Skarholmen, Uppsala

A while ago we had a long four day weekend in Sweden. Wanting to finish some work I went to the university. Two of my friends had also come. It was a glorious sunny day. On the spur of the moment a plan was made to go for a walk post lunch. The walk eventually turned into a short bus ride to Sunnersta Skarholmen.

I had been under the belief that Uppsala is a city surrounded by land. So finding a huge waterbody was a big surprise. Skarholmen is a harbor. A part of it meanders and actually connects to Stockholm.













There was a long stretch of water. The water itself was glistening in the summer sun. We saw many private boats parked there. Closeby was also a mini beach. Many people were sunbathing. Girls and boys were swimming. Kids were playing under the watchful eyes of their parents. Couples were strolling with babies in prams.

Watching the beauty relaxed me. That there was such a place so easily accessible made me feel wonderful. To me suddenly Uppsala stopped seeming small.

Skarholmen gave a form to the phrase of "expanding your horizon."

Here are some photos that I took that day.


-------------------------------------------------------------

PS: Like it was for me, did something surprise you about the city you are living in and made it more likeable for you?

UK trip (3): Leicester flashback

The second city that my husband and I chose to visit for a day was Leicester. The decision was not based from the point of view of sightseeing. Quite a few years back in 2004 my husband had made his first sojourn to UK for doing a Masters of Science in Embedded Systems from University of Leicester. Our being together in UK thereby provided an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane.

24 March saw us finding our way to the New Street station, Birmingham. We had booked our tickets in advance. The train was on time and in less than an hour's ride we were at Leicester. When we came out of the station the sun was greeting us. The weather was glorious and it made our walking expedition enjoyable.

From the Leicester station the University of Leicester was not too far. Opposite to it was the De Montfort University. Along the way we passed by the Victoria Park. Instead of turning inside we went straight ahead to the Main Building. From there we went past the Library to the Engineering Department. We explored the building and we went to see the lab where my husband had spent considerable time for his Masters' project work. Sadly, his supervisor wasn't around and we could not meet him.


Next we had another walk to the Freemen's Common, the university accommodation where my husband had stayed during 2004-2005. We returned to the main campus via the Queen Elisabeth College which is also a part of the university. We followed this by a walk through the Victoria Park to go back towards the station for having lunch. It was nearing 1.20 pm and I was informed that in Leicester restaurants close by 2 pm. I only believed it when I actually saw the scene. Luckily we managed to find one open but were told to hurry up. An instant order of mutton biryani was made which turned out to be such a tasty choice that it was reordered.


Feeling a lot better after eating good food we made our way to the city center. We rested from time to time taking in the scene and talking about my husband's old days in Leicester. We roamed around a lot in a nearby mall. We made a stop over at one place to have coffee. Evening was approaching and we had a train to catch. So again we got onto our feet.

We were quietly walking when suddenly we heard a loud cheering noise coming from a bar. A big screen was showing the last moments of the World Cup Cricket's quarterfinal match between India and Australia. It was touted as a tough one to crack for India and many had predicted an end to our journey ahead. Watching Yuvraj Singh play the last winning shot thrilled us and we joined in the celebrations for some minutes.

There was still enough time remaining for our train's arrival and it was decided to put to use by... walking. I would have complained but I spotted the famous plain red telephone booths associated with UK. I had been looking for them in London but always found them with ads printed. So immediately husband was asked to take my photos with the booth.

That done we went inside the station. Soon we boarded the train and headed back to camp.

UK trip (2): Art work

In the first post in this series I had described my husband's and mine one day trip to London, One of the sights that I thought was very picturesque was the London Tower Bridge which after a long time inspired me to sharpen a pencil and dig out my art book. As a result this is how my day progressed...

(1) I struggled in the morning to even get a decent rough outline. By noon all I had on paper was:

(2) After a good lunch and a chat with my father, I felt energized to begin adding details. I tackled the left side first. By 5 pm this is what I got:

(3) I then treated myself to a much deserved snack and shifted my focus to the right side of the outline. By 6.30 pm I could see some improvement:

(4) I nearly thought of leaving the rest for Sunday but listening to some peppy music changed my mood. Feeling uplifted I again picked up my pencil. By the time I was done it was 8.40 pm.

(5) At the end of the day this is how my sketch compared with the photo on I based it:

____________________________________________

PS: How did you find it? Is there a good resemblance? Did I do well?

UK trip (1): A London Day

A couple of weeks back I returned from a short UK Trip. Base camp was Birmingham where my husband is doing his MBA. Having come all the way from Uppsala, we decided to spend one full day in London. In an ideal situation I would have loved to explore London leisurely. But considering the fact that my vacation was only for eight days and we had other plans as well, dedicating 24 hours to London seemed good in proportion for the moment.

