The Isle Of Skye - The Land Of Fairies!

Listen to the silence; be still and let your soul catch up.

Isle of Skye, Scotland - where do I begin my this tale from ?  It’s the northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides that is easily accessible from the mainland. 

It did catch my attention at first because of its name, a place with such a rhythmic name must be beautiful and serene, ain't it ? I wanted to be around a place which would be more peaceful, less of city noises, more of nature, hiking trails and experiences. It gave me lots of amazing scenery, winds, picturesque natural treasures, and this made me to delve deeper into love with the nature as to there is no other place as beautiful as Isle of Skye. It has lots of tiny villages with never ending pastures.

When one comes to think of Scotland, all the nature's landscapes come to the memory be it the rugged mountains, or the fauna and flora of the region which bring forth the views of colourful mosses, lochs, the weather that has lot to offer without giving much of indications, being highly unpredictable, amongst a host of other things. Thinking about finding all of these at one place, and coming to a conclusion, one would land up at Isle Of Skye.

The landscapes throughout this place are the most scenic ones I have ever come across. Traveling to this marvel offered me amazing scenes of waterfalls on the route, sea cliffs alongside, and dramatic landscapes that mountains formed. I was so impressed going through the Highlands, to this place called Isle of Skye which provided me incredible photography opportunities one after the other with amazingly raw and breathtaking views. 

Since photography is one of my favourite things on the plate, mountain landscapes is the best cuisine that can be served from the host of things on the menu. Every single individual who has been to this place, must have fallen in love several times along the route while going around Isle of Skye. Lots of myths and legends revolve around this place with giants and fairy tales, also a number of ancient castles can still be found standing here. One is often under the illusions of being transported into a fantasy land.

Landscapes here are really impressive offering different patterns in the sky with frequent changes. The view, the light, the colours are ever changing. It is a joy to visit this place and one can keep snapping for next few days.

I can probably keep going on ranting about my trip to this amazing place 'Isle of Skye' for days, because it surely is one of those kinds, that has come to stay with me forever. This post might never do justice to this amazing place that stored in me the plethora of memories to take away. It is an insanely amazing place where words would fall short of doing justice to describing the experience I have had at this quiet, peaceful, and serene place. 

On what an amazing luck I have been to have spent time in this wonderful part of the world! I'd love to visit this place some other day again.

If my readers want to go by my advice ? For once in a lifetime, do get to Skye!

The City of Inverness - The Capital of Highlands!

Ever since I have come to Europe I have learnt to greatly appreciate and love walking. I love to visit cities and towns in different European countries and I always make a point to walk around and ‘take in’ the environment. I walk to see the local people, roads, landscapes, parks, and how the buildings change in the different parts of the city. Walking has let me to discover little cafes, restaurants or graffiti that could have been easily missed when one quickly drives by. I try to take walking tours whenever I can and so far I have met and talked with people from all over the world and I have exchanged thoughts about the place and our home cities. For me walking and seeing what is around me gives me a sense of connection and makes me less afraid of being in a new place.

The magical quality of the region is captured beautifully in Outlander, which is what’s inspiring so many tourists to visit. A compact, cosmopolitan city with a lot of heart, and all the wonders of the Highlands at its doorstep - that makes it as one of the finest combination of a lot of factors for the wanderers to go around the city and explore it in their own ways. Inverness is an exceptional place, the 'in' place to be where there's a real buzz to life. Remarkably, one of the few places in the world where I could take a short walk starting from the city centre and feel as though I was right in the middle of the countryside. Here I take you to the River Ness and Ness Island in Scotland.

As one starts from Inverness city centre, it is like a circuit walk that spreads for a span approximately 2 hours along the banks of the River Ness. It is a beautiful sight for the keen nature lovers and fauna admirers. Seals and seabirds can be spotted between the two road bridges that run through the city. The birds piped oddly, some of the winds were caressing the higher foliage, turning it across the way, mildly onto the path of my exploration along the river bank. Along the river, you can walk across the footbridges to explore both sides of the riverbank. The great swelling and evolving waves of affection came upon me. For as long as I can remember, I was never happier, never quite as much myself, as I was there; sitting on the edge of the stream, winding my memories and making ways around the stream.

There is time to appreciate the architecture, to watch the river, to revel in the nooks and hidden bits of green. It is possible to walk the pavements at whatever pace desired without the impediment of other people and without breathing in the choking pollution. Connecting to the footbridges further upstream is a small, beautiful collection of islands called Ness Islands. One can go on a nature walk up the hills on the western shore. There is a nice trail leading up with several viewpoints, and while you might not have enough time to make it all the way to the top, this is a great budget option for a dry day.

