Hiking in Bavaria: Week 1

Spring has already made its way into Bavaria now that we are half way through May. And this means, various hiking trails in the European alps have opened up.

And for a start, I did my first hike, again to Wendelstein, but through a different trail this time. It is very convenient to reach this area to hike as there is a train at least once every hour from Munich to Bayerischzell. We got down at Fischbachau and took the trail towards Wendelstein which would take a little over 4 hours if we go at a steady moderate pace. It was drizzling when we started our hike. A few paths were completely muddy and it helped to have proper hiking shoes. 

At the top, there was literally no view whatsoever as we were inside a thick blanket of clouds. The visibility was rather less but not so much to make the hike difficult. Being inside the clouds also gave a very spooky touch to the environment. Nevertheless it was interesting to be inside the clouds. 

Cloud cover at the peak

The way down from Wendelstein to Bayerischzell took just 2 hours. There were still some slopes near the peak with snow but it was not a trouble for the hikers. The weather soon changed as we left the peak. We got regular intervals of sunshine and amazing views. There were water falls at a few places in the path where some people filled up their water bottles as this was fresh water from the alps. 

I hope to hike at other places in Bavaria during this season.

Chile Diaries: Penguins of Chiloe Island

I recently had the chance to visit the southernmost place on Earth I have ever been - Puerto Varas in the south of Chile. I was there as a part of a conference and stayed a few more days to explore the national forests and beautiful lakes around this area. It was a perfect break from the cold in the northern hemisphere and Puerto Varas did not disappoint us. Warm sunshine everyday with a beautiful lake overlooking the volcano Osorno was a treat for all  of us.

Lake Llanquihue in Puerto Varas overlooking volcano Osorno

One of the trips to look forward to was the one day tour to the penguin colonies in the Chiloe island which was like a 2.5 hour ride from Puerto Varas. There was a controlled bush fire near the highway which delayed our departure. But in-spite of that, we reached the island at an appropriate time. There is no bridge between mainland Chile and the Chiloe Island. Most of the vehicles including trucks and buses are transported in a ferry which takes about 20 minutes. It would become extremely convenient for tourists and the people in the island once a bridge is constructed between the two regions. 

Chiloe is quite big and it took us nearly an hour to reach the penguin colony. The journey took us through the city of Ancud. Rest of the landscape was spectacular with occasional views of the pacific and little islands between its huge waves. One can see local farm animals which consisted mainly of cows, horses, chicken and tiny little pigs. There were a lot of creatures which I did not recognize. Once our bus even stopped to let a cow pass by (glad to know this happens even outside India). 

The city of Ancud

The local villages in Chiloe

Once near the penguin colonies, we decided to take a lunch break near the sea shore of Punihuil. At this corner of the Earth, the food choice was highly limited. The only thing that was served here was beef and sea food. This was not surprising as one can see how remote this place is and it is practical to have such local food here. 

Punihuil

After a nice lunch beside the beach, we were off to the Penguin colonies in a small boat. The huge waves did give me jitters initially but it was the sight of the penguins that got my attention. At a distance, I could see a few penguins. Then a lot of them. Then we got a lot closer. I did not believe that I am actually seeing penguins in their natural habitat. It wasn't just me but everyone in the boat was excited and not even a Hollywood superstar would have got so many pictures clicked in this shirt amount of time. I took as many as I can and when I was tired, I just sat and watched them.

Magellan Penguins

Amazing creatures these penguins are. They were standing at one place drying their feathers, some of them walking up and down the hill. That was the fun part. The best entertainment a penguin can give is to walk. First of all, they do not have hands like humans to support themselves if they fall on the slope. After a couple of steps, the penguin would just slip but somehow balances itself. They are pretty careful while going into the water. While coming out, they just look like a baby trying to crawl its way up the rock. 

