Luxembourg City

Luxembourg is a small landlocked country in Western Europe, Luxembourg City its capital is one of the four official capitals of European Union. We had a chance to explore this lovely city during our Easter holidays. Vianden castle, Bourscheid Castle, Renaissance Castle Beaufort are must see castles in Luxembourg city. One of my MBA friend Angel was living in Luxembourg and we had a chance to catch up with his family after a very long time. Can you imagine he has two twins – four children? 

The weather stayed perfectly fine where it’s really prone to lot of rains and it was a good drive from Basel. There were really lot of museums in the city and we went to Villa Vauban, the art museum. The architectural buildings, the panoramic view of the city from the high bridges, the amazing restaurants in different corners makes the city very colorful and picturesque.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

With our trip to Venice, we suddenly planned a visit to Pisa by train which is around 4 to 5 hours from Venice mainly to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa which has around four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. Galileo experimented the dropping two cannonballs of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass. All in all, it was a great trip and we thoroughly enjoyed taking various pics against the leaning tower of Pisa. The weather stayed absolutely fine and the lush green grass next to the cathedral was so pleasant to the eyes. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Venice - The floating city

We celebrated our ninth anniversary in Venice, a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is situated on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges also known as “Queen of Adriatic”, “City of Bridges”, “The floating city” and “City of Canals”. It is indeed a very popular tourist destination, an iconic Italian city and has been ranked the most beautiful city in the world. The weather was fantastic and it reflects on the color of the waters. We drove all the way to Venice from Swiss and we could take the car in the ferry to the hotel where we stayed. It was totally a different experience when I went as a Bachelor in 2006 and now again with my wife and son. We thoroughly enjoyed the Italian cuisine with Pizza, Spaghetti, Pasta during the trip.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Rigi - Queen of Mountains

Recently we had a chance to go to Rigi also known as Queen of the Mountains (1800m above the sea level) located in Central Switzerland. We took the ferry from Luzern to Vitznau and from Vitznau to Rigi with the mountain train and this was indeed the first mountain railway in Europe. While returning back we took the train from Rigi to Arth-Goldau and further to Zurich. The whole area offers many activities such as skiing/sledging in the winter and hiking in the summer. One enjoys a panoramic view of more than 13 lakes and a regular “sea of peaks”. Anish thoroughly enjoyed the mountain ride and it was a great location in Switzerland for a picnic when the sun shines on a summer day.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Schilthorn, Switzerland

During Christmas holidays we had a chance to go to Shilthorn which is above ~3000 metres above the sea level. To get to the Schilthorn from the valley floor is simply breathtaking. The cable cars begin in Stechelberg leaving to Gimmelwald and then on to Muerren. From Muerren another cable car is taken to Brig which is the final change before the Schilthorn. The panoramic revolving restaurant at the summt, PIZ GLORIA was featured in the 1969 James Bond movie” On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. During the winter, the Schilthorn is the traditional start for the world longest downhill ski race, “Inferno”. Its so amazing to see the snowcapped mountains with blue skies around. 

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Rhine Falls, Switzerland

We had a chance to explore Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in Switzerland and Europe. Its located on the High Rhine on the border between the cantons of Shaffhausen and Zuerich in northern Switzerland. It’s a very popular touristic destination and a great picnic spot for a day when the sun shines. The boat ride takes you near to the falls, one can experience the thunderous noise and it also takes you to the German side for around 30 minutes. The falls are still under consideration for hydropower projects where it can add great economic value. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Aareschlucht - Aare Gorge

We had a chance to celebrate my 36th birthday in Aareschlucht (Aare Gorge) in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. It’s a section of the river Aare that carves through a limestone ridge near the town of Meiringen. The path through the gorge is accessed by entrances at each end of the gorge, for most of its length the path is a wooden construction on a metal frame cantilevered out from the wall of the gorge, with short stretches in tunnel. It was a picturesque sight with the color of the water in green. All in all, a great birthday outing spent with the family.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Sub Continent Flavours to Alpine Wonders

After spending couple of years in Chennai, India: we moved back to Europe. The purpose of going to India has been solved, spent good time with dad during his tough times. He got a companion and he is back to good spirits. Anish started his first grade in Switzerland and he has started to speak German. Thanks to my wife who supported this decision of moving back to Europe and raising our son here. It was a great time in India and was a great challenge to survive there after a decade in western world. I have renamed the blog from Sub Continent Flavours to Alpine Wonders.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Coorg, Karnataka

Recently we had a chance to travel to Coorg, a picturesque hill station in the Western Ghats of south western Karnataka. We did a road trip directly from Chennai via Bangalore and it took around 12 hours with all the breaks. The stay was fantastic in Hotel Coorg International with both breakfast and dinner buffets and a beautiful pool to chill out. The most fascinating place in Coorg is the Thalakaveri where the river Kaveri originates. One gets a fascinating panoramic view of the lush green Western ghats and the architectural temples nearby. Madikeri is the capital of the district and Raja’s seat park is a popular touristic spot. A pleasant spectacle of refreshing layers of greenery, chain of high and low rise mountains attired with mist.

