Why I'd Never Wish To Return To Museums!

Museums are a good reminder of the past that tell us of how we have evolved, where have we come to, and why: as to begin afresh, and begin a new place from what we can learn and carry from the old, for the creation of the new. There may be something that holds in seeing the well- known places and things with your own eyes, and carry forward the inspiration from them.

There I was in the Paris city, a city that holds million stories, told through its people, its culture, its vibrancy, its monuments, its art and architecture, and its rich heritage. In the midst of this beautiful city stands one of the epitomes of history, heritage, culture and art, the Musée du Louvre, or the Museum of Louvre as it is popularly known worldwide. On the banks of the river Seine, straight down from the Champs-Élysées, stands this grand structure of The Louvre, which houses history of thousands of years in its artefacts, paintings, architecture, sculptures, antiques and archives. 

The Lourve museum holds a long history, which is as known to have been built not for the museum per se, but as a fortress for King Philip II back in 12th century. After years of sculpting around its building it was opened as a museum in 1793. Coming to talk about it in the present day, the museum has millions of visitors each year, one of the most visited museums across the world, housing Leonardo Da Caprio's most widely known painting "The Mona Lisa".

A visit to this huge museum, unfolds many pages of art and history as one starts from one corner lurking into the years that have been spent in the cultural treasures which recite stories to the all the visitors of the times that have long gone by. Paris in this way is by far one of the most attractive cities that I have been to which holds humongous amount of charm and romanticism, right in its wind. Through the rich colours, the differences in the styles of art, the diversity in cultures, you are sure to enjoy the Musée du Louvre as you glimpse lives and times of people who have created artistic wonders. 

Having traveled for quite some years now, I have been to number of museums and often end up thinking as to what I have been doing there and there is this feeling that drowns in me that have I been dragged into this place forcefully. Not doubting the information that these museums hold, but they definitely do not  fit my travel quotient. More often when I am asked about my visits to these information storehouses, I render myself speechless rather than imposing my views of disliking my visit to them.

It takes me efforts to walk through the halls of the museums in queues admiring art one after the other. It’s one of the things I despise and if possible, I shall avoid all museums ever. I m aggrieved by the thought as to how much admiration one can hold and keep looking at it. I would not disagree and I do understand that there are people who love art and spend days looking at one object or paining but I just cannot.

I’m quite an impatient person and there is no way I can hold myself looking at a painting more than 5 seconds. Once I have seen it, I have seen it. So what I have found is that there are people who either love museums or hate them. And with the above walk down, I guess you can hold of the view to which category I belong to? I just can’t bring myself to walk slowly around for hours while admiring art.

- Hardik

My Takeaways From The Ruins And Remains Of Rome!

The ruins, remnants and the remains, which are piles of brick structures around the place, which is ought to have began life as a glorious mausoleum, constructed by the great Augustus to hold his remains and the remains of his family for the generations to come, for lifetime. It must have been difficult for the Emperor to have imagined at the time that Rome would ever be anything but a mighty Augustus- worshipping empire. 

How could Augustus have possibly forseen the collapse of the realities and the realm of the vastness of the empire? Or known that, with all the aqueducts depleted down and crushed by the barbarians and with the strong infra structures left in ruin, the old city would be long empty of its people and civilisation which it was once proud of which would take millions of years to rebuilt and reconstruct in the same profound manner ?

What we all need to glorify in our lives is that happiness is merely the consequences and effects of our personal views which we ourselves need to be accounted for. What one does is that one can fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking out for it.

And there I looked at the Augusteum, and there were several thoughts gushing through me. It came to me that life ain't that chaotic, after all. It may be the pursuit of our perceptions, about ourselves and about others, which brings forth the ideas and notions about the things that surround us. This particular place warned me to never get attached to any obsolete idea about who I am, what I represent, whom I belong to, or what function I may once have intended to serve. We transport our minds to some other time or place or world, where it can be safe and insulated from the pain of day-to-day life.

This very place made me to hold the opinion that one must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation. It is like sometimes that one gets so attached to the past ‘who one was’ and wants to keep it as a living edifice of one's so called glorified existence. Existence is today, now or never. Our past glories must not make us. Times are never equanimous, one is not what one was or what one could have been, what one is today, is what one is.

Then I looked around this place for one last time, at the chaos it has endured - the way it has been adapted, burned, pillaged and found a way to build itself back up again. And I was reassured, maybe life isn't so chaotic, it's just the world that is, and the real trap is getting attached to any of it. Probably, the ruins may be a gift to keep for lifetime, ruins may be the treasure that one can keep within oneself, ruin may be the roads to the journeys that lay ahead of the much awaited transformations.