One Humboldt penguin which we spotted in one of the colonies

These islands are a home to Magellan and Humboldt penguins. While most of the Humboldt penguins were gone at this time of the year, we were mainly able to see the Magellan ones and just one Humboldt. Apart from penguins, there were many otters and another bird (the name of which I do not remember) which kind of looks like a penguin but then up close you realize that it is a disguise. We hoped to see a bear as well but it was inside a cave. There was a major earthquake in Chile in the 1960s and some of the effects of the earthquakes can still be seen today. One of the islands was split into two and the earth quake had triggered off a Tsunami, the effect of which was felt as far as the island of Hawaii in the north Pacific. 

Those 20 minutes in the pacific were completely worth the 5 hour journey we had to make. On our way back, we stopped at the city of Ancud at its local market. The fruits and vegetables were enormously large here. The size of a garlic clove was equivalent to the size of an entire garlic that you get in Germany. One section of the market sold fishes and other section sold souvenirs. There was a football match going on and I have never seen people so enthusiastic towards a game like this. 

Chiloe was indeed a treat. I hope to visit this place again to explore the southern part of this island.

Iceland Diaries - Solheimajokull Glacier hike

Iceland is a lonely traveler's heaven. The breathtaking landscapes and the ominous silence makes it one of the best places to relax and not only discover the wonders of nature, but to discover yourself. During winters, it is one of the harshest places on Earth. With chilly winds and snow everywhere, its hard to find a "normal" form of life. Even human civilization is sparse once you move out of the capital city area.

On Christmas last year, we went for a hike on Solheimajokull glacier in southern Iceland which is about 2.5 hour ride from Reykjavik. Add the snow showers and it takes about 3-3.5 hours. The tour bus takes a detour on a small road from the highway and within about 30 mins, it stops in front of a small cafe where the trail for the hike starts. Too bad the cafe was closed for Christmas as we would have loved some hot chocolate in those conditions. 

After a brief lecture from the glacier guide and putting on the crampons, we started a couple of hours of journey - Yes, just a couple! Trust me, it's a lot if you are doing it for the first time. I am not an expert on glaciers, so I will just give a brief overview of what glaciers are and what kind of effect they have on surroundings as the guides told us.

Solheimajokull glacier in front of the frozen lagoon. The big boulder in lower center are carried by glacier's movement and not just due to erosion (That's one of the theories.).

Some very important things you should keep in mind while preparing for a hike of this kind:

• Normal snow shoes don't work as you are walking on ice, not snow. You have to wear crampons and keep an ice axe. 
• Warm clothing is important as you might experience -10 degrees C of temperatures or even lower. It is important that the first layer of your clothing be a thermal warmer so it keeps your body heat from escaping. Also keep an extra pair or socks. 
• If possible, try getting a Balaclava which would cover your face. If you don't have it then even a scarf will do the job.
• While we hiked, there were snow showers the entire way. Getting a rain/snow jacket is recommended. 
• Being hydrated is very important. You don't realize it while hiking, but once you are done your body responds to what it has been through. Keep a water bottle or much better a sports drink such as Gatorade. Also, chocolates are an excellent choice since they give you instant energy.

On the glacier, tons of snow covers the solid ice underneath. 

Everything I said above just came in handy. While you are walking on a glacier with a group, you should be in a straight line following the steps of the person in front of you. This is especially very important if you are hiking in winters. There is a lot of snow around you and you never know if there is solid ice or ground underneath it. The best way to check where you are going is to use the ice axe. 

The glaciers in Iceland have a history of encounters with volcanic ash since there are a lot of active volcanoes nearby. A very famous one which would ring a bell is Eyjafjallajokul the notorious volcano which hampered many flight across Europe and America when it spewed the ash across the continents. The problem was the engineers did not know how much ask is required for the motors to stop working. And of course no one wants to be in a plane whose motor could possibly stop in the middle of the journey. 

Volcanic ash on the Glacier

So along with the bluish ice, you will see dark colors in glaciers which are basically the ask from the volcanoes. Glaciers are an interesting phenomenon. They keep growing during winters due to the enormous amount of snow and in the summers they melt forming rivers and lagoons. During summers, this glacier has a spectacular view with an awesome landscape in the background and the bluish ice. However, these days the glaciers are melting faster than they grow, probably because of global warming which is still a matter of discussion. Nevertheless, some people believe that Solheimajokull glacier will disappear in 100-150 years. To form one meter of ice, about ten meters of snow is required. Just imagine the rate of melting then! Its quite alarming.

