Chute d'eau d'Urach Wasserfalls - Hours' drive from Stuttgart, Germany.!

Closed schools and offfices and the all week holiday during the Christmas in Germany forced a bunch of us to find nearby unexplored and nature retreats! We were stuck at a friend's place in Stuttgart and had to plan out each of our day with the agenda of not boring ourselves at home. After a lot of searching, we found this place while checking out options on our Google Trips app.

Tip: Open Google Trips app. Search for the nearest known city. Go to 'Things to do' and browse through the list of places under 'Farther Away' tab. You are likely to find a place of your taste with some amount of scanning.

Chute d'eau d'Urach is a beautiful waterfalls about 37m in height and you can climb all the way to the tip of the waterfalls if you are in for adventure! 

Uracher Wasserfalls is about an hours drive from Stuttgart towards Metzingen. As our trip was an unplanned one, instead of driving, we took the train to reach the place. We bought a Baden-Württemberg Day ticket and hopped on to the Regional train from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof to Metzingen and changed our connection to another Regional to our destination stop Bad Urach Wasserfalls. There are many R trains connectivity and would take about 1.5hours for the journey. 

From the train station it's about 2.5kms till the waterfalls. We walked as we had no other choice. If you drive you can proceed further for about a kilometer more and have to park and walk up the next stretch. It is a very scenic place with nice views of the mountains all around. The path was completely shaded with trees on both the sides and also a small river flowed on one end. We could enjoy the walk by absorbing in all the autumn colors even during December! 

Unusually there are not many sign boards and stuff in this part of town and we had to ask people on the road and in train station for directions to the waterfalls.

As it was December, there were traces of snow everywhere along the path but the waterfalls was not frozen and we could enjoy the beauty of the place. We heard that the place gets too slippery and bit dangerous when it's completely snowed in (maybe during Jan-Feb). The steps or the path to reach the tip of the falls is not too good and has uneven highs and lows and is sometimes waterlogged as well. Just enjoy the falls from beneath if you are not in the mood to trek up. 

There is also a thermal spa on the other end of the train station to relax your flex muscles and get back to a fresh start. 

In all, Chute d'eau d'Urach is a perfect destination for a few hours outing on a weekend from Stuttgart! Definitely a nature's retreat.! 

Go for it!! Do leave your suggestions and experiences in the comments section below!

Prague, Czech Republic!! A must-visit? Or maybe not! ;)

One of the most stereotyped destinations I have ever visited in Europe!!

Rich in history, check! Ting of romance, check! Old townish, check! US type night-life, check! Nearby Germany, check! These checks are basically the trigger points to visit Prague, the most well-known destination of Czech Republic!! Praha was one of my first solo trip adventures outside my country, the city with not many English boards, non-English/German speakers. Praha taught me a lot as a traveler.

If you are not driving around the city, then one option is to take the day passes. There are various options available like 24, or 72 hours pass etc. A 24hour pass is valid from the time you stamp it first today until the same time tomorrow (24 hours) and so on. You can make use of this pass in any public mode of transport, bus, trams, and metros. Just be sure that you are not misplacing the ticket pass anywhere and carry it always with you while on the bus. I left it in my hostel the 2nd day of my travel (it was in the jeans that I wore on day 1) and had to pay a hefty fine! :( Also, make sure you know the direction of your connections and the tram/bus numbers that you should take. The boards are usually not in English, which is a big problem. I have gone in the exact opposite direction of my destination a lot of times :) Google maps help in this case. 

There are plenty of hostels, Airbnb, and hotels to choose from for accommodation. If you are traveling solo like me or in a small group then the hostel is a budget-friendly and super worthy option! If you are in large groups then you can opt for Airbnb or hotels. The hostel I stayed at was Adam & Eva Hostel Prague. I personally recommend this place. It was really well-maintained, with all the basic facilities included and with card access entry for security. They even have card securitized locker facilities available at no extra charge. Hostels are also a good place to meet other tourists/students from different countries and backgrounds. Conversing with a random roommate can help discover few hidden places of the town, a nice eatery or just a better itinerary for your next day. 

I loved a few cafes that are on the sub-roads of the city mainly for its ambiance and the various themes that they had. No meat options are again limited to only potato fries, customized vegetable wraps, sweets, cakes, coffee, hot chocolate and other drinks. There is a famous dessert which you will find in many places called trdelnik or the chimney cake. It is basically a street food with caramelized sugar and cinnamon topped with ice creams in different flavors. There are multiple Indian restaurants all over the city if you are looking for a proper "no meat" spicy (sometimes tasty) food.

People throng the city in thousands just to visit the astronomical tower with all hyped expectations! Yes, the tower is all medieval, beautiful (if you don't stare at the skeleton for a long time) and scientific and shows the time! Every one hour, there is a 15second show. A skeleton signifying death holding an hourglass rings a bell and 12 apostles pass by the window above the dial. There are 3 other sculptures which also move. If you really want to enjoy it more, read about the significance and history of astronomical tower prior to your visit to appreciate it more, else you are bound to be dissatisfied. 

