The Edinburgh Fringe

Edinburgh is a delightful place to visit but was never on my map of MUST-SEE , MUST-DO places…that was before I discovered the EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL.

Edinburgh plays host in August to the Largest Arts Festival in the world with almost 50,000 shows every year. The entire city welcomes the artistes and audiences during August with an array of colors and tons of warmth! To spend August or even a bit of August in Edinburgh is an experience like none other!

The Royal Mile is the place to be and with thousands of shows happening every 15 minutes choices are aplenty! You are sure to catch some future comic geniuses and a couple of Hollywood superstars who use this festival to help them re-connect with the joys of live performance!

Our play ‘A PERSONAL WAR- STORIES OF THE MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS,’ premiered at this festival. This was our stepping stone to international acclaim and it was the passion for the arts and the pure love of theatre this city has that spurred us on to receive all the numerous accolades that were so kindly bestowed on this tiny play!

The city is a melting pot for artists. You will find people who understand your madness, your passion and your insanity. With the vibrance and creativity this city has, your own creative soul quite literally sings!

My Must-Do’s in Edinburgh…next week…

I’m a bit under the weather today and dreaming of an incredible trip is only making me feel more nostalgic and a bit sad- MUST TRAVEL NOW!

Beijing bound!

It was that time of year again- the time when we hadn’t gone for a vacation in far too long to remember and we were each getting on each other’s nerves- that’s the time when we know we have to fly away not just to ee something new but to breathe some fresh air and press the restart button for the both of us! So that’s what we did! I remember going to the Doctor 3 days before leaving . She was furious about some blood test results and was yelling at me like I’d purposely tried to ruin my own health- when my gallant husband stepped in and said- “we’ve had enough. Whatever the problem is, it doesn’t seem to be life threatening so I am going to take my wife and leave. We need a break and trust me everything will look better when we’re back…including her!” I was so grateful for that calm-very- good-looking-head-on-his-shoulders approach to my Doctor and we decided to continue with our travel plans.

This was our first trip to China and we were starting in Beijing!

The Grand Hyatt in Beijing is spectacular and opulent! Right in the heart of the city- it is walking distance from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and that was why it was our only choice and what an amazing choice it was.Part of Oriental Plaza – one of China’s largest commercial complexes and with direct access to the adjacent shopping mall, our first evening was spent exploring the surrounding area despite the fact that we were exhausted! Wangfujing Street, located next to the hotel houses traditional silk shops, tea houses and some fun, cool department stores.

The road outside the hotel is really wide and a hotel employee once told us that this hotel was to serve as a runway if ever the need arose and China was suddenly in an emergency situation or was at war! Crazy, surreal and very prepared- that was also our first impressions of Beijing.

THINGS YOU MUST REMEMBER-: There is a Chinese name and an English name for everything including where you stay…so don’t think you can leave and just say ‘Hyatt’ to the cab driver- TAKE THE HOTEL CARD- it has another name and locals only know the hotel by it’s Chinese name!

The Forbidden City was a 10 minute walk from the hotel and was remarkable. Caught up in the history we didn’t even realise how quickly time flew by! The thrones, the chambers, the halls, the history- all so well preserved , each with a fascinating story as the Palace served as home to the ming Dynasty continuing right up to the Qing dynasty!

And then it was time for the flag lowering ceremony where the People’s Liberation Army of China march in the evening to Tianmen Square and lower the flag! What an incredible sight and how we rushed to keep up! Unreal, an ABSOLUTE MUST DO!

The Hyatt Pool beckoned and we went in to this indoor heated pool with ‘palm trees’ and an almost island type atmosphere and ended the cold Beijing evening with a delightful dip!

The next day we started with a car ride to the Great Wall.Depending on where you’d like to climb the Great Wall from it takes about 1.5- 3 hrs to get there. Once at the wall, we climbed up with moderate amount of effort (based on the location we’d chosen to walk from – the Great Wall can be reached from different locations and the level of climb varies from easy to hard) and enjoyed the rough path, the steep climbs (at times) and the stunning view. But after a couple of hours of walking and some remarkable photographs, we opted to go down the wall via toboggan which was unbelievable!

