Eurologue!

The difference between two travellers is not the places that they go, but their perspective! Yup, thats so true with Life too! I realised the power of perspective on the recent trip that we took to mystic lands of Europe. A trip that can be best described by the words mystical, meditative and above all, therapeutic! The real magic of travel unfolds when it is laced with your own beautiful perspective and thoughts, or else, places are places, first sight might fill you with awe, and then your mind takes over, gets used to it and falls into the trap of routine! This time, Life took us deep into the Czech and Austrian heaven, with few dozes of Swiss and German air!

The 'Before Sunrise' Start! ~ Vienna

I got fascinated with Vienna while watching Before Sunrise! The long walks through the amazing streets surrounded by fascinating architecture, lush gardens…and those conversations of Jesse and Celine! Vienna was exactly that and much more! The smallest of the bars had such full of life ambience that you can stop anywhere, drink anytime, walk again…keep walking and talking!

I love the unplanned walks that we take while traveling, but the walks in Vienna were few of the best that we ever took! One such walk took us to one of the best brew pubs called 1516, and the amazing austrian beer kissed us for the first time! Another one in the night, while strolling across the gardens, hand in hand, took us into a beer garden which was hosting a cool rock band, people dancing to the 'Call me may be' and 'smoke on the water' tunes and we just merged with the crowd, pain in the legs notwithstanding!

Not a big fan of man made wonders, I believe what man can best do, is weave in a blissful culture in the already amazing nature around us. And thats what made me fall in love with Austria and Czech! After spending two days in the romantic city…we entered a land absolutely different...

Land of Kings, Guzzlers and the Ghosts ~ Czech 

My wife told me a few times about Beer Gardens in Prague and everywhere else in Czech republic, but I couldn't develop a defining sense of it. You have to be there to feel it and then, define it for yourself! In Prague, I couldn't believe how relaxed an environment can be! Imagine... bright sunshine, soothing breeze, vast city views, gardens as green as they can get, cozy chairs designed for conversations with someone or oneself and sparkling golden Beer in your hand! In Czech republic, time stops! And you just begin to understand the meaning of 'being'! 

When it comes to culture, its all about the people, isn't it? And the Czechs are some of most amazing people I have met. Laid back, relaxed, friendly and of course, Guzzlers! I started to wonder whether they ever drink water or not or their water is golden? The average consumption of Beer per capita per annum is 132 Litres! And beer brewed with such finesse and love, that you will fall for it! 

Prague is like a Painter's city! Best enjoyed with beer during the day time, and is at its classy best during the night! Across the Charles Bridge, the Old town glitters with Life, as if a painter's imagination coming true. Old town square surrounded by magnanimous castles and the pleasant bustle, is the place to be. We kept walking through the alleys absorbing the atmosphere of Prague and on reaching the beautiful Old town square, the sound of guitar and a song of cold play reverberated in my ears! An artist, right in the middle of the square was mesmerising people with his majestic voice! Wow, Prague just took us in and we were floating!

We are not big fans of guided tours with a guide leading a clueless crowd with a flag in one hand and a mic in the other! That does not fit into our definition of Travel! But this time, we got attracted towards a very unique guided tour, a 'Ghost Tour' in Old Prague. The city so old, full of history, and history is not always filled with good stories! We explored the spooky corners of the Old Town listening to some very spooky tales from Brian around mid night. And for the first time, I liked a guided tour! And what a contrast it was!

And yeah, when in Prague, ditch the luxury of Hotels and resorts, the Prague Hostels are the place to be…bubbling with energy all day and night, and people so welcoming and you don't wanna leave!

…and the fairy tale town, Cesky!