It is recommended walking upstream alongside one side of the River Ness to Ness Islands and returning downstream the other bank, as this is a great way that allows one to have two totally separate views of some magnificent architecture of the city and its buildings. Here, crossing the suspension bridge for some peace and relaxation on the Ness Islands is a blissful and wonderly experience of lifetime.

There are other options available where one can make choices according to one's travels planning and experiences one wants to flourish oneself with, like one can go for a cruise around the Loch ness or can explore the ruined corners of the Urquhart Castle, or spend time on the boat rides, where the tickets are to be managed. 

The walk on the sides on the Ness rives is perhaps the most amazing and beautiful thing that has happened to me during my stay in Scotland. The Ness Islands are planted with mature scots pine, fir, beech and sycamore amongst other fauna and they are linked to the river banks and each other by elegant Victorian footbridges. The islands make a spectacular arrangement and appealing traveling destination, as it is one of the most beautiful riverside settings.

The best part from the circular walk has been that the strolls can be made longer or shorter depending upon the time availability with the individual, as there are numerous bridges that one can take on to explore, and return to the opposite side to the starting point. Here one can also extend the walk along the Great Glen Way or the Caledonian Canal.

Adding to this whole experience at Inverness is the Greig Street Suspension Bridge, which was built in 1881 for £1400. Its construction has been credited to the engineer C R Manners, and the local Rose Street Foundry, that spans 61.3m, and the side spans are each 20.4m, where the piers below tower level are cast iron. The bridge is a key Inverness landmark, both an important pedestrian route, and part of a riverside promenade which offers views of local buildings, and of the hills beyond. 

The inverness castle to the backdrop completes the painting that one often craves for. Yes, indeed the whole set up looks like a painting.

And to be honest of my time in Inverness, I am quite proud of myself because it has a proof of this majestic place in Scotland.

Venice (Italy) - The City of Recurring Dreams!

"You may have Universe if I may have Italy." 

Venice has been that dream I would never want to wake up from.

Every corner I turned, I walked deeper into some real life water-color painting that a camera can never do justice. It's like no place else I've ever been to.

Built over the waters of the Adriatic Sea, this city is a dream like, with its expressive architecture, artistic palaces, history that stretches back by more than 1,000 years and, of course, it is (quite literally) a maze of canals and small streets, whimsical bridges, and colourful buildings. And as with all mazes, one should prepare to find oneself lost maybe at a time or two.

Venice is definitely on the itineraries of most first-time visitors to Italy, and it is ofcourse a beloved destination for the return visitors for its picturesque beauty. 

Piazza San Marco, also known as the Saint Mark's Square, is by far the largest square in Venice. Being the widest swath of flat, open land in a waterborne city, Piazza San Marco has long been an important meeting place for the citizens of Venice and the design showcase for Venice's aristocracy. It is most impressive from its sea approach, a legacy from the centuries that Venice was a powerful maritime republic.

The most central and famous of these is Piazza San Marco known as the geographic heart of Venice. The sestieri of Castello, Cannaregio, San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro also make up this mass of central Venice, all of which can be explored on foot.

Piazza San Marco has famously been called "the drawing room of Europe," a quote attributed to Napoleon. The square is named after the unusual and stunning Basilica San Marco that sits on the east end of the square. The slender Campanile di San Marco, the basilica's bell tower, is one of the square's most recognizable landmarks.

The Doge's Palace, that had been built during the 1,000-year reign of the Republic of Venice, its headquarters – and the residence of its leader, the Doge – were at the Doge's Palace, which is now a main landmark in the city, as a museum. The treasures inside Saint Mark's Basilica include glistening Byzantine mosaics and paintings by leading Venetian artists.

The Saint Mark's Basilica, is spectacularly ocatagonal, and is one of the most photographed churches to be known in Venice. The Baroque church, built in the 17th century sits on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro neighbourhood and can be seen from the entrance to Piazza San Marco. Dramatic steps leading to the entrance are made of white Istrian stone and more than 100 figures adorn the church's buttresses. The interiors are heavy, are spell bound, and awe-inspiring which are known to contain several Titians. Also, it is known that for the festival held on November 21 every year, a temporary bridge is laid across the Grand Canal and Venetians walk across it to the church.