With a bit of shopping and some incredible chinese tea , we enjoyed a day more in Beijing and it was off to our next adventure!

Best Times To Travel-:  March through to September- else it does get a bit chilly!

Price Factor-:  $250- $500. STAY 5 STAR AND REMEMBER CARRY THE HOTEL CARD EVERYWHERE!

A day in Amsterdam…!

Amsterdam was the last stop on our best Euro trip ever and we were exhausted! Traveling had been incredible and exciting but we knew Amsterdam would give us the much needed down time that one often feels one needs AFTER a holiday…like the holiday from the holiday!

We were right!

Both Aditya and I had visited Amsterdam before… but when we were kids. This was our first time here as a couple and we were excited!

From Paris to Amsterdam we took the Thallys. Fun, fast, fabulous and modern- this train was a dream! With fast speed internet connection on board, comfortable seats this bright and cheerful train put all of our other train journeys to shame! Travel in Europe- Use Thallys!

After a fabulous, invigorating morning because of a super train ride passing through some fabulous places that I made note of to visit we arrived in Amsterdam! The hotel we stayed at was a Starwood property – part of their Luxury Collection- Hotel Pulitzer.

The hotel comprises of 25 restored canal houses which makes it so incredibly unique with no two guest rooms being the same. Each has their own character and a distinctive and personal. The rooms are small and cosy. Our suite overlooked the canal and was very special because of the large windows which allowed us the luxury of sitting indoors in the rainy weather and watching the beautiful city glisten and glimmer as it bathed in the quick shower! It rains in Amsterdam – it rained all 3 days while we were there. The rains are usually quick and windy but if you’re outside you can feel quite bitterly cold!

Amsterdam is a glorious city. Walk it and you can stop in the many small pathways and find the most amazing shops, the most vibrant of cafes and the most interesting of boutiques. The first morning was spent walking over bridges and stopping at cafes and finding this small , incredible cafe with the best fries ever and lingering over cups of coffee- the perfect unwind!

The mode of transportation is trams or in the smaller roads- bicycles or walking. But know that riding a bicycle in Amsterdam has lots of rules attached and bicycle riders are quite fierce and fast and can give you quite a scare making walking an often safer mode of transportation!

Later in the afternoon it was off to the centre of the city and for a shopping experience like none other. Small boutiques bordered large expensive stores and local cafes stood side by side to fast food chains. Something for everyone and colours everywhere!

The Coffeeshops in Amsterdam are easy to spot… In its spelling itself there is no space between coffee and shop and it is not called a cafe. They serve cannabis and hash brownies among usual coffees and soft drinks and snacks that you’d get at another cafe. I wandered into these more for curiosity’s sake and was pleasantly surprised to see the owner cum server totally knowledgeable and very cautious about what he was selling and even more so how much he was selling. He enquired carefully whether it was your first time and talked you through the entire range of products he had and didn’t push any when I chickened out and ordered a coke and chips instead and focussed on what seemed like a very stoned dog sitting with his master in the coffeeshop!

Anne Frank’s Home is an absolute MUST DO! I was never an ardent fan of the book. I had read it, enjoyed it, but never been really been overly interested in her life. I guess, being born in a different era made what happened seem so unreal, so frightening and a bit unreal to me. Our hotel was a building away from the Anne Frank Home and I decided I wanted to see it. Book tickets online as they only allow a few at a time and the lines outside the house otherwise are very long and to shiver in the rains is not appealing at all! We booked tickets and went in. Suddenly we were transported to an era gone by. With black and white videos, handwritten diary pages and even walls with height marks as to how tall she’d grown- suddenly her life became all to real. Her story told so perfectly and simply through simple diary entries came alive in the small , cramped rooms and the creaky flooring where she’d spent her life hidden in fear. We read about her arrest, saw the records , heard her father speak about her and I wept. Like the tens of others who had walked in with us, this experience became personal, became real and it stopped being about a book. It became about a life- a life lost too early. This was undoubtedly the most beautiful and touching experience that this trip offered me and I was glad I made time to do something that would offer me such a personal experience.

