Melbourne

Melbourne may be known globally as the capital of the state of Victoria, but locally, it is better (and very aptly) referred to as the Food Capital of Australia. No more incentive was required for foodies like us to explore the greatly diverse restaurants and cafes that dominate Melbourne's landscape. Melbourne living is quite an experience on its own- whether you choose to live in the main city area amongst all the hustle, bustle and crowd or you prefer the calmer and quieter suburbs. Of course, one of the unique features of Melbourne's CBD area is the frequent tram sightings. It is truly amazing to watch trams and vehicles use the same roads without any confusion or disruption (at least most of the time!).

I found Melbourne to be an interesting and lively place to live. With the population being so culturally diverse, the city is always celebrating some festival or the other, from across the world. Living in the city area, I never had one boring weekend- if the city was not in a festive mood with cultural fests or events, all we had to do was drive a couple of hours out of Melbourne to enjoy the rustic pleasures some of Melbourne's surrounding regions have to offer.

Of course, our exploration always focused on areas that promised of good food and drinks, but that is not to say there are not many attractions to admire in Melbourne.

With so many options to spoil both tourists and residents, I am not surprised to see Melbourne list among the top 10 Most Liveable cities in the world.

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Paris

Paris may have many nicknames- City of Lights (due to its breathtaking street lighting) or Capital of Fashion (being headquarters to some of the world's best haute couture fashion houses), of which the 'City of Love' caught my attention always. While I wanted to go to Paris, to get a feel of France, and enjoy the city's various tourist attractions, wine, dine etc.., I also wanted to go to quench my curiosity as to why Paris was called so.... Perhaps it was the calm, serene effect of the River Seine, or the looming presence of the Eiffel tower or maybe simply because we often associate French as the language of love and Paris is France's capital?? However, to my disappointment, we did not feel more 'in love' or romantic in Paris, than we felt anywhere else in the world? ..To me, Paris was just another cosmopolitan European city. That is not to say we did not enjoy our trip, nor that the city does not have a charm of its own....but for me personally, a city with its hustle and bustle can never  inspire romance than say a beach or an island...if you get the drift.....

The narrow but well lit streets (it is also called the City of Lights for a reason...:)), with pâtisseries (Pastry/ Sweet Shops) and bistros (small restaurants) in about every corner of the city, reminded us of Old City in Hyderabad. The well connected metro system which can be jam packed at peak hours with Parisians and tourists alike, reminded me of Downtown Toronto. So my conclusion is that the name might be part of a marketing technique, but it definitely works, going by the throng of people (including us) who didn't mind standing in long queues to get a glimpse, and to click pictures in front, outside, inside and wherever they could, of the Eiffel Tower or the Notre Dame or other sites that define this city!!!

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Linköping

Linköping is not exactly a metro city in the modern sense. It is more of a quiet, laid back town that still carries a medieval charm owing to its 700 year old history.  The two most well known places here are the Linköping Cathedral and the Linköping University. There are some other sights of interest as well, like the Museum, the locks of Göta and Kinda Canals and perhaps a few woodlands surrounded by more water bodies, where one can go camping or fishing, but since it is winter still these are inaccessible. As I walked along the cobbled streets that lead way from the Cathedral to the main Town Square (known as Stora Torget), I was surprised by the number of coffee shops, espresso bars and bistros that filled the square. The food and drink of these food joints are as rewarding as the rustic decor, which provides a welcoming relief from the cold outside. While most coffee shops offer classic Swedish refreshments like pies, cinnamon buns or cookies, there are a number of small restaurants that offer international cuisines. Some of my personal favorites are Ammos Cafe and Creperi, Coffee House by George and Yogi.

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Sydney

First impression? A cosmopolitan city with a silver lining of rustic culture. Sydney is a classical example of a global city- host to people from various origins, all who seem to gracefully balance their respective cultures and the Aussie way of living!

We visited Sydney in November, which is the last month for spring in the city, I was told. So the weather was pleasant- a little chilly around the harbor front....but mostly enjoyable. Various parts of the city are well connected and easily accessible through buses and the subway system. There is a lot to see in Sydney itself so hop on to one of the hop on/off bus tours and cover as many places as you can. Still i think you would need 2-3 days in Sydney to visit every place of interest. My favorites were strolling in Hyde park, walking along the harbor and visiting Opera House. The food is a mixture of cultures. You will find Asian, American, European and many more. Some of the places are such a hit that people stand in queues for as long as an hour to get a seat. We did wait for half an hour at one such place but it was worth the wait.

And oh, before I forget- if you plan to visit Sydney in November like us, a small piece of advice - for those of you who come from the warmer Asian regions, perhaps you should carry a jacket along, coz although its Spring in Sydney, it could be a bit chilly for you. Those from the colder regions of the planet, just let go of your winter wear and enjoy the cool breeze from the harbor!

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Goa

The place is a huge relief from the frantic and stressed city life. A relatively cleaner state (when compared with the metros in India), where people from around the world are welcomed by locals who have a happy-go-lucky attitude and promote holidaying as a way of life.

