Stunning Santorini

A group of islands in the Cyclades, shaped by an volcanic eruption that formed the stunning caldera. Fira, Oia and Imerovigli are just some of the names tour books throw at you. The views offered by this tiny island of Santorini are much more enchanting than their names. Made of 2 major islands - Thera and Therasia with the volcanic islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, Santorini is just a dot on the map far away from the mainland and Athens. What distinguishes this island from the zillion other Greek islands and makes it easily identifiable on any poster is the white washed walls with the blue domed churches. The color of the Aegean Sea down below matches the blue of the churches and many doors and fences. Every village on the main island of Thera is stunningly beautiful. There's pretty little to do other than taking in view after view after view to your heart's content.

The blue domed churches of Oia. One every few hundred feet.

The Windmills of Oia (Οία) 

The most photographed areas of Santorini. Most of the time from the old fort. Most of the pictures have two windmills but one was dismantled when we visited (the one on the left). 

Oia is the oldest settlement on the island. It is strikingly beautiful, much more than the crowded village of the Fira. Hotels and restaurants here are much more expensive than Fira or the quieter village of Firostefani. 

The large town of Fira

Bustling with tourists, vehicles and vendors, you can find the most activity on the entire island of Santorini at this village. There are numerous restaurants both with and without views of the Caldera, all offering free wi-fi. The ones with views are usually more than expensive than those without. Buses ply from here to all the other parts of the island. 

The villages of Oia (far left), Imerovigli (center) and Fira (right) from Nea Kameni

Sunset, the magical time of the day, from Oia and Fira

The points that offer the best views of sunset are taken up long before the actual time. Hoardes of tourists, with huge dSLRs or even cell phones mounted on the selfie sticks arrive and grab a front row spot. At Oia it is usually from the Fort or just around it. At Fira, it is end of the town on the way to Firostefani. It is not just the people on terra firma who wait for the sunset. Cruise ships time their departure from Fira port just around the same time and position themselves in the open Caldera for a unhindered view for its passengers. Low lying clouds prevented us from seeing the sun off all the way into the horizon. The little we saw of it was still magical and definitely worth the wait.

The Blue star ferry that serves the islands in Cyclades leaves the Fira port just before sunset.

A cruise ship positioning itself to offer the best view of the sunset in the waters below Oia

The volcanic island of Nea Kameni from Fira at sunset

The volcanic islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni

The islands, bang in the middle of the Caldera, are served by tourist boats from the Fira port. With a variety of tours that take us to 2 or 3 of the islands on wooden sail boats powered by a motor, it is a good break from the main island for half a day. Plus, we get to see the same villages from a different point of view. There are about a dozen boats that arrive at Nea Kameni, the island with the volcanic crater, within a few minutes of each other. After hopping across the other boats and paying an entrance fee, there's a steep climb up to the craters on uneven terrain. The guide shows a few craters and brings the group back down to the waiting boats. The views from here across the Caldera are stunning. The sea looks bluer than ever. Then it is a ride to Paleo Kameni, the island with the hot spring. The boats stop quite a distance away and we have to swim out to the hot spring area. We chose to remain on the boat. After this we are dropped back to Fira port. Some boats continue to Therasia.

The steep hill down to the port at Nea Kameni with Fira in the background.

The hot springs at Palea Kameni

Souvenir and Food

The vegetarian version of the Greek delicacy of Moussaka with eggplant, cheese and pastry sheets.

Miniature houses and blue domed churches for sale as souvenirs

More colorful souvenirs

My last memory of this beautiful island that I hope to return to again, sometime in the future. The most photographed, most popular and the most serene of all blue domed churches, close to where we were staying in Firostefani.

The island of Santorini

Enchanting Switzerland

From young I have been watching Bollywood movies, more specifically Yash Chopra's, that show rolling meadows dotted with pretty flowers, snow capped mountains in the background, healthy and cool cows grazing with their Swiss-style cowbells, clean air and cool breeze... Snapping back to reality, you wonder if that is indeed Switzerland or some place in heaven! After having spent just 5 days, I can vouch that it is indeed Switzerland!