After all the tears I went back to our room for a nice hot cappuccino and we ended up at a fabulous local restaurant which was filled to the brim. With tapas and wine this became the perfect end to a perfect day!

Best Times To Travel-:  June through to October ! But it does get chilly at night and be prepared for rain!

Price Factor-:  $300- $500 a night and do try the Canal House Hotels . They are definitely an experience!

WILL GO BACK…STAY LONGER…SOON!

Parisian Adventures Day 1

Courtesy -: TravelWithDivya.com

And it was off on a Eurail journey again….and my first overnight train from Venice to Paris. Much has been written about this train-the luxury of first class, the food , the convenience.

These are all lies. The train is filthy, cramped, and a totally awful way to cross from one country to another especially from 2 cities as glamorous as Venice and Paris are. The food cart runs out of food minutes after you leave. The waiters are rude, uncaring and probably poorly paid. The rooms have almost no space to sit let alone sleep and most importantly you must not only lock your room at night when you attempt to sleep you must also barricade the door with luggage. Two separate families lost passports, money and handbags on the awful overnight disaster! Since this train makes several stops through the night and since you often only discover your loss in the morning, the perpetrator is usually long gone and there were several exhausted, woebegone faces at breakfast in the morning.

The morning on the train isn’t much better. The coffee is runny and weak, the croissant is hard and unpalatable and there’s no point even discussing the sham of a hole that masqueraded as the bathroom.

This train is NOT WORTH IT! TAKE A FLIGHT- ANY FLIGHT INSTEAD!

Thanks to this awful journey, I arrived very exhausted in to Paris. Now this was our second to Paris as a couple. We decided we wanted to do this trip because the first time we visited Paris we were on our honeymoon! A tour every few hours , staying in a small hotel ( that was all we could afford) and running between one tour and the next trying to cram all of Paris’ sights into a 3 night stay and also relax and enjoy our honeymoon proved to be an impossible holiday. Most of the trip was fraught with arguments and tears because we were so exhausted after doing sooo much! But even in between all the running and madness we fell in love with this beautiful , romantic city. We promised that we’d visit again-with out the tours and the schedules and that’s what this trip was for.

We had taken an apartment at the beautiful Fraser Suites on Champs Elysees. This was because one of the things we learnt about Paris was hotel rooms are terribly tiny. We’d stayed in Fraser Suites in Malaysia and the large bedrooms, huge living room and a wonderfully compact kitchenette! We wanted to stay centrally in Paris and this 5 star part-hotel seemed ideal- even more son once I saw some of the world’s best tennis players staying there with us as they were playing the very exciting Rolland Garros French Open!

We were upgraded to a suite on our arrival. The newer rooms were plush, with new furnishing, facing Champs Elysees and the Arc di Triumph and were large and spacious. Two televisions(not that we got time to watch tv), a large living room with a dining table, a bedroom, 2 super sized bathrooms, a stocked kitchenette and a massive bed and I found a new home in the heart of Paris. This trip was going to be different so Day 1 started with no plan at all and it was wonderful.

The last time we came to Paris , we arrived (like we did this time) on a Sunday and everything was shut! That was six years ago. This  time Paris was bustling on a Sunday- everything was open, everything was crowded, everything was buzzing and alive and it was amazing! We stopped to pick up some croque monsieurs on our way at Champs Elysees and decided to take the underground to the Latin Quarter.

Briefly glossed over during tours , the Latin Quarter with its frenetic activity, quirky shops, arty bars and cafes is a wonderful, bohemian vision of Paris. Each bylane has lots to explore, each cafe has new , exciting food smells and each shop has interesting , quirky things to take away, buy and keep! This area is very filled with students and young couples and is so diverse in culture and colour it was absolutely magnificent walking through the Latin Quarter.

Paris is exciting every time you visit but I believe the more you walk through Paris , the more layers you uncover. Like an onion, you can keep peeling and peeling and discover new and exciting places, people and sites within the city and still realise you have more to see.

Paris is more than the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame–those are exciting and pieces of history that you must see…but walk through Paris,see the architecture, meet the people, sip the cappuccinos….the romance of Paris is all around for you to discover…

We came to Paris first on our honeymoon…but we really fell in love with Paris this time ’round.

