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A month ago, I spent a week in the Victorian city of Melbourne. I was there to attend a Software Engineering Conference, but took some afternoons off to experience the “Aussie life” and ended up making memories of a lifetime.
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After spending some weeks in California, I soon found myself in the opposite corner of the world: in the beautiful land of Australia. This was my first trip to the Southern Hemisphere, and those who look for paradise “up above” have no idea how beautiful it is “down under”!
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We stayed in Brussels during our trip to Belgium. I’ve always had a certain impression of the Western European countries, and our wallets agree that they are more expensive than the rest of Europe. But we were a bit taken aback when we first arrived in Brussels. I couldn’t help but wonder if we had made a mistake in choosing to visit.
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The next destination of our summer trip was iconic—one with many accolades to its name. Known as Europe’s best city to visit by train, it’s also one of the most walkable cities on the continent, and its city center is a UNESCO world heritage site. Bruges, Belgium had been sitting at the top of my bucket list for three years, and I finally got to celebrate my birthday there!
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Towards the very end of summer, my partner and I decided to explore the Adriatic coast. We wanted to spend some peaceful time away from the extreme heat, and our quest guided us to Zadar, the oldest inhabited city of Croatia.
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People use fancy words to describe Prague’s beauty, but words failed me when I visited it. It has many personalities and I was not at all prepared for what it had to offer. While I also loved its quirky side, it lived up to its reputation of being a cultural wonderland. Since it is one of the cheaper destinations in Europe, we had a luxurious trip to this paradise!
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Our final goodbye to summer 2022 was as special as the summer itself. We planned a trip to the interesting city of Prague, not knowing that this destination would impress us in more ways than one. Prague was an emotional rollercoaster, and one of the best places in Europe to witness the onset of fall.
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After spending a few weekends revisiting German cities, I got a chance to explore a new country. A friend from India visited Europe recently and we both spent a wonderful day along the banks of the Seine river, in a city that is a dream for many: Paris.
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This year has been a mental rollercoaster on the work front, with way too many paper rejections. I finally got two weeks free, where all I could do was wait for two more rejections (which, to my surprise, turned into two acceptances—yay!). With the perfect summer weather and my fiancé flying in from the U.S., we decided it was the perfect time for an impromptu trip.
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As the nights stretched longer and the weather turned rainier, I braced myself for a few months of no travel. Surprisingly, a business trip to South Germany breathed new life into the impending grey winter.
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After constant rain in June and July, a much awaited August finally graced us with some rays of sunshine. With clear skies and comfortable temperatures, summer days are perfect to explore Europe. So our first summer trip of the year took us to Bavaria, which is known for its beautiful hiking trails and crystal clear Alpine lakes.
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I’ve spent the last few months perfecting my daily routine and waiting patiently for summer. So when I got a chance to spend a weekend at a friend’s place in north Germany, I took it despite knowing that the north German summer feels more like the Mumbai monsoon. Even as rainy weather cancelled our trip to the North sea, we found ourselves in the fairytale towns of the mysteriously beautiful Harz mountains!
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The state of Bavaria (in South East Germany) has been on my bucket list since a year. Its main attractions are the Bavarian Alps and the city of Munich. On our first visit to Munich, we got a chance to attend the largest celebration of Bavarian culture: the Oktoberfest. The largest public festival in the world kicked off after a two-year hiatus, and the opening day drew a crowd like never before!
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Most people who visit Europe don’t have Germany in their travel itinerary, but my partner was very enthusiastic about exploring Germany when he visited me this summer. I was happy to show him around, and we made the best use of our 9 euros ticket. I will share some snippets of the experiences this summer had to offer.
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The last few weeks have been exhausting with me trying to nurse my broken heart. Heartache came in my life disguised as strong winds that ruthlessly ripped my town apart in seconds. What was left was a bunch of us living in an unrecognizable place, trying hard to love the ruins as much as we loved our home, Paderborn.
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Around three months ago, I took inspiration from my favorite poet Robert Frost and took the road less traveled by. While exploring the towns of NRW, I landed myself in a little town that seemed untouched by tourists. Herford was magical, out of touch with reality and frankly turned out to be an eye opener for me!
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Now that the weather is finally getting better, I am back to exploring towns in my state (North-Rhine Westphalia). My friend from Aachen and I wanted to catch up but were both too lazy to travel to each other’s towns! We live on the opposite ends of the state. We took this opportunity to visit a new town, and we could spend a relaxing weekend along the banks of Rhine river.
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Paderborn is a beautiful town which gets even more charming as the river Pader flows away from it and merges with a larger river, Lippe. Today I talk about three places in Paderborn that are very close to my heart. Casual walks at these places introduced me to a new side of myself, something not many big cities have been able to do!