Before we embarked on our Swiss adventure, we wanted to take a peek at Germany. Arriving at Basel, Germany was just a hop, skip, jump away. After looking at a few places, we finally decided to visit just one spot in the black forest as we didn't want to miss out much in Switzerland. Looking at both Freiburg and Triberg, I decided upon Triberg because it not only looked like a typical German village but had a large number of stores selling the famed black forest cuckoo clocks!! As a bonus there was also a waterfall!

Triberg im Schwarzwald - German Black Forest

Arriving at Basel airport that had exits for both France and Swiss sides, we picked up our rental car and drove down to Triberg im Schwarzwald passing the beautiful old town of Basel on our way. The scenery and climb up to Triberg was spectacular with black forest styled houses along our route. After parking our car at the car park close to the waterfalls we hiked up to the falls in sweltering afternoon heat. By the time we got to the first view of the falls, we were tired from all the traveling and decided against going further. Further, the option of shopping for a couple of cuckoo clocks was even more lucrative! Traveling downhill, we ended up at the House of 1000 clocks - Haus der 1000 Uhren. 

Cuckoo clocks in Triberg in the Blackforest

This place was absolute wow! It was covered with cuckoo clocks of varying sizes, designs, styles and of course prices. Even with a budget it wasn't easy to pick a couple. After much walking around and bothering the English speaking sales assistants with my constant flow of questions we finally found two to our liking and had them packed. Our next stop was at a cafe.. how could we leave the area without a spoonful, and a little more of the famous black forest cake? After biting into a slice of rich and heavenly blackforest cake and drowning that with some coffee, we returned to our car for our drive to Zürich.

We drove through the check point at the borders (Switzerland is not part of the EU) and through some Swiss towns with their symbolical church steeples to arrive at Holiday Inn Express Zurich Airport, our halt for the night. Just before the hotel we stopped at the supermarket Migros that was closing to pick up a few staples to keep us going through our trip. Dinner at subway gave us the first shock. About CHF25 for 2 foot-longs (roughly 17GBP)!

Zürich - Lucerne

After an uncomfortable night in an extremely warm room and a poorly serviced breakfast, we were out on the road again. After a futile attempt to locate Üetliberg for a bird's eye view of Zürich, we drove to the city center to view it from human's POV. We were lucky to find a parking spot near the Fraumünster. Took a short walk around the Limmat river, taking pictures of the various points of interest - The Grossmünster, Rathaus, the quay along the river and few interesting side streets and cafes. We got our first view of snow-capped mountains in the distance and were looking forward to see it closer. After the quick walk around we returned to our car and started our drive towards Lucerne.

Lucerne was a postcard picture city. A sprawling lake with the modern glass KKL on it's shores; connected to the old city by the picturesque Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge). Ample parking at the railway station made it easy for us to walk around. Lunch was at the fly-infested railway station. The food wasn't too bad. Shooing away the flies was, unfortunately. We took a walk around the railway station area, photographing the Kapellbrücke and the swans along the lake. After some ice cream and expensive souvenir shopping we returned to our car to start our drive to Lauterbrunnen, the most anticipated destination in this trip.

The sky was overcast and it soon started raining heavily. However the scenery was fantastic. Lovely sights of lakes and waterfalls. After driving along the shores of the Aquamarine Brienzersee, we reached Bernese Oberland. The air had turned much cooler here and there were snow-capped mountains much closer to us. We drove straight to the hotel we had booked for the next two days - Hotel Oberland. It was right along the main road and we had a room on the third floor whose windows opened to the amazing view of the waterfalls and the snow capped peaks of the region. It was a view that kept us enchanted through out our stay and a vision we will never forget for the rest of our lives. Since we had quite a long day, we did not venture out much and instead had a pizza at the restaurant and went to bed early.

Bernese Oberland - Lauterbrunnen - Mürren - Buchalpsee

The Lauterbrunnen valley at Stechelberg

Day 3 of our trip started with heavy rains again and I was extremely disappointed. What a waste! But to our joy the sky soon cleared up and the sun was out nice and bright. After a good breakfast where no one hurried us, we spoke to the owner of the hotel for ideas. She told us about a fest happening in the village of Mürren and advised us of the route to take. We got into our car with our warm coats and hats and proceeded to Stechelberg to board a cable car up to Mürren.

