USEFUL INFORMATION FOR YOU: overall tourist places

Monarch Butterfly in Pacific Grove (Kusum Sanu journey)

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Kusum Sanu

Its November and time for going Butterfly Watching! Well, Monarch butterfly watching in Monterey, California! I am posting the pictures of butterflies which I took in the past years! You can get much info about this most familiar North American butterfly in Wiki. But, the amazing thing is that these tiny delicate living beings migrate from Canada to Mexico to escape harsh winter! Do they live that long??!!

Edinburgh Castle- Symbol of the city!

As seen from Arthur's Seat

The magnificent castle stands atop a volcanic crag towering over the city skyline. Scotland trip is incomplete without visiting this massive medieval castle which is 'the best' attraction of Edinburgh, in fact- is the symbol of the city :) From here visitors have spectacular panoramic views of the Edinburgh city in every direction. Situated at the beginning of the Royal Mile, the castle displays the 'Honours of Scotland' (royal jewels).

Scotland- Edinburgh, the ancient modern city

Edinburgh- the capital city of Scotland is one of the most picturesque cities in Europe. Skyline here is full of medieval buildings and the city gets a unusual unique look because of the hills formed by the ancient volcano in the middle of the city and the castles, the important buildings and the monuments built on them. Taking a stroll on the streets lined with medieval buildings was like Time Travel :) I visited most of the attractions, but most of them are either museums, war memorials and castles.

Pap of Glen Coe!

When we were driving near Glen Coe our tour guide/driver pointed at this hill and said "see on your right ... Pap of Glen Coe". At first I thought it was one of his numerous cheap jokes. Then checking on internet proved that there is one mountain with this name which is a very popular trekking destination but, not sure this is the one! Or I might have seen from a different angle! Whatever ... here is the Pap of Glen Coe which I saw :)

Took this picture from the van as a record shot and so there is some reflection. Blue sky, clouds look nice and interesting hill huh?
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My trip to Scotland

Typical scene- Highlands, Scotland

I had been to Scotland few years ago and happened to visit again recently which refreshed my memories all over again. But, never got a chance to blog about my experiences in the country abundant in history, castles and ruins. The history and legends make the wild beauty of the highlands and the islands of Scotland more special.

Modern Architecture- Mary Avenue Foot Bridge

I have a fascination to shoot bridges at night! I have taken too much of risk to be all alone in pitch dark near the water getting bit by millions of mosquitoes. But, still I do take pictures of these modern architecture masterpieces.

This is Mary Avenue footbridge with a span of 325ft across 10-lanes of interstate 280 connecting Cupertino and Sunnyvale in California. It is the first cable-stayed foot-bicycle bridge across a highway in California. At night the bridge is lit up and is a beautiful sight!

Flying home ...

One pic from archives ... My trip to American SouthWest last October. I was at Salton Sea, California, the last pit stop of the trip. Very interesting place starting from its creation, formations and birds. Beautiful bird huh?

Moaning Cavrens- An amazing vertical cave!

Moaning Caverns Calaveras County California

When I lived in California I had been to many hidden gems of this golden state. California is much more than amusement parks around Los Angeles, Golden Gate bridge, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite national park. It extends to badlands, high Sierras, wonderful waterfalls, forests studded with brown bears, sky kissing coastal redwoods, beautiful shorelines, caves, lakes and great cities! One such small hidden gem is Moaning Cavern in Calaveras County. ! It is a vertical cave chamber where one can go rappelling 165 ft down!

I visited this place and few other very interesting nearby places sometime last year which I am posting now! I have been to many caverns but Moaning cavern is amazing because of the rappelling experience. Those rock-mushrooms on the walls as you descend! To add to that in this trip, I camped at Calaveras Big Trees State Park and visited Natural Bridges where I swam across the cave, Columbia State Historic Park and drove all those 61 miles on Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway where the elvation ranges between 4,000 to 8,7000ft! This area is surrounded by the Gold Rush towns, mountains and alpine valleys!

Oct 3, 2014

Lake Powell and the sky ...

This picture is from archives ... an year ago ... late October in Page, Arizona. I took a boat ride to Rainbow Bridge National Monument ... the bridge is accessible only by a boat. For around 9hrs I was surrounded by this scenery ...Cool huh?

