Summer 2019: Visit to Dinant

The last leg of our trip took us to the little-known town of Dinant. Although the train ride from Ghent to Dinant was just a little over 3 hours, it was totally worth it. The last leg of the train journey pretty much runs parallel to the river Meuse, which makes for some really picturesque sights.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

This small town with its population of less than 15,000 was the birthplace of Adolfe Sax, the inventor of the saxofone, and they won’t let you forget it. Dinant is littered with larger than life saxofone statues colored in the schemes of varios national flags. To challenge yourself to walk around, you can see how many different saxofones you can find and photograph yourself with during your trip.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things about the area is that it sits on the banks of the river which makes it a great place to go for an evening stroll/bike ride/early morning run along the river esplanade, have dinner on one of the many terraces overlooking the river or simply just watch the river flow by while you enjoy a cold Belgian blonde (beer, that is).

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the list of things to do in Dinant. No, seriously! I’m not joking. There are a couple of other things you can do in terms of traditional sight-seeing, but even if you just stick to the aforementioned list, you should be just fine. This place is all about relaxing and winding-down.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

In any case, for those interested, heres a list of some of the more traditional sight-seeing activities in Dinant:

1. Dinant Citadel: A fortress built high up on the hilltop overlooking the city. A great place for some spectacular views. You can either climb the stairs, or take the cable car. Ditto for the way down. You can choose and combine them in any combination. We took the cable car up, and the stairs down. A side-note: the guided tour, as well as all printed material, is in multiple languages, which do NOT include English or Spanish.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

2. Notre Dame de Dinant: A 13th century church that forms part of the city’s picture-perfect look, it is right in the center and well-worth a quick visit.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

3. The road through the rock: While the name is made-up, this iconic road cut through the hill can be seen in a lot of photographs of Dinant and is worth a quick visit if you’re into that sort of thing. Its about a 20 minute walk from the city center.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

And with that, our summer vacations sadly came to an end. I think that Dinant was my favorite location and would have liked to have spent more time here. Oh well, I guess that’s another reason to return to Dinant and spend more time at other small towns in the area.

Cheers! Till the next one.

Summer 2019: Visit to Ghent

After a great time in Bruges, we boarded our next train. A short 20 something minute ride later, we were in Ghent. Surprisingly, Ghent was much bigger than Bruges and seemed almost like any other medium-sized city.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

We spent the next 2 days exploring the city. This city also has its fair share of canals, only they are much wider. Wide enough that we were able to rent a small motor boat and sail around the city for a very reasonable price. We carried food and drink, and were able to picnic on the water. This was one of the highlights of our stay in Ghent and I would really recommend it if you’re visiting.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

The city has a number of churches, which I will touch on below, but it also has some really great restaurants. We were surprised to find a number of vegetarian restaurants that did a really great job with the food. Another interesting observation was that a number of restaurants and grocery stores accepted (or preferred) payment only by credit card. However, they didn’t accept all major credit cards. In fact, we even came across one major grocery chain in the city center that didn’t accept Visa and Mastercard.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

Jumping right into it, here are our Top 5 things to do in Ghent:

1. Gravensteen Castle: A wonderfully well maintained castle, you should definitely visit here. Not only is it really pretty on the outside, especially at night, but the inside warrants a visit too. I often get bored when I visit castles, but the audio guide tour here includes narration by a famous Belgian comedian that really makes the entire tour very pleasant, enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

2. Ghent Altarpiece in St. Bavo’s Cathedral: This 18 panel work of art is worth shelling out the extra € 12 or so that they ask. That includes an audio guide that explains the history and significance of the painting, as well as the story of how it was stolen, and then partly recovered. Of course, you also just see the imitation for free while you admire the insides of this beautiful cathedral.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

3. Graslei: This is essentially the main canal of the city, right in the historic center. It’s a tourist hotspot where people can enjoy the canal and watch the boats float by while they sit surrounded by typical Belgian architecture. I would recommend visiting here in the evening, once the city lights turn on and it is illuminated in all its glory.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

4. St. Nicholas’ Cathedral: This is one of the most prominent landmarks of the city center and you can’t miss it. It’s worth a quick visit, and provides a welcome respite from the searing summer heat (or the winter cold, depending on when you visit).

