Euro Trip #1 - A Photo Journal

Beauty that is Europe!
My first tryst with an actual photo journal. Let's see how it pans out.

Places on display: Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Cologne and around....

Manneken Pis. Literally meaning Little Man Pee, is one of the most fascinating thing that one encounters on visiting the enchanting Belgium. Look beyond the famous Belgian beers and chocolates and they are aplenty across town dressed in varied outfits. This particular one was dressed as an Indian style Maharaja. There are enough stories surrounding the myth that could keep you glued enough for hours.

Well your guess is as good as mine, but this is trademark to that place, yes you guessed it correct. And if Merlin's beard (how geeky could i get ;)) you failed to guess the place then you are just not worthy enough to live. Amsterdam. Any more words would be diluting the craziness that is Amsterdam. One remark before I move on though, it is an enchanting, enchanting place if you look beyond, really is.

Most people leave out the Scandinavia part of Europe in general. BIG MISTAKE. Especially if you are lucky enough to be in Europe during winters. There's none more a beautiful sight than a deep snow covered Scandinavia. In particular, Stockholm. This particular picture was taken during a ceremony at the Royal Palace, one of the most magnificent buildings you come across and with an intriguing history to go with it. One thing common among the Scandinavian states is that all of them are very proud. And this was ample on display in the march that followed, so much so that I didn't mind my almost frost bitten toes.

I am a good enough indulgent when it comes to photography. But not much in the sense of getting clicked myself. Rather, a teeny bit of Behind the Mechanical Eye types. And it's still cultivating. You wouldn't really find like 100s of uploads of photos atleast in this phase of my life. This one though is a little difficult to make out. Captured on the cruise Silja Line on my way from Stockholm to Helsinki. There was absolutely zilch light and thus ended up with this as a somewhat decent enough pic. You probably cannot make out anything from this pic, and certainly not anything about the cruise. As the Scandinavians perceive this, it is a way around the expensive booze for the big business tax free shop on board, and o'course the never ending party. And you never miss to have a pre and a post party anywhere in Europe, ever. The gist of it all though, party, party, snow, frozen sea, party, live band, party and more party. One thing though, what I would have loved to be a part of was a party on the deck, and it was not to be this time around.

Helsinki from here on end, would always be more than just a city for me. There will always be a connection. Thanks to IHD 2012. And I have spoken so much about my love of Finns, their culture and the people in general, that this space and post is just not enough. The pic though, presents Finland in the most grandiose way that I could. What I love is the serenity that the picture was able to capture at the central square, one that I experienced on my 2 visits on separate occasions to the very square. My only wish now is to perhaps visit Finland when it is in the full bloom, blame the curiosity and the buildup around it by the Finns. Trivia: World Design Capital. And the last night, I was made aware of the most interesting cafe ever by a dear friend, which is in sync with the WDC tag, and owing to just unfortunate timing, it was closed. A must visit if you have an opportunity. Genius, genius concept, and tells you the power of the Finns.

Norway was just not to be. But we landed Copenhagen. This is the stupidest statue that you'd ever come across. But it grows over you. The Little Mermaid. It grew over me, more to do with the surroundings and Coldplay than the statue itself for sure. But the kicker for the genius that Copenhagen is, is Christinia, aka the Hippie Town in some circles (be careful though ;)) You are not allowed to click any photos, mind it. No jurisdiction, No rules, pure adulteration. Crazy seeing such a setup in almost the middle of city. Amazing.

A guess one can make out the transition and the country that we are entering for this part of the post. Germany. To put it more into perspective, there's Germany, and then there is rest of Europe. It is a healthy mix of modern and historic constructions, and after walking a few hours on the streets of Hamburg, you might actually come to an inference of Germany probably being the America of Europe. It hits you specially after travelling other parts of Europe that leaves you almost craving for such modernization. A typical day in Hamburg for me would have been visiting some of the traders that are located in huge numbers near the harbor, it would have been fascinating to witness the trade in real time. It wasn't to be, perhaps another day. If that is not cup of your tea, there is the Maritime Museum that might be of interest, the Rickerman's Schiff and the Fischmarkt.

Quick Fact: The emblem of the bear is apparently a pun on the city name. This particular is a symbol for the International Film Festival that was going on during the time of our visit. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Berlin is really really enchanting. This was the first town in which we really went for sightseeing late night instead of the usual clubbing, and it had us big time. The Reichstag could end making a non-German being proud of Germany, such is its presence and the respect that it commands, especially lit in dark, and only for that reason I'd break my rule of 1 photo per city and present it to you below.

It is magnificent to say the least. That's just not it. Competing for the spotlight, the same night, was the Brandenburg Gate too. And in the morning, a dark, cold windy morning, there was the section of Berlin Wall that still stands. With impressive graffiti that might put to shame some of the art lying in museums, it made for some of the most interesting and picturesque hours in the whole trip.

Phuk. I am out adjectives to describe the places in Europe. The first encounter with a real Gothic style architecture and it was grandiose. You would feel insignificant when put in context of such structures. The pic taken at an angle that seems to bring that very thought to life. Prague, was more than that though. A term that I'd use is its a City that never Sleeps, or not until 5 in the morning atleast, and we are talking about a Wednesday and a Thursday here. Jeez. It's a curious little small town, one where you should take up the walking tour and the bar crawl both. And you cannot not meet Mr. Franz Kafka, in the legacy that he has left behind, and the weirdness of his works that the Czechs are very proud of (I ought to read one soon).

As they say, Its all about the music. And the genius that Mozart and Beethoven are. When you visit so many places back to back, you look for the amazing, the things with a difference that a new city can offer. And Vienna, this late in the trip, definitely managed to keep me in town and occupied enough. Even the cathedral, that you could not miss at the city centre, was with a beautiful twist "a simple play with the lighting". The award though must go to things like the Mozarthaus, the Beethovenhaus, the UN City and the Butterfly Museum to name a few.

This photo above is just a cheap dig at the city, which in all probability is nothing like it was portrayed in the movie. Guesses?  

Bratislava, presented an opportunity for a few firsts for me. Admittedly, the opportunity to visit one more country was the initial reasoning, but what tipped in favour of me travelling to the place was the prospect of travelling alone, a first. In the specific tourist areas, the typical old town, the one that you have seen in movies, in art and read about in books, Bratislava could go into a head to head bout and emerge winner everytime. It is peaceful to roam around in the old town, it is exhilarating to travel a city at your own pace, succumb to all your whims without questions, and it is ideal to do all that with Coldplay on.

Lastly, in essence, what any Carnival is built around. You live for such moments, they make you believe in life and assures that it is worth living, every moment. I am sure you could find all the carnival pictures you want, they are after all publicized that wildly and widely, and you must have been to carnivals, in Europe alone there were 4 going on simultaneously when I visited the Cologne carnival. But such sights make your day, and there were plenty on display this day. Cologne carnival is particular is famous or infamous for being the crazy party carnival, I particularly, after being on road, and partying hard for so many back to back days, was in no mood to verify that theory this time, but such sights made up for the whole trip, more than enough.

Until my next travel ( which is tomorrow ;) )

Greetings from Grenoble.

Harshit.