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Street food from Gujarat

Khamman dhokla

Gujarat is one of the vibrant states of India and gujarati food is unique! Here street food is dominantly popular and mostly vegetarian. I am fond of Gujarati food because I visit Gujarat frequently, at least twice or thrice a year! I love to go out in the evening, because afternoons are extremely hot, to eat pani-poori roadside! Well, I am talking about snacks not the thali (full meal) here.

Stormy evening- Tornado or smoke?

Well, very gloomy picture huh? But, it is interesting too ... at least for me for the adventure associated with it :) I was driving past Monument Valley towards Page, Arizona in late October last year. It was stormy. First I passed through light sand winds which might have caused millions of microscopic scratches on the windshield of rented car!

Pigeons, nest and pigeon mites!

Mommy pigeon feeding

Couple of months ago when I returned to my apartment in Bangalore with my Mother, I saw a pigeon nesting in an orange bucket which I had left in the kitchen balcony. I saw two little eggs. The pigeon had made a mess in the whole area with its poo. I wanted to get the balcony cleaned but, decided against it thinking it may disturb the hatching process! Was that my mistake?!

Have you seen this Ice-cream machine?!

As I have mentioned many times ... I visit Gujarat frequently, just because my dear sister lives there nothing else :) And I have seen, experienced and have enjoyed very many small interesting things. One such interesting thing is this ice-cream machine!

Lake at night ...

Nyaya Mandir (which means Court) is an area in Vadodara that people visit for cheap stuff. The market beside the court has everything here! And there is a lake which goes almost unnoticed during the day. As night falls the Shiva idol gets illuminated attracting almost everyone's attention. Doesn't it look beautiful in the backdrop of dark night sky?!

Tourism Unites ...

I travel to Gujarat quite often! And also go around during the winter. On one such trip to Pavagadh I saw this old rusting board ... though old it conveys a great message ...

Jand Hanuman, monkeys and makai ki roti in the jungles of Gujarat!

Jambughoda WLS Jand Hanumaan Vadodara Gujarat

Deep jungle, temples, millions of monkeys and a woman cooking food! Well, Yes! I was visiting a temple dedicated to Hanumaan in the deep jungles of Gujarat. Just within 80KM from the city of Vadodara this temple sits in the middle of Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary. The fun is neither in visiting the temple nor the wildlife which is always elusive, but in driving a Mahindra Bolero on the riverbed! Well, there is no particular road to the temple other than a dirt rocky road which is sometimes the riverbed too!

Colorful Skies- Sunset at Hampi

I was at Hampi few months ago. Me, my sister and my niece were sitting on the very popular Mahanavami Dibba, a huge and high platform used by the royals of Vijayanagara Empire to watch the festive processions in the medieval years. We watched this colorful sunset. The sun looked like a burning cannonball sinking behind the horizon while the silhouette of the watching trees said good night!

Trevi Fountain in Rome

On the last day in Italy I went to Trevi fountain in Rome. Just before that We had a dinner with opera singers entertaining us. Lots of pasta, wine and tiramisu. A ride in Rome during the night was fantastic. The basilica in Vatican city was decorated with lights. It was breathtakingly beautiful! I wished my visa was valid for few more days that I could wander around on my own.

Music box from Sorrento

You must have heard the song Torna a Surriento which means Come Back to Sorrento ... is a popular song that made the comune of Sorrento popular! Well, I was there in Sorrento ... for few hours. Just to wander around the market. Our guide had arranged a touristy visit to a furniture shop. Initially, I was annoyed but then I liked the furniture there! I just got to know how expensive were those furniture in my sister's house which I was abusing for almost a decade! I really didn't have any idea about the price!

Capri at night!

In my earlier post I did mention that Capri is a resort island. The nightlife is quite interesting here. From a restaurant I got the view of the marina and it was beautiful! And it is here for you to enjoy ...

Grotta Azzurra or Blue Grotto in Capri- Amazing sea cave!

Grotta Azzurra or Blue Grotto Capri Italy

That small opening is the entrance of Blue Grotto

Do you see that blue?! The picture is not edited for color saturation! It is real! In the earlier post I mentioned that I had taken a boat ride around the Island of Capri, it included a peek into the popular Blue Grotto for few extra euros. And it was worth all the money! Sea caves are not new to me, I had rowed into few sea caves earlier in my life, but this one was wonderful! The blue color is due to the underwater light source, essentially an underwater sea cave!

