THE ENIGMA OF DEVPRAYAG

For hours together, I sat there...thoughtless...it was miraculous...to see the Bhagirathi meet the Alaknanda...Bhagirathi with full force and intensity getting absorbed into the calmness of Alaknanda...giving birth to the Ganga.

Its rightly said, you are never the same after the dip in the Ganga...how it happens...will always remain an enigma to me...

Take a ride on NH7 from Rishikesh and keep following the track of the Ganga up into the Himalayas, before she is known as the Ganga...and that might turn out to be the most powerful journey of your life...Know her as Mandakini...as Alaknanda...as Nandakini...as Pindar...as Bhagirathi...as Dhauliganga.

One post is not enough when I talk about the Ganga. Many more to come on this.

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ANTWERP CENTRAL STATION

As deep as I can peep into my past, I always sense very fond and nostalgic memories of railway stations. So many moments of childhood began and ended in railway stations. My love for railway stations continues and whenever I get a chance I don't miss a visit into a station to experience the magical energy of the mixed sound of thousands of fast moving footsteps and eager voices. European settings provide infinite moments to any traveler. Antwerp is no exception too. Like any other European city with a strong medieval connect, Antwerp owns its history and legends. While it may take pages to write about Antwerp, let me restrict this post to the first landmark of Antwerp, its getaway - its very own train station, the Antwerp Central, located in Koningin Astreidplein, in the heart of the city. The brainchild of King Leopold II and designed by Louis Delacenserie, Antwerp Central, with its stone clad structure and huge dome, has s...

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We stood there absorbing the beautiful sunset that Old Zagreb, locally known as Gornji Grad, offered. The February evening was delightfully clear and presented a view to remember. In front of us, mingling with the red tiled roofs, dominated majestically the two famous monuments - the Zagreb Cathedral of Kaptol and the St. Mark's Church of Gradec...along with the bits and the pieces of the historic panorama of a thousand years. Few centuries back, during the medieval period, when the region was not known as Zagreb, existed two hill top settlements - the Kaptol and the Gradec, separated by the then existing rivulet Medvescak. The Kaptol housed the Cathedral and was the religious center while the Gradec was home to the merchants and the craftsmen. It took the two settlements centuries of bitter rivalry before prudence took over and they decided to unify during the nineteenth century, thus together becoming Zagreb. The reasons for this bitterness were many ranging from s...

GERMAN X MAS MARKETS

I doubt anyone will disagree to the fact that Christmas or the Xmas markets of Europe are deliciously charming and as close to fairy tale settings as one can get. There are great cities through out Europe hosting amazing Christmas markets in their hallowed city centers...with cozy, themed markets and twinkling lights in snow clad settings. It was in present day Germany where the first Christmas market originated, probably during the thirteenth century. Last Christmas, we had an impromptu plan to catch a glimpse of the celebrations in Germany. But the markets in some popular towns had then already wrapped up with the exception of Dusseldorf which still had a couple of days left. And so Dusseldorf it was, the capital of the state of North Rhine Westphalia ... about four hours drive from the Hague and we were in Dusseldorf, located at the confluence of rivers Rhine and Dussel. We walked through the renowned Konigsallee, the Kings Avenue bo...

Miles and Experiences

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