A strange early nostalgia started clouding my thoughts when leaving Prague, we were headed towards a small but touristy town of Cesky Krumlov and  even after a lot of spousy pressure to read about it, as usual, I never did so I didn't know what to expect, I just knew what I will miss of Prague! After a superb Bus journey, not because of the surroundings, but the experience inside the bus, we reached Cesky and it seemed a nice little town, surrounded by some green prairish mountains, some river flowing through the heart etc etc. It was after freshening up a bit, when we took a walk through the town, to a place on the river bank, called 'Liabon' (run by the hyper active David!) and sat there for a few minutes…I realised that this was a fairy tale town! A world heritage site, one of many, but worth of every praise that can be showered, this town is vintage Czech republic. I still keep watching the wallpaper on my phone, which is blessed with a photo of Cesky, which hardly does any justice to the town itself and I can definitely say, that this was one of the highlights of our journey!

The walk through the cobbled streets, with the occasional fresh aroma of the Transylvanian pastry touching the senses, cozy bridges on the Vltava River, the 'Ahoys' of the rafters, the site of picturesque pensions (Guest Houses) and restaurants on the river side, the whole vibe was to live for! The view of the town from the Cesky krumlov castle will remain as one of best town views ever in our memories!

Oh..How can I forget the 'wild wild westernish' Traveler's hostel Pub? We entered for one Beer, we just couldn't leave the place till late night. No party, no noise…not a lot of people, but just the ambience was magnetic! So much so, that we went again next day and had our first tryst with the green fairy drink ~ Absinthe! I never thought a 70% v/v spirit would be so tasty, hail absenthium flowers and leaves!

Time to leave Cesky approached, and a stronger nostalgia engulfed us, we just craved for another walk, another night, one more beer, one more visit to the pub, one more view of the town from the hill, one more conversation on the benches on the river side…one more everything, one more day in Cesky! Such was the spellbinding effect!

And that was it, end of the four days in Czech, a country I should have visited before, a country I will go to many more  times to avoid any such future regrets! 

During the drive from Cesky to Linz, where we had booked our car pick up, I was just thinking of Cesky, oblivious to the experience I was about to enter!

A drive through the Land of the Hobbits! ~ Austria

Frodo, Sam, Bilbo…these names are unforgettable for any LOTR fan like myself, but what I remember most from the fellowship story, is the "Shire"! Tolkien had one of the most beautiful ideation of a dream land, where the Hobbits "lived" in every sense of the word. That shining green all around, sound of the river, cow bells and the mystical sight of smoke rising out from the houses! A land full of fun, frolic and above all, in peace with nature! Remember when we were kids and our drawing teachers gave assignments of drawing a scenery? Many of us loved doing it because it would bring out the thoughts which we all loved, and when I saw the drawings of all my classmates, level of finesse notwithstanding, the components were so similar. Small villages, green lands, rivers, mountains, rising sun and the chirping birds…the perfect land described in any of William Wordsworth's poem. When we drove into the Gosau Valley,  those imaginations were blessed with Life! Austria is a land of mountains, the Alps, and no adjective can do justice to its beauty! Austrian people, just like the Hobbits, live peacefully, enjoying every moment as it comes!

I will never forget the drive that we took through the heart of Upper Austria, it was, well, I still take deep breaths in the awe of those scenes! The lakes were all different, some blue, some green and the towns were picture perfect. A sight of Hallstatt, a lake town in Upper Austria will make all your thoughts wither away and you will be, just with yourself and nature! 

A traveler can appreciate things which the locals have gotten used to. The locals will always be busy with the routine, be it India or Austria. But the biggest difference that I could make out was exactly in that 'routine'. There was hardly any rush, no crowds, nature at its best, the air so fresh…people were at ease with themselves and with their surroundings, facing whatever challenges they have with a calm mind, not forgetting that Life is for living every moment and not just rushing through it. 

The two days that we spent in Gries-im-Sellrain, a ski village near Innsbruck, the capital of the Alps, were the most homely in the entire trip! No Plans to go anywhere, just being in the cozy guest house, absorbing the sight of the Alps around, sipping the fruity red wine in the evening…cooking a meal for ourselves; cycling around the village during the day with the cows as our only companions sitting lazily on the green prairies! It was sheer delight! A feeling of bliss so deep, that words fail to bring it out on blog for sharing!