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

5. Just walk around: As was the case in Bruges, it is easy (and fun) to get lost walking around this city. Given its size, you’re never too far from anything. So get out, and get lost. Enjoy the cobbled streets of the historic center while you grab a drink or snack from one of the many cafes and restaurants lining them. While exploring we chanced upon the famous Graffiti wall right off the city center. Who knows what else you might find?

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

After another 2 full days, and more than 2/3rds of our trip completed, we re-packed our bags and boarded our next train to our final summer destination: Dinant.

Summer 2019: Visit to Bruges

At the end of August (I know it’s really late, but better late than never) we traveled for a week to Belgium. We visited 3 towns- Bruges, Ghent and Dinant- over the course of that week and really had a great time. We liked some places more than others, but overall I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending any one of them.

We started our journey by flying into Brussels airport. We walked to the train station located conveniently within the airport and purchased a 10 journey pass for around € 80 that can be shared amongst travelers. I really recommend this pass if you plan to travel extensively as it really is more more economical than buying individual tickets for each journey.

Our first train was to Bruges and the ride lasted approximately an hour and a half. As soon as you leave the station, you realize the kind of place Bruges is- green, with lots of water, rustic European houses and cobbled streets. Our hotels was a 15-20 minute walk from the train station. The walk was fairly pleasant, but I would recommend you carry backpacks because dragging your wheeled luggage on these streets will not only tire your arms, but also do some serious damage to the wheels.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

Most of this town consists of beautiful Venetian canals, white swans, well-manicured lawns, regal old stone churches, smalls streets, and big squares. There are also some wonderfully located restaurants and bars that have seating overlooking the canals that make for a very calm and serene place to unwind. The town also has its fair share of delicious ice-cream shops and trucks and all kinds of restaurants thus ensuring you’re never too far from a great meal. Bruges is also famous for its chocolates, so if you like chocolates and candy, you’re in for a real treat.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

The only downside was that in the summer, this place is overrun by tourists. This really hit home for me when I saw tourists by the boatload taking tours in the town’s tiny canals and a full-grown dead duck floating in the water, possibly having been hit by one of the hundreds of boats constantly plying the narrow canals.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

Without further ado, my Top 5 recommendations for Bruges are:

1. Guided tour of the De Halve Brewery: This a family run brewery with some neat innovations and a lot of history. This is also where they brew the Brugse Zot, a delicious but strong beer indigenous to Bruges.  

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

2. Basilica of the Holy Blood: Although this relatively small church is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside, its primary draw is undeniably the relic which is said to contain the blood of Jesus Christ.

3. Church of Our Lady: A beautiful church which contains Michelangelo’s sculpture of Mary with the baby Jesus. Interestingly, this is one the artifacts that was stolen during the Second World War and recovered, as depicted in the movie Monuments Men.

4. Climb the Belfry: For less than € 10, you can and should climb Bruges’ belfry. After climbing the 366 steps, some in extremely small and tight spaces, you can enjoy a breath-taking view of the city.

Photos Credit: The Honey Bee

5. Picnic by the Windmills: You can rent bicycles from the city center, or even walk (10-20 minutes) from the center to the windmills. Each one of these giants is located on top of a grassy knoll by the river, which makes for a great picnic spot.

I would also like to mention here that there are a number of restaurants that provide delicious takeaway food that can be enjoyed in the grass or on the steps outside some of the town’s churches.

After 2 full days, we bid farewell to Bruges and boarded our next train to Ghent.

Anniversary Weekend in Bordeaux

To celebrate our anniversary, we took a short weekend trip to Bordeaux, France. Famous for its wine, the metropolitan area has a population of over a million, making it the sixth largest in France. During our visit, the afternoons were blistering hot and it was impossible to remain outdoors at the time.

The city center is beautiful and open, full of lush greenery and old heritage buildings. That being said, the city does seem to struggle with its fair share of poverty and lack of cleanliness in certain neighborhoods. Bordeaux boasts an extensive and affordable public transport network, with buses and trams running at high frequency intervals. Ticket enforcement is not high, which results in a high number of riders (I would estimate close to 30%) riding without paying. It is interesting to note that it is one of the few cities in the world where the trams are not powered by unsightly overhead cables. Instead they draw their power from the track itself.