We began the day early by taking a Megabus from Birmingham to London where we were dropped at the Victoria Coach Station. The bus ride took longer than its stipulated time and we reached nearly at 10.00 am. On arriving we walked from the coach station to the nearby London Victoria train station.

Just outside the Tourist Information Center exit stood a Big Bus Tours' City Sightseeing bus, where we bought our Hop On-Hop Off tickets. Interestingly along with that they also sell you fast track entrance tickets for some key attractions like Madame Tussaud's Museum, London Eye, London Sea Aquarium, etc. The advantage for you as a tourist is a direct entrance without having to stand in a long queue for buying the tickets at these places and long queues there are on account of their popularity. This Hop on-Hop off tour covers every sight you can possibly think of. At every stop there were the Big Bus Tours' guides to help. You could buy your fast track tickets with them too.

The first stop where we got off was Madame Tussaud's Museum. When you step out of the lift you are given the red carpet treatment with cameras flashing at you and you feel like a star yourself. Inside there are hundreds of wax works of all possible celebrities.



Among actors the ones I remember were of Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Johny Depp, Daniel Radcliffe, the latest heart throb James Patterson (of the Twilight series), Marylin Monroe, Nicole Kidman, Bruce Willis, Jim Carrey, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Morgan Freeman and Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more.




There was also a section of Indian film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan.




Then you have the Royal Family. Sadly there was no Princess Diana replica. There were also various political leaders known through history: Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, and John F. Kennedy. A wax work people seemed to enjoy was that of Hitler. Some hailed him and most bashed him. In one part they had modeled the President's Office in the White House with Obama standing. The fun part was me sitting in his chair. My husband's favorite was posing with his idol Michael Jackson. Call it peas in a pod, my best photo came out with Einstein. We were both equally happy to stand next to our master blaster Sachin Tendulkar.



The last leg of the tour was a horror section where you had scary live people, no wax works, come at you. I was totally scared and clutching my husband's arm tightly who in contrast was totally cool. In the end we sat in a London Taxi model toy train and journeyed through London's history and came out smiling.


In all Madame Tussaud's Museum was fun. Only thing is, it was too crowded with everyone wanting to hog stars as if they were real. Despite that I wouldn't mind going there again. It is a place which could cheer anybody up. Even if you don't pose seeing others around you doing all kinds of crazy things can make you smile.

By the time we were done with all the clicking it was nearing 1 pm. But the next bus was standing at the stop and so we got to into it. Since we were in a hurry we gave the close by Sherlok Holmes' Museum, which is located on 221 B Baker Street, the address where the fictional legend lived according to Sir Arthur Conal Doyale, a miss.

Our next stop was Leicester Square. This is one of those places my husband had been to in his first UK experience in 2005. So it was an incredible feeling for us to be there together. Another major attraction that we didn’t enter for lack of time on hands was the National Gallery. I told myself “next trip.” Since it was lunch time our stomachs were rumbling we went to the Chinatown area and ate to our hearts’ content.


We returned back to our stop to Hop On again. This time the route took us past the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey to the London Eye. The London Eye for those who don’t know is a massive Giant Wheel which moves in slow motion. Instead of box seats you have glass cabins which can take in 8-10 people. Its location and height let you have a bird’s eye view of the city.




The only other similar attraction is found in Singapore. It is called the Singapore Flyer. When I had visited Singapore in 2008 for a conference, I had wanted to take a ride on it. But since I was alone and worried about getting sick after stepping into it and not being able to get off I did not attempt to go anywhere near the Singapore Flyer. I was then happy to see it from a distance. But for the London Eye I had no such fears. Having my husband next to me, all I felt was plain excitement.



Anyway the ride is so slow that at no point do you feel giddy. Within 30 min you complete a full circle and its over before you know it. The scenes you get to see are beautiful, particular that of the full stretch of the Thames River with Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.



Right at the London Eye is a pier from where you can take a river cruise. We got a free river cruise ride with our Big Bus Tour ticket which we were allowed to board or disembark at the Westminster Pier, Tower Pier or Waterloo Pier. As we wanted to next head to the Tower Bridge we decided to cruise our way to it. The boat ride was about 20 min. We passed many sights on the way, which were pointed to us by the guide. I was disappointed by the London Bridge. For all its fame thanks to the nursery rhyme it was nothing to boast about.



I thought the London Tower Bridge was quite pretty. It is not a modern bridge and so not all steel. But for me it was still a pleasing sight. If the Tower Bridge was a person I would describe him/her as cute and sweet or cutely sweet or sweetly cute. We spent some time in its vicinity when we recalled that the bus driver had told us that the last sightseeing Big Bus would depart at 5 o’ clock. It took us some minutes to figure out where the stop was, so by the time we discovered it the clock hands had moved beyond five. There were some other tourists standing as well which was a comforting sight. We were just beginning to have some misgivings when soon enough we found one bus coming.

