Yercaud: Tamil Nadu

  After months of toiling we desperately needed a getaway. I looked for places close to Bangalore and found Yercaud is just about 5 hours drive. A hill station with Coffee & spice plantation and slight chilly climate is exactly what I was looking for to get away from this scorching Bangalore heat.
Yercaud is a beautiful hill station in Salem District of Tamilnadu state in South India. It is about an hour drive uphill from Salem City .The Drive up hill through the hairpin bends was quite dry as it was summer and the temperature was over 35 degree Celsius. But, surprisingly as we reached the top we were surrounded with greenery and there was a sudden dip in the temperature.
We stayed at the Sterling Resorts, which is on the western slope of the Shevaroy hills and the property serves you with the best view of greenery and the hairpin bends. As you watch the breathtaking view of the sun set, you feel the cool breeze hit on your face and that’s exactly what you need. You just cannot get enough of the cozy weather.  We were glad we did not need a fan or Air conditioner. All we did was spend some quality time and enjoyed the weather. The resort served some delicious food too.
Yercaud Lake is beautiful, calm and clean and a nice place to spend some time. There are a couple of view points around the town and they offer great views too.
Just the right place for a weekend romantic getaway and the right climate to escape from the summer heat. We were pretty pleased we experienced Yercaud.

Sun Set

Sterling Resorts

The View

View

Sunrise shadow

Europe: Vienna (Day 8)

My legs still hurt as I wake up in the morning. But I wasn’t going to miss the site seeing because of that. Like the Previous day I started off with my maps to the metro. By now I was quite familiar with the names and metro stations and did not need help to go about.

My first destination was the famous Schönbrunn Palace. This place is every bit of luxury. You really have to envy the people who lived here. It has a well maintained beautiful Garden. Did a lot of Photography here. (Except for the entry tickets at the palaces and museums everything pretty much impressed me in Vienna).

Europe’s best zoo is in Vienna and right besides the Schönbrunn Palace. I kept thinking if I had to enter the zoo or no; finally decided to go in there:-D. It was a good experience. Not very different from the Zoo I visited earlier, but I must say it’s really well maintained.

I then go to the Belvedere Palace which is again beautiful, have lunch at the famous Turkish food joint, visit  Vienna´s Prater with Giant Ferris Wheel, the Uno city and the Donautrum park. I had covered almost every street in Vienna with my two days of sightseeing.

Vienna is every bit amazing and beautiful. Given a chance don’t miss to visit Vienna. If you have a choice ,do visit.

A few pictures from my Vienna tour.



at the museum

 

schonbrunn palace



  

interiors



Europe: Back in Vienna (Day 7)

I have been waiting for this weekend from days. On the D ‘day I felt lonely, wished I could have someone around. None of these feelings was going to help and bring someone to see me. L…I decide to start early for my Vienna tour. I wasn’t going to take a bus tour, I had decided I would do it on my own with a few maps in hand, walking around the streets and taking the metro.

 I had done a little bit of homework on the places to visit in Vienna. So I did have faint idea on a few things. With the previous weekend’s street exploring I had spotted the nearest metro station. A little discussion with the hotel receptionist I got to know where to go and how to use the metro etc.

I started off for my adventure. I took the Metro and reached the center. I was a little early, the streets were almost empty, and with some help I reach the main street. I landed right at the main “Mariahilfer Straße” shopping street in Vienna. Restaurants on one side of the foot path and shopping streets with “SALE” boards on the other side. I love streets like this. How tempting!!! I couldn’t resist shopping; I knew it’s going to be bad for my pocket. Spending in Euro’s is scary; I had to ignore the thoughts if had had to do my bit of shopping. Decided not to worry until I get to pay the credit card bills. Did a bit of shopping, some self photography and I was at the end street near the most famous MuseumQuartier.

Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum is absolutely incredible. The architecture the furniture, the paintings and every bit of this place is awesome. Since it was a Saturday I got to witness the band which plays in the Opera house. The music was awesome too. Walked down the streets to see the parliament house the Stephansdom church, Volksgarten and a few more places in my list and took the metro to the Nasch Market.

Nasch market is a famous open street market in Vienna which sells amazing sea food. As I reached the metro close to Nasch market I asked a few people for direction and landed in the wrong place. This happened quite a lot of times for me in Vienna. I was always given the wrong directions. But a few wrong directions did good to me as well. I landed in places with was worth going and was not in my listJJ and one of it was the Church of St. Charles Borromeo. This place so calm and has a beautiful fountain in front.

  Finally I decide to ask quite a few people and go with the most common direction. After a lot of walking I finally reached the Market. It was worth every bit of walking.

Crowded street with variety of shops and some amazing food. I stopped at a few places only to admire the stuff around. Couldn’t resist myself for long. Grabbed a piece of salmon with some shrimps for lunch and quickly explore the place.

It was past noon and had a bit of shopping to do. So I go back to Mariahilfer Straße shopping street and continued with my unfinished shopping. I couldn’t do much though. But it wasn’t bad either. I could at least manage to pick up a few stuff in my list.

End of the day my legs felt dead. It was too much of walking for me and I so badly wanted to get back to the hotel.

Had a lot of places to visit for the next days as well.

Europe Day 1: Mumbai to Vienna:)

Took off from Mumbai to Paris as scheduled and my Flight was smooth...Landing in Paris was my most amazing landing so far. Paris looks beautiful from above. It looks like a carpet with shades of green with building blocks placed in a row. I’m here in Europe at a perfect time. Weather is awesome; slightly chill, sunny and bright. Everything looked just perfect.

Took a transit to Austria and reached as scheduled. I have never been on a plane for this long and never ever did I feel a jet lag this bad. I was exhausted and starving. Had a good lunch at the Hotel and crashed into bed .Had planned to go on a city tour, but that did not happen as I was in no shape for that.