Abbey falls is a scenic waterfall around 5kms from Madikeri which was a treat to watch. The best part of driving to Coorg is without the hairpin bends and you are still at around 1,170 m above the mean sea level. The food in this place is simply amazing: Kadumbuttu and pandi curry is a local dish of Coorg and the Sambhar, Dosas are simply mouth watery. The Tibetan Buddhist Golden temple on the foothills of Coorg in Kushalnagara is worth visiting and a huge Tibetan refugee settlement. Dubare is an elephant capturing and training camp on the bank of river Kaveri. Anish loved this place and we did elephant bathing here. All in all, a great place to hang out during summer and its worth to cover Mysore and Ooty nearby.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Yelagiri Hills

Recently we had a chance to travel to a small hill station in the Eastern Ghats, Yelagiri: around 1,110 m above the mean sea level. It’s not as developed as other hill stations like Ooty or Kodaikanal. It takes about 3 to 4 hours from Chennai and a nicely constructed road to the top from the foot hills. The rose gardens is worth visiting and the musical fountain show in the night was a treat to watch. The boat trip in lake Yelagiri is a must and there are lot of recreational activities near the lake for the kids. Definitely a place to be during the weekend in Summer.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Mini Runs and Triathlon

Recently I had a chance to take part in Triathlon in Kovalam beach, Chennai. 750 m Swimming in the sea, 20 km Cycling and 5 Km Running. I was very skeptical to take part in swimming since I never swam in the sea for a long stretch. I even decided to cancel the swimming and take part only in Duathlon i.e. Running and Cycling. The Organizers gave lot of confidence to take part in Swimming by saying there will be lot of life guards, kayaks, buoys in the sea. Got up early and went to the Kovalam beach in the morning at 5.30 AM and saw the tides were very low in the morning. My inner instinct said, I need to do swimming and complete the full stretch irrespective of the time it takes.

The first 100m were the difficult part since one has to swim against the tides. After crossing 100m I was asking for the help of life guard to follow me. Thanks to Ibrahim who followed me in Kayak with lot of patience and motivated me to complete the full stretch. I took enough breaks in between by touching the tip of the Kayak and did enough breathing to continue with the stretch. Thanks to Wild Warrior Racing club for conducting the first Triathlon in Chennai. Swimming is the toughest part and I completed the cycling and running with ease. 

Anish ran his maiden run of 1Km in Dawn to Dusk event in Anna University. He thoroughly enjoyed his run in the circular tracks for the cancer patients. Then he ran 5Km in Besant Nagar beach with his mom and dad, the first 3 Km was not at all a problem for him, the rest 2 Km was bit of a challenge for him. Then he ran 3Km for saving the turtles in Palavakkam beach. It was a good start and exposure for him w.r.t running and fun in the social events. The MEPZ 10Km run along with Kalai was a day to remember. It was so fun to run around the MEPZ campus which was a huge one. Then I did Half Marathon (21.1) Kms along with Kalai who did a great job on his maiden run. Anita and Anish did 3 Kms and gave us the company in the finishing lap.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Kolli Hills, Eastern Ghats

Kolli hills is a small mountain range located in central Tamil Nadu in Namakkal district of India. The mountains rise to 1300 m in height, they are part of Eastern Ghats which runs parallel to the east coast of India. Kolli is site of pilgrimage for the famous Arapaleeswarar temple but also popular for the hikers and nature lovers. Akaya Gangai is the waterfall situated near the temple and it’s a great trekking experience to walk 1050 steps down to visit the falls. Another waterfalls is the Masi waterfalls which is easily accessible by foot. Anish enjoyed this place so much with waterfalls, boating and natural parks in nearby areas. What I liked with the Kolli hills is, it’s not touristic like other hill stations of Tamil Nadu. Lush green forest, the 70 hair pin bends to drive to the top, very less hotels, buildings and more vegetation/greenery makes it a perfect holiday spot for a weekend.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Mahabaleshwar, Grand Canyon of India