Capri, the resort island

View from Monte Solaro

After getting fried under the hot sun and surrounded by the volcanic devastation I was at Capri, the resort island! Capri- plenty of natural beauty, history, pleasant climate and posh restaurants makes Capri a favorite destination for the tourists! Normally the islands are volcanic in origin but, interestingly Capri is formed of sedimentary rock. Well, it was a very relaxing long stay (2-nights) at Capri compared to other places.

Pompei, a city that was buried under volcanic ash!

Ruins of Temple of Jupiter and Mt Vesuvius in the backdrop

9KM from the busy city of Naples stands high is the Mt Vesuvius volcano! The most popular to have buried the Roman city of Pompeii in AD 79. It seems it spewed 1.5 milion tons of volcanish ash and molten rock per second releasing unthinkable amount of thermal energy killing 16,000 people! Well, even now it is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcano looking at the busy city Naples in the shadow it.

Assisi- Feel the peace here!

Assisi comune

Well, another destination in Italy ... After 8 hectic days I reached Assisi in the afternoon and was amazed to feel the peace. It felt like in a soundproof town with plenty of fresh air. Assisi is a medieval sacred town in central Italy, around 90 miles north of Rome. It is the birthplace of St Francis and is popular for the Basilica of San Francesco.

Venice, The Queen of Adriatic

St Mark's Basilica

Historic city of Venice is described by many as Queen of the Ardiatic, City os Islands, City of masks, Floating city, City of bridges and City of canals ... and when you visit Venice everything seems right! For me it looked like a unique city with so many bridges across those islands! It seems there are more than a hundred islands separated by more than hundred canals and they are connected by around 400 bridges! With the unique cityscapes, art and cultural heritage tourism is a major part of livelihood for venetians. The tour of Venice was fun though everything I saw was touristy! Venice is considered to be a living museum and IMO it is also a tourist trap!

Video- Working with glass in Murano!

Well, package tours have some advantages. Our guide took us to some places where we could have demos on how it is made etc ... In Florence, a leather shop gave us an elaborate display of all their products and also a fashion show with some of our package-mates being models! In Venice, at glass factory of Murano we had a demo on how the glass artifacts are made. I liked it very much and took a video of the same! Have a look you will be amazed!

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Related articles-
Duomo di Orvieto- A medieval architectural splendor!
Rome- A photo tour
Musei Vaticani
The Grandeur of St Peter's Basiclica
Postcards from Italy

If you want pictures please ask me :)
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Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Jun 15, 2014

Florence, The cradle of renaissance

River Arno and the city of Florence

Capital city of Tuscany now, popular those days as "Athens of Middle Ages" Florence or Firenze or Florentine is one fascinating city! The birthplace of renaissance, Florence has few world famous museums and IMO the Piazza della Signoria itself is an open air museum! The full-size replica of Michelangelo's David in its original position attracts the visitors most. The river Arno passes through Florence and flows into Tyrrhenian sea.

Leaning tower of Pisa

Our guide started our day with- Today we are going to a place where thousands of tourists go everyday to make sure the tower is still leaning! Yes, to Leaning tower of Pisa! Ture! It is still leaning!

It is a freestanding bell tower behind cathedral in Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) which started leaning durning its construction itself due to the soft ground on one side. It tilted more during the 196 years of its construction until it was stabilized and then the tilt was corrected to some extent during later centuries! Its initial world popular tilt was more than 5 degrees it seems now it is corrected up to little less than 4 degrees. It has around 300 steps to reach the top floor from where one could get a sweeping views of the surroundings.

The Piazza del Duomo or popularly nick named as Piazza dei Miracoli, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987. The square includes the cathedral, a baptistry, the bell tower and the cathedral. The three structures whiter than white those days stand majestically on the green grass. The tower is one of the seven medieval wonders of the world! There were thousands of tourists even early in the morning. I saw many youngsters trying for that touristy picture of "supporting the leaning tower" :)

Duomo di Orvieto, A medieval architectural splendor!