Of course there is tons of ice in glaciers and there would not be a single block of it. The ice cracks under its own weight and forms structures as you can see in the pictures below. This is one of the ways in which glaciers grow. Also, unlike rock which cannot flow, ice can. Ice is kind of a fluid. It is the crystal form of water and as the tendency to flow though at a very slow speed, which we won't notice for a short amount of time. The fluid flows under the action of gravity and the weight from tons of ice above. As the glaciers move, they carve out a pattern on the surrounding mountains. These patterns are clearly visible during summer when there is less snow.

And this is one of the reasons I want to visit Iceland in the summer. The glacier ice is visible and the day length is significantly high. In fact in some regions, you can see the midnight sun. So when I visit again, there might be a few more posts about it. In the end I would say visiting Iceland during winter was worth it. I was always afraid of being in cold temperatures. Well, the fear is gone. I learned about a new culture. A new way of life in this land.

You can find more information about glaciers in general here. I would be happy to have any comments and suggestions on the comments below or just drop a text on my wall :)

Huge cracks in the glacier ice

Cracks reveal the volcanic ash inside the ice

Pattern on the rocks carved by the glacier

Iceland Diaries - Hallgrímskirkja

Visiting Iceland during winters was not a bad idea after all. I was at Reykjavik around the shortest time of the year when the sunlight is hardly 4 hours (6-7 hours of daylight if you count dawn and twilight). So every tour and any activity had to be planned in order to make the best use of available daylight. In this and the other posts that follow, I will give a brief description of different landmarks in Iceland, starting with the tallest church in the capital city of Reykjavik. Hallgrímskirkja - A parish church.

Hallgrímskirkja - Rear View

Hallgrímskirkja - Front View

Hallgrímskirkja is the tallest structure in the city of Reykjavik and the tallest church in Iceland. The construction completed in 1986, so this is a fairly new church. It is the city's well known landmark and being tallest, one gets a view of this building from almost every part Reykjavik.

Christmas Decorations at the Church

Church pipe organ built by Johannes Klais - A German organ builder

A must do for everyone who visits this church is to go to the top of the tower and get a view of the city and its surroundings. One gets a breathtaking view of the mountains in the distance reflected by the North Atlantic waters, Perlan (which unfortunately I was not able to visit on my trip this time) and all other amazing structures and landscapes.

One of the views from the church tower

The church is unique in its architecture and resembles the basalt lava flows of Iceland landscape. Definitely worth a visit if you come to this city. It costs about 750 ISK to go up to the top of the tower. You can also pay in Euros (5 eur). You can find further information about the church here. 

Bavaria Diaries - Wendelstein Observatory

Last Autumn, as a part of an excursion conducted by the PhD fellowship I am in, I got to visit one of the prettiest optical telescope in Bavaria - Wendelstein Observatory.

Wendelstein Observatory, Bavaria, Germany

It is a set of two optical telescopes on top of the Wendelstein mountain at a height of about 1838 m. It is operated by the University of Munich (Ludwig Maximilian Universitaet, Muenchen) and is just about an hour's drive from the city. It was originally designed as a solar observatory, but since 1980s it has been used for night observations of stars and galaxies as well. Sitting on top of this mountain, there is a splendid view of the Bavarian country side and the alps from this observatory.

Since 2011, the observatory has a 2m Fraunhofer telescope, much improvement from the previous 80 cm one.

View from the peak of the mountain.

Along with this, the observatory has a 40 cm Cassegrain telescope as well. In a year there are about 155 clear nights when the observations can be done. These days, since there are many other facilities which provide much better data than this one, this observatory is primarily used by the university students as a part of their practical exercises. However, it is still used by present day astronomers quite often. You can find more information about the observatory here. 

