Neil Island, Andaman

Monday 30 August 2010

Copenhagen

Copenhagen Bergen - Voss - Flåm - Sognefjorden - Oslo - Stockholm

  • Book a hotel near the main station. You will need both the trains and metro to traverse not only within Copenhagen but also to nearby attractions like Christianshaven.
  • There is not much in Copenhagen - Tivoli Gardens, Carlsberg Breweries and the statue of the mermaid were all that we could figure out.
  • Jelling and Helsingor are one day trips from here. So is Malmo in Sweden. We loved the crossover to Malmo which is sea on both sides of the railway track.

Although I am here to stay for a good four months, I couldn't suppress my wanderer self from expressing my first impression of Copenhagen. The first noticeable point is elegance. From the wooden flooring at the airport to helpfulness of a railway employee in directing us everything is presentable and beautiful here.

Damhussoen Lake @ Copenhagen

Friday 6 August 2010

Hyderabad

A month had passed by without a trip worth blogging. Hence I ventured into the 10 hour drive from Bangalore to Hyderabad alone. Surprisingly the road was in perfect conditions and the weather was agreeable. A good 200 miles passed by in a flash. It was time to take a break.


It started raining while I was having some snacks at the only Reliance One stop. I enjoyed the sprinkles for a while before starting again. Soon the 99 km milestone came up which meant I would be there in a couple of hours.


Hyderabad was dull when I entered the city at 11. By the time I reached Manish's flat, I was too tired to think about anything else but sleep. Not without a couple of drinks though. Next morning both of us visited the Charminar area which had many restaurants known for the famous Hyderabadi Biryani.


After having a sumptuous lunch we moved to Golconda Fort. It was majestic. It was raining the entire day  and hence we decided not to get too adventurous at the slippery steps of the fort. We were back to our place by 8 PM and started drinking right away while watching the highlights of day's play of Test between India and SL.


The next day we started off for Ramoji Film City. It is a popular outing in Hyderabad. We were convinced when we saw a big crowd entering the place in the last slot of 2 PM. The theme park has all the ingredients to make a Hollywood movie. There is London and Dharavi located adjacent to each other. A mini Taj and Golden Temple adorned the lower levels of this huge establishment.


We were back in time to relax and start again for Hard Rock Cafe. The drive to Banjara Hills was serene and without hurdles. HRC offered us a couple of beers and some snacks. I had to start early the next morning for Bangalore.