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Travelogues

European Diary: Part 3


U. Shridhar Rao tours Switzerland before Visiting Venice, Florence and Rome in Italy. This is about the final leg of his European tour covering Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and England.

On our way to Heidelburg in Germany, we passed through the picturesque Black Forest. The River Neckar flows through Heidelberg, surrounded by forests and mountains. The old town, Alstadt transports one into the past with its cobblestone streets and ornate buildings. The wayside restaurants in the market square that hosts the Fountain of Hercules were doing brisk business. On the side of Konigstel mountains, the old town offered a view of the Heidelburg Castle.

Early next morning, after having our usual continental breakfast, we set out to pass through the Rhine Valley. Lunch usually consisted of bread, roti, a vegetable dish, curd, fruit and pickles. During long journeys, we would generally stop to have packed lunch.

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European Diary: Part 1
European Diary: Part 2

Leisure
Wildlife
Heritage
Pilgrimage
The cruise through the Rhine River passes through rocky terrain affording glimpses of medieval castles and well-laid out towns. In the evening we reached Cologne, famous for Eau De Cologne and Germany's most visited monument, the Cologne Cathedral. The construction of the Cathedral took almost six centuries. Its imposing Gothic structure is 515 ft. tall with impressive corridors and beautiful coloured glass panels. Just before dark, we reached Rotterdam in Holland.

Rotterdam is a modern city and one of Europe's busiest ports since the 12th century AD. Devastated in World War II, it has risen like the legendary Phoenix from the ashes. Motorways in Holland zip through flush green landscapes. Holland has a history of hard struggle with half the land being reclaimed and generations having worked to keep it from slipping back into the sea. Dikes have been built everywhere. Picturesque windmills and flower gardens dot the countryside.

The Dutch have a very progressive attitude towards sex. Gay marriage and prostitution is legalised. Sex workers advertise on T.V., and adult movies feature on T.V. channels.

We went to Amsterdam, a delightful city and the second biggest port of Holland. We visited a diamond-cutting factory but the articles on sale were too expensive for my taste. We boarded a glass-roofed boat for a sight seeing tour and saw many historical monuments while cruising on the canals. As the city is congested, many families reside in houseboats. These houseboats are beautiful indeed, with exquisitely decorated flower arrangements. We were delighted to see Rembrandt's house, the clock tower that he painted and a maritime museum with vintage ships anchored around. With a long history of art, Dutch artists like Rembrandt, Jan Vermeer and Van Gogh were masters in their field.

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We visited a wooden shoe factory and in the afternoon, drove to Hague, the political capital of Holland where The International Court of Justice is situated.. There was a brief stopover at Madurodam, named after a Dutch Soldier who died in the war. This is a miniature city, personified to the tiniest detail on a scale of 1:25. It picturises how a typical Dutch city developed through the centuries with turning windmills, boats sailing the canal and trains running to and fro between stations. From there, we crossed the border, moving into Belgium.

The scenic forests of the Ardennes have an old world charm. Caesar called the Belgians the bravest of the Gallic tribes. Previously ruled by Austrians, French and Spanish, Belgium gained independence from Dutch rule in 1830 AD. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, has contributed immensely to arts, music and literature through citizens such as Peter Brueghel, Van Dick and Ruebens. The Nobel prize winning American poet, Walt Whitman is of Belgian origin. The country is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch. Surrounded by France, Holland and Germany, half the population speaks French.

Brussels, the lively capital of Belgium is an industrial city that manufactures and exports lace, textile machinery and chemicals. It is also the headquarters of NATO and the European Economic Community. The huge structure of ATOMIUM, opened during the Brussels World Fair in 1958 is a major landmark. The structure is a model of an iron atom enlarged 165 billion times.

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The Manikin Pis, or spoiled brat is a symbol of Belgium. This bronze statue of Brussels' oldest inhabitant depicts a little boy peeing. It was sculpted in the 17th Century by Deuquesnoy to replace an original one in stone. This boy has a collection of beautiful tailored costumes, presented by various admirers from all over the world. This includes a gold embroidered shirt from Louis XV of France.

We drove to Paris through lovely French countryside. Our first visit was to the huge Notre Dame Cathedral, with a capacity of almost 9,000.Built in Gothic Style in the 13th century, the cathedral displays beautifully sculpted figures on the upper portions of the entrance doors including the Last Supper depicting Christ with his apostles. The beautifully carved figures, on the walls and portals, include that of the Madonna and baby Jesus.

Paris has always attracted artists from everywhere. It is estimated that currently at least 100,000 artists have made Paris their home. Paris is also the capital of fashion. After dinner, we went for a Grand Evening, which included a cruise on the River Seine and a drive past the brilliantly illuminated Champs Elysees, Place De La Concorde and Louvre museum. The evening ended with a dazzling performance at Europe's spectacular nightclub, the Lido.

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The Arch de Triumph, which we visited the next day, was imposing. The construction of this was started by Napoleon in 1806 AD as a memorial to the Great Army From there we went to the symbol of Paris, the 1050 ft high Eiffel Tower, which is still the fourth largest edifice in the world. Designed by Gustav Eiffel in the year 1889, it attracts the highest number of visitors in the world. Sadly we bade farewell to Paris and boarded the super fast Eurostar train to London which travels under the Channel.

To my mind, London always conjured images of Charles Dickens, Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith. Dr. Samuel Johnson said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford". Here, we were surrounded by history: West Minster Abbey, St. Paul Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Nelson's column at Trafalgar Square and the statue of Eros at Piccadilly Circus.

Oxford city, home of the famed University, is one of the most frequently visited and historic cities of Britain. The oldest college in the university dates back to 1249 AD. It has been called the Dreaming Spires and has a unique atmosphere. I could envision Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Rafique Zakaria sitting in the staff room. Another great place to visit is Stratford-on-Avon at the edge of the old Forest of Arden. One of the prettiest market towns in England, this is Shakespeare's birthplace. William Shakespeare's old writing desk and his bedroom have been perfectly preserved. The visitors' book upstairs bears signatures of poets like Keats, Shelly and Longfellow. The town has been winning awards every year as the best maintained town in Britain.

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Warwick Castle rises majestically from the banks of River Avon, on a site first fortified by William the Conqueror in 1068 AD. Sixty acres of lovely grounds and gardens surround the castle, including the peacock garden where peacocks strut about. The summerhouse has a collection of rare and exotic plants. There are waxworks of occupants of different rooms preparing for a weekend party in 1898. Madame Tussaud wax models were all but live.

The end of a long-awaited European tour leaves me with memories, photographs and tales to tell.

European Diary: Part 1    |    European Diary: Part 2

Photo Credit: U.Shridhar Rao


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