Bordeaux has a lot to see and do, and you will never get bored. We felt the approximately 3 days we spent there were the right amount. Following in the footsteps of previous travel blogposts, here are our top 10 things to do in Bordeaux city:

1. Place de la Bourse and Miroir d’eau

The Place de la Bourse is one of the most recognizable sights of Bordeaux. Located just off the Garonne river, it has always been the city’s trading center and is surrounded by an arc of beautiful historic buildings with the 3 Graces fountain in the center of said arc. Apart from being a wonderful place to visit, it’s a nice place to relax and have a cold beer in the evenings.

Just across the street is the Miroir d’eau (Water mirror), which is a water play area for children and adults-a great place for people to cool off during the hot summers. You must not miss visiting this place at night to see the spectacularly lit Place de la Bourse reflect in the water.

2. Pont de Pierra

The Pont de Pierra is a stone bridge with 17 arches. Constructed in 1822, it connects the left and the right banks of the Garonne river. As a tourist, you must not miss walking across this bridge at night, when its beautiful lamps are lit. It also makes for some really great pictures from the Quais de Bordeaux.

3. Quais de Bordeaux

This is the riverfront promenade that runs along the river Garonne. A bustling center of activities, the promenade is lined with parks, flowerbeds and restaurants. In the evening, you will find this area brimming with life as people come out to enjoy the beautiful waterfront and escape the heat. It is interesting to point out that at first sight the river is coffee brown, which gives it the impression of being dirty. However, that is far from the truth. In reality the brown color is due to the high clay content in the mountains where it originates. In fact, the clay content is so high, the river needs to constantly be dredged to prevent the clay from choking up the water flow.

4. La Grosse Cloche & La Porte Cailhau

La Gross Cloche (Big Bell) weighs close to 8,000 kilograms and rings 6 times a year, mainly for major celebrations. The gateway where the bell is hung is a beautiful structure that in its day was a juvenile prison.

The Porte Gailhau gateway was originally built in 1494 and was the primary entrance to the city. For the Honey Bee and I, this structure reminded us of a sort of mini Disney castle.

6. Rue Sainte Catherine

This is one of the primary thoroughfares of the city that is open to foot traffic only. It’s a great place to spend a few hours, as this 1.2 kilometer avenue is lined with all sort of shops, bars and restaurants. Interestingly, it is often credited with being the longest pedestrian street in Europe. As you start at one end (Porte de Bourgogne) and head towards the other (Place de la Comedie), the atmosphere changes significantly. Initially the street is generally dirtier with smaller boutique stores and cheaper restaurants. However, as you approach the Place de la Comedie, the boutique stores are replaced by better known global brands, and the cheap restaurants by more stylish joints offering fancier fare.

7. Place de la Comedie and Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux

One of the largest plazas in Bordeaux, the Place de la Comedie is a massive pedestrian-only plaza that lies at the end of the Rue Sainte Catherine. In the center of it is the Grand Theater which is a majestic structure. This theater is the place to see and be seen in Bordeaux’s high society and was rebuilt after it was consumed by a massive fire in 1756.

8. Monument aux Girondins and the Esplanade des Quinconces

This monument and the plaza in which it stands are a very short distance from the Place de la Comedie. The monument consists of bronze fountains with a lot of very intriguing statues and imagery, topped with a column and a statue of liberty breaking its chains at the very top. It was built in memory of the Girondin political group during the French Revolution. I would highly recommend taking a tour or reading more about this to better understand the intricacies and significance of the beautiful fountain.

9. La Cité du Vin

La Cité du Vin is a museum and exhibition center devoted entirely to the story of wine. It was inaugurated in 2016 and is estimated to have cost close to € 80 million. Apart from the museum, they also have a wonderful gift shop with a staggering collections of wines from pretty much every wine producing country in the world.

10. Le Bar à Vin

Your visit to Bordeaux isn’t complete without trying out some of the wine it’s famous for. This bar allows you to enjoy your wine tasting experience, complemented by chocolates, cheeses and meats in a beautifully done up locale, complete with high ceilings, massive stained glass windows and a very artsy interior. The service is excellent and all the servers are very knowledgeable about the wines they offer. It is conveniently located just a few steps from the Place de la Comedie and I would definitely recommend adding this to your itinerary.