It is worth visiting this place not just for the telescope, but this area also serves as a great spot for hiking, skiing and recreation.

The IIT-Madras Campus

I have spent the first 9 years of my life in Kerala, a southern state in India. After moving to Delhi in 2000, I always cherished to go back to the south. I still feel like home when I am in south India. The traditions and culture are completely different from what you'd see in the north of the country. People here are more religious and simple compared to the north. Though I would say that there are many exceptions to this and that it also depends on which part of south India one is talking about. North India seems like more of dhotis, pants and shirts while south India is more of lungis. In north India you can manage mostly with hindi but south India is the home of 4 different languages. 

Yes. There are a lot of differences and I was able to experience these differences since I have lived in both parts of the country. After doing my under-graduation in Delhi, I moved to Chennai for the master program in physics in one of the premier institutions of the country - Indian Institute of Technology - Madras. More than studying physics and engineering, I learned a new way of life here. A life where we learn how to live with various kinds of animals. A life with people from all parts of the country. A life where you live away from your family and discover your potentials. IIT- Madras is not just an institution. It is a way of life.

This post is not about the academics of the institution. I will leave that for later. Rather I want to describe the campus itself. On the day of admission I took a car ride from my uncle's house to the campus. He took a long detour so in the way he could show me the beach and various landmarks of Chennai. The beach! No matter how long I see it, I never get tired. I just love to see the waves wash across the shore endlessly. That was one of the reasons I chose to live here, in spite of frequent warnings by people that Chennai is probably the most hot and humid city in India.

Marina Beach in Chennai

After wading through the morning traffic, we finally arrived in the campus. The campus was lively with thousands of new students who had come for admissions like me. The academic section is nearly 2 km from the main entrance and in between the road passes through a lush green tree cover. The campus is nothing like the city itself which is full of traffic honking at each other. There was no traffic. The roads are properly constructed with well defined pedestrian ways and appropriate sign boards which is very rare in India. There is a dedicated bus service every 15 minutes from the main entrance to the boys hostel which is about 3.5 km away.

The roads of IIT-Madras campus

Monkeys outside our rooms in IIT-Madras

We finished with the basic admission procedures in the next hour and I was then supposed to go to my hostel - Brahmaputra. Yes, the hostels here are named after the rivers of India. There was a time when the buses were also named after mountains hence the campus was called- "The land of moving mountains and still rivers". But the buses do not have names anymore. I dropped my luggage at my room and bid farewell to my uncle. My life in this campus finally began. 

I took a walk around the hostel and it was just sufficient for the needs of a student. The building was open in the middle and there was a nice green cover around it. There were about 5 mango trees outside my room. During summers, we literally had to fight with the monkeys to demonstrate our right on the fruits. Well, the monkeys always got their share when we were off to our classrooms. 

The best thing about my room was the morning sunrise. Its great to have an awesome start to a day and what better than an awesome view as soon as you wake up. This and evenings are the best times to take a walk around the campus. During the last few days in the campus, I think I did not miss even a single day taking a walk. Me and my friend used to walk all the way to the shopping center from our hostel which used to be about 2 km away just to get an ice cream. 

Morning Sunrise view from our room

The campus also has a beautiful lake. Too bad you are not allowed to swim in it. But the soft sound of water just adds to the calm and serene environment in the campus. When I was new to the campus, I once wandered around the lake and a couple of security guards caught me and suggested that I should make a girlfriend soon and bring her here, it is a very romantic spot. Even now people tell me to get a girlfriend. 

Lake inside IIT-Madras campus

 As I said before, this campus teaches you to live with animals. I gave you an example of how we used to "share" the mangoes with monkeys. But the monkeys were much bigger problem than that. It used to rain a lot in Chennai and for monkeys, our hostel corridors used to be the place of shelter. The next morning after a rainy night, our corridor used to be full of monkey poop and sometimes as many as 50 monkeys used to occupy the corridor. It was hard for some people to get out of their rooms especially during their morning calls. 