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I realised last week how I had taken an immense responsibility on my shoulders, that of talking about something ordinary in an extraordinary way! I was pretty nervous until I realised that no perfect place seems extraordinary unless you make the ordinary come alive. With this ode to Paderborn, I try to celebrate the calm town that is tucked away in the lap of Eggberge Hills. I realised that I have many beautiful photos that ought to be seen. You can find them here, and I sure hope they do justice to the beauty of Paderborn!
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I bet you would have read my blog notification with a smirk and said, “My God, now where did this girl travel to? How does she find the time?” I am right here, in Paderborn! While traveling the world we often forget to appreciate home. Today and in the next few posts I talk about Paderborn, where I have seen seasons change, people walk in and out of my life and the pandemic cripple the world. While the world begs for another chance to enjoy the power of “touch”, there is a town that silently touched my heart, and within a year it became my home.. mein Zuhause!
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The many half-timbered houses sprinkled across the country make German landscapes every poet’s muse! They make German towns stand apart from the rest of Europe. I am very lucky to wake up to the view of one such pretty house everyday, but I still cannot get enough of it! So when I told my friend how much I love them, she said “Wait till you visit Monschau!” The little girl in me dreaming about living in these little houses just couldn’t wait, so I visited this half-timbered heaven just before 2021 drew to a close!
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This December had been cold, dreary and pretty sad, until fate (and cancelled plans) got me to Aachen. I came to Aachen to meet my friend and for the both of us, this was our desperate attempt to bring some life into our winter. Aachen is not a city you can cover in a few days, which is why here I am: writing this post while still in Aachen! My friend Apeksha and this beautiful city of hers welcomed me with open arms and ensured that I end this year on a beautiful note!
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With the pandemic reminding Europe of its existence and winter setting in and ending our days prematurely, I thought it best to stay at home for some weeks. As I was organizing the drawers and arranging my travel souvenirs, I realised how I have preserved one town carefully in my memory, the way a lover preserves dried roses in the pages of a book. A quaint town that set the bar high for every place I am yet to visit, the first town in Europe I fell in love with: Heidelberg!
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I had promised myself that I would work this Saturday. By lunchtime, I had already purchased groceries, cooked lunch and finished a major powerpoint presentation. The weather was surprisingly good and I decided it was harsh to spend the rest of the day indoors. Thankfully, there are many interesting places very close to Paderborn and I decided to explore one such place: the Externsteine! The Externsteine is a sandstone rock formation located in the Teutoburg Forest, near the town of Horn-Bad Meinberg (half hour long train ride from Paderborn).
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The people you fall in love with, the books you read, the places you visit give you happiness; but only some (very few) become a part of you! Too poetic? I’ll try to describe to you why I loved this place but I’m not very sure why it affected me so much. I don’t know if I will call it extraordinary. But hey, you’ll never find any place extraordinary if you don’t make the ordinary come alive!
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Yesterday was surreal. The rain Gods were busy elsewhere and Paderborn woke up to a sunny day with clear skies. Thankfully, this was exactly what my weather app had predicted and I had big plans for the day!
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Since I moved to Germany, I have been noticing that many towns in Germany have the word “Bad” in their names (Bad Meinberg, Bad Driburg). My first thought: what is so bad in these towns? Now imagine my confusion on learning that “bad” actually means “bath” in Germany. My curiousity led me to aunt Google, who didn’t disappoint me! Apparently, towns which contain a medical spa and are approved by the national authorities can have “Bad” in their name. This official designation may also be suspended if a town fails to maintain the required standards. This HAS to be one of the most German things I have ever seen :) I found this creative and I decided to explore a “bad” town in NRW!
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Minden is a small town situated about 85 km north-east of Paderborn. The town extends along both sides of the River Weser and is surrounded by Wiehen hills. The Wiehen hills descend to the North German Plain which extends till the North Sea. Sitting along the banks of river Weser made for a very beautiful and peaceful experience.
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For the first post in the series “Hidden Treasures of NRW”, I will talk about a town called Bielefeld about 40 km north-west of Paderborn. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg, a hiking trail which runs for 156 km along Teutoburg Forest. Bielefeld is home to a significant number of internationally operating companies, including Dr. Oetker, Gildemeister and Schüco. It has a university and several technical colleges (Fachhochschulen). I decided to visit Bielefeld because I was to visit some relatives who have been living there since the past 40 years: a loving couple who were gracious hosts to me.
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Hi guys! “Hidden Treasures of NRW” will be a series of blog posts that will describe my experiences visiting some small and quaint towns of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW), Germany. Let’s start with some hard facts about NRW (borrowed from Wikipedia): it is the most densely populated and most populous state in Germany. It is in Western Germany and borders Belgium and the Netherlands. NRW has always been Germany’s powerhouse with the largest economy among GDP states and you’ve probably heard of its capital, Düsseldorf.