Massive structure with gothic facade, walls depicting the stories from testaments, decoration by glittering mosaics and massive bronze doors, is the Duomo di Orvieto, construction which continued for three centuries! The cathedral dedicated to Assumption of Mary was designed by many master designers over the centuries changing it from Romanesque to Gothic structure. The gothic facade of the duomo is one of the masterpieces of the time while the side walls are very plain with no art work.

Well, after a hectic a day at Rome I visited this peaceful place of cathedral and cutlery! Do you believe the Comune di Orvieto is located on a hill top and that hill actually is an ancient volcano? And the cathedral stands right atop a volcanic plug? Amazing facts huh?

I took the funicolare for the first time here to reach the hilltop! Funicolare is a short electrically run cable railway or cliff railway! Two tram like vehicles on rails are connected to a cable which move up and down the steep slope. I have used cable cars in India but cable railway was first experience!

Photo Tour- Rome, As I saw it!

As I said in the earlier post on Rome- it is an eternal city! There is so much to see and know. The guide provided by the package tour was quite good enough to open as many windows to the city of Rome in that short time, I mean a day and a half, that includes Vatican City too. Well, I do not have some glamourous night shots of this fancy city! I visited during the bright day light though I have seen the city in the night with some monuments decorated with lights, well from a moving bus!

Rome- The eternal city!

Roman Colosseum

The capital city of Italy today and the capital city of Roman empire then ... Rome was considered an empire without end! It is one of the largest cities then known to the world. With the package tour schedule and anxiety I did scratch a bit of the surface of the destination- Rome! I was amazed to see that ancient city buried underground, partly exposed and another part waiting to be excavated! The still standing monuments are the symbols of wealth and power of Imperial Rome!

Musei Vaticani in Vatican City

Gallery of Maps- Vatican Museum

In the previous post I had mentioned about grandeur of the St Peter's Basilica. Next to the basilica is the Museum. Well, I remember saying "my neck hurts" many times! You know why? Ceilings are more grand and artistic than whatever is displayed on the walls and statues! The paintings, the gilding work, the frames and so on ... just breathtaking ...

Experiences and Thoughts on Package Tours

The whole theme of my blog is about traveling SOLO to venture out the world alone and a sense of adventure. But, few times when traveling with family I have tried personalized package tours in Rajasthan where everything was arranged for us by a tour operator per our taste. We didn't have to do a single thing! When I visited Italy I took a first class package tour. I was tired of driving long distances, camping, budget accommodation and simple food. And thought of enjoying some luxury of a first class trip.

Vatican City- The grandeur of St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Basilica Vatican City

Vatican City is one interesting place. There are many things we do not know about this place with the architectural wonders of the world! Did you know Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and ruled by the Bishop of Rome?! I was surprised to know that the postage stamp of Italy is invalid here in this church complex! And its post box is painted Yellow! This independent state comprises of St Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum. This article is all about the awe inspiring grandeur of the Basilica!

Postcards from Italy- A photo essay!

Feasting on art in Vatican City

I had been to Italy some time ago and never got a chance to write about the trip at all! The lingering taste of the place, art and food never seems to fade away! Thought of putting together all my dearest memories of Italy for you in pictures. I will post about each place in detail soon. I was tired of backpacking and thought of taking a first class package tour for 11 days to cover most of the popular places in Italia. The tour was good for an introduction to Italy!

Travel Souvenirs!

Fridge magnets my favorite souvenirs

From my grand trip to Italy not only I remember the grandeur of the Basilicas but also remember- a family who were with me in the package tour for 12 days. Two sisters and their two teen age daughters. As much as I enjoyed the art and architecture in Italy I enjoyed watching this family shop! Pasta, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, red wine in Tuscany. Very expensive Murano glass wine serving set, Murano glass bead jewelry and a women's top embellished with fine Murano glass beads in Venice. An exquisite dining table set and few other living room furniture in Sorrento. And what more god only knows! Well, everything was shipped to USA for them. While another retired teacher, who was part of the same package tour with his wife, bought a map of medieval Italy printed on white cloth for 3 euros and was happy that the map had names of all the places he visited. There was another mother-daughter duo who bought whatever looked very cheap as gifts for family and friends back home.

Ajwa Nimeta Fountain Gardens near Vadodara

Ajwa-Nimeta is a fountain garden near the city of Vadodara-Gujarat. It is a popular tourist attraction in the city of Vadodara. Built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in early 20th century the dam and the gardens are a delight for the tourists delight.

