Even though I have been to Europe
before but I feel Europe is made for a classic car journey. It was quite an
experience travelling six countries in 17 odd days- number of languages,
Several alphabets, Architecture both old and new, Few border checks, a great
network of international highways and infrastructure and perhaps the richest
amount of preserved history anywhere on Earth. Road trips can turn a rational
being into an unstoppable travelling maniac.
When we planned this trip in March on a
Sunday afternoon, little did I know about Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled in
Slovenia. It’s a large lake situated amidst the Julian alps in Triglav National
Park. Until I visited these mesmerizing blue green waters, I always
conveniently escaped noticing ‘SLOVENIA’ when scanning the map of Europe. A
cute little chalet next to the lake amidst the mountains enclosed by forests
added to the enthusiasm on day one. I read this somewhere that “Agatha Christie
used to come here. But she never set any of her works here. She said it was too
beautiful a place to set any murders.”
Anyways after a lovely start to the
trip, we headed towards Croatia(country of 1000 islands, they say) passing
through the capital Zagreb, situated along the Sava river and eventually to the
coastal town of Split. It’s easy to be impressed by the town as you approach it
- From highway to high waves. Famous of course for its night life and lively
streets, the city respires with the party spirit wherever you go especially
midnight. KRKA National Park and its
magnificient water falls are a delight. Best of all you can swim in these fresh
waters.
If we talk of what I found most
striking- the drive along E65, a Mediterranean fantasy with balmy days with
terracotta-roofed ancient houses carpeting the hillsides around its cosy
harbour. The road almost hugs the coastline.
From Croatia we proceeded to the
magnetic, romantic and the metropolitan city of Florence. My prime fascination
to visit this city was to experience a striking adventure among secret
passages, astonishing paintings, and lush gardens like Robert Langdon would
have in the Dan Brown novel “Inferno”. One of its most iconic sites was the
Florence Cathedral, with its dome engineered by Brunelleschi and bell tower
designed by Giotto. Of course, I don’t remember these names very naturally.
Ponte Vecchchio with its outlandish shopping street needs a special mention. It
beautifully brings out the sumptuousness of the town. Even if you are not a Dan
Brown fan, I assure you are bound to be spellbound by the vast world class art
that the city has to offer.
Humans make mistake and no human is
perfect. This is exactly why I wanted to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. When
I reached this little eight storied white marble tower, famous maybe not for
the reasons its original architects would have wanted; I saw a bunch of
tourists posing for the same photo: hands outstretched towards the tilting
structure, as if they are supporting it with their sheer strength. I tried too
unsuccessfully though, I would admit.
Despite the super hectic day, we
frantically managed to grab hold of our overnight ferry from Genoa. And it was
a welcome change to be on board after a very long drive all the way here. On
the other side of the magnificient deep blue sea, awaited the mountain jewel of
Mediterranean in the corner of France- Corsica- The city where Napoleon was
born.
Prominent for its beaches though, but I
simply fell in love with the old port of Bastia which is where our ferry
landed. Bright and sunny, narrow streets and many restaurants promenading along
the water-fronts with classic yachts was a charming day to remember. And not to
forget the Palace and the Citadel - an adoring place to stroll around the
idealistic island. I wasn’t surprised when a restaurant owner approached me and
asked if I had seen the Indian movie shot in here.
From Corsica, we were all set to enter
the French Riviera more fashionably called Cote De Azur. We began with Marseille, France' s second
largest city, also known to be a bridge between Africa and Europe. In a beautiful
hilltop location, its Notre dame church stands on the summit of the city giving
a 360 degree view of Provence, visible from afar. This basilica is inspired by
Neo byzantine architecture which has a monumental statue of the Madonna and
Child made of copper gilded with gold leaf.
On the way to Nice, we stopped at
Cannes for an elaborate Indian lunch.
Money is what it is about. Wealthiest of people are known to have
holiday homes here. Nice is the largest city on this stretch and its airport is
on an area of partially reclaimed coastal land. The vivacious squares and breezy
pebbled beaches sounded like the perfect holiday destination. Much tempted to sleep after a late
night, I still couldn’t miss the opportunity to sit down, coffee in hand, and
watch the day away as I walked along the serene coast on Promenade des
Anglais.
It was a lucky coincidence that we went
to Monaco, a small sovereign state, on the day the Grand Prix races were to
take place. Honestly I am not a fan but the deafening sounds of the racing cars
zooming along the street is bound to intrigue you. So i definitely was glued
until the competition finished. What was astonishing was that it is still ruled
by a prince and although independent, it is run as a piece of France.
From cote de
azur, we moved to Avignon - popularly known as city of popes; where the Pope
lived for 70 years approximately. Once in Avignon, you won't want to leave, and
the town is too interesting to let you go. It is an ancient city full of
history that you could wander the narrow streets inside the fortified walls.