Well the campus is of course full of monkeys, but it also has some beautiful creatures. Spotted deers and black bucks are some of them and if you're lucky you might even spot Asian paradise Flycatcher and many other beautiful birds. 

Spotted deer

Blackbuck

The campus is lively with events almost every week. There are various activities a student can do during his/her time here. There are tennis, volleyball, basketball, hockey, football, cricket, squash, table tennis, athletics, gymnasium, swimming pool and many other facilities at very affordable costs. There is a film club which shows new movies every Saturday in an  open air theater. Though I would also say that the food I had here in the mess was just to fill my stomach. Some days it used to be very awful but there is a cafeteria nearby where you get some decent food, just that you will have to spend extra money for that.

So to sum up, being in IIT-Madras campus was a pleasure. It is not just the academics which makes this institution unique but it is also the campus itself which takes your breath away. I will always remember the time I used to spend in this campus. I had an amazing time with my friends here and rarely in your life you get to spend such a time when you are living in a forest for this long. Well, this is not entirely true academically. But as far as the student life goes, the campus is pretty good. 

The temples of Kanchipuram, India

India has been known for many years now for its diversity in religion, culture and tradition. Travelling in different parts of this country is like travelling in different countries. There are 29 states here, each of which has its unique identity. 

I was in the southern city of Chennai for the past 2 years which gave me an opportunity to learn about the traditions and customs of people living in the state of Tamil Nadu. As the name suggests, people in this state speak Tamil. Hindi is hardly spoken here so people from other parts of the country as well as the world speak English with the locals. I knew another south Indian language- Malayalam which has some similarities with Tamil which turns out to be quite helpful in villages like Kanchipuram.

Kanchipuram: One of the holy places for hindus in South India. This village has numerous hindu temples dedicated to lord Shiva, Vishnu  etc.. and a few of them are over 1000 years old. I left with a friend of mine from the main bus station in Chennai (Koyambedu) from where Kanchipuram is a 2 hour long ride. Some stretch of the roads are not comfortable where there are huge traffic jams but the beautiful landscape makes it even. The bus entered a crowded bus station at Kanchipuram from where most of the temples are at a walking distance except one or two.

We made our first stop at Kamakshi Amman temple, a temple dedicated to Kamakshi, one of the forms of goddess Parvati. We had plans to see the main idol in each temple, however the queue at Kamakshi temple itself took us about an hour to finish and it was in our bests interests to see the temples from outside if we want to cover more ground. Besides taking a photograph in the inside of the temple is prohibited and is considered rude. People of religion other than hindu are not allowed to enter the area of the main idol.

Kamakshi Amman temple, Kanchipuram, India

Honestly, the whole village was not maintained properly and is not a welcome sign for any tourist who wishes to spend his or her time here. There are open drainage channels and the streets are also dirty. But once inside the temple, the scent of the incense and seeing the devotion of people makes one forget these things about the village. 

Shiva lingas at Ekambareshwarar temple, Kanchipuram, India

A few minutes from Kamakshi temple is the Ekambareshwarar temple dedicated to Shiva. This is apparent from the numerous shiva lingas inside the temple. We got a delicious prasadam (an offering made to the diety) from this temple. It is a tradition in almost every place in India to offer edible food to God as we consider them as living beings. In many places, people offer milk to shiva by pouring milk on the lingas. This is considered very sacred and for the same reasons, people apply a drop of the poured milk on their forehead or just touch it. At Ekambareshwarar temple, people even worshiped a mango tree.

Ekambareshwarar temple, Kanchipuram, India

Kailasanathar temple stands as the oldest temple in this village and was built around 700 AD by the Pallavas. This structure has been recognized as an archaeological monument by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). We were not able to visit the main temple but the outer structure has been preserved to a great extend and all the walls are carved with idols of lions, deities and other sculptures. It was indeed one of the most impressive temples in the village and is a must see for those who visit this place.