It kind of feels like a precious wound, one would not let go off because it hurts too good. We all want things to stay the same, settle for living in misery because we are afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins. Our distraction needs to be planned and moderated in bite-sized chunks. We can’t binge on distraction.

- Hardik

I Love Bratislava - Here's To Why?

The great affair is to move. It was time and there came my first solo venture at one of the most lively places in Europe. Bratislava it was, the capital of Slovakia. And to begin with my conscious traveling, being honest as I must admit, this was the first time I had heard the name of this city and I was amazed by the people over there, crazy I must say.

Being the centre spot of Europe, holding unique history, attractive sights, rich cultural life, excellent local gastronomy, quality wine and modern shopping centres make Bratislava an ideal city- break destination.

I took flight from London to Bratislava, which was around 2 hours flight, and I reached there by late evening. Here, what I had heard of this city held true that one minute when I was enjoying the view of the majestic Cathedral, the next moment I was enjoying the cuisines, which was then followed by a freshly brewed espresso in one of numerous cafés in picturesque  narrow streets and squares. The ancient  wine cells, scattered across the city centre, offer wine tasting definitely with a difference.

I had put my bags in the room and just ran out to the roads like a crazy wanderer. I so wanted to shout like a crazy ass, "Yay, dude I'm in Europe". 

After sometime, I straight away went to explore the night life of this place. Till then, I had no clue about Bratislava, it was just a part of my itinerary. I went around hoping cafes, sipping beer and meeting people, I encountered some Irish Guys, some Polish and a few more and had really amazing conversations with them. This is the best part of travelling solo, one gets to meet people of different places and holding various viewpoints and experiences. I partied whole night and when I returned to my room it was already 5 in the morning. I still did not want to sleep. I wanted to explore more, but my body had to take some rest for the upcoming fun.

The following day started with an awesome breakfast in the city center, I walked the city wandering around, looking for places, food and the ice creams. Here one can not resist with just a single scoop of ice cream. Even though I could not explore much of the city as I was so engrossed in the city centre, the main attraction here is the Bratislava Castle. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava. Because of its size and location, it has been a dominant feature of the city for centuries. 

The location provides excellent views of Bratislava, Austria and, in clear weather, parts of Hungary. Many legends are connected with the history of the castle. 

Another touristic place is the gateway to the Old Town Bratislava, The Old Town Hall. The Old Town Hall is located in the heart of the city center, between the Main Square and the Primates square. It is next to the Jesuit Church and near the Greek and Japanese embassies. It is easily recognizable by its colorful tiled roof. The building was used as a town hall from the 15th century through the late 19th century. At times during that period, however, it also served other purposes, including housing a prison and mint, and being place of trade and celebrations. It was also used as the city's arsenal depository and municipal archive. Today it hosts the Bratislava City Museum, displaying exhibitions of Pressburg's history. Exhibited items include torture instruments, the old town dungeons, antique weapons and armour, paintings and miniatures. 

My curiosity of finding new adventures brought me to the One cart arena for go karting. Go Karting was so much fun, even though I stood 4th out of 8 guys, still the experience had been worth penning down.

Tripadvisor had suggested me to take the wine tours in the city centre. Then, I got to know about an old wine shop which offers wine for tasting. The guy took me two floors in the basement, they had renovated the old jails used during the medieval time and it looked really artistic. I had never developed liking for wine till now, but this place totally changed my taste for wine. He offered me 5-6 different types of European Wines, and that totally changed my views for wine. 

If one is a beer person, Bratislava has so much to offer. Cheap beer is available everywhere and one often feels like sipping beer and hopping around cafes in the city. Here, I also tried a 90% alcohol shot which was seriously crazy.

Being in a party destination in Europe, one can not miss the strip clubs. Bratislava had so many strip clubs and one can try them for their pending share of fun of this city, it’s worth an experience. 

The following day, I got to know about the free walking tour of the city. It is quite common to take the free walking tours in different cities of Europe, though it's not allowed in Italy as they do not believe in anything for free. Starting with the tour, there was this girl who was guiding the group of around 50 people from all parts of the world, taking all across the old town to the new town explaining the history of the Slovakia and showing all the touristic spots in the city of Bratislava. A tip of 10 Euros is considered good as this is something to appreciate their effort of guiding so many people.

No wonder Bratislava feels like  so much of energy, with a frenetic mix of old and urban, classic and contemporary.

- Hardik

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.