Mürren was a calm and quiet village with gorgeous views of green meadows and the neighboring snow capped peaks. We arrived early enough in the day and there were hardly any tourists around. Even though this was higher up in the mountains it was still warm and we had no use for our coats! We walked to the other end of town clicking away zillions of pictures and marveling at the views around us. With some time left for the fest and parade to start, we spent some time on a playground with the snow capped peaks for company. We soon found ourselves joining a stream of people heading to watch the parade. We found ourselves some spots to watch and the parade started with lots of cheer. There were the famous Swiss cows with their traditional cow bells, other villagers with their handicrafts and many groups dressed in the traditional costumes. We also got some freebies like candies and cheese. After the Parade, we walked down a different route and found a Chinese cafe for lunch. One of the cheaper places to eat, we found the food worthy. We rode the cable car back to Stechelberg and took our car to Trümmelbach falls.

Trümmelbach falls is fed from the snow melting from the peaks. An elevator takes us through a shaft carved inside the mountain and leaves us at the head of a trail. It's a climb up from there to various levels. The waterfall flows inside tunnels and sometimes out in the open. There are galleries and platforms to view the waterfalls that thunders and roars down the mountain. We viewed from a couple of different levels before returning as the steps and trail was getting cold and wet higher up. 

We drove and parked our car across from our hotel. Later in the evening we followed a walking trail in Lauterbrunnen to catch glimpses of the train that goes up to Jungfrau, a traditional church and the roaring river flowing from the Trümmelbach falls. Our dinner was at the restaurant - some Swiss Rosti and spaghetti before falling asleep watching the gorgeous views from the window.

Day 4 was again warm and bright and we so badly wanted to see an alpine lake. We again asked the owner for some suggestions and she suggested Buchalpsee. After some discussions, we decided to go ahead and do the 3 hours rouhd trip hike. We drove to Grindelwald, parked our car and took the gondola up to First. When I was planning for our stay in the region, I looked at both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunner. There were many who recommended Grindelwald. I chose Lauterbrunnen for the small town feel and I must say I was not disappointed and in fact was hugely relieved that we stayed there instead of Grindelwald. Grindelwald was a busy Swiss town with loads of tourists, cafes and traffic. 

The ride up to First was again with enchanting views. We had picked up some sandwiches, salad and water from a Co-op store in Lauterbrunnen. Even though it was a good 30+ minute ride, the sun was beating down and it was pretty hot even up at that altitude. We got off at First and started our hike amidst even more enchanting scenery. We encountered some cows with their dangling and jingling cowbells up close and continued our hike with three snow capped peaks of Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn and Eiger keeping us company through out. We reached the twin lakes of Buchalpsee about an hour and 45 minutes later and settled down in a scenic spot. We were quite hungry by then and the food from Co-op made up for a good picnic lunch and were gone in a jiffy. After a ton of pics, dipping our feet in the cold waters of the lake and noticing that there were not many around us, we started our return hike. It was quicker this time and we reached Grindelwald just over a couple of hours later.

Lake Buchalpsee

After our hike to Buchalpsee, we felt we had achieved the purpose of the visit. There seemed to be nothing left for us to see or do. We still to stick to our initial plan of visiting Geneva as we were flying back home from there. We drove through a hail storm along the shores of Lake Thun to reach Hôtel La Tour d'Aï at Leysin pretty late in the night and all the cafes and restaurants were closed. After a quick dinner of some ready-to-eat stuff, we tucked in for the night, tired, but content.

Geneva

Jet D'Eau

After an interesting breakfast, we were all set to spend our last day at Switzerland. We started our drive along the shores of Lake Geneva and reached Geneva airport a little past 11 in the afternoon. We returned our car, had a quick lunch at the airport station, checked our bags into a locker and took a crowded and warm train to the city. It was an extremely warm and humid day and we were highly uncomfortable by the time we reached the lake from the station. There was a gallery like set up along the shore of the lake and we were happy to rest under the shade watching the Jet D'Eau and the people hurrying across. After a long break, we walked around the few streets surrounding the lake. After the excitement at Bernese Oberland and the Jungfrau region, Geneva did not excite us much. It seemed to be just like any other European city.

Clouds were closing in and a storm seemed to be brewing up. It was pretty cool by this time and we started our walk back to the station to board the train to the airport.

We bid good bye to Switzerland, an expensive heaven on earth, and boarded our EasyJet flight back home.

