to Primark, a must visit store for all bargain buyers. Unfortunately we would have to come back later as it was closed.

We then head to Victoria and from here to Westminster Abbey. The Abbey is a beautiful place, and the architecture in almost black stone was alluring. 

Having spent a few minutes here we then head to see Big Ben.

On the banks of the Thames we also catch a glimpse of the London Eye before we head to Buckingham  Palace. The residence of the British monarch, this square has beautiful gardens and the famous changing of the guards. We sat here, clicked some pictures before making our to Hyde Park. 

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London and known for the concerts that take place here. It was a sad that there was not a single gig during our stay here.

In just an evening we covered a lot of London walking about. The thing about London is that it feels a lot like Mumbai, except it's way cleaner. 

Day 21: Louvre in the day, Lido by Night

Today we decide to take the blue and green line to get to the Louvre. Big mistake. It took us almost two hours to get there.

Well the Louvre. I was very excited to get there, especially after all the hype the movie Da Vinci Code created and as an art student I was hopping like crazy desperate to get to the Mona Lisa.

The glass pyramid is cool, the rest is OK I guess. Even the Mona Lisa is so overrated. I was really dissapointed after seeing her. The rest of Michelangelo's artworks were amazing. We then made our way to Napoleon's chambers, and oh my the rooms were dripping in gold and royalty. From the grand piano to the chandeliers to the tapestry, everything screamed royalty.

Our trip to the Louvre was really short. Tan & I both did not find it exciting. Soon we headed back to the hotel to rest and dress up for the exciting night ahead.

Tonight we party. Tonight we sip on champagne in Paris. Tonight we see Paris by night. All dressed up we hurry to the night bus tour pick up on the other side of town, and... we are late. We miss the bus! Two pretty Indians girls stranded. There's where a kind French man helps us and gets the bus to come pick us up.

We soon make our way to catch the illumination of the Eiffel Tower. It happens every hour and involves a spectacular display of lights. 336 light projectors and 20,000 sparkling strobe lights make the tower come alive. It was a sight to behold.

From here we then are driven to the Lido show at the Champs-Elysee. We booked ourselves for 'Bonheur' and as they said it was a dream. For an hour and 45 minutes I sat glued to the performance and in awe. Everything was exorbitant, elegant, rich and classy. And we also got champagne to drink. The spectacular cabaret infused a lot of dance and pantomime touching different cultures and arts. They even had a cats performance. All in all the night ended on a high note. And in true Paris style. C'est la vive Paris.

Day 20: Paris Calling

After a hearty breakfast, we head out to Gare du Nord to find the Tourist Office. Like any other city, we decide to take the city pass and the sightseeing package. You can find your tickets at the local tourism office. For more info, click here.


Collecting our passes we then made our way to the blue line bus stop. As usual we missed the one closest to us and walked quite a while down to the Place de la Bastille. The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris, where the Bastille prison stood until the 'Storming of the Bastille' in 1879-80 and its subsequent destruction. Today at the centre of the square stands the Colonne de Juillet (July Column) which is dedicated to the 1930 revolution.

Across the road is an impressive structure. A huge block in the city and modern in every way, we later learned that this place is the opera house or known as L'Opéra de la Bastille, and is the home base of the Opéra National de Paris.

Observing all this we waited here for almost an hour and half before we called up information only to gather the fact that today there was a bus strike and the blue line was not plying. Grr! Lucky for us there was a Metro station right there. By now having got the hang of public transport in Europe we make use of it just right. We rode the metro to the Notre Dame stop. And from here we followed road signs to get to the Cathedral.

The Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris or commonly known as the Notre Dame is an amazing and beautiful cathedral. Built in Gothic architecture this catherdral caters to the Roman Catholic population of Paris. Well there were hordes of tourist waiting to enter and one needs to be reminded that this is a place of worship. The architecture is amazing inside and out. One has an option to climb to the top of the cathedral but we decided to skip it. We spent some time in the cathedral praying as well as admiring the architecture and stained glass windows. Situated on the  banks of the Sienne, one must visit the Notre Dame when in Pars.

From here we hoped back onto the bus and rode to the Place de la Concorde, Musée d'Orsay , Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

The Place de la Concorde is one of the largest public squares in Paris. 86,400 square metres, it is situated along the Seine and separates the Tuilerie Gardens from the beginning of the Champs Elysées. We got down at the square, admired it beautiful fountains and the obelisk. The Fontaines de la Concorde are two monumental fountains located in the Place de la Concorde, the south fountain commemorating the maritime commerce and industry of France, while the north fountain c navigation and commerce on the rivers of France. These fountains are a must view for the sculptors and attention to detail. And it feels wonderful to be sprayed by the waters in the Paris sun.
 