Once again the guide in the bus was very friendly. He asked everybody where they would prefer to be dropped off as this was the last bus because from there on the tourists would be on their own. I got excited in between when he announced that one of the stops was Buckingham Palace. I thought I will be able to see it while still on board. But sadly the rule doesn’t allow vehicles to go in front on the Palace. Anyone wanting to see it would have to get off a distance away and then walk towards it. So another sight was marked to be seen on the next occasion whenever “next” would be.

We reached London Victoria train station around 6 pm from where we made our way to the Coach Station Departures. We still had a lot of time to kill as our return bus was at 9 pm only. So we relaxed there for a bit, then went on a stroll outside and ended with a Fish and Chips dinner.

On our journey back to Birmingham I thought that the reason we could accomplish the many things we wanted to was because of the Big Bus Tours’ efficiency. I would definitely recommend them for those wanting to do sightseeing in London especially for the manner in which they took care of the tourists riding with them. They were courteous and ready to give directions.

Personally I would want to visit some of these sights again in evening time. I am sure the London Eye, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben would look more grand when all lit up. If I had a lighter schedule I would have liked to walk over the Tower Bridge, spend hours at the National Gallery, see the Changing of the Guard Ceremony and take the Harry Potter Film Locations Walk revealing the seven London locations which have featured in the Harry Potter Films. The latter two are provided free with the Big Bus Tour ticket.

Even with a few things left undone, I will still say that in all it was a great London Day.

Our Euro trip (2): Copenhagen

Continuing from where I left in my previous post, on 20th Dec my husband and I left from Munich for Copenhagen. When around the globe, flights were getting delayed and canceled because of heavy snowfall ours landed 15 min ahead of schedule.

We had booked ourselves at the La Villa Guest House. It is located on Rode Mellemvej, a short drive away from the airport. We were given a warm welcome by Vilborg, the lady who runs the guest house. She was sweet enough to make us some hot tea. The guest house is beautifully decorated and our room was a delight. It was romantic and like a honeymoon cottage. I would recommend anyone visiting Copenhagen for a relaxing holiday to stay at the La Villa Guest House. The only hitch is that they do not serve food. But just next to the guest house is a Kiosk and a few steps away a food store and a few more steps away a Pakistani restaurant by the name Kashmir Palace. My husband and I happily feasted on their tasty Donar Kebabs.














During the night of 20th Dec it snowed heavily and for the first time our trip got affected. The excitement that we had felt as we set out to do some sightseeing on 21st Dec, gave way to near disillusionment as we were faced with disrupted bus schedules and unresponsive taxi services. Unwilling to give up we made our way to the DR Byen/Universitet Metro Station. From there we took a train to the Norreport Station. Thereon we walked and walked till we reached the City Hall Square. Along the route we went through a market area crowded because of the heavy Christmas shopping sales. This and the snow on the ground made it seem to be an even longer walk than what is predicted to be a 16 min distance on foot by maps.google.com.

Still our timing turned out to be perfect because the moment we reached the City Hall Square we caught the sight of a Hop on-Hop off City Sightseeing Tour bus in front of us. Not wasting any more precious moments we bought ourselves seats on it. It was clearly not a tourist friendly day and the bus was practically empty. But we marched forth.

Our first major stop was the Rosenborg Castle museum. After spending some time there, my husband and I decided to follow the instructions given to us by our first bus driver. We stood in front of the museum gate waiting for the next bus to arrive. The supposed to be 30 min waiting period eventually became an hour. In normal weather conditions this hour would have been easy to pass. But somehow exactly then the temperature dropped more, the wind became still cold, and the snow even through our shoes and layers of socks was biting our feet very ferociously. My husband and I found a small protective enclosure in a wall and huddled ourselves. Quite a few people passing by thought of it as cute and gave us smiles, wished us Merry Christmas and remarked how Copenhagen was never usually this cold.

I was so happy when I saw a shiny piece of red trudging its way slowly through the traffic towards us. Looking at its speed it sunk in that if we got off the bus again, it might be difficult to find another one to hop on. So it was decided with a heavy heart to do all further sightseeing from the inside of the bus. We still managed to see some interesting points this way, such as, the Gustav Church, the Little Mermaid, Amalienborg, and the Copenhagen Opera House. We had planned to take a Canal Boat Ride but as luck would have it the frozen water played spoilsport.

Amalienborg and Gustav Church

The Little Mermaid (Courtsey: Adit Maark Yvon)

The Copenhagen Opera House

22nd December was as cold as the previous one and there was no improvement in the traffic situation either. Lazily we started our day after lunch. We took our now familiar route via Norreport to City Hall, where right across is the splendidly lit theme part Tivoli. It looked spectacular with its light displays, fun rides, ice sculptures, and cute cottages serving as eating and shopping joints. That is why Tivoli is one of the famous attractions of Copenhagen, a must see specially if you have kids. We spent a lot of time at Tivoli, walking around taking photos.