More on our Parisian adventures and a special trip to Versailles…next week!

Best Times To Travel-:  June through to October – but expect crowds and tourists! So remember Paris is beautiful but make your own memories….different from the brochure memories that are sold to you! 🙂

Price Factor-:  EXPENSIVE!!! $600- $1000 per night for a 5 star hotel but you must know that you should stay in the centre of Paris for sure (Champs Elysees, Concorde  is great or opt for something more arty like Opera)…then everything is walking distance and everything- amazing!

A Venetian Romance

You haven’t known what romance is unless you’ve been to Venezia….you’ll never truly understand beauty unless you go there. I fell in love in Venezia– it was love at first sight and it was an affair I’ll never forget!

You get out of the train station and Venice is like no other city I have ever seen.Water everywhere and water taxis and Vaporettos waiting to take you to your destination! It was amazing, overwhelming and quite literally magical. You dream about the canals of Venice. You have seen pictures of gondola rides but nothing prepares you for the beautiful energy of Venice, the magical sunlight, the singing boatmen and the energy in the air! There are two stations in Venice and the one that is easier to get to your hotel from is Santa Lucia as this is in the historic centre of Venice as opposed to Venezia Mestre which is in the heart of the mainland.

Our hotel was about 20 minutes by water taxi (which we hired for just the 2 of us…to make our arrival even more special!). There are several Vaporettos (water buses) however that can be easily taken at the station as well.

Our hotel deserves an entire paragraph. The Luna Baglioni , a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, was undoubtedly the BEST HOTEL we stayed at in Italy! I guess they quite literally saved the best for last! a minutes walk away from St. Marks Square (Piazza San Marco) the Luna Baglioni is on the waterfront. It is right in the heart of Venice facing the San Marco Basin and the island of San Giorgio and was the perfect choice. Our room …oh my Goodness our room could inspire poets. With walk-in closets (yes more than one), a magnificent drawing room, a plush bedroom and 2 bathrooms ,we were ensconced in plush fabric and ultimate luxury . Then we saw our own private terrace. Over looking the water with some beautiful sun beds , this was easily the finest position to catch the most glorious of sunsets and suddenly I was sad because we were only in Venice for a night.

I will go back. I must go back and I would only stay at  The Luna Baglioni.

Venice for us was about winding down, relaxing and just staying in the moment and if there’s one place you can do that…it’s Venice. We wandered the cobbled pathways, stopped in numerous cafes and shopped for Murano glass jewelry to my hearts content. Now most hotels will offer you a free boat ride to the Murano glass factory but as that would taken a few hours what with going there and back and then seeing the factory, we both felt our time would be better spent just enjoying Venice at our own leisure. The jewelry was beautiful though and I picked up some necklaces which I absolutely love. I loved climbing the little bridges and walking through every lane and bylane. Exploring new corners of Venice… every time you turned , you could create another picture perfect moment!

Piazza San Marco is glorious. The Piazza is dominated by the Church of St. Marks and a glorious ,old clock tower!  With lots of cafes, some of which have live artistic performances and with fabulous food- Venice is an explosion of your senses. There is beauty absolutely everywhere and inspiration in every step you take. I’d have loved to have visited the Doges Palace which stands so perfectly regal but we had no time and too mush to absorb! There’ll always be next time..that is one thing I’m sure of.

After a leisurely lunch and a warm cappuccino , we decided to enjoy a romantic gondola ride as the sun was setting. With a glass of champagne and a very musical boatman…we headed into the glorious canals of Venice. Hundreds of tourists , tens of gondolas and yet you felt like yours was the only story that mattered, the only ride that counted…Venice can do that to you. It can you feel special again and that’s what the gondola ride did… it made me feel special!

A beautiful sunset followed by a glorious sunrise, Venice is beautiful even when the world sleeps… I can see why realms of poetry and hundreds of sonnets has been written about this remarkable gem….

Here’s to another trip to Venice …

Best Times To Travel-:  May through to October – it’s summer and it’s wonderful…but prices also peak at this time!