The center of  Place de la Concorde you will find a giant Egyptian obelisk 'Luxor Obelisk' decorated with hieroglyphics from the time of Ramses II. It is said to have been gifted to the French in the nineteenth century by the Egyptian government.

After a brief stopover at the place de la concorde, we get back on Paris L'Open Tour bus before we proceed to the Champs-Élysées. The Avenue des Champs-Élysées as it is known in France, is truly the most beautiful avenue i have ever seen in my life. Lined with cinemas, coffee shops and shopping boutiques, this drive confirms that you are in the heart of Paris. What you will also come to love are the beaitufully shaped tress and gardens.

Next stop the Arc de Triomphe. We got off the bus here and it started raining. Had to cross a really busy intersection to get some shelter and also reach the monument. The structure is impressive and was built in honour of all those who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc, one can find the names of all the generals and wars fought. Underneath the monument is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I. A flame continually burns here in memory of all those who sacrificed their lives.

From here's, though we can see it rising up above, is the next stop that will get us to the Eiffel Tower. Woohoo. As the bus snakes through the lanes, getting closer all the while, you can get to see the Eiffel Tower from different angles. What wouldn't I have given to live in one of those homes that open up to this majestic beauty everyday.


We get off at the Trocadéro and walk towards the tower. I honestly cannot put into words how awesome, magnificent, breathtaking the Eiffel Tower is. I stood in awe and must have clicked a 100 pictures of this beauty. Standing underneath the tower you cannot but marvel at the way this structure had been built. It's an engineering perfection. We decided a trip right up the tower is a must. We walk to the first level are some 300 steps. A lift takes us up the second level, you also have the option of climbing up here. The third level however and the highest is accessible only by lift. So we rode up to the 3rd floor some 137 meter high. The ride in the open elevators can be freaky but it's a must do. The view from the top is simply mind-blowing. You can see the whole of Paris and as far as the eye can see. Also on this level is the office of the master genius designer and engineer Gustave Eiffel. It has been reconstructed to show him at work in his office. I wish I could stay here forever but I had to go. Bye bye Eiffel... I love you!

Back on the ground I purchased mementos for my family and self. I still have that key chain which brings back fond memories.

We get back on board the bus and indulge in some sightseeing. We pass the Musée Rodin and catch a glimpse of 'The Thinker' in the museums extensive gardens. Also on our route is the Musée d'Orsay, the tuilleries and the Jardin des Tuileries.

We get off at the Notre Dame stop and make our way to the metro station to get back to our hotel. I love the public transport system in this country.

Now back at Gare du Nord, we grab our lunch cum dinner and call it a night. What a day it was. Will remember it till I die.
Everybody wants to be a cat
Because a cat's the only cat
Who knows were it's at
Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......zzzzzz

OMG the Eiffel Tower...we are in Paris!

On all my train journeys I invariably fall asleep. However this journey was different I stayed awake out of excitement simply because I had to catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower as we entered Paris. You could say I was bouncing in my seat like a little child, singing 'Everybody wants to be a cat' (Tanaya rolls her eyes here and pretends not to know me). Well that's a song from the animated movie 'The Aristocats' and it's from this cartoon lie my first ever memories of Paris. O'Malley romancing Dutchess on the roofs of the houses with the Eiffel Tower in the background.... Oh how romantic!

As we approached the city, you could see the Eiffel Tower rising in distance. I was so overcome by emotion. Now this was a dream coming true!

It's quite late when we enter the city, but it looks like early evening. We disembark at the Gare du Nord, Paris and to our surprise the Hotel is next door. Awesome. No getting lost in the first few hours. After checking in and realizing how late it was decide to keep the sight-seeing for tomorrow. Goodnight Paris!

Day 19: Exploring the waters in Marseilles

Had breakfast, packed our bags, left them at the reception and off we went to explore the seas. Woohoo a boat ride out to If-Castle. Departures are from Quai des Belges to If-Castle. Take the first boat out as this will give you more time on the island. The cruise was a fantastic experience. You get to see the marina and various boating activities ay the bay. 