Night was approaching and we had packing to do. So we returned to the coziness of our room. Taxi services were playing truant and there was no guarantee one would arrive the next morning as per schedule in spite of a booking. We discussed our worries with our guest house manager, Vilborg who came to our rescue by asking her husband to drop us to the airport the next morning.

Though the snow had restricted our activities, I had still felt a connection with Copenhagen. As we waited at Copenhagen Airport on 23rd Dec I, therefore, hoped that one day we will be able to return here and actually explore and enjoy the city in better conditions.

Our Euro trip (1): Munich

This winter vacation my husband and I decided to visit a couple of European cities. Like many people, initially we thought of going to a warmer location compared to Uppsala, like Portugal. But eventually we settled down on Munich because a few of my husband's friends live there and Copenhagen because of our own personal romantic history. A fair amount of search was done to find the right places to stay and to decide the must-sees.


On 17th Dec sitting at the airport's gate for departure as an announcement of heavy snowfall at Munich was made, we began to worry. Thankfully, it led only to a two hour flight delay and not a cancellation. The Munich airport is more than 40 kms away from the city and so the best way of commuting is the S-Bahn train. We learnt that you could get the tickets from vending machines at the airport itself and that these must be validated with a stamp at another box at the platform station.


We managed to find our way around and got inside the train S8. But a few minutes into the ride and panic struck. None of the stations that were passing by were on the list we were expecting. The confusion was due to the reason that our list had only those stations where you could transfer onto another line. After 40 min we reached the last station: Pasing. Unfortunately we ran into a stroke of bad luck. A taxi driver refused to take us to our destination, Imperial Hotel, telling us that our hotel was just a few blocks away and that we could simply walk. It turned out that the blocks were quite a many and the road uphill and covered with snow. Huffing-puffing we finally found our hotel.


The location of Hotel Imperial was perfect. We found an Indian restuarant Akash just a few buildings away and it became our dinner jaunt. The food was yummy and the Punjabis running it very friendly. Close by to the hotel was the Am Knie tram stop from where you could take the Line 19 straight to the Hauptbahnhof Central Station. On getting off there you can see the Karstadt department store exactly in front from you. This is the spot from where all the Grayline Sightseeing Tours leave. On 18th Dec we took their Grand Circle Hop On-Hop Off tour. However, for most of the day we induldged ourselves at the Olympic Park and the BMW Welt and Museum.

At the Olympic Park we mainly saw the Olympic Tower, Olympic Stadium, Soccer Arcade, and the Sea Life Aquarium. We particularly enjoyed the last one where my husband got a splendid opppourtunity to take beautiful photos of sea creatures.












There is a bridge at the entrance of Olympic Park crossing which leads you to the BMW Welt and Museum. At the Welt were lined up all the latest models of BMW cars and motorcycles. They even had a small show in which a rider on a bike went effortlessly up and down the stairs, winning the crowd's applause. The best part of course was getting ourselves clicked with everything in sight. Ditto the BMW Museum where through the hundreds of displays you are left marveling at how the car design and engineering has changed over the years. I was particularly happy to find at the last leg the hydrogen powered BMW Clean Energy car as the topic of hydrogen storage materials still forms a big part of my current research.

19th Dec we spent taking the Grayline full day tour to the Royal Castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. We had a very good guide on the bus who told us a lot about Bavaria's King Ludwig III who built these two castles. The scenery along the way was very beautiful. At one point we actually found ourselves on what is called the Romantic Road. Though I wasn't impressed with Linderhof, I loved Neuschwanstein. Reaching it required a long 40 minutes uphill walk. But when you have someone by your side such climbs become easy. The breathtaking views that we saw from the Castle also made those few kilometers distance worth it.

People say that European summer is beautiful. But to me the long stretch of white splendour that we saw from Neuschwanstein also had its own spellbinding charm. Interestingly this castle was designed not by an architect but by a stage designer, Christian Jank. Perhaps that is why it looks like it came out of a fairytale book. Its location amidst hills adds to the illusion. Understandably then that it is the inspiration behind the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty's castle.

Apparantly, Kind Ludwig III himself lived in Neuschwanstein Castle for eleven days only. He never married, preferring to live alone even at Linderhof. We were told that he did not like to entertain guests. He was so private that he would not even let the servants hover around him when he would be dining. When I first heard that I felt sad. Imagine being surrounded by loveliness but instead of sharing it with someone, you lock yourself in a room. On second thoughts it struck me that may be he just lived in a world of his own which he enjoyed. Afterall he did call himself the Fairytale King.

In all it was a 10-11 hours spent well. Away from work, it was bliss being with my husband. Tired, exhausted but still smiling we made our way back to our hotel. We had to pack our bags as the next day we were heading to Copenhagen.