Price Factor-:  EXPENSIVE!!! $400- $700 per night for a 5 star hotel and expect to pay at least 30-50% more on food, cappuccinos etc as compared to any other Italian city

The Age of War

Courtesy-: Times of India Celebrity Blog by Divya Palat

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”- Isaac Asimov.

If that is true the world must be getting more and more incompetent each day. The horrors of this week were so frightful they were like a terrifying movie but unfortunately all to real.

The shocking violence that erupted in the Manesar plant was not only terrifying- it was unforgivable. Whatever the reason for the outrage to have a group of people storm a plant and beat the employees and worse still beat and burn another human being alive is paralyzing. A group of people made a choice to war against a company by injuring and killing other helpless employees. It didn’t matter that these employees were not directly responsible for their outrage against the company- they just felt the need to act out against the company and well, these poor office workers sitting at their desks made for perfect sitting ducks and their computers apt weapons – weapons to kill with! There was no end game in mind, just wild ,senseless rage and they decided to act on it. Animals kill to eat. Humans kill for sport. What kind of sport makes it okay to be killing our own?

And then what kind of person must you be and what kind of anger must you have if you decide to go in to a crowded movie hall in Colorado and shoot patrons at point blank range,one of whom was a 3 month old baby? To dress up in mask and go in for a movie pretending to be a fan and opening fire on people trapped in a movie hall- to me that is making hunting people a live video game for this psychotic murderer. And while the U.S Government debates gun laws, a whole bunch of pro-gun Americans ask why a 3 month old baby was brought to a movie? If you don’t have help at home or have a very quiet baby whom you don’t want to leave lying alone- surely you should be allowed to bring your  own baby out with you! I , on the other hand wonder , if there was another person carrying a gun that night in the same hall and chose to ‘defend’ himself or play ‘Batman’ against this ‘Joker’ can you imagine the many more lives that might have been lost in the cross fire? How scary is that thought?

As a Society this shocks us but often we let the small crimes slide. When a woman and her brother were beaten by cops on her birthday for arguing amongst themselves on a street in Mumbai, we allow the police to defame her, abuse her and justify their violence against her.

Incidents like these give license to horrors like a group of men molesting and almost raping an eleventh standard girl in Guwahati in the middle of the road. That video went viral in minutes and was debated hotly on channels and by newspapers for a whole 24 hours. A week later we have now forgotten these depraved men mauling her, pulling her hair, abusing her and molesting her. We have their pictures and we even have the video which clearly identifies these men but no arrests are made. With the ever erupting violence in different parts of the country and even different countries ; it’s easy to forget this young girl’s story. After all none of us were affected, why should it affect us?

And yet it should- because in today’s day and age -violence is regular, depravity is common and no one is safe.

We don’t punish violence and by the time we feel the need for action it’s often way too late because we’re the ones affected and no one cares!

Maybe this violence stems from deep rooted frustration and in a few cases immense anger but whatever their reasons may be ; there is no justification for the abuse, the humiliation and even the murder of another human being.

Mark Twain once said “When angry, count four. When very angry, swear.”

In today’s day and age however it seems like “When angry; beat, kick, abuse. When very angry, kill.”

P.s (Palat says)-: I believe that even when Life shuts more than a few doors in your face…Somewhere a window will open! Maybe I’m an optimist. But I’d rather be that than a murderer.

The Age of War

Courtesy-: Times of India Celebrity Blog by Divya Palat

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”- Isaac Asimov.

If that is true the world must be getting more and more incompetent each day. The horrors of this week were so frightful they were like a terrifying movie but unfortunately all to real.

The shocking violence that erupted in the Manesar plant was not only terrifying- it was unforgivable. Whatever the reason for the outrage to have a group of people storm a plant and beat the employees and worse still beat and burn another human being alive is paralyzing. A group of people made a choice to war against a company by injuring and killing other helpless employees. It didn’t matter that these employees were not directly responsible for their outrage against the company- they just felt the need to act out against the company and well, these poor office workers sitting at their desks made for perfect sitting ducks and their computers apt weapons – weapons to kill with! There was no end game in mind, just wild ,senseless rage and they decided to act on it. Animals kill to eat. Humans kill for sport. What kind of sport makes it okay to be killing our own?

