Family / Leisure

Read more about the article Austria: Innsbruck and Mayrhofen

Austria: Innsbruck and Mayrhofen

🇦🇹 🇦🇹 🇦🇹 Innsbruck is a very popular destination of winter sports . It's capital of Tyrol , western state of Austria. Inn is the main river, the name Innsbruck  means bridge over Inn. My accommodation was very close to the river. My first destination was the cable car up to Hafelekar. We went to Nordkette which is a part of Austria's largest natural park. Then we went to the 300-meter high mountain station of the cable car Hungerburg (designed by the renowned Zaha Hadid) to enjoy a breathtaking view of the city. After reaching the Hungerburg…

Continue ReadingAustria: Innsbruck and Mayrhofen
Read more about the article Austria: Salzburg

Austria: Salzburg

🇦🇹 🇦🇹 🇦🇹 Train from Innsbruc to Salzburg takes approximately 2 hours. Salzburg is renowned for its baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. Salzach river is the tributary of Inn and main river in Salzburg. We visited Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains. This was a pleasure palace for Salzburg prince - archbishops. Trick fountain is quite spectacular. Hellbrunn Mountain is a naturally abundant source of water, which inevitably became a central design feature of the palace grounds. The centerpiece is provided by Mannerist trick fountains that…

Continue ReadingAustria: Salzburg
Read more about the article Austria: Day trip to Hallstatt

Austria: Day trip to Hallstatt

🇦🇹 🇦🇹 🇦🇹 It was a full day trip from Salzburg . We took an early morning bus no 150 to Bad Ischl and then train from Bad Ischl to Hallstatt railway station. Finally ferry across the lake to Hallstatt village. The village is very pretty , surrounded by mountains and worth of at least a night's stay. From ferry terminal its about 15 min walk to cable car to go up the mountains. Funicular ride was very scenic and enjoyable. It was roughly 700M walk to the entrance of the mine. On the way spectacular World Heritage…

Continue ReadingAustria: Day trip to Hallstatt
Read more about the article Egypt : Abu Simbel

Egypt : Abu Simbel

We flew to Abu Simbel from Aswan by Egypt air flight. It was a 40 min flight. In afternoon we visited the temple. This village is located near the borer of Sudan. This is a UNESCO heritage site and one of the most famous Nubian monuments. The entire site was relocated due to the creation of Lake Naseer. Flocks of birds can be seen returning inland at dusk , they flew out in the morning to catch Nile fish. We watched Light and Sound show at Abu Simbel. It was one the…

Continue ReadingEgypt : Abu Simbel
Read more about the article Egypt: Dahshur ,Memphis and Saqqara

Egypt: Dahshur ,Memphis and Saqqara

🇪🇬 🇪🇬 🇪🇬 For most visitors Egypt is synonymous with majestic pyramid of Giza and Sphinx. We decided to take a less traveled route on day 2. We took a cab from outside of our hotel , it was an old fiat model , looked straight from junkyard.  The driver was also aged like his car but he was a nice chap. We first visited Saqqara , which was the ancient burial site for the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis. The main attraction here is the ancient Step pyramid of Djoser which was under renovation. This is…

Continue ReadingEgypt: Dahshur ,Memphis and Saqqara
Read more about the article Egypt: Giza plateau

Egypt: Giza plateau

🇪🇬 🇪🇬 🇪🇬 We reached Giza in the morning by an overnight train from Luxor. The train was very comfortable. It was comparable almost to a standard hotel with a well made bed , private toilet and shower cubicle. Dinner was also included in the price.  We were staying in a Luxury hotel for two days . After check-in we immediately left for Pyramid complex. I took some random street cab for 1 USD to take me to the entrance. On the way few locals just climbed the running cab and wanted to offer…

Continue ReadingEgypt: Giza plateau
Read more about the article Portugal : Porto & Douro Valley

Portugal : Porto & Douro Valley

🇵🇹 🇵🇹 🇵🇹 Porto was the last stop in my itinerary. Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal.  This place was the origin of port wine. It is also famous for its iconic bridges. In fact it is the only city in Europe which has 6 bridges. I stayed in Porto for 2 days. Weather was not at its best but there were intermittent clear sky. There are few unique charm to this city, Lello Bookshop with its amazing neo-gothic interiors (Harry Potter shooting happened here, it was Hogwarts library) . Then there…

Continue ReadingPortugal : Porto & Douro Valley
Read more about the article Portugal : Lagos & Albufeira Region

Portugal : Lagos & Albufeira Region

🇵🇹 🇵🇹 🇵🇹 I landed in Faro airport at 12 PM. Faro is the capital of famous Algarve region of Portugal. I booked my transfer to Vilamoura from Airport. Vilamoura  is one of the finest resort towns in Porugal. However due to wet weather my boat tour was cancelled . I spend the day walking around town. Vilamoura is famous for its beach , resorts and million dollar yachts parked at the marina . Vilamoura Marina   My next destination was Lagos. The town is famous for its old town, cliffs and Atlantic beaches. Still sea…

Continue ReadingPortugal : Lagos & Albufeira Region
Read more about the article Spain : Andalusia region – Seville

Spain : Andalusia region – Seville

🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇪🇸 Seville - Granada - Ronda Day -1  Seville  Seville is the capital of Andalusia region. There are 17 autonomous communities in Spain, Andalusia is the most populous and 2nd largest by area. I missed my original flight to Barcelona so I had to knock off Barcelona and Madrid from my original itinerary and instead arrived Seville two days latter. First thing I noticed are orange trees, they are an integral part of the landscape. If you make the mistake (like I did ) of biting one of the oranges you will understand…

Continue ReadingSpain : Andalusia region – Seville
Read more about the article Ilulissat: Land of icebergs

Ilulissat: Land of icebergs

🇬🇱 🇬🇱 🇬🇱 I was not originally planning to visit Ilulissat. There was no flight back from Sisimuit , so I decided to extend my stay  and visited Ilulissat, glad that I did. This town is located approximately 350 KM north of arctic circle. This place is famous for Icefjord. It's a massive collection of icebergs that have calved from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier one by one. This is fastest moving glacier in the world (40 meters daily). This place is at its best during summer months, specially due to global warming glacier calving is a common phenomenon. We were…

Continue ReadingIlulissat: Land of icebergs