Spent the evening exploring the neighboring streets, eating street food, at the hotel garden (it is amazing) and for the first time witnessed sunset at 9.P.M…All of this all alone. Frankly I was lonely, no people on the streets and no one with me. I started missing everyone, wished someone was with me.

Hoping for a good week at work and I’m glad I will have people join me at work. Waiting for more of Vienna JJ

Will post a few pictures soon.

Weekend trip to Matheran:)

This is one nearby hill station I had not visited and wanted to go…The Plan was on and off for weeks…Finally we decide and hit Matheran...I along with a few friends from my work place.

Like always, the Picnic was fun. Once we reached Matherean,we took a horse ride half way up the hill and then walked the rest of our way through the woods to see the view points. The fun part was sitting on the bank of the lake. (This wouldn’t be possible otherwise during monsoon). Of course it wasn’t the best time to visit a hill station, but we were lucky that it wasn’t really very hot as it had rained early in the day. This place is worth a visit during the monsoon. Walking through the woods, the lake view and the hill side view will be at its best and would definitely feel like heaven on earth.

For first timers please beware of the people who offer horse rides. The charges are way too high and we easily get duped. They project it as that’s the only mode of transportation to go up hill, which is not true. There are toy trains as well .

The Horse ride is not really advisable during this season. (Unless you prefer one)Maybe it is ok during the monsoon because walking through the woods might get a little messy because of the messy red mud. What’s more advisable is to take a toy train up to the hill. We get to see the best of views as the train goes on the edge of the hill and it works so much cheaper.

Posting a few Pictures...I’m glad we could make it there…Hoping I get to visit once more during the monsoon.

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Girlies Day out……

Saturday was super fun for me…… we girls decide to go shopping and the Hot Spot was Pune’s “Fashion Street”, I always make it a point to take friends new to the city to “fashion street”, I think shopping the cheap stuff there is fun ,exciting and a good experienceJJJ..Though the place is heavily crowed and stuffy, I somehow like going there once a while…And with Roshni in Pune, I thought I should be taking her there once…It was a pretty good evening with lot of Bargaining and buying few stuff and some being lovelyJJJ…..

The best part of the day was the Auto ride back home…Actually its AAAAtOOOO(as the Driver says it) JJJ…This is what happened,” we take a rickshaw( after a lot of argument and bargaining with the driver) and the moment we get in we notice some special lightings in the rickshaw…In fact it was a well  maintained rick and the special lightings looked really nice and I decide to Compliment the Driver, I say:” bhayya aapka auto tho Mast Hai”,  The very happy driver Thanks me and explains to me about his ‘aaato’ being nothing at all (according to him its -1% compared to other aaatooo’s)and how there are people who spends in lakhs on decorating theirs autos….Finally he says ”MADAM, AAp aaatoo ka Photo Nikalke ‘Face book’ me dalliye aur Likiye mast AAAto”, I said i would Put it on the netJJ…thanks to the driver we laughed our hearts out listening to him speak and even he was very excited telling us stories about his aattooo….

here are the Picture's of the “Mast aaato”J

The next day as planned we go for a “lonavala-kandala” picnic. It was really long since we went out on a nature tour…We decided to take a local train to Lonavala and then hire a vehicle for the sightseeing, It was quite some time since I had travelled by the local train……It was such funJJ…. I somehow melt down when I’m in a misty lush green atmosphere. The view and the weather were amazing. The  spoil sport was definitely the rain getting us drenched… though this time it dint bother me much like otherwise…What I loved and enjoyed the most as always was the cool breeze hit my face and to add to it was the tasty roasted corn, the very expensive Hot Maggie and coffeeJJJ………

A nice weekend I must say, and the show stopper of the day was the jute slippers which survived the heavy rain, Which Roshni and I bought from ‘fashion Street’ ……

A Perfect Girlies Day outJJJ………

A Few Pics…



my roomie Utsa

With Roshni

Roshni, my sis diya and my roomie Sravanthy

Will upload  a few more soon………

The Romantic Hangover…:-)

I watched two romantic movies this weekend. “PROM” and “SHIRIN FARHAD KI TOH NIKAL PADI”JJ.Watching “PROM” left me with a romantic Hangover… It’s a very sweet High school Romance with all the Proposing, asking out for a Prom date, Break ups, the making up and a lot of beautiful Prom gownsJ…Exactly how I love Romantic movies; A feel good movie and a must watch for people who like the romantic hang overJJ……And then there’s “SHIRIN FARHAD KI TOH  NIKAL PADI” a middle age romance which I have been waiting to watch right from the time the promos have been released, Its sweet and fun, not one of my favorites though. What I like about it is the message it has, ”Profession doesn’t come into account when you fall in love”…I was kinda thrilled when there were few dialogues projecting it,.. I have written a Post on this earlier (The Marriage concept?!!)JJJ

Hmmm…It was a fairly nice weekend for me…Though I’m little worried about the eating I have been doing lately…Right from a heavy Breakfast to a big dinner…

 I have noticed, on weekends I spend more time in the kitchen than anywhere else, I eat breakfast thinking about lunch and eat lunch thinking what to make for dinner, and if I’m out then I get a better share of the food I love…

This actually bothers me because, during the week when I’m in office and somehow pretend to be very diet conscious and a little choosey about food like not eating potatoes and sticking to the “fruit Diet” for Lunch, not eating junk, and stuff like that; end of the day all that fuss is been of no use since I make up for all the “not eating” during the week by literally hogging on the weekend..Not very pleased!!!…

Oh…Between all the fuss, I must say "the Paneer Masala" I made for Sunday Dinner was definitely Yum and "Wanting More" JJJ…That makes me Happy…

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