One of the corridors at Kailasanathar temple, Kanchipuram, India

It was already noon by the time we came out of Kailasanathar temple and we searched for some good restaurants. We took our chance at a local tamilian restaurant which served biryanis, noodles and some parathas with chutney. Everything they served was fresh and hot, so it was safe to have it and it was probably the best meal I had in many days. It was expected that the food will be spicy as the local tamilian or Andhra food is generally full of hot spices. 

Tired of walking a lot in the hot weather, we decided to take a shared cab to Varadharaja Perumal Temple, dedicated to lord Vishnu. This temple is away from most of the temples in Kanchipuram which are otherwise clustered in one area. Built about a thousand years back by the Cholas, it stands as largest Vishnu temple in Kanchipuram. We did not go inside the main courtyard of the temple as there were too many people who lined up for the darshan of the main idol. So we took a stroll around the temple where we came across a beautiful pond which belonged to the temple. The entire temple consisted of sculptured pillars of various deities. 

Temple pond, Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram, India

Apart from being a village full of these hindu temples, Kanchipuram is also famous for its silk sarees. That is for some other time. On our way back, we traveled by sitting on the floor of the bus near the door (It was very kind of the bus conductor to let us do that.). The cool air felt great after a day exploring these temples in such hot temperatures. These temples depict a way of life about 1500 years back and such a mark left by the rulers at that time still touches the heart of many people who come here to worship. 

Neuschwanstein: A Fairytale Castle

King Ludwig II of Bavaria has built some of the most beautiful castles in the world during his lifetime. In one of my previous posts, I wrote about Linderhof castle which was the only one Kind Ludwig II lived to see completed. Though the castle is not complete, Neushwanstein stands out as the best of all the castles the king made. 

Neuschwanstein Castle

Clearly it looks as though it is taken from a fairy tale. In fact, the Disneyland's sleeping beauty castle is a result of this inspirational structure. I went here during the summer of 2013 and was probably the best time to visit. Surrounded by German and Austrian Alps with Alpsee and Schwansee in the backdrop, you would give a second thought to even blinking your eyes for it will steal the momentary view. 

I went with a group called International-Friends Munich which was a group of about 2,000 people (now 15,000) from all different countries around the world. We started off from Munich central station at about 9 in the morning and before noon we reached the town of Fussen from where Neuschwanstein is just 3 km away. The train ride is beautiful but crowded at the time and we had to stand inside the second class coach during the entire journey. There is a dedicated bus service from Fussen every 15-20 minutes which is enough to explore a bit around this town which has amazing pizzas and ice cream shops. Till that time I was still a vegetarian person and not an admirer of Bavarian food which was mostly meat. 

The bus drops you at the foothill of the alps in a village called Hohenschwangau from where you have to climb uphill either by foot or there are horse wagons. Hohenschwangau castle is the primary attraction of this village which used to be the childhood residence of the King. 

Hohenschwangau castle as viewed from Neuschwanstein Castle with Alpsee in the backdrop.

The way by foot is hardly exhausting, in fact it is pleasant to walk around the lush green trees. Once you reach near the castle, beer gardens, souvenir shops and gelato ice cream shops welcome you. The castle does not look beautiful from up close here. There is a bridge behind this castle where you can view the castle and believe me, I would have preferred not to enter the bridge looking at the number of people who occupied it. It is not one of those steel bridges which you see in cities but a weaker one and every inch of it was occupied by humans who were hungry for extended view of the castle and the landscape around it. Even I became that hungry being who refused to leave the bridge easily because it is a rare opportunity to be able to see something this pleasing to your eyes.

View of Schwansee from Neushwanstein Castle

View of Alpsee from the bridge

From the other end of the bridge, one can hike to the top of the mountain from where you can come down using a cable car. Given that we did not come with a purpose to hike, we chose to take the easier way to go back. I was not interested to see the inside of the castle during this trip. So I have left that for sometime in future when I visit here again. 

Alpsee

After coming down from the Neuschwanstein hill, we went to relax at Alpsee where some people did swimming, others played with frisbee disc and people like us relaxed in the warm sun talking to each other about various things. Apart from this castle, this small village serves as an ideal spot to hike around in the nearby hills or do paragliding. 