The other much-hyped place is the Charles Bridge (Karlův most)! The Gothic stone bridge which has survived through many floods over the ages and is now thronged by thousands of tourists, artists, and musicians. The bridge has many statues (of saints mostly) lined up on both sides and most of the original ones are now kept in the Prague museums. This is the place where artists line the bridge with their paintings and musicians folk to make some money. If you want to get yourself sketched, you are in the right place. If you are expecting calmness, less crowd, and a place for your own, you are not the right fit to the Charles Bridge area. 

Next destination on your list would be the Prague Castle (Pražský hrad)! Well, if you are up for a lot of walking and are enthusiastic about finally going to a place where it is a bit less crowded compared to above 2 places (like I was), then go for it!! :) You will have to wait in long queues at the entrance for a thorough security check. During the wait, you can breathe in the panoramic views of the city at leisure as you climb the steps to reach the castle entrance. The views of the entire city beneath you are really breath-taking! You would see the expansive parks, the rivers, the bridges, old town buildings, and statues all as miniatures. The entire castle area is very vast and is divided into various sections, you can choose amongst them as per your interests. You will have to walk quite a lot inside the castle premises, be prepared. 

The John Lennon Wall is also a famous landmark, again know the history behind the wall to appreciate it better. The tourists are allowed to write or paint on the wall. During the recent times, due to all this painting and overwriting, the original writings on the wall is not visible. Few of the huge parks are the Petrín and Letná Park. Just stroll around or lay back and rest for some time! The Old Town Square is also a good place to hang out watching all the various talent shows. A genie guy, A guy performing stunts, bagpipe player, drummer, etc. Just a way to relax after a lot of walking and touring the city. You will definitely find many museums, galleries, and cathedrals all over the city. Hop in, if it fancies you! 

The walking tours are sometimes good to join. You will get to mingle with the locals of the place, tourists from other countries, and build connect. Few advises/tips which you will receive in these conversations can take you a long way sometimes. There are also cruise trips arranged by few of these tour guides which is also worth a try. 

I really must mention about the nightlife! The city literally transforms itself into something different; seems a bit dangerous if you are alone or in a small group. There are not many well-lit roads except the main bus routes. All the big stores and shopping centers pave way to a basement or top floor nightclubs and casinos which come into existence only after 10 PM! If you are unaware of this timing and are standing at the exact same location of the club shown on the google map at say 6 or 8 PM, you will only see the shopping center or a restaurant and not the "night" club.

See is the link to my personal list of places to visit in Prague:

https://www.google.com/maps/placelists/list/1AlGweWr0Uxoe3DAWhgV8z2k5AWs?hl=en

Go for it, if you like it! :) 

On the Rocks!! Partnachklamm, Garmisch, Germany!

When you are not in a mood to enjoy the common & famous touristy kind of places, and you are looking for a place in Germany, visit this place called Partnachklamm – Garmisch.

To give you an overview, it is a place with waterfalls in between 2 huge rock walls and a Cave to keep up with your curiosity levels and a SkyCar to get that bird’s eye view!!

Got strong feet and up for a bit of adventure? Take the trekking route all over the place.

If you just want to stroll around aloof and simply enjoy the nature’s beauty, then take the Cave route to get in.

The third option is to bypass everything and take a SkyCar to get to the top directly and be back.

We stumbled upon this place by chance. The original plan was to visit the top of Germany, Zugspitze. However, all transports to the mountains were canceled on the day we landed there due to hurricanes! We were bound to search and go to a nearby place just to pass the day until our train arrived in the evening :P And yes!! We were in for nature’s surprise!!

Well, we started our journey to Partnachklamm with very less expectations but were simply mesmerized with the beauty of the place. You can Walk, drive, or take local bus 1 or 2 from central Garmisch or Partenkirchen to the Skistadion or Olympic Ski Stadium. It’s about 20min walk from Skistadion. It is located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany.

Partnachklamm or Partnach Gorge is a beautiful place to hang around for a day and immerse in nature’s nest. It is a supposedly romantic setting of nature with rock walls of about 100m and glacial waterfalls in between the rocks.

People say it is a bit dangerous to walk in the caves during the extreme winters as it gets way too slippery with all the snow and ice and you will actually not know how deep your next step would take you in. There are a few steps as well in the caves which are not quite visible if the place is snowed-in.

Nevertheless, it is an amazingly attractive place to visit if you want to be one with nature.

P.S: You can also talk your heart’s out with nature and be sure that even the person who is at arm’s length from you cannot hear :) ! So loud is the noise that the falls make; especially in the midsection of the gorge.

Weekend getaway from Bengaluru! Sakleshpur!!

When you have a long weekend ahead of you and if you want to just chill out away from hustle-bustle of Bengaluru... Just pack a small backpack and drive out to Sakleshpur, Hassan; also known as the Poor man's Ooty.! It's a nice little hill station nestled in the beautiful Western Ghats.  

Located just about 220km from Bangalore, this place is a great weekend getaway destination to visit throughout the year. It's about a 4-hour drive by car and 7-hours route by bus or train. 