And then what kind of person must you be and what kind of anger must you have if you decide to go in to a crowded movie hall in Colorado and shoot patrons at point blank range,one of whom was a 3 month old baby? To dress up in mask and go in for a movie pretending to be a fan and opening fire on people trapped in a movie hall- to me that is making hunting people a live video game for this psychotic murderer. And while the U.S Government debates gun laws, a whole bunch of pro-gun Americans ask why a 3 month old baby was brought to a movie? If you don’t have help at home or have a very quiet baby whom you don’t want to leave lying alone- surely you should be allowed to bring your  own baby out with you! I , on the other hand wonder , if there was another person carrying a gun that night in the same hall and chose to ‘defend’ himself or play ‘Batman’ against this ‘Joker’ can you imagine the many more lives that might have been lost in the cross fire? How scary is that thought?

As a Society this shocks us but often we let the small crimes slide. When a woman and her brother were beaten by cops on her birthday for arguing amongst themselves on a street in Mumbai, we allow the police to defame her, abuse her and justify their violence against her.

Incidents like these give license to horrors like a group of men molesting and almost raping an eleventh standard girl in Guwahati in the middle of the road. That video went viral in minutes and was debated hotly on channels and by newspapers for a whole 24 hours. A week later we have now forgotten these depraved men mauling her, pulling her hair, abusing her and molesting her. We have their pictures and we even have the video which clearly identifies these men but no arrests are made. With the ever erupting violence in different parts of the country and even different countries ; it’s easy to forget this young girl’s story. After all none of us were affected, why should it affect us?

And yet it should- because in today’s day and age -violence is regular, depravity is common and no one is safe.

We don’t punish violence and by the time we feel the need for action it’s often way too late because we’re the ones affected and no one cares!

Maybe this violence stems from deep rooted frustration and in a few cases immense anger but whatever their reasons may be ; there is no justification for the abuse, the humiliation and even the murder of another human being.

Mark Twain once said “When angry, count four. When very angry, swear.”

In today’s day and age however it seems like “When angry; beat, kick, abuse. When very angry, kill.”

P.s (Palat says)-: I believe that even when Life shuts more than a few doors in your face…Somewhere a window will open! Maybe I’m an optimist. But I’d rather be that than a murderer.

The Good Doctor

“I am sorry. Your brain has been compromised. Your left side is paralysed and you will now never be able to move again!” Those were the first words I heard from a Doctor on the Monday morning when I was just diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encyphomyelitis.

I remember tears flowing down my face as I tried to grasp the enormity of what he had just said. with complete ignorance he had pronounced a judgement on a hapless, trusting patient. Without thought or foresight , he had declared himself God.

He was completely wrong!

And then  I found a good doctor, one who helped me, challenged me , encouraged me and got my out of bed and jumping again- a real healer.

We go to doctors to help us. We trust their opinions. They have quite literally our lives in their hand. And just like any good relationship, it’s important that you search for and find a good doctor who really cares about you!

I remember reading this week about  Zuleikha Sheikh, a woman masquerading as a doctor who was responsible for the shocking death of a young Mom earlier this month. The woman bled to death when her placenta was mistaken to be another child in the womb and was pulled out with parts of her uterus. Worse still, this surgery was performed under candle light! On investigation she also had to her discredit several patient handicaps, illegal abortions and medical mishaps that she had caused. In an interview, she sounded totally unfazed about the patient death. She claimed that deaths happen and that she was on the phone with a certified doctor so there was really nothing more she could have done! The callous , unemotional manner that this woman dealt with something this horrific was shocking.

Her family trusted Zuleikha Sheikh. They trusted their ‘doctor.’ For someone to take their trust and break it, nay destroy it and be so calm about it is nothing short of murder and the person is nothing more than a cold-blooded sociopath.

Zuleikha Sheikh needs to be taken to task. Not just because she isn’t a doctor but because she doesn’t still understand her mistake. She took a life and destroyed a family.