This city that most people know is the tight cluster of islands around the Grand Canal, the iconic waterway plied by gondolas, water taxis and canal boats. One of the attractions that make it different from most of the best cities is that it is connected by hundreds of footbridges, the areas are divided into sestieri, or quarters. One can say that this city, Venice, is composed of more than 100 islands in the Venetian Lagoon, protected from the open sea by the barrier island of Lido and the Cavallino peninsula.

Whether one is seeing Venice for the first time or the nth time, there is no dearth of attractions and curiosities in this exquisite and surreal city. Gandola rides in Venice are quite romantic and it is quintessential Venice. Ah, the gondolas of Venice, are more of an iconic symbol of this romantic city than the boats that takes its visitors through its many canals. An experience to take away from Venice would be a gondola ride through the city's network of narrow waterways, which is also a fantastic way to explore the city's famous bridges and buildings from an entirely different perspective.

I briefly mentioned this earlier but want to elaborate a bit more-- one would get lost in Venice. It is inevitable that you will not just get turned around once but most likely 'n' number of times. There is very little--if any--method to escape the madness of their streets and alleyways.

Venice is an amazing maze of tiny streets, which is primarily connected by the foot-bridges. ​Wandering around these narrow streets and alleys, is a wonderful way to spend time in the city. 

This city has more than 150 canals ranging from the Grand Canal, the city's main thoroughfare, to tiny canals that are barely accessible tthrough small boats. The canals are lined with old houses, often decked with flowers. Wandering along the streets by the canals is a pleasurable past-time. One is likely to get lost but that's part of the charm of Venice.

One of the many beautiful sights to takeaways would be by finding a bridge on a quiet canal and watching the gondolas glide under it or heading to the Grand Canal and watching the many boats that ply the waters of Venice. It is known that there are more than 400 bridges cross the many canals.

The best tip I can give through my experience is to try and keep a sense of what direction one is moving. Eventually one shall get somewhere, because it is really not that big. And in the tourist heavy areas they often have the signs and boards with arrows pointing to "Rialto Bridge" or other big landmarks.

I had an international data plan-- so I had Google maps with me the whole time I was there and could not avoid losing my way several times. So if one is thinking like "Oh, I have data-- and I'll be fine", one must think again & be ready to get oneself lost in the madness of the streets that this city offers, for Tiziano once said that getting lost is the only place worth going to.

I would also like to give a shout-out to my favourite food stop for Alfredo's white sauce pasta. When one plans to visit this place, I would request to please make sure to stop in for me-- and honestly one would not be surprised to not go wrong with any pasta/ sauce combo that one can choose. Also, here I would highly recommend the Creamy Broccoli Alfredo Sauce with the Fettuccini noodles.

Venice has been, so by far, one of my favourite stops in Italy! It is such a magical, romantic place with so much to experience, do and see.

"Venice astonishes more than it pleases at first sight." 

As the world goes, this city is the eye's beloved. After it, everything is a letdown. I am incapable of writing about this city, Venice, a city that is full of amazement; I could only write about me and my experiences, and the sleeping parts of myself that Venice has shocked into wakefulness.

- Hardik

Wandering into the Tirthan Valley!

As a kid, I used to look up in the sky and ask for wings to fly up to the mountains and wish they will call me one day to make me feel alive and on top of this world and Today , here I am standing at the top of the mountains and appreciating the majestic panoramic view of mesmerizing Himalayas and believing in a quote that Yes " Dreams do come true". Undoubtedly, I was living my dream standing amidst the mountains, wandering into the mystified and beautiful landscapes, walking into the woods, besides the Tirthan river.

It was the moment when after hoping around the world, my eyes were gazed looking at Tirthan Valley and it gave me the feeling that my dream has been sketched and nature is my artist putting  everything alive right in front of me in more wondrous ways than ever. I witnessed things what ancients would have called miracles, but unfortunately they are not miracles, It was a product of my dream and this only happens when you crave badly for it. Undoubtedly I was just a molecule around those tall sheltering trees  but I am reliving the best days of my life.

There were beautiful clouds below and above me, and there were mighty mountain peaks emerging from those clouds all around. The peaks shining in blue sky among the white clouds looked like glittering diamonds. The view of the large lush green meadow surrounded by mountains under blue sky circling the horizon has put me in a state of tranquility. As the sun started drowning in the horizon, the sky had began to boast of its mystical colours. The beautiful mix of pink, orange and red looked like creating a perfect twilight saga. And there I opened my both arm and took a deep breath to entwine myself with the nature.

Raising myself towards the moon made me to sense the flood of memories which I wanted to long unleash. The cool breeze around the valley lifted me up. I closed my eyes and breathed deep as if I wanted to let myself know that I was finally there. I was in joyous mood for I was living my dream. The feelings kept rolling up and down within me while I was waiting to unleash the memories that I was storing within me. 