(If you have the time and inclination, here are some additional places you might want to consider visiting: Porte de Bourgogne, Bordeaux Cathedral, Jardin Public, Place du Parlement)

At the end of our 3 day trip, we felt completely satisfied with our stay. We particularly enjoyed the Canelé, a sweet pastry flavored with rum and vanilla on the inside and a burnt sugar crust on the outside. The only negative thing I have to say about Bordeaux is the airport. It was ridiculously small and once we were past security (and for some strange reason an immigration check), there were no restaurants where we could have dinner. As a result, we dined on a € 10 salad from the the shitty vending machine while we waited for our delayed flight.

Chicago Summer Wedding

Summer vacations are my favorite time of the year. We usually travel to some exotic destination in Europe with the family and spend some quality time bonding. This year though, we broke with tradition.

My little brother got married this summer and we flew all the way to the US to celebrate his wedding in the picturesque city of Chicago. The wedding itself was a beautiful affair which struck a delicate balance between old school Indian traditions and newer Western concepts.

Chicago riverside at night

All the key elements from traditional Indian weddings were incorporated into this event. These included the baarat (wherein the groom enters the wedding location with the wedding party dancing to some crazy beats), the tying of the knot in the presence of the purifying fire and the holy priest, and of course rich Indian food. The couple was even able to convince the priest to shorten the traditional ceremonies from the hours long monologue to a more interactive and much appreciated 45 minute version.

Bride & Groom in wedding garb performing traditional rituals

In addition to these Indian concepts, there were a number of western concepts woven in. For example, the bride and groom following their families in walking down the aisle, the couple reciting their wedding vows during the rituals and their first dance as a married couple.

What stood out in stark difference to traditional Indian weddings was the small number of people present. A traditional Indian wedding has well over a thousand guests. When the Honey Bee and I tied the knot, there must haven been between 1,000-2,000 guests, most of whom we did not know. This wedding, on the other hand, was a relatively intimate affair with about 100 close members of the family and friends groups. A welcome change in my opinion.

Personalized cake topper with avatars for the bride & groom

We were also personally responsible for organizing an afternoon tour of Chicago followed by lunch at a local favorite restaurant for our out-of-town guests. The tour was great, especially given the phenomenal weather we had. We even took guests to the famous Lou Malnati’s for a taste of the authentic Chicago deep dish pizza. Suffice it to say, people overestimated their eating capacity and we had a LOT of leftover pizza.

The wedding went off flawlessly, and I’m glad to say we were even able to lend a helping hand in organizing the event. Everybody had a great time and I was even invited to give a toast. Albeit extremely nervous, I really enjoyed standing up there facing the bride, groom and the rest of the wedding party delivering their wedding toast.

To wrap up today’s entry, I have posted the full text my toast, with all personal identifying information redacted. I was very conflicted about posting it on here, but I finally decided to post it for the sake of posterity.

Most of you here already know me. For those who don’t, my name is ***, and I am ***’s favorite brother. Yes, his only brother-but that doesn’t matter.

And as his only brother, I feel it is my duty to tell you about little *** here. *** and I first met 29 years ago. It was March **st, 19**. I’m sure *** doesn’t remember that day, and that’s understandable because he was going through a lot at the time. Nonetheless, *** and I shared an immediate connection.

Like most siblings, we had our fair share of tussles, but that was mainly because of our different personalities. You know, *** was always loud, abrasive and foolish, while I was calm, composed and good-looking, and still am.

I kid of course, but the good thing that came out of all of these fights, is that we both became really good at apologizing. ***, you’re welcome!

*** and I have always shared a strong bond, and he’s been a best friend and confidant. As a result of this closeness, I like to think of myself as having been a little protective of him.

I still remember when I was like 12 and he was 10 and some of our friends were picking on him. I stopped them and said, “hey, don’t pick on my brother!—–Only I get to that!”

On a serious note though, as I stand here today, I still can’t believe that my baby brother is getting married.

*** and *** met at college in Bloomington, and it has been wonderful to see their friendship blossom into love over the last 11 years. It is an intense source of happiness for me to know that my brother has found his soul mate.

I consider myself blessed for having such an incredibly loving soul as a brother. I could not have asked for anything more and I just wanted to say that I love you. And now, I am also being blessed with a wonderful sister.

Welcome to the family ***!