Trust in doctors is often a one way street. You trust them implicitly. Hina’s family trusted a quack and they paid with her life. This tragedy doesn’t just affect her family. It affects the hundreds of actual, good doctors out there! They don’t deserve to have their reputation slandered by a criminal.

Give Hina’s family justice. Give the many families justice!

Protect the reputation of the medical profession.

And why this rant on doctors?

Well this week was tough! After two unbelievable shows, both of which were house full and the most incredible weekend ever, my body decided I had done too much. In short, I got very, very sick.

This week made me value good doctors. I am lucky to have an amazing general physician who thinks out of the box, never stresses with my manic work hours and always encourages me to do whatever my minds wants me to do. He believes like I do that a healthy will power can make a healthy body. He is not afraid of thinking over his prescriptions, taking time to educate me on an illness and listening to any symptom I have , no matter how small it may seem to even me. He is a good doctor.

P.s. (Palat says)-: Find a good doctor. Punish the crooks

Connect with me on twitter @divyapalat

Splendide Roma (Day One Travels)

Courtesy -: TravelWithDivya.com

 

To do justice to glorious Roma can never take just a single post so bear with me while I go on and on for a bit and then still dream of going back and exploring some more! I’m going to break my trip in Roma up by days , but promise that each post will be completely and totally unique. I also know the next time I go there will be completely different too because that’s what Roma celebrates- the more you see- the more you learn. The more you think you’ve seen it all , the more you’ll be surprised! Roma is a treasure trove for travel enthusiasts and it was one of my creates travel adventures ever!

The Rome trip had been in planning for a while. I had dreamt of the romance of Rome and it’s splendor and to be able to stay in Rome on my birthday (which I did btw), was easily the most special celebration ever!!!

So after a perfect stay in Florence we were up and out early to glorious Rome. Now we were told several times to watch our luggage, watch for crooks, pickpockets etc – but I have to say we did NOT have one single bad experience! The train ride was a quick one 1 hr. 23 minutes and we were in Rome!

This post will only cover Day 1 or the eve of my SUPERB BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION…so you’ll have to keep coming back to see some incredible photographs and hear more about this marvelous city!

Here we stayed at the Spanish Steps at the very quaint Hotel Splendide Royal part of the Small Luxury Hotels. Now I was a little worried about this hotel, what with all my expectations having been so built up in Capri and me not really loving that hotel. But here my worried were unfounded. The Small Luxury Hotels got this very cute hotel just right and it was pretty, charming and very central! Our room had been upgraded to a suite and we had a wonderful sitting room and a charming bedroom and my only complaint was that you got lost in all the reds and golds of the room! It was not very well lit and I often couldn’t find something especially if it by chance fell on the plush carpet or the wonderfully soft, uber plush bed cover! I wish there were more lights in the room! The hotel also has the Mirabelle Restaurant, said to be one of the finest in the city! But best of all is the fact that you’re walking distance form the famous shopping at Via Venetto and the marvelous Spanish Steps.

We checked in and then we were out to explore! The Spanish Steps were a 3 minute walk and the day was perfect. We were on top of the Spanish Steps which made walking down easy and fun! The 138 step climb with shopping later in the day proved to be a little less fun! The Spanish Steps are filled with tourists , young couples and lots of life! Couples hang out on the steps and watch the world go by. Tourists use the steps for fabulous photographs and often a much needed rest stop.  The Steps start from the Piazza Trinità dei Monti dominated by the Trinità dei Montichurch at the top and lead to  the Piazza di Spagna at the base. We had a quick bite to eat at the wonderful , highly recommended Canova Cafe and the most glorious cappuccino and then it was off to walk towards the Trevi fountain!

I was very waylaid in my walk though because I kept finding these incredible boutiques with superbly priced clothing that I just had to , had to , had to have! So what would have been a 15 minute slow walk took us a couple of hours because of my insistence to explore small bylanes and small shops! The clothes however were beautiful, the weather perfect and this for me was the best way to explore Rome- leisurely and allowing a complete indulgence of your senses- because there is so much to smell, see, feel, touch and do!

The Trevi Fountain was glorious! I threw several coins in a fountain believing in the superstition that if you threw a coin in the Trevi fountain you will return! I do hope to go back several times and I wished hard hoping that the Fountain Gods would hear me!

