Hiking in bavaria: Week 3

View of Neuschwanstein Castle during the hike up.

Paragliders at Tegelberg

End of the hike with a beautiful view of the castle from Marienbrucke

Hiking in the bavarian alps continued for the third time after a week's rest and this time we went to Tegelberg and Branderschrofen. This place is amazing for paragliding and there were dozens of people launching from this peak. It is very close to Neuschwanstein caslte and hence, we took a route which would end up near the castle bridge itself. 

One needs to get to the town of Fussen by the German railway network and then a bus (78) to Tegelbergbahn which is the starting point of hike. The skies were clear and it was in fact very warm that day with temperatures reaching nearly 29 degrees C. Such conditions meant more water and light backpacks. 

We started from an elevation of 800 m and our final peak (Branderschrofen) was at an altitude of 1880 m. The initial part of the hike, which was just to get to the peak, was very steep and took us about 3 hours to reach Tegelberg and another 30 minutes to reach Branderschrofen.

On the way to Tegelberg, one gets really beautiful views of the Neuschwanstein castle and the lakes in the midst of lush green Alps. The paragliders launched every minute from the top. 

After reaching Tegelberg, the way to Branderschrofen is quite difficult and requires a bit of climbing with the help of ropes attached. It is highly not recommended for people with conditions like vertigo. But it is definitely worth the effort and the view from the top is really amazing. One can see the crop fields on one side and just mountains on the other. At this altitude, the sun felt really strong. 

We got down and made a stop at one of the restaurants at Tegelberg. On the way down, we took a long route with a gradual descent. The route ended at Marienbrucke with an amazing view of Neuschwanstein castle.

Iceland Diaries - Hot springs and Volcanoes

Iceland - the name was quite apt when I visited this place. It was Christmas and literally the entire land was covered in a thick blanket of snow. There was not even a single area where vegetation could be seen. It is very hard to imagine how the cattle can live in such a kind of an environment. 

And yet, this is name is still ironic. Although from the surface, it was very harsh and cold, below the surface is a huge reservoir of boiling water. Yes! Iceland is full of geothermal energy and it is the water from the earth which is used for heating the buildings and the pavements in the city of Reykjavik. Iceland is self sufficient in terms of electricity and the major cost is only in the initial investment in the infrastructure such as the geothermal plants. 

Smoke coming out of hot springs filling the air with sulphur 

The hot water erupts on the surface at some places and forms giant pools like this one. Some of them even contain boiling water. 

The tour operators often said that you can take a very long warm/hot shower as long as you want as all the hot water is natural. Although one does get the sulphur smell in the beginning while opening the taps, it is not dangerous at all. That was something to look forward to when we came back from our day tours. 

The Great Geysir from which the term "Geyser" seems to have originated and the first known Geyser to the Europeans.

Naturally there are a lot of hot springs and volcanoes in Iceland. There are quite a few places near Reykjavik where this boiling water surfaces out and forms a pool of hot water. Often this is released in the form of a "Geyser" - a term which is actually originated from one of the hot springs in Iceland. Many people might still remember the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 due to which most of the flights in Europe and North America were grounded. Volcanoes keep erupting in this part of the world. But most of them do not cause such inconveniences.

This was a part of the Golden Circle tour which takes us through some amazing viewpoints near Reykjavik. The rest of the spots will be a part of another post. Stay tuned!!!

Hiking in Bavaria: Week 2

We had a long weekend this time. I took the liberty to relax for two days when it was supposed to rain a lot (and it did rain a lot). The third day I went for an easy hike through the Bavarian alps to the Tirol mountains in Austria. We went to Erzherzog-Johann-Klause which is very near to the German-Austrian border.

We started from Munich around 8 in the morning and got down at Fischbachau-Neuhaus which is again one of the trains which go to Bayerischell. Then you have to change two buses to reach the start of our hike, Valepp. 

During the entire duration of our hike, we were in a valley almost following the river Vallep. Since we never really reached a peak, the altitude difference was about 300 m. As I said, this was a relatively very easy hike and the landscape was really amazing. It is perfect for those people who are in the initial stages of hiking experience. Though there are quite a few places where one has to be careful with the paths as they are too narrow edging over the valley. There were a few occasions when the trail ran next to the river and it was great to hang out there for a while. 

Erzherzog-Johann-Klause is a nice Bed & Breakfast hut located in the midst of the Tirol alps. We had a nice lunch and loads of time to relax before we headed back to the train station the same way. I think the pictures will tell the rest of the story ;)

Chile Diaries: Journey to Peulla

Before coming to Chile, I had never really heard about the gems hidden in this beautiful country. This country is home to Andes mountains and the Patagonia which bears a number of species unique only to this region. After watching the penguins, I took one day's break and roamed around Puerto Varas, which will be a topic of a different post. The next day, I made a journey through probably the best place on Earth according to me - Puella. 

Puella is a village near Puerto Varas with a population of about 100 people. Given its remote location, the main source of income for this region comes from tourism. And there is no doubt that thousands of people from around the world visit this tiny little corner of the world. 

As usual I started the journey from Puerto Varas to reach lake Todos los santos which is almost at the foothill of volcano Osorno and in the boundary of Vicente Perez Rosales national park. After a sightseeing through a waterfall, we got into a ferry which would take us to Puella. 

More than Puella, it is this journey through the lake which makes the tour special. The water is bluish as it is believed to have originated from a glacier. With blue skies and bluish water, lush green trees on the surrounding mountains and snow capped peaks in the distance, this is probably one of the best views a photographer can get. Of course, none of the photos can actually capture nature's beauty but a picture in any direction will dazzle you with its beauty. 

Lake Todos los Santos

Now I would not say much about the journey because it is hard to explain it in words. It is a perfect place to relax and meditate. The ferry takes about 1.5-2 hours to reach Puella. There are a lot of things to do in Puella and the tour operators provide vast options including experiencing country life, canyoning etc.. I did not take any of those tours because I was happy with the natural beauty of this place. 

Margherita Island overlooking volcano Osorno

On our way back, the weather changed. There were dark clouds partly obscuring the beautiful views we had in the morning. But it gave a very spooky and interesting view of the mountains. The next instant, for the first time in my life, I actually saw the formation of a rainbow. It was drizzling on one side of the lake while there was a sunset on the other side. The combination gave the best ending to what was probably the best day in my trip. I think the pictures can say the rest of the story ;)

Dark clouds during the journey back

Formation of a rainbow

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.