And so, without further ado, if everyone would join me in raising their glasses. To *** & ***-a a lifetime of love, unity and happiness. God bless you both! Congratulations!

And so with that, we wrapped up the wedding. However, the wedding was at the end of the trip. Since we were travelling so far, we also decided to get a taste for some other parts of America. So in the next post, we will rewind a couple of days and take a look at some of our other adventures in the US of A.

Family Travels Part 2: Algarve

After a great stay in Budapest, we spent a day each moving through Bratislava and Vienna. We originally had a 10 am flight scheduled to fly from Vienna to Faro Airport, Portugal. However, that flight was canceled and we were put on a 4 am flight. That’s right- 4 a-m!

So, after literally 1 hour of sleep in Vienna, we headed to the airport and checked-in for our flight. We pretty much slept right through our approximately 4 hour flight and reached Faro airport relatively refreshed. What followed was another 1 hour car ride to our hotel in the town of Lagos (in the southern Algarve region of Portugal). No sooner had we arrived than we went off sight-seeing. We walked around the hotel on foot and visited a couple of beautiful sight-seeing points and beaches including Ponta Da Piedade. Here’s the first view we got:

Our first view of the ocean

Over the next couple of days, we took a number of boat rides. You see, the area is famous for sea grottos-limestone caves that are formed naturally along the sea front by wind and water erosion. The most famous one is the Benagil Sea Cave. I’m confident you’ve seen some of these caves before-either in the movies, or on your computer’s screensaver. The boats take you to visit these grottos that litter the entire coastline. Tide and weather permitting, sometimes they are even able to enter the caves and give you an inside glimpse into the awesome power and sheer beauty of the works of Mother Nature.

Some of the grottos and rock formations we saw from our boat

Apart from the grottos, we spent some time walking around the quaint streets of this small town and enjoying the many waterfront restaurants & bars.

We saw a number of grottos. On the left is the famous Benagil cave.

We had originally planned on visiting the gorgeous beaches here, but the relatively windy conditions didn’t allow it. So, instead we visited ZooMarine- an aquatic theme park. The park has several attractions including bird, seal, sea-lion and dolphin shows. It also has bird sanctuaries (think Jurassic Park) wherein you enter a giant domed area and walk around amidst the birds in their “natural” environment. If you dare, you can even feed the birds out of your very hand. The park also has a bunch of other entertainment activities like aquariums, acrobatic performances, theme park based rides, water activities, etc.

ZooMarine had shows with dolphins, seals, sharks and birds

Before we knew it our 3 days here were up. We packed up and headed off for the final leg of our trip, which concluded in Seville, Spain. As tight as the schedule was, we really had a great time.  And as is the case with all good things, this too came to an end. With that, we had our final family dinner of the vacation, relaxing by the pool in the garden of our hotel, rehashing our whirlwind of a trip and already making plans for the next one.

Happy Summer Vacations, y’all!

 

Family Travels Part 1: Budapest

We just returned from our annual family vacation, and boy did we have a good time. We went all over the place, starting off with a couple of days in Budapest (Hungary), with quick stopovers in Bratislava (Slovakia) and Vienna (Austria). Then we hopped across the continent to visit the southern Algarve region of Portugal, followed by a car ride to Seville (Spain).

Like always, to keep this post as clean and crisp as possible, I will focus on the places we spent the most time in: Budapest & Algarve.

Today’s post is dedicated entirely to Budapest, and next week I’ll cover Algarve.

Let’s jump right in. After reuniting with the family at the Budapest airport, we spent more than 30 minutes in line waiting to catch a cab. Our hotel was conveniently located right in the center of the city. Over the next few days, we thanked our lucky stars because being centrally located allowed us to do and see sooo much more. The name of the street we stayed on was Váci Utca and I’d strongly recommend finding a hotel on or around it.

Large parts of the center are pedestrian only, and hence make for a great place to spend time. Apart from the frequent tour providers trying to get you to sign up for their tours and forcing you to “try” their Segway, we really enjoyed Budapest. Most of the pedestrian areas are lined with all kinds of shops (brands, chains, souvenirs, local trade, etc.).