Summer was at its peak in 2011. I was bored at work and with my monotonous life in general. That is when I decided to book the tickets to Goa! It was definitely the perfect getaway from the scorching Hyderabad sun. Once the tickets were booked, I started packing our bags for the trip- in went my sunscreen, shades, beach costumes and flowery hats. ‘Goa here we come!!!!!Yaaaaay!!’ was all I could think of till the plane landed at Panaji.

Three days were definitely not enough to explore all the beaches and visit all the places that served traditional Goan food. We had stayed at a resort in North Goa and so limited our visits to places in North Goa. We are definitely planning another vacation in Goa soon- this time to delve into South Goa. I had several different experiences in Goa:- when I stepped into the city from the airport, I felt like I was in Kerala. The ride from the airport to the hotel reminded me of the way from the Trivandrum airport to my house in Kerala- the beautiful coconut trees on either sides of the road, the humid climate and all of it; Once I reached the resort, it was like I was transported to an ancient Portuguese mansion- they may have left India but not before they left some awesome memories behind; Later meeting numerous Goans on the beaches, streets and restaurants made me proud to be part of an India that was home to such warm and hospitable people.

After a three day stay in Goa, I think my dream now is to retire in Goa with just enough money to open up a luxurious beach shack!!

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Trivandrum

Being God’s own country [and being my hometown, if that contributed in any way…;) ], this city is believed to be one of the cleanest and well planned cities in India. Built over seven hills, Trivandrum (or Thiruvananthapuram, as the purists would like to call it) is definitely the perfect blend of ancient and modern architecture- with its numerous palaces, temples, churches and mosques, apart from its famous beaches. My first memories of this place were around the Trivandrum airport, which is where I used to land, when I used to travel from UAE to India during my summer holidays from school. Later, much to my delight, I got the opportunity to visit some of the famous tourist attractions in and around Trivandrum- thanks to those frequent, numerous, no-reason strikes we had in college!!  


Although there are a few luxury hotels, the highlights of this city are the various small time restaurants and road side eateries, that offer authentic Kerala food- both for vegetarians and non- vegetarians. Recently there has been an increase in the number of fast food joints- catering to the ever changing tastes of the city's youth.


Read on to know about what you must see and the places you should not miss, if you ever visit my home town!

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Shimla

Let me start with this disclaimer - My view of this place and the hotels we stayed in Shimla could be a little biased, as this was our honeymoon trip and so was special anyways! Having said that, one must agree that Shimla is a place where one can see nature display its beauty in true rustic form. There are definitely a number of places to visit in and around Shimla, including tourist places and picnic spots, but we could not cover many of them in our three-day trip.

Shimla is the capital city of the state of Himachal Pradesh and is more famously known as the ‘Queen of Hills’ because of its strategic location in the north-western range of the Himalayas. Awesome, breath taking natural beauty, buildings styled in Semi-Gothic architecture and cool, breezy summers are the best adjectives to define this place. I found the Shimla'ites to be very warm, friendly and helpful. Although the place we stayed was in the midst of mountains, valleys and trees, the main town area is filled with a hustling crowd of tourists and locals, not to forget the numerous shops that sell beautiful shawls and souvenirs

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Bangalore/ Mysore

Bangalore or Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian State of Karnataka is often nicknamed India's Garden City due to its numerous gardens. Mysore, on the other hand,is notable for its beautiful palaces and is a tourist spot. The famous Brindavan garden is also in Mysore

For a metropolitan city, (and a heavily populated one I must say!), Bangalore is well planned, but the traffic is still unmanageable. One can expect to get caught in a heavy traffic for 2-3 hours easily. I havent spent a lot of time in the city of Mysore and so maynot not be the right person to comment on the city's infrastructure or traffic flow..:)

The first time I visited these cities was during my college days, when our class had planned a tour in the pretext of an Industrial Visit (IV). As part of our curriculum, we were supposed to visit a few IT companies to get acquainted with how these companies (or our future employers, as our professor referred them) work and Bangalore being a major hub for India's IT sector was our first choice. Well we did visit a few companies (like the Infosys campus in Mysore and another smaller firm, whose name i do not recall...:), in Bangalore), but what we did not quite mention in our port- visit reports, were the other sites and shopping streets we spent most of our time in. Most of my classmates would agree with me, that if IVs were so much fun, we should have had them in all our four years of college..:)

After college too, I had the opportunity to visit these beautiful cities a couple of times and thats when I made a few trips to the places in and around them and tried what Bangalore had to offer for my tastebuds.

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Hyderabad

The Land of Nizams and Nawabs- how better can I describe the co-existence of rustic yet royal  forts and modern skyscapers in the same city! Hyderabad can be easily divided into the Old City and Hi-Tech Hyderabad (as I would call it). Old City is famous for retaining the charm bestowed upon the city by its royalty while the modern parts of the city have allowed for development to stay abreast with India's growth.

Hyderabad is also the melting pot of different cuisines. While it has its own distinct Hyderabadi Biryani, it also houses numerous food joints that serve almost all cuisines from across the world.

Watch this space to know more about the illustrious City of the Royales...

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