After relaxing for two days and giving our car some well deserved rest, I started feeling excited, as for the first time I was anticipating, it was time for a drive through Swiss land and gulp sumptuous Bavarian food in Staudach-Egerndach!

Switzerland…finally!

Since childhood, I have always wanted to go there, and it has been a place so talked about, so hyped…that everyone has a feel for Swiss land! The beauty of a place gets stamped when even under the pressure of high expectations….it delivers! The sight of the Snow laden peaks of the Alps, vast green lands and mountains and lakes of the size of a sea and competing with the sky for the share of the blue! Switzerland is the perfect setting for the movies! And I am not the first one to guess that!

When we reached Zurich, it was raining and we thought our entire day might get wasted! But when you are so optimistic inside, even the nature showers its blessings! It was looking impossible, but suddenly the clouds cleared, evening sun greeted us and the farms around our place started to glow green! We ran outside, took the car and drove around the village….Although Austria and Czech would still remain at top of the list for the amazing combo vibe and beauty, Switzerland edges every other place out for its sheer beauty!

We tried airbnb for the first time, stayed with a Swiss couple at their place which is located amidst huge farm lands! And because this young couple was always out of their place, with all strangers coming and knocking at their doors….we felt as if we had rented a house near Zurich! We had the entire place for ourselves and we had a great time. The small room with the legendary Abbey Road pic of Beatles and many others for company, a music system, a cozy bed, well stuffed kitchen was much more than what we needed to feel at home!

The drive from our place to Lake Lucern was obviously amazing, now I am starting to sound like a beaten HMV record….but Lake Lucern was a sight! And the walk in the farms around our place, picking up fruits, watching the cattle, and the usual conversations with my Wife which hardly stop….made the two days so memorable!

The Bavarian Gastronomy!

Well…after Switzerland, it was time to get my hands on the much awaited Bavarian delicacies! Yes, travel is so much about places, people but it is also about food. I have always been amazed at how many ways exist world over to cook the same thing and make our souls drool over it! Sounds sinful…but can we really take food out of our reasons of happiness and satisfaction! At least I can’t!

We drove from Zurich, through Munich on the amazing German autobahns, and reached the land of Bavaria, the food heaven. Not just that, its such a beautiful place, so different from rest of Europe, the colours, the mountains, all unique in themselves!

Indians are rare in these parts of the world, esp places as remote as Staudach-Egerndach so we were very well welcomed by the people, the chef paid special attention to us, our choices of the brew, chicken and pork! Some of the best brews and meat I have had in years, the pork was to die for!

The wine lands, touch of Slovakia and back!

After a short stay in Germany, it was time for lower Austria, the Wachau Valley, wine villages and the Danube River! We drove to Pochlarn, an extremely cozy town on the banks of Danube from where Spitz, the wine village is a beautiful drive away! The next two days were spent amidst vineyards, wines and the atmospheric bliss of Wachau!

Then it was time to realise that our trip is nearing the end days! We drove back to Vienna, to return our awesome companion, our car and then headed for the slog over fun in Bratislava, one of most famous cities for partying! The historic touch of these cities never ceases to amaze anyone. The culture, unique character, people, all of it makes it a  heady cocktail for any traveler!

The night clubs were not as classy as some of the other top night life destinations, but the overall Slovakian feeling was worth taking home with us! And as repetitive as it may sound, the brews and the pubs were class apart, esp places like the Slovak Pub! Bubbling with character and life!

The flight back!

End of trip, end of 15 great days of our lives! We headed back to Vienna, on to the Austrian Flight back to Bangalore. Some great movies, last sips of the famous Ottakringer beer and lots of memories and nostalgia!

Europe had amazed us every bit and we promised ourselves that this won’t be the last trip to these lands, Czech republic being the on the priority list of countries where we would like to spend more days than we did.

Back to normalcy…and future travel planning! And as my wife says….something more to look forward to :)

Cheers

Saurabh

(Published late, this is about the trip we took a few months back)