The unfinished bridge spanning half of the Rhone river, Pont du Avignon is very
interesting. It was built to connect Avignon with the town of
Villeneuve-les-Avignon. However, due to war it remained incomplete and has
remained a Unesco world heritage since then.
A must mention is Châteauneuf de Pape, a
medieval village where you have an outstanding view in all directions, mostly
of vineyards, of course. This is where we took the wine tour knowing on the way
how grapes are grown, fermented, stocked up in oak barrels and finally bottled
in to the fancy wine bottles. Gigondas, meaning 'rejoice' is by far the prettiest
village have ever been. The apartment at Avignon was very sweet but guess the
appeasing vintage of the town overwhelmed me too much to have enjoyed it.
Pont du gard
only 40 km from this place was the most interesting 2000 years old structure to
my knowledge. This yellow limestone roman architecture masterpiece is 50 km
long three-level aqueduct standing 50 m high, it allowed water to flow across
the Gardon river to supply water to Nimes. Remarkable!!!!!! Isn’t it?
Next came Fontainebleau surrounded by 200 Sq km of forest. The town grew up
around its magnificent château(Palace), one of the most beautifully decorated
and furnished in France. Although it’s less crowded than Versailles, it was
rightly called the sumptuous home of the king. I totally agree with that after
having seen the latter one the next day.
Paris, I wonder why it's called the most
romantic city in the world.. I can say so too maybe but for a different reason.
It was amorous to spot the gigantic structures like Arc di Triomphe, Notre dame
, Pont du arts and of course the Eiffel tower in the gentle rains. Louvre
definitely was the newest experience for me as I have never really been
fascinated to appreciate original pieces of art ever before. I had shot listed
about 15 masterpieces. For the reason that I had read a bit, I was able to
comprehend slightly. Too amateur to comment but I simply loved “The wedding
feast at Cana”- painted by Paolo Veronese.
Large is an understatement when I
looked at it, totally astounded.
Next on our itinerary was Amsterdam, while skipping Belgium being quite late on
our way. Historic canals, Van gogh museum, lively cafes were eccentric to the
town. I would not forget how I would panic when the trams would come just
behind our car and we would wonder if we were on a wrong road. But thankfully
we weren't. This city has small battery operated rickshaws, people cycling all
over and two very lively squares - Dam square and Rembrandt square.
A must go is
Delft blue pottery. I managed to buy the KLOMPEN, a pair of pottery Dutch
shoes,a vintage Delftware traditionally meant to use for ashtrays. And though ‘Madurodam’ at Hague, tells stories
of Holland entwined with miniature buildings; it only brings some weird funny
memories of the crazy time we had there.
Subsequently,
we travelled to Cologne; the precious gothic cathedral is the most visited
landmark in Germany and it's magnificence is jaw dropping for sure. From cologne
we drove via baden baden, the much appreciated belt of black forests in
Germany. The black forests are in fact a scenic drive through the dark
green hills.
On the way to
these forests, we criss-crossed through the Rhone valley, running between
Klobenz to Bingen. At St. Goar, How I
really wished that we had time enough to cherish this antique town. The slow
paced river with a story book Germany was indeed a romantic location.
Neuschwanstein
Castle, which King Ludwig II built on a rugged hill against a backdrop of
picturesque mountain scenery is truly a fairy tale castle. This was a dream
come true not just because it was shortlisted amongst the 21 wonders of world
but because it is truly intriguing to see only an imagined Cinderella story. A
bell tower just like Rapunzel would have let down her golden spun hair for the
prince to climb up. No wonder, this story is originally from Germany.
This place was inevitably the best in the entire trip and I would definitely
come back.
That almost brought us to the end of
the trip as we crossed the scenic alps to Innsbruck, Salzburg and finally to
Vienna. In Vienna we took a short cruise on the Danube river. Flowing
through six countries, the Danube meanders for nearly 1,800 miles — from
Germany’s Black Forest through Austria into the Balkans before dumping into the
Black Sea. The canal was conceived by Charles the great to connect the North
Sea with black sea via Rhine -maine- danube channel to facilitate
trading. The most interesting part was when ship finally sailed into the
lock and the back door to the lock was shut electronically, and for a period of
time, it seemed as if nothing will happen. Slowly the water was pumped
out of the chamber leading the ship up and finally crossing to the other side.
And thats it!!! Like they say that all
good things must come to an end. The trip finally was over and we left back for
India with a mixed feeling; unforgettable moments with forever friends Shikha
and Ankit on one hand; and the adrenalin rush to meet the kids and cuddle them
after so long. Missed them big time.
