Cobblestone Chronicles

A place of enormous cultural, economic and financial influence in the country as well as globally, Barcelona stands today as one of the most important cities on the Mediterranean sea. The Gothic architecture, the mountains and the sea make for a unique and vibrant city. The most captivating part of the city is the symmetry. It is remarkable how well-planned the city is, right from the times when it was under the Roman Empire. The city lies on a bed of land engulfed by the Mediterranean on one side and the Serra de Collserola mountain ranges to the west. The Catalan capital is naturally a tourist hotspot, with travellers coming from all over the world to experience the rich culture, the scrumptious cuisine, the welcoming vibe and the fandom for sport. I visited Barcelona at arguably the best possible time, Christmas. The excitement in anticipation of the festival of merriment was tangible, and every street was extravagantly lit in preparation to bring home the holiday cheer. ...

One sees great things from the valley, but only small things from the peak! Not quite the context in which the above quote was said, but it certainly fits the bill when we’re talking about India’s crown jewel of the north, Ladakh. No discussion about travel in India is complete without a mention of Ladakh, and I just knew that I had to tick this picturesque valley off my list as soon as I could, and from the very first minute, I wasn’t disappointed. The first notable incident of the trip happened during the flight to Leh itself. As our airplane crossed into the Himalayas, magnificent views of snow-clad Kashmiri mountains beheld us, and it is the first and only time I have seen so many passengers standing at the same time in an airplane mid-flight, it was that stunning. As we landed, the first colour I noticed was blue. The sky. It was quite possibly the bluest sky I’ve ever seen, and coming from a polluted metropolis where even sunny skies have a whiteness about them, s...

Getting its name from what translates to ‘Muddy Confluence’ of the Klang and Gombak rivers, Kuala Lumpur is a city of vast importance to Malaysia, being the country’s cultural, financial and political centre. A myriad of colonial, Indian, traditional Malay, Persian and Chinese cultures has left its influence through the city’s food and architecture. A blend of history, modernity and nature, Kuala Lumpur truly stands out as one of the most appealing metropoles in South East Asia, and was the 6th most visited city in 2019. We take a look at the must-visits of Kuala Lumpur, both reputed and obscure. The City I’m sure all of you know about the Petronas Twin Towers, these buildings have become synonymous with Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. This towering twosome stands at 1,483 feet tall, and were the tallest buildings in the world until 2004. Built mainly as a workspace for Petronas, the towers have served as commercial centres for several other companies, and as the country’s bi...

When you think of deserts, the first things that come to mind are the famous Arabian deserts that have given us so many childhood classics, and the sprawling Sahara, a vast, uncompromising chunk of sand famed for being the largest hot desert in the world, encompassing millions of square kilometers. On the contrary, when you think of Vietnam, your thoughts take you into the densest of rainforests, and the famous or infamous (depending on whose side you’re on) Guerilla Warfare tactics that took advantage of this very ecosystem, that even the mighty United States of America couldn’t lay a finger on. Never in your wildest imagination would you merge the two pictures that I’ve just painted in your brain, but what if I told you that you actually can? A 5 hour drive from the Cu-Chi tunnels of Saigon, the epicentre of the Vietnamese war and Vietnam’s secret weapon lies the coastal town of Mui Ne. A fishing hotspot on the South China sea, this little town has become a popular to...

Back in 1944, the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy stood as a representation of just how brutal World War II really was, and served as a background for many-a-battle, the most famous of which is the seaborne invasion on D-Day. Jumpcut to today, Normandy’s beaches have become the go-to summer destination for tourists. The northwestern coastline of France is blessed with sprawling beaches of white sand and pebbles, with favourable weather making it a very viable option for visitors. As one leaves Paris and enters the province, the Seine river which is once surrounded by the iconic architecture of the French capital begins to be surrounded by lush green meadows and quaint settlements, a completely different aesthetic to that of the city, but very refreshing in its own right. The port of Le Havre is one of the biggest cities in the province, and along with its own beach serves as a gateway to many other beaches in Normandy. One of these is the town of Etretat. Not as renowne...

The Austrian town of Hallstatt Set aside from the grandeur and the classic Viennese coffee and Sachertorte of the Austrian capital, nestled within the Salzkammergut mountains is the early Iron Age town of Hallstatt. This lakeside market town is home to one of the world’s oldest salt mines, and the Hallstattersee lake itself is the starting point for the world’s oldest industrial pipeline, which is operational to this date. Sounds like a very mundane run-of-the-mill industrial town, but do not let the initial description of the place deceive you. Hallstatt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and having now become one of the most visited destinations, was recently popularised as the most Instagrammable town in the world. Ebensee Eager to see what the hype is all about, we boarded a train to Hallstatt from Vienna early in the morning. A late January winter’s day saw our view from the train transition from lush green meadows to an endless white carpet of fresh sno...

A town with the same name as this wonder of nature, Victoria Falls lies on the Zimbabwean border of the Zambezi river, and has largely been built for tourism purposes. Having said so, it does not take away from the originalities of the Zambezi ecosystem, and we felt so from the very first minute upon our arrival at the airport, a few miles away from the township. As we made our way towards the town, the locals were busy doing their own thing, driving passengers in and out of town, having their early morning runs by the side of the road, and commuting towards their workplaces. And out of nowhere, stood in front of our cab right in the middle of the road, a gigantic male Tusker staring at us right in the eye. But to my surprise, this seemed to affect just us. The locals did not even flinch or decelerate their cars or their feet, and our driver noticing this jokingly said to us, “Welcome to Zimbabwe!”. Such is the oneness of humans and nature in the area, we were taught a lesson ...