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As the leaves slowly turned yellow, we embarked on an adventure that was a fitting end to yet another dreamy summer in Europe. I had the privilege of celebrating my birthday across two countries, and the day ended with our journey to Budapest, Hungary.
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Halloween weekend was a long weekend for us so I went on a short trip to three capitals: Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. I didn’t expect to be able to roam around a lot in these places (given the time constraints), but Europe has a knack of proving me wrong, every single time. Every minute of this short trip was made worthwhile by the vast history, architecture and natural beauty these places had to offer.
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I am continually spellbound by the diversity India offers to travelers. If you’ve ever thought that European cities are the epitome of culture and heritage, let me introduce you to the wonders of Rajasthan!
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2023 started slow for me but soon I was stargazing in the deserts of California, flying alongside the Northern lights, exploring the land of Kangaroos and spending a dreamy summer on the Adriatic coast. But for the final hurrah of the year, I craved the warmth of my family and friends. So, I wrapped up the year in India, the first home I have ever known and loved.
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We spent the first week of December island hopping in the Bay of Bengal. Our next destination was Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep). The hypnotisingly blue water of this island was undoubtedly the hightlight of our trip.
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2022 has made me a more stable person and has given me the illusion that I can balance work, travel and my other hobbies. The last one month has been even more special. Before the year bid a final goodbye, I decided to focus on the most important things in life: family, friends and home!
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I won’t be surprised if you all think that I fell in love with traveling after coming to Europe. But this is far from true! Ten years ago my family and I took a trip that turned out to be one of the most beautiful trips of our lives. We witnessed unimaginable beauty in a land unheard of at that time: Ladakh! We didn’t know a cold desert could warm our hearts in so many ways. To this day, I believe this trip birthed in me an urge to explore the world and take the roads less traveled by.
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As I browsed through the photos of our family trip in 2019, I realised that some places, some memories and some people instantly bring a smile on my face. As Europe battles the pandemic and I stay at home for a few weeks till the world recovers, I thought of writing about one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. For this, I take you back home to my country, India.
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When I wrote about Burano, I said that every town in Europe need not have “royalty and grandeur oozing out of it”, but some towns in Europe are straight up unreal! I mean, there’s just no way such royalty can exist right? Well, it does. This beautiful city from the Tuscany region in Italy was like a work of Renaissance art and just the sight of its city centre was enough to make artists cry tears of joy!
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My friend and I celebrated Christmas by touring northern Italy together. I loved the trip, and there is one specific place I grew particularly attached to. Exactly two years after my trip to Alappuzha (I have written about it here), I found it in an island in Italy: a little island “Burano” that is tucked away in a corner even as Venice tries to stay afloat on all its grandeur.
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This May, my mom and twin sister visited me in Europe, and I got a chance to show them a slice of my life here. Their visit was the perfect excuse to explore some new places together. As if I’d ever miss out on an adventure like that!
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This year has been special. After having spent a part of spring exploring my partner’s home in California, I got a chance to show him the cozy little life I’ve built for myself here in Europe. What began as a heartwarming reunion soon turned into one of the most special summers of our lives!
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I had barely caught my breath from my trip to the U.S. when I got a chance to spend a week in the beautiful city of Lisbon. I went there to present a short paper at a conference, and the trip surpassed all my expectations!
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On the last day of my trip where we covered three capitals, we visited the quiet town of Bratislava. Despite being in Central Europe, this town seemed to be tucked away in a corner and often overshadowed by the grandeur of the neighbouring cities of Vienna and Budapest. We had been told that half a day was enough to cover the little town. But even if you give a writer something simple, they still manage to carve out a written piece about it. As for me, there’s no place in the world I wouldn’t want to write about!
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We got a chance to spend three days in Arizona when we visited the Grand Canyon, and slowly realized that Arizona’s magic extends beyond the canyon’s depths. The state had plenty of surprises for us, making our trip a rollercoaster ride!
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After the most heartwarming start to the new year, I spent a few months buried in submission deadlines and research. My urge to travel grew stronger, but I would have never guessed that my first big adventure of the year would be majestic in every imaginable way!
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My first time visiting a National Park in the U.S. was very memorable, in more ways than one. Our stargazing experience lit up our nights, but the days were equally bright and had many surprises in store for us!
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After a few months of being buried in work, I was ready to travel again! Luckily, traveling is also a way for me to meet my partner and my family, both of whom live in separate continents. So with a suitcase full of dreams, I head out to California to see my partner.
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My trip to Northern California started off as one I took just to meet my partner. However, it ended as one with several once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and I couldn’t have asked for better company through it.
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The last few weeks have been amazing. I got to live my favorite life: of jet lag, rental cars, bus tickets, Airbnb reservations and of exploring new places with the person I love! This spring I took a trip across the Atlantic, so this blog post is coming to you from California :)