25 minutes later we are at the docks of the island and make our way to the castle. If-Castle is said to be built by Francois I in 1524 and became legendary for the prisoners held hostage here and a rhinoceros immortalized by Durer, or its imaginary prisoner, the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.Roaming the corridors, you just can't help but feel spooky.

Clicked some pictures and then we went back to the dock to await our return back. Had to wait a while and guess what I made an interesting friend here. His name is Lyons, and he is a seagull. He posed for me and all I can say is that we connected. 

On the journey back we spotted jelly fish in the water. Lots and lots of them. Once back at Point Vieux, we got our bags from the hotel and made our way to the train station Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles. We board the TGV at just 3 Euros and head to Paris! Paris baby Paris.

Day18: Making the most in Marseilles

The most important thing to do when you are new in any city is to visit the Tourism Office and ask for a city pass. In Marseille, a city pass will bring you discounts on entries to museums, cultural services, transportation and much more. You can opt for a day pass or 2 day pass, which will come at a cost of around 25 Euros. Click here for the latest rates.

After sorting our passes out we head to take  the tourist train to Notre Dame De La Garde. The trains cute, like a toy train and the ride is super fun. You can catch it at Quai des Belges old port, opposite the La Samaritine cafe. Quite an interesting ride up hill, the route has a 45 degree angle slope at one point. 

Having reached the Notre Dame De La Garde, you cant help but feel so serene. The place is so peacful compared to the rest of Marseilles, and the view from the top is spectacular. What's amazing about this Basilica is the gold statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the entire city. Entering the basilica, you notice the interiors having an overpowering Romanesque-Byzantine influence. The domes, multicoloured stones, mosaics and ships in gold fit perfectly in this Basilica which was build by Napoléon III. 

After spending a good half day here, we waited for our ride back to the bayside. I was not particularly hungry but we had decided to savour the local cuisine once at every place. The local specialty here is Bouillabaisse.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillabaisse., a fish soup containing various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, flavored with a variety of herbs and spices. I personally hated it, the smell is overpowering but Tan says it's yummy. 

Having stuffed ourselves, we then decided to make our way to the Musee De La Moto. However this place is on the outskirts of the city and getting there involved taking a super crowded local bus. Fun, but it reminded me of the buses back home. Good thing was we could poke fun in Hindi. A long walk from the bus stop brought us to the door steps of the museum. And voila the entrance is free! Anything free while you are on a budget trip is good.

The Musee De La Moto houses a unique and historic collection of motorcycles since 1885. Spread over four floors and with over 300 cycles, bikes and scooters, you can find the likes of the Harley Davidson's, Ducati's, Vespa's and much more. All in all it was an awesome experience. Check out my pictures and the fun time I had with the motorcycles.

We had to wait almost an hour to get back into town and the place is pretty deserted. I can honestly say I was totally freaking out but trying not to show it. I was so releived when the bus finally arrived.

Back in town, we decided to grab a hamburger at the bus depot and something weird happened. Someone paid for my meal. I insisted on paying the vendor but he absolutely refused. Psychos. Anyway from here we proceeded to the Fashion Museum, which we then learned was closed till July! Damn. So we decided to take a new route back to the hotel and guess what? We got lost. hahahahaa. After roaming around in circles, we back tracked to the Tourism office and stuck to the route we knew.

Day 17: Marseille

Time to say bye to Lyons and head to Marseille. After breakfast we head out to Gare de Lyons Part Dieu to book ourselves on a train to Marseilles. There’s some time to pass so it’s time for Haagen-Daas ice-cream. I opted for a strawberry sorbet and oh my… the portions are humongous. It took me like forever to finish it.

We take the TGV and it’s a mere 3 Euros, thanks to the Eurail pass. Soon we were at Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles, and using the metro jumped off next to our Hotel.

Our stay was booked at the Mercure Eurostar on Rue Neuve Saint Martin. My first impression? Where is the French romance! This building is so boxy and rather sterile. After settling in, a small walk to the supermarket saw us picking up our lunch and dinner. It’s a way cheaper option than dining out. The owner of the supermarket was glad to meet Indian girls from Bombay, and then came the classic question “Do you know Shah Rukh Khan? Bollywood?” Duh! And the followed a proclamation of his love for Bollywood.

Early evening we walked about trying to locate the Tourism Office, unfortunately it was closed by the time we reached there. However the bay side is lovely. Boats docked, sea gulls and the Notre Dame on the hill. Beautiful. We simply took in our surroundings for today and people watched. So much fun.