The Bernese Oberland was nature at it's best and I'm hoping to return someday.

Our Germany - Switzerland route on Google Maps

Jordan

Jordan is a country very rich in both history and natural beauty. High mountains at about 1000 feet above sea level dropping gracefully to the fertile Jordan valley at sea level which inclines steeply to the Dead Sea are a wondrous sight. It is interesting to note that Jordan's history precedes Christ era and has many points of interest related to Moses or Musa, as he is called in Jordan. The Romans did not leave this part of the world alone. A lot of Roman ruins shows how popular this country was during the Roman times. Still being ruled by a King and a Prime Minister appointed by the King, this is a peaceful country in the Middle East. 

Amman

Capital and probably the only city in Jordan is located 900 feet above sea level amidst 7 hills. It is a bustling city catering to both locals and tourists alike. It is quite densely populated and the traffic is pretty unruly. The traffic system reminded me of Chennai's traffic. There are people walking across busy roads expecting the oncoming traffic to slow down or stop. When there is a red light, you have to dart across to the other side quickly before the other side's traffic starts moving. There are lots of people on the side walks. "Are you from India?" queries followed by a "Namaste", inquisitive about your religion and pestering you to buy from their wares were interesting interactions. People were generally very friendly and loved to chat with you. If you are not hard-pressed for time, you can spend a couple of days in Amman enjoying the warmth of the people and super-cheap but tasty food from restaurants like Hashem. This is good as a base for exploring some Roman and early Islamic ruins to the north, east and west of Amman. The Dead Sea is also not far away and many prefer to travel to Dead Sea as a day trip, buy a day pass from one of the resorts for about 40JD per person that includes access to the beach, pools, shower and changing rooms and may also include a buffet lunch. Works better if you are traveling alone. To the north is Jerash, a popular Roman ruin; to the east are some desert castles (Qasr Umm) that have some early Islamic art of people which is a rarity in Islam since none of God's creation can be recreated by humans in art form.



 
To the West is the Dead Sea, Madaba - a church that has a map of the area in mosaics, Mount Nebo, a mount from which Prophet Moses is supposed to have seen the Promised Land before he died and Bethany - the baptism site of Jesus which is right beside the Palestinian border. We chose the west tour for our one day in Amman.

One attraction that I was very impressed with in Amman was it's Children's Museum. For 3JD per person, it is an interesting museum for children aged from about 3 to 15. Other than the usual farm animals, human body and supermarket exploring experiences, it had a real time flight simulator that appealed to even me. There was a media center that let children create their own news presentation, a rock climbing wall and numerous other exhibits that kept my children thoroughly entertained for over 2 hours. There were more but we could not explore due to time limitations.

Petra

It is a totally different and enriching experience. About 3 hours away from Amman, amidst sandstone mountains lies Petra, a rocky city. The rocks look like hardened lava from far, but once near, they are beautifully colored and textured. Petra was built by the Nabateans between 3rd century BC and 1st Century AD and is a city of tombs. The most photographed structure, the treasury (Al-Khazneh) was the tomb of the king and was supposed to have contained treasure which I believe was never found. The Nabateans slowly lost their identity with the invasion of Romans in the 1st century AD and even their building style changed due to the Roman impact (the amphitheater inside Petra). Petra was lost to the modern world until the 19th century. 

The visitor center sells tickets for 50JD for a single day entry and 55JD for 2 day entry. We chose the 2 day entry and made a quick visit to the treasury the first evening a little before sunset. The visitor center is open 6 am to 6 pm. The walk from the visitor center to the entrance to the Siq (a long narrow canyon) is about 1.5 kms. The terrain isn't too rough but is inclined. There are horses that are supposed to be included in the price of your ticket to take you to the entrance of the Siq but the horsemen expect a 3-5JD tip per horse for covering this 1.5 kms. There are also carriages that take you to the Treasury (Al Khazneh) for 20JDs one way and you can bargain with them for return and arrange a pick up time.  