Neuschwanstein is a must go for people who visit Bavaria. It is hardly 2 hours from Munich and one of the best weekend getaways for people living nearby.

Linderhof Castle: A paradise in Bavaria

Summers in Europe are one of a kind. Especially when you are in Bavaria. The lush green fields and mountains take your breath away. The pleasant air on your skin and the beautiful landscape gives an impression of being in a paradise.

Village Ettal on the way to Linderhof

A very special thing about Bavaria is its Castles made by King Ludwig II. He built three of them: Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof. I have been able to visit two of them till now Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. A first glance at these castles will bewitch your mind as these are probably one of the most beautiful castles I have ever seen.

During one of the weekends on my exchange program to the Technical University of Munich, I had an opportunity to travel to Linderhof castle with a service packet tutor program which is mainly meant for international students to help them see nearby places. The group consisted of roughly 12 people. We met at the central station around morning and took off on a train towards Mittenwald. The weather was perfect and the spring was at its best in Bavaria. There could have been no better time to be outside in this place which otherwise had been gloomy and rainy during the initial part of the summer. Huge amounts of rain caused landslides at various places along the railway and we had to change to a bus and a train again. So the journey which generally takes about 2 hours took nearly 4 hours. Since the weather was good, we did not mind that.

Spring in Bavaria

Ettal Abbey on the way to Linderhof in the village Ettal

Besides due to these changing schedules, we stopped at various beautiful locations such as the village Ettal. This small village has a wonderful monastery and an amazing landscape. People pass through this village as a part of bike rides and hikes, the trails of which one can see from the main street. So this place is ideal for weekend bike rides and hiking. 

No doubt, the bus ride from Ettal to Linderhof has a great view. Linderhof palace was the center of attraction in the area. Various tourist shops sold souvenirs, ice creams and there was  a beer garden as well (which is probably quite common in Germany: anywhere you go, there will be a beer garden.) The palace is surrounded by mountains on all sides and its white color stands out between the green landscape. 

Linderhof Castle

Kind Ludwig II made this palace sort of as his weekend getaway. This is one of his three castles and the only one to be complete. He used to come here for couple of days in a week or two and spent his time all alone in the midst of the pleasant atmosphere. The inside of the palace is beautifully decorated and he has, in modern terminologies, a music room, bed room, dining room, audience room: almost everything here. He preferred not to see his servants during his stay there. And yet, he had to have food which had to be served by them. A solution to this: He dined in the first level and his servants used to serve him from the ground floor. The dining table was kept on a platform which could be shifted from the ground to the first level using ropes. There are loads of mirrors and paintings in this small castle. In short, King Ludwig II must have had an awesome time here. He constructed an artificial cave as well where he used to have his "party" by inviting female dancers over (at least that is what the guide explained.)

Swans in an lake in the palace garden

The fountain in front of Linderhof Palace

A beautiful garden surrounds the palace and provides a natural recreation for everyone here. It is not just the palace that takes the credit for its splendid construction, but the location that the king chose makes all the difference. This is quite the feature of King Ludwig's castles: Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. If you are anywhere near Bavaria any summer, do squeeze your time to visit this castle.

The Holy city of Haridwar, India

North India has been under the attack of an intense heat wave in the past few days. In such a weather, a person living in the capital city of Delhi would run away due to power cuts and unpleasant nights as well. With these things around, me and my family decided to have a short trip to the holy city of Haridwar.

Millions of people visit this city everyday where the magnificent river Ganges flows from the Himalayas. Haridwar, a gate to this river for the great northern plains of India. The city is located at the foothills of Himalayas and provides a serene atmosphere, much to the satisfaction of people like me who come from the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan city like Delhi.