Dinner was in the hotel with the little snacks we prepared before snuggling in to watch a movie called ‘Trade.’ Bon Nuit.

Day 16: A rainy day in Lyon

It started off as a rainy day, so after breakfast we decided to chill for a while and I went back to sleep. In Lyons we stayed at the Campanile Lyon Centre - Gare Part Dieu Hotel. Decent and cozy it provided the perfect room for a short stay. By mid morning we made our way to the Fouviere. By now we figured out how to use the Metro in France. The ride up to the Fouviere included a ride on the verticals. The reason they are called so is because the cables run vertically up the hill and at a crazy angle.


At the top of the hill sits the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. The Fourvière is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who is said to have saved the city of Lyon from the plague in 1643. Enter into the basilica and you will be amazed with the Byzantine influence in architecture. It also draws influences from Romanesque architecture. However the exteriors are more gothic in nature. In whole the glass painted windows, mosaics, the crypt of St. Joseph and candles offered, all add to a very serene atmosphere.


Stepping out we took in the view of the city. Beautiful! After spending a good hour here on a rainy day, we made our way to Bellacour and off we went for a river cruise on the Saône River. The cruise included a trip to the Ile Barbe island. This island, a quaint little thing is the only inhabited island in Lyon. In the 5th century, one of the first monasteries in Gaul was founded there. It later became a powerful Benedictine abbey. Today however only the Romanesque Notre-Dame remains with a few old buildings.

Back on solid ground, we then lazed around Place Bellacour taking in the musical activities, food stalls and people just generally having a good time. Bliss! We indulge in the local sandwiches before we hop aboard the bus to take us back to the hotel.

Day 15: Livin' it in Lyons

After a sumptuous breakfast, we decided to make our way first to the Tourist Information centre. Task! We needed to use the metro to get to the other side of town. From trying to break our way in to comprehending the complex instructions in French, we finally managed to get ourselves a ticket. Now we were faced with the daunting task of using the metro. How do we get to Place Bellecour? We asked someone around and finally figured how to use the metro system.

You come out of the metro station right into Place Bellecour. Bustling with activity – people dining, selling flowers, street artists and hordes of tourist, this place is a cultural hub. Spotting the Tourist Information Centre was not difficult. Check www.lyon-france.com for more information. Do buy a Lyon City Card. You can benefit from free admissions and reductions on various facilities. Some trips will also give you a free guide. We took the 2 day pass which amounted to 29 Euros.

Having opted for the walking tour around Lyon, we had to wait an hour for it start. In the meantime I being out of cash and desperately needing money decided to hunt for a foreign exchange. It was a typical case of lost in translation. People giving directions in French... it was a mess. I finally made use of sign language and it worked! Encashing my travelers cheques, got some much needed greens and went back to the square.

Our tour began at Place Bellecour. Here you can see an equestrian statue of King Louis XIV with two allegorical sculptures of Rhone and Saone on either side of the pedestal. From here we walked across the city, observing the numerous sculptures of lions in the streets. 69 of them across the city. Lions, we came to know is the symbol of Lyon. The international exhibition ‘La Biennale Des Lions, Lyon-Quebec’ saw some amazing entries. For more information on this do check www.biennaledeslions.fr.

Our route took us to Cathédrale St-Jean. A Roman Cathedral, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon. Built from the late 11th to the early 16th centuries, it boasts of partly of Romanesque architecture. The portals of its Flamboyant Gothic façade the cathedral is decorated with 280 square stone medallions. What’s impressive in this cathedral is the astronomical clock which dates back to the 14th century. However this clock chimes only at noon, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. We witnessed this at 15:00 hours and it was amazing!

From here we continued to the old city and the labyrinth of secret passageways called the Traboule. The canut buildings which are the soul of the Croix-Rousse, were once used by the Resistance in the second world war, notably workers in the underground press. The Cour des Voraces stairway is one of the most famous and impressive traboules of Lyon. 
   
After spending a good two hours in the traboules we made our way to the Musee International de la Miniature. This museum houses masterpieces from miniaturist around the world. Know also for the film sets, this museums holds an amazing collection of realistically reproduced film sets, made from imitation objects and models used in films.

With that came an end to out sight-seeing for the day. We took a leisure walk back to Place Bellecour, where we grabbed a some local speciality before we boarded the local bus to take us back to Gare de Lyon Part Dieu and to our hotel.