Dinner was at a small cafe in the Theatre district and was absolutely perfect! But an early night Day 1 was almost done and the big birthday blow out was tomorrow! Surprises galore and a trip to Vatican City for a special Papal visit…. but more on that next week!

Till then Ciao!

Price Factor-: Between $ 300- $ 500 but book something CENTRAL …cos the only way to explore Roma is to do it by foot!

Best times to travel-: May- October

Splendide Roma (Day One Travels)

To do justice to glorious Roma can never take just a single post so bear with me while I go on and on for a bit and then still dream of going back and exploring some more! I’m going to break my trip in Roma up by days , but promise that each post will be completely and totally unique. I also know the next time I go there will be completely different too because that’s what Roma celebrates- the more you see- the more you learn. The more you think you’ve seen it all , the more you’ll be surprised! Roma is a treasure trove for travel enthusiasts and it was one of my creates travel adventures ever!

The Rome trip had been in planning for a while. I had dreamt of the romance of Rome and it’s splendor and to be able to stay in Rome on my birthday (which I did btw), was easily the most special celebration ever!!!

So after a perfect stay in Florence we were up and out early to glorious Rome. Now we were told several times to watch our luggage, watch for crooks, pickpockets etc – but I have to say we did NOT have one single bad experience! The train ride was a quick one 1 hr. 23 minutes and we were in Rome!

This post will only cover Day 1 or the eve of my SUPERB BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION…so you’ll have to keep coming back to see some incredible photographs and hear more about this marvelous city!

Here we stayed at the Spanish Steps at the very quaint Hotel Splendide Royal part of the Small Luxury Hotels. Now I was a little worried about this hotel, what with all my expectations having been so built up in Capri and me not really loving that hotel. But here my worried were unfounded. The Small Luxury Hotels got this very cute hotel just right and it was pretty, charming and very central! Our room had been upgraded to a suite and we had a wonderful sitting room and a charming bedroom and my only complaint was that you got lost in all the reds and golds of the room! It was not very well lit and I often couldn’t find something especially if it by chance fell on the plush carpet or the wonderfully soft, uber plush bed cover! I wish there were more lights in the room! The hotel also has the Mirabelle Restaurant, said to be one of the finest in the city! But best of all is the fact that you’re walking distance form the famous shopping at Via Venetto and the marvelous Spanish Steps.

We checked in and then we were out to explore! The Spanish Steps were a 3 minute walk and the day was perfect. We were on top of the Spanish Steps which made walking down easy and fun! The 138 step climb with shopping later in the day proved to be a little less fun! The Spanish Steps are filled with tourists , young couples and lots of life! Couples hang out on the steps and watch the world go by. Tourists use the steps for fabulous photographs and often a much needed rest stop.  The Steps start from the Piazza Trinità dei Monti dominated by the Trinità dei Montichurch at the top and lead to  the Piazza di Spagna at the base. We had a quick bite to eat at the wonderful , highly recommended Canova Cafe and the most glorious cappuccino and then it was off to walk towards the Trevi fountain!

I was very waylaid in my walk though because I kept finding these incredible boutiques with superbly priced clothing that I just had to , had to , had to have! So what would have been a 15 minute slow walk took us a couple of hours because of my insistence to explore small bylanes and small shops! The clothes however were beautiful, the weather perfect and this for me was the best way to explore Rome- leisurely and allowing a complete indulgence of your senses- because there is so much to smell, see, feel, touch and do!

The Trevi Fountain was glorious! I threw several coins in a fountain believing in the superstition that if you threw a coin in the Trevi fountain you will return! I do hope to go back several times and I wished hard hoping that the Fountain Gods would hear me!

Dinner was at a small cafe in the Theatre district and was absolutely perfect! But an early night Day 1 was almost done and the big birthday blow out was tomorrow! Surprises galore and a trip to Vatican City for a special Papal visit…. but more on that next week!

Till then Ciao!

Price Factor-: Between $ 300- $ 500 but book something CENTRAL …cos the only way to explore Roma is to do it by foot!

Best times to travel-: May- October