We arrived early in the morning taking an overnight train. The train station is like one of the country ones. The air was much cleaner and pleasant compared to Delhi which has been ranked as the most polluted city in the world. No doubt! We took a room in one of the hotels in Gujarati streets where we had amazing jalebis and fafadas for breakfast. My parents had decided to take a dip in the holy river Ganga while I took a bath in my hotel itself because it is impossible for me to bath in a place where people wash away the ashes of their late ones or where people throw milk, oil and various other food products in a river which has alarming levels of pollution. And besides, the water in the hotel room was coming from the holy river itself so I was bathing in the river anyway. I actually would not mind taking a dip in those waters because it is very clean in general. It is just the people who perform rituals or puke in the water (Yes! I saw a few in 2 days where people puke right in front of you in the water.). But yes, since it is flowing water at very high speeds, it is self cleaned at that spot though polluted as it goes along. My mother told me a story that it is said that river Ganga takes one child per year. I was quite surprised at the estimated number to be just one. The way people bath, river Ganga could easily take quite a few lives in a month itself. It was not until recently that protection measures have been taken for the safety of people bathing in the ghat. 

People bathing in the Ganges

Har ki Podi, the place to take the holy dip

The day was quite hot crossing 40 degree Celsius. So we took a shelter in our room after looking through the market which is full of traditional hindu clothes, sweaters for people going high up to the hills, diyas for rituals and many other things.

One of the shops in Haridwar market selling rosary beads, bangles and other religious ornaments.

When you go to Haridwar, one of the most beautiful things is the evening procession or the Ganga aarti. Thousands of people gather on the banks of the river to worship and to thank goddess Ganga for providing livelihood to so many people, providing water and recreation in this beautiful land. Few pandits dressed in white dhotis perform the initial ceremony which  consists of chanting shlokas and performing rituals such as providing milk, flowers etc.. to goddess Ganga . Towards the end of this procession, one of the pandits requests everyone near the banks to keep their feet away from the river waters so they could begin the aarti which otherwise is considered disrespectful (though I saw so many people still bathing in the river in-spite of this request). It was ironic that the pandit requested everyone in the crowd to not pollute the river and the procession he just performed with others involved throwing milk etc in this holy water. I have nothing against this ritual as I have been growing up between these rituals and I feel they not just give a psychological satisfaction but represents that we are providing food to the river. The river is considered to have life. It flows throughout the day for god know how many years and has been a lifeline of millions of Indians who live beside these waters. But I also feel that the same milk or the food that people throw away in the name of rituals could be provided to poor people who don't even have the money to have one decent meal in a day. 

Pandits performing holy ritual on the banks of river Ganga.

As soon as these pandits are done with their initial procession, the main aarti begins and it is one of the most spectacular events I have ever seen. Big diyas from almost every temple lit up and everyone is engaged in praying (well many of them clicking photos and taking videos) before the holy river. One forgets about anything negative about this place and the mind is lost in the sounds of bells, the pleasant air, the light from the diyas reflecting from the flowing waters of Ganga. It is a perfect place for meditation and minds are healed as it does not think about anything else. You forget about all your stress and the mind is lost in a very serene place in the world.

Ganga aarti

In between these proceedings, the security staff near the river collect donations from people in the name of this aarti which they claim goes into running a free hospital in Haridwar for poor people. I do not know how much of the money is actually spent on it but it is indeed a very good deed if this claim turns out to be true. Yet near the ghat, one can see number of beggars asking for food or money. What I did not like about this group of beggars is the way they behaved with an old women around the morning when I was passing through that area. The beggars themselves mocked her, tried to shoo her away. The woman was screaming to let her pass through and how mean he was, but these group of pandits and beggars laughed at her. Why would I ever give money or food to such a group of hooligans and uncivilized men?

There are many flaws in the religious system of India. But at the same time, this religion provides livelihood to so many people across this country. Also, all these things are unique to this world, to this culture and to this nation. It is very rare in the world to worship the river or a mountain or a sea. But this is done in India. No science can still explain how these things came into existence or how we came into existence. But we should be thankful to these natural resources which make our lives. To keep them safe is our duty as a citizen of this world. Let us all take a pledge to protect what is in our hands and to respect what nature has given us.