It’s not a usual feeling when you wake up to a breath of fresh air gushing through your face after tiring overnight journey in the bus from Delhi. But that was the moment when I left all the fuss behind and entered a different world altogether. What I see is that how tiny place I occupy in this world, and this Tirthan valley jaunt is widely turning me into a storyteller. 

To enter the Tirthan Valley one deboards the bus at the Aut tunnel. Here on, one might want to worry about the world that one leaves behind or one might want to miss the pizzas that fattened the tummy, or maybe one might want to search for networks in their phones, but it’s not for long before one forgets all this. Sooner one finds oneself in the orchards of trees, apricots, almonds, streams of fresh water along the way, and fields lush with the cereals and vegetables that have touched sky high prices in the city where one comes from. The entire route is quite panoramic, with Tirthan river and Beas river flowing along the road. There also comes a point where both the rivers meet each other, and the magical views is a must do when coming to Tirthan valley.

One can do a Tirthan Valley home stay, like at the Mudhouse experiential hostels at Jibhi that I stayed at, a popular mode of accommodation in this beautiful valley. It is like an experience where most of us aspire to have a home in the hills, along a beach, in a remote village, a small cottage with a lawn and a kitchen garden to feast on, an open space for our pets to run around. The homestays in the Tirthan valley offer that very experience of unwinding in a lovely setting as guests to warm, friendly people, who have opened their traditional as well as modern homes to guests. They are scattered in various parts of the Tirthan Valley and they are a great way to mingle into the culture of a region, explore nature in its raw form, and a great option for an extended budget stay.

So this valley definitely assures one to be rich and a free bird for the next few days.

If one really stands for the crazy ventures on the trip one is onto, here in the Tirthan Valley one can try fishing here, which requires taking a permit which costs 100 INR, a fishing rod that one can rent for 500 INR, and tons of patience, most importantly. It took me approximately 4 hours and still was unable to catch any trout. Here, I started from upstream and walked all the way downstream searching for fishes. It took me a lot of energy and patience, but nevertheless, I’ll have another experience to share in my bucket list. Jumping over the rocks, standing still amidst water and watching for the fishes patiently, is worth an experience I gained at Tirthan.

The visit to the waterfall is a must do for all coming to this valley. It’s half a km walk as one feels majestic gazing at the panoramal sceneries, feeling the air gushes crossing the body, hear the chants of the animals and birds around, and moistened one's skin in the water vapours erupting from the waterfall. This waterfall is definitely one of the many highlights of the trip to Tirthan Valley. The magical walk is steep at places though one is bound to be rewarded with the hidden jewel.

Exploring the Tirthan Valley further, there is Jalori Pass comprising of a drive and a trek. The drive to Jalori pass crosses the quaint villages of Jibhi & Ghyagi. Though only 10 km from Tirthan the drive easily takes around 2 hours as there is a steep incline towards the pass. From here one can either venture into the depths of one of the biggest oak jungles towards Serlosar Lake or trek to the highs of Raghavpur Garh.

I ventured towards the Serlosar lake from Jalori Paas, the most amazing adventure is the 5 km trek to this beautiful lake. Serolsar lake is also a pilgrim site for the people local people as they pray over there, located at about 3,050m. This lake offers tranquility and has been known for being the seat of local goddess Budhi Nagin. Pilgrims walk around the lake, pouring an unbroken line of ghee. This is one of the good camping ground with small caves to explore. The area is surrounded by dense forests interspersed with meadows of wild flowers and tall pine trees. 

The next I experienced was the trek to Balo temple which started from the Bahu Village, another 10 kms from Jibhi. Bus services are easily available to Bahu village. The 2 km trek is an amateur level trek, and provides a beautiful sight of the meadows. There are no directions and signs to reach the Balo temple in particular. There is just one deviation in the whole way from where one just has to move onto the right direction. 

On reaching the Balo temple, one can see several small temples with simple yet beautiful architecture and a tree surrounded with some tridents known as Trishuls. It is a clean grassland with a small lake and beautiful sight of the pine trees. One can sit over there and have a pleasant experience of the breeze.

For me to sum up, I would clearly stand right to the remark that the Tirthan valley is one of the most beautiful virgin valleys of Himachal & an amazing destination by the side of the amazing Tirthan river. Treks, bird watching , waterfalls, and a host of other adventure activities are a lot refreshing here.

- Hardik