Some Facts- 'True' and 'False' fruits of Cashew nuts!

Cashew nuts are so tasty huh? I love them! During my childhood days I used to walk through these cashew farms, pluck the cashew apples, try to open the shells to get the cashew nut out, and in the process burn my skin only to get my Mother scold me :) Burn- not in true sense, the skin turns black and peels away after few days with no pain but quite a bit of irritation. The hands used to look ugly with the scars left by the nasty juice of that hard shell. At times I got my cheeks burnt too! All these memories flashed back during my recent family trip to my own coastal Karnataka- on a pilgrimage and to visit family.

Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah is a very interesting place. With beautiful scenery and sad history. Well, hiking here was a delight. On the way, I saw many interesting rock formations and twisted trees. This was one of them.

Apr 15, 2014

Random Pictures- Hungry Cats!

Just back from a trip to Goa and Coastal Karnataka with family. Loads of fun and interesting pictures from streets of India. I love the expressions of children and animals. So unpretentious! My niece who is also into the same hobby pointed her finger to these two cats!

Natural Wonder- Salton Sea, an accidental lake!

Largest lake in California or call it strangest backwaters, Salton Sea is a shallow rift lake located right on the San Andreas fault. This terminal lake with saline water is considered as a crown jewel of biodiversity! It is a major resting stop on the Pacific Flyway. The sea/lake was accidentally created by the flooding Colorado river when an irrigation canal broke. The current surface of the lake is 227ft below the sea level! Within 150-miles from popular cities Los Angeles and San Diego, Salton Sea is one of the lowest points on Earth!

Largest hottest desert of North America, home for organ pipe and the spectacular saguaro cacti, Sonoran Desert is a place of biodiversity. The Saguaro cactus- popularly known as camel of the plant world, is found ONLY here. These cacti can grow up to 70ft and absorb around 1,500 gallons of water in around ten days. It seems they grow their first side arm at the age of 75-100 years! Isn't it a great experience to stand beside one?!

Petroglyphs- V-Bar-V Ranch Heritage Site

Petroglyphs are rock engravings created by the pre-historic people by abrading or carving the rock face. V-Bar-V Ranch petroglyphs is the largest known petroglyph site in Verde Valley left by the Sinagua Indians for us to interpret. More than 1000 symbols are on display on this rock. The symbols- mostly classified as zoomorphs and anthromorphs are clearly preserved.

Heritage- Montezuma's Castle and Well, back in the time of ancient cliff dwellers!

The 5-storey, 20-room castle with apartment style dwellings around, so called Montezuma's Castle National Monument has reputation of best preserved Sinaguan cliff dwelling of North America. It is not a castle where Montezuma lived. Early settlers believed that this neat structure belonged to the 16th century Aztec Emperor Montezuma. In reality, the castle was built by the Sinagua Indians in 12th century and they had abandoned the place a century earlier than Montezuma was even born!

Natural Wonder- Sedona, The Queen of Red Rocks!

Sedona- sounds very familiar huh? And very popular city in the American South-West! Located at the elevation of 4,500ft in Arizona, Sedona is surrounded by high standing red rock formations with spiritual energy! The rocks and surrounding area offer hundreds of opportunities for hiking and mountain-biking. Its mild summer and winter make is a vacation destination. Sedona's signature red rocks appear in more than 50-60 Hollywood movies. It is a delight to see these rocks glowing in the golden light of rising or setting sun.

National Parks- Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona

Listed on the National Historic Places Register Tuzigoot is a National Monument near Clarkdale, Arizona. It is a pueblo of 110 rooms built on an outcrop above the Verde river floodplain. The stone masonry rooms do not have doors instead they used ladders to enter the rooms from the opening in the roofs. Tuzigoot in Apache means "crooked water"- named after a small meandering river nearby.

Heritage Railroad- Verde Canyon, a ride through the red rocks!

The 40-mile roundtrip, 4-hours long scenic ride on the tracks that were installed in 1912 crossing over old fashioned bridges and trestles, and passes a 680ft long tunnel- all in the red rock country along the Verde river! Verde Canyon Railroad excursion line started in 1990 between Clarkdale and Perkinsville- it a heritage railroad. Classic FP7 vintage locomotives pull the passengers through the towering red rock pinnacle