Mahabaleshwar is a small town in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a hill station located in the Sahyadri mountain range with the elevation of 1,353 meters above the sea level and it used to be summer capital of Bombay province during the British Raj. Mahabaleshwar is definitely the Grand Canyon of India with deep gorges and beautiful view points of the Western Ghats. There are various viewpoints like Arthur Point, 3 Monkey point, Kate point, Needle hole point, Savitri point. The most stunning was the Kate’s point which gives the panoramic view of the Balakwadi dam and the river Krishna piercing through the mountain ranges. Its around 125 kms from Pune and easily accessible by road. Definitely one of the scenic touristic spots to watch out for in Maharashtra.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Taj Mahal, Agra

Recently we had a chance to visit Taj Mahal in Agra. We took Gatiman Express from Delhi to Agra and since it was winter time with dense fog, there was a delay in reaching Agra. Otherwise Gatiman express takes about 1hr 50 minutes to reach Agra from Delhi. Taj Mahal is one of the famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan’s favorite wife Mumtaz. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the world and one of the world heritage sites in Agra. Agra is commonly identified as the ‘City of Taj’. The package had a buffet in the five star hotel and we thoroughly enjoyed the cuisine, ambience and the hospitality. It was too crowded on that day since it was a long weekend and it was a herculean task to get an entry to Taj. We had to skip Agra fort and we caught the train in the last minute to Delhi with the same Gatiman Express.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Historic Delhi, Capital of India

Recently we had a chance to visit Delhi, the capital city of India during Republic Day holidays. We covered the famous touristic spots like India Gate, Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Supreme Court, Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, Iron pillar, Jama Masjid, Red Fort. I must say Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world with thick dense fog affecting the total visibility. Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), is a city and a union territory of India. It is bordered by Haryana on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh to the east. The Delhi Metro forms the life line of the working population of Delhi and OLA/UBER is quite popular in this capital city. All in all, we had a great time in the capital city to see various historic places.

                                  

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Maldives, Pearl in Indian Ocean

Recently we had a chance to visit Maldives, the Island nation in Indian Ocean during Christmas holidays. We took Sri Lankan Airlines from Chennai to Colombo and from Colombo to the capital city of Maldives, Male. The trip started with an adventure with my son’s passport not valid for six months, expiring in 4 months. The Sri Lankan Airlines officials refused to give the boarding pass for Anish and said he can’t travel to Maldives. It was a huge disappointment for Anish since he was excited about the trip in the last 10 days before the travel. We were waiting for around 30 minutes, bit puzzled what to do. Then the Sri Lankan officials checked with Maldives immigration authorities and informed us saying Anish can travel if accompanied by parents at their own risk. 

Anish came back to the spirits and he was very much excited to board the flight to Maldives finally. Male is the capital city and most populated city, traditionally called the ‘King’s Island’ for its central location. Independence Square, the mosque in Hulhumale, Parliament House are some of the attractions in Male. We went for a snorkeling and it gives a great view of the coral reefs, fishes underneath the water. Then we went to a local island which gave the glimpse of the life style of the Island nation. The Sand Bank Island is a small island somewhere in nowhere in the midst of Indian Ocean. It was fascinating to see the water all around in pristine green color and a very small portion of the land mass where stayed for a while.

The most fascinating experience in the Island nation was Scuba Diving. Wearing tight fish like dress, carrying a cylinder, wearing the masks and jumping in the middle of the ocean. For the first 10 minutes, I couldn’t survive inside the water, with heavy pain in the ears, couldn’t breathe properly. But the instructor guided well to release the pressure by pressing the nose, ears, shaking the head and after that I started to enjoy the stay inside the ocean. Honestly, the depth, the flora and fauna, the colorful fishes inside the ocean was simply breathtaking. Its indeed one of the tremendous adventure to try out for one time.

Anish thoroughly enjoyed the pristine beaches and we did lot of water sports. The kayaking, jet speed boat, banana boat, building sand castles along the shores of the beach were truly rewarding experience in the island nation. What fascinates about the beaches in Maldives are the Green color, shallow ones to try various water sports, low tides and the warm temperature to do swimming/bath any time. The economy of the island nation is mainly tourism and fishing. Most of the people were speaking fluent English. All in all, a perfect touristic country to visit during December and January when it’s damn cold in Europe/USA. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S