There are many car and bike rental services in Bangalore now like Zoomcar, Myles, Voler, Savaari, Ola outstation etc. to help you have a round trip. These offer with driver or self-drive options to suit your needs. 

Depending on the purpose of your visit, decide your place of stay. 

If you are planning to chill at only a single place and enjoy eating hot bajjis amidst nature, taking small strolls and lazy swims, posing for selfies amongst the coffee plantations, bringing out your photography skills and capturing the great beauty the hill station offers right from your place of stay, choose amongst the various options of homestays depending on your budget and amenities offered.

There are homestay options too available for adventure freaks out there. 

The typical homestays offer camping, bonfire, trekking, water sports, cycling, rain dance and other great amenities. 

Options are limited for a typical hotel room stay but are definitely not non-existent. These come at pocket friendly prices too. Few are Hotel Ashrita, Hotel Durga International, The Hills etc. 

Usually all these places of stay have their own restaurants to eat or you can choose to eat anywhere on your way to the various tourist attractions. There are multiple options to choose from as you travel around. Akki Rotti and coffee are quite famous food options and are must-haves! 

Manjarabad Fort is an 18th century Star shaped fort and a very famous place now especially for photoshoots! You will have to climb a lot of steps to reach the main fort entrance as it is in a hill with amazing panoramic views of the entire place. 

Bisle ghat and jenukallu gudda peak are few well known trekking places nearby. There is also a Green Route Trek on railway tracks going through bridges and tunnels. 

Hemavathi river backwaters, and abbi falls along with multiple unexplored and not so famous waterfalls line the inner roads of the town. Just keep your eyes and mainly ears open to hear the rustling of the leaves and the force of the water to spot a waterfall! 

Google maps did not help us much in this regard and we ended up in the middle of the forest and once more in a private property while searching for a google map available waterfalls location :) 

As the saying goes, the journey is always better than the destination itself, even though we did not locate the waterfalls we were looking for, we definitely loved the drive through the beautiful green cover accompanied by a great romantic weather on our side! 

Find your own places of tranquility and comment below with the location details and photos if available!

Small yet a Lovely town!! Bamberg, Germany!

There is a small, quiet and a lovely town in Northern Bavaria, Germany called Bamberg. Perhaps on seeing few of the pics, you feel it's familiarity with many movie backdrops. Bamberg is about an hour journey by train from Nuremberg.

Not to mention this was my first ever solo trip and I really enjoyed being on my own roaming the streets of Europe! 

It quite literally takes only about a day to cover all the known and unknown places of the little town. You can either choose to walk, ride, drive or take short bus rides or hire a taxi to travel around. I preferred walking because I had this newly born craze to cover more miles by foot starting that month and also the places were all nearby, hardly 2 or 3 stops in the bus and also had few narrow lanes. 

My first stop of the day was at the famous, present in almost all the cities, The Lock Bridge, called? in Bamberg. The bridge is visible at multiple places in the town. You can walk down the various bridges like Luitpoldbrucke, Marienbrucke, Kettenbruckestrasse etc. with views of the River Regnitz on both your sides and also the other bridges. 

As this was my first visit to a European lock bridge, I was actually excited to see the bridge, click a few selfies and ask passers-by to click my photos with the bridge background! 

Also this was the first time I actually started to reflect on my life goals, ongoings, past, present and future. It's a very different and unexplainable feeling of something new beginning.... I've sat down on the benches alongside the river for a couple of hours and kept wondering about things which had not mattered until that moment... Happiness in small things, sadness in big happenings.. :) You might see references to these in my upcoming posts; there were a lot of places which triggered some unusual thoughts within me. 

After the initial excitement and a lot of mind-boggling, I moved on to see the famous Altes Rathaus (town hall). This place looks a lot similar to many Bollywood movie scenes and adds it's own charm to the town! 

A walk on the Unterebrucke and Oberebrucke would give you the views of the building in between two bridges and the river passing at both ends. 

A little further down the way is the 11th Century Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral, Bamberger Dom, Neue Residenz, Alte Hofhaltung, and Rosengarten all next to each other. The Rose Garden gives you a beautiful panoramic view of the entire town from its terraces. It has a wide variety of roses including nice fountains and well-maintained garden.

There is a small yet jampacked music store on Luipoldstrasse called Musikhaus Neumann which houses a good collection of musical instruments and stationery items. If you are interested more in the history and are a museum person then there are multiple museums all over the town, one being the Natural History Museum on Fleischstrasse.

Multiple cafes, brewpubs, and restaurants swarm the town which offers Italian, German, and Mexican food options. However, it might be a bit difficult if you are a non-meat eater. Vegetarisch Salat (No meat, only veg salad), Pommes (Potato french fries) and cafes (sweets, drinks, ice cream, chocolates) would be your main food options available. You can always go packed if you are too specific about food.

This town gives the rustic and romantic feel of an old European town with the humble yet beautiful settings all over the place. 

PS: Here is the link to my personal list of - Day Out in Bamberg.

https://www.google.com/maps/placelists/list/1ECbCO001jbgU3H3_xrwYtz7VLXI?hl=en

Do let me know your thoughts and comments below!