There is certainly no shortage of restaurants either. Since this is a heavily tourist area, beware of restaurants that get away with serving horrible food and charging high prices. I’d recommend you look them up on TripAdvisor before entering. I must admit that the city center seemed to be overrun with tourists, and has perhaps lost some of its charm. However, given that travel and tourism contributes over 11% to the country’s GDP and is expected to rise, it doesn’t surprise me.

The Budapest that we know it today was originally composed of 2 cities-Buda & Pest that were combined into a single city in 1873. We mostly walked everywhere, but I’d also recommend using public transportation which includes a very good network of buses, trams and a very comfortable underground metro.

Here are some sight-seeing & activity recommendations, ordered by my personal favorites:

Gellért Baths: Originally built between 1912-1918, the complex was damaged during the Second World War and rebuilt. The complex contains a number of pools, saunas, and wellness related services. The entire facility, although old, is built-in an art-nouveau style. I’m certain I can’t do justice when describing the splendor of this place, but I’m going to try. From the moment you enter, the grandeur hits you straight in the face. The imposing high ceilings, the beautiful fountains, the mosaic tiles on the walls and the floors, the statues, the colors, every single thing here astounds with its majesty and magnificence. The closest comparison I can think of is bathing in a cathedral.

The thermal waters contain calcium, magnesium, hydro-carbonate, alkalis, chloride, sulfate and fluoride. The properties of the water are said to help with various conditions like joint illnesses & inflammation, spine problems, vertebral disk problems, etc. The temperature of the water is between 35 °C and 40 °C. In fact, references to the healing properties of the mineral hot springs at this location can be found dating back to the 13^th century. If you visit Budapest, this place is a must visit and should be at the very top of your list.

The Liberty Statue: Built in 1947 at the top of Gellért hill, it commemorates those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary.

The Gellért Monument: Built in 1904 in honor of the 11th century bishop St. Gellért who converted the Magyars to Christianity. Below the memorial is a man-made waterfall. Legend has it that Gellért was put to death by pagans at this spot by putting him in a barrel and rolling it down the steep Gellért Hill and eventually into the Danube River.

Cave Church: Part of a network of caves within the hills, it is often referred to as St. Ivan’s cave. St. Ivan was a hermit that who lived there and is believed to have used the natural thermal water from a muddy lake next to the cave to heal the sick. It is likely that this same water fed the pools of the old Sáros fürdő (“Muddy Baths”), now called Gellért Baths.

The church has an interesting history and was sealed with a thick concrete wall by the Soviet Red Army in 1951. It wasn’t until the fall of the former Soviet Union in 1989 that the wall was brought down and the church restored.

Hungarian Parliament: Completed in 1904, it is the largest building in Hungary, and the tallest in Budapest. About 100,000 people were involved in its construction, during which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms of gold were used. Interestingly the architect went blind before it was completed, never being able to see his completed work.

Heroes’ Square: Completed in 1900, this it is one of the major squares of Budapest and includes a number of grand statues of past leaders, and among other things the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Although the square itself is very large and magnificent, it didn´t quite live up to my expectations. As a European square, I was expecting it to be filled with life, lots of people and cafes. However, all we found there were parked buses, empty beer cans, and rowdy tourists. Although I wouldn’t recommend penciling in spending too much time there, I would recommend paying it a visit.

Others: Gellért Hill, St. Stephen’s Basilica, Buda Castle, Night cruise on the Danube River

All in all, we spent a wonderful 3.5 days in Budapest, but I’d recommend going with 4-5 days in hand to really get to know the city and try everything it has to offer. Food, accommodation, transport and shopping are relatively cheap compared to Western Europe, which is a good thing ‘coz your money goes further.

Next week, we’ll take a look at the Algarve region of Portugal.

Getting to the Bottom of Spring Fatigue

As we enter the spring season and bid adieu to winter, we us feel a certain sense of fatigue in our daily lives. Most people I talk to simply attribute it to the change in weather. When I try to dig deeper, they simply shrug their shoulders.

So, I decided to do some of my own research on the subject and share my findings here. For starters, I found that this is not a phenomenon confined to one corner of the world. I have read about people complaining about it from all corners of the world, all the way from the US to Australia.

It turns out that we, like animals, regulate our metabolism and hormone levels in response to external stimuli like temperature and light. In fact, our core body temperature is slightly lower in the winter than it is in the summer, which results in a slowdown in our metabolism. During this period, our body also produces a higher amount of the hormone melatonin, which regulates our sleep.

When spring comes around all of a sudden, the sun starts rising earlier and we get longer hours of sunlight accompanied by rising temperatures. The body naturally reacts to this change in external stimuli by raising the core temperature, thereby dilating blood vessels and causing a resulting drop in blood pressure. The body also reacts at the hormonal level, causing the release of more serotonin, the activity hormone. All these changes throw our body’s rhythm off-balance.

This slightly weakens the body’s defenses and also makes us more vulnerable to infections. Temperature changes back and forth, accompanied by an adjustment to the clock due to Daylight Savings Time tend to exacerbate the effects. Large day-night temperature swings put added strain on blood vessels and circulation. These are drastic changes for the body and it takes a couple of weeks to adjust and adapt. Depending on individual circumstances, the effects might also include headaches, irritability, tiredness, dizziness, and a tendency to drift towards a sad mood. (On a side note, while weather or spring fatigue is common, the severe version of this problem is referred to Seasonal Affective Disorder and often requires treatment.)

However, instead of simply riding out the fatigue, there are things you can do to fight it. For example, exercising activates the whole body. Consumption of fruits and vegetables supplies the body with vitamins and minerals that consequentially help strengthen your defenses.

Knowledge is power. And now that we know, we can do more than simply suffer through weather fatigue. Besides, every cloud has a silver lining and this is no exception. Suffering through a few weeks of fatigue will bring us the warm embrace of summer.

Here’s looking forward to an activity filled summer!

An Eventful Afternoon in Platja d’Aro

After a brief hiatus, we picked up our travels once again and visited our 2^nd favorite beach town along the Costa Brava: Platja d’Aro. Readers will remember our favorite is currently Tossa de Mar, which we have visited multiple times over the last year.

After driving around for quite a bit in search of parking, we found an open “spot” in an undeveloped construction site. It truly amazes me every time I think about it. The number of people driving around looking for parking at any given moment is ridiculous. I remember reading about a statistic that close to 20% of cars on the streets of Paris at any given time are not trying to get anywhere, but are simply looking for parking. I would imagine that number to be close to the same for Barcelona as well.

In any case, once we parked, we decided to do a short hike. Most beaches in these coastal towns tend to be connected by way of a rough path weaving along the coast. These paths tend to be unpaved and quite rudimentary, with a LOT of ups and downs to navigate the changing terrain. We had probably walked close to 30 minutes when I realized my wallet was missing. It was entirely possible that I had forgotten my wallet in the car. But, it was also equally possible that I had dropped it/had it stolen along the way. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember whether or not I had taken the wallet from the car. Not being one to take chances, I opened up my banking app and conveniently canceled my cards from my smartphone. Unfortunately, my wallet also contained my driving license and other government issued IDs that can be a headache to replace.

We retraced our steps, leaving my phone number with local restaurants along the way in case someone happened to turn in a lost wallet. By the time we reached the car, we were soaked in sweat, tanned from the scorching sun overhead and tired. We had maintained a brisk pace during the hike back hoping that if it had slipped out of my pocket, we might find my wallet before anyone else does.

Much to our relief, we found it sitting on the dashboard of the car. We grabbed my wallet and headed back to the trail, hiking 20 minutes till we reached a beach we liked. We bought ourselves some cold sangria from a chiringuito (beach shack) and were ready to relax when we found out they were out of rental umbrellas and loungers. As luck would have it we had a beach umbrella in the car, but were too exhausted to make the long and tiring journey back to the car. Eventually, we got lucky and found a shaded area right next to the water and laid out our beach towel.

I must confess that all these mishappenings had left me a little grumpy. The Honey Bee, being the beacon of positivity that she is, kept our spirits up. Not even my grumpiness could hold out against her bubbliness and soon we were both enjoying ourselves again. She brought out her sketch book and started painting the landscape. Meanwhile, I sipped my drink and decided to take a little siesta.

It was a beautiful afternoon in a veritable paradise, with the sun setting behind us, our feet buried in the soft sand and the soothing sound of the waves lapping gently against the beach.

Summer Travels Part 1: Croatia & Slovenia

This summer we traveled to Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Germany over an 8 day period. We traveled with family and were blessed with good weather for the most part. Since the trip spanned so many places, I will try to crystallize the experiences and focus on the highlights. Instead of wasting space with paragraphs of text, I will include numerous images and as you will see, each image speaks volumes for itself.

We had a lot of fun on this trip and returned home more tired than we were before we left. We did a lot of wonderful sight-seeing, but definitely were not able to get in as much rest and family time as I’d have liked.

Let’s jump right into it:

First stop: Croatia. We spent 3 nights here. We spent 2 days in the capital Zagreb, taking in the sights and sounds of the city. It’s a medium-sized city where people are very friendly and things are much cheaper than Western Europe. Most of the main tourist attractions were pretty concentrated around the center. It’s easy (and fun) to get lost strolling around the quaint cobbled streets, grabbing a beer in one the many street side cafes, stopping by the main farmers’ market, and hopping in and out of esoteric museums. We tried the museum of torture, which I’d recommend if you’re not faint of hearted, and the museum of broken relationships, which I thought was a complete waste of time and money and would advise you to avoid at all costs. Croatia’s old school communist provenance is also fairly visible in the older buildings and tramcars that dot the city.

St. Mark’s Church

Cathedral Outside the Square

Lovelocks

Zagreb Cathedral

Day 2 we visited the Plitvice Lakes National Park. This place’s fame was the entire reason Croatia even made it on to our itinerary. A beautiful almost 300 sq. km. park, it consists of 16 large lakes, at different heights, connected by waterfalls. There are numerous excursions that can be undertaken following the various marked trails. We chose the longest that lasted 6 hours and was probably around 9 kilometers. There are numerous walkways and trails crisscrossing the lakes and also a combination of bus and boat rides that need to be taken to complete the excursion.

To say it was beautiful doesn’t do justice to the marvel of this place. Crystal clear waters through which you can see the bottom, a plethora of waterfalls of all heights, a wide variety of flora, plentiful fish and wonderfully designed walkways all let you immerse yourself into the natural experience without damaging this stunning wonderland. I couldn’t help but want to jump into the water and unwind, but the Honey Bee maintained a tight grip. 😛

Walkway running through park

One of the many waterfalls

Aerial view of the paths criss-crossing the lakes

A side note: I was highly surprised to learn that most people across Croatia, not just in the capital, are fairly proficient in English. Quite a surprise given the wide gulf in the quality of education and wealth between Croatia and most of its non-English speaking European counterparts.

Second stop: Slovenia. We spent 2 nights in the capital: Ljubljana (liub-lee-yana). We visited the Postojna Caves, a massive cave system carved out by the Pivka River. Following a mini-train ride that takes you deep into the caves, you walk for around an hour in the depths of the earth, alternating between small connecting passageways and massive cavernous halls; the enormity of this cave system is mind-boggling. Seeing the grand calcium stalactites (the ones that grow downwards from the ceiling), stalagmites (the ones that grow upwards from the ground), and the rare instance when they fused to form columns was a truly unforgettable experience. It’s humbling to be witness to these grand structures that have grown over centuries. FYI: The average stalactite grows at the rate of 0.13 mm/year.

Here, we were also fortunate to witness the Olm, popularly known as the Human Fish. These cave dwelling amphibians live in the range of 60-100 years, are capable of surviving 7-10 years without food and are blind owing to their underdeveloped eyes. The Postojna Caves are a must visit for anyone visiting Europe.

Close by, we also paid a quick visit to the Predjama Castle, a large full-on renaissance era castle built flawlessly inside a cave’s mouth, complete with moat, drawbridge, torture
chamber and secret tunnels. Walking around outside and inside, it is hard to tell where the castle ends and the cave begins.

Minerals in the rocks give them these colors

The Brilliant: Considered the icon of the Postojna Caves

The Human Fish

Predjama Castle

On day 2, we visited the ominous sounding Bled. A small town built around a glacial lake, this picturesque getaway boasts of a small island with a rustic church and a café in the middle of the lake. To get to the island, you can take a ride in one of the charming little boats that ferry passengers back and forth. Or, if you want to do something more interesting you can rent a boat and row the 10-15 minutes to the island. I’m glad to report I safely rowed the entire family all the way to the island, all the while enjoying the uplifting beats of Volare.  A great way to wrap up the first half of our trip.

…to be continued in Part 2…