The Siq is a 1.2 km long narrow twisty canyon that was formed when a mountain was split due to the tectonic plate shifts many thousands of years ago. At places the left and right sides of the canyon can be fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. At places it is very narrow that would allow only a horse to pass through and at other palces it broadens to resemble a little courtyard. The rock surfaces on either side range from yellow, brown to pink and have beautiful textures on them. Some rocks resemble animals, alien faces and one, even a human nose. There are some eroded carvings along the walls. There are fig trees growing at some points which is supposed to indicate prosperity. There have been flash floods in this Siq which are now supposed to be under control. The terrain is mostly smooth to walk but deeply inclined at the start and at some parts in the middle. The light fades quickly in the Siq during the evening as the canyon walls are high enough to block out the last rays of sunlight.

At the end of the Siq is the Al-Khazneh, the most photographed structure in Petra. The sight of the structure as you emerge from the long canyon is breath-taking. There are bullet holes on the top which was due to some tribe hoping for the treasure to drop from the top of the structure. The best time to photograph this would be afternoon once the Sun moves to the other side since the harsh sunlight washes away the beauty of the pink sandstone. There are camels and donkeys (proudly announced as taxis by their owners) available for hire to take you through the lost city and as far as the monastery. Prices vary and needs to be haggled and terms discussed without fail before hire. Donkeys can take you up steps and steep trails while camels can only take you along the main trail until the Museum. 

There is a huge crowd in front of the Al-Khazneh making it difficult to photograph. We were lucky to see and photograph an almost empty Al Khazneh the previous evening just before sunset. A short 5 minute ride on a camel costs 3JD if you just want to experience it. To the right of the Al-Khazneh the Siq broadens out considerably. This is called the inner siq and the terrain here is quite rugged. The amount of tourists, the Bedouins and the animals make it difficult to navigate here. The terrain isn't as friendly as the outer siq. Added to this is the constant pestering from the donkey men to hire a donkey for your visit. There seems to be more donkeys than people. Donkeys are owned by the Bedouins who live deep within Petra. Stray and unkempt dogs follow some donkeys and men. You have to watch where you put your feet as there's waste from 4 different kinds of animals on the ground!

From the Al-Khazneh, there are numerous other tombs, an amphitheater and different trails to take you to the top of the cliffs for dramatic views over Petra. There are also cafes, restrooms and souvenir shops as well as ad-hoc stalls set up to sell jewelry and rocks by the Bedouin women. We went as far as the amphitheater only due to heat and time limitations. 

There are group tours arriving only by noon hence making it more crowded and noisy. At the end we preferred the evening visit to the morning visit due to the crowd, heat and light factors.

King's Way

An ancient route that stretched from North Jordan up until Aqaba was a major trade route between the East and West. This route is dotted with numerous castles, valleys and above all enchanting views. Some of the stops we made along this route between Amman and Petra were the Al-Karak castle, a trader castle, Wadi Mujib, a valley that now has a dam built across the Jordan river, Dana Nature Reserve and Ash-Shubak crusader castle. The entire route is mountainous and with varying elevation levels. The Desert Highway is used to get to Petra faster.

Dead Sea

Currently estimated to be around 400 metres below sea level and shrinking at an alarming rate of 1 metre every year, the lowest point on earth is filled with rich minerals and salts. The northern most resort town of Sewamiyah has all the hotels and resorts located. They are tightly guarded due to the proximity of the Palestinian border. The Dead Sea has a salinity of 30% that does not permit any organisms to survive in these waters. Hence the name. This level of salinity also helps one float effortlessly. The water is rich in a number of minerals in addition to salt and is deemed to have therapeutic properties. However the water is also harsh on eyes, mouth and cut or bruised skin. A luxurious addition to swimming in the Dead Sea is the availability of free mud pack. The mud dug from shores is again rich in minerals and is usually available free of cost to the resort's guests. Few minutes of floating in the Dead Sea and few minutes of soaking up the mud is a ritual that most visitors to the resorts go through. The sand on the beach is soft and smooth. However the sea is pebbly and not kind on the feet. However it did not affect us much as we did not wade in too deep. 

Dead Sea does not have any inlets other than few water channels in Jordan. However with the building of a dam across the Jordan River at Wadi Mujib and very little rains, there is no source of water to the Dead Sea and it is evaporating fast. Efforts to cut a canal from Red Sea to the Dead Sea close to the Israel border has failed miserably due to the political and religious tensions in the area. Across the Dead Sea is Israel and the holy city of Jerusalem that my cell phone sometimes picked up signal from the Jerusalem tower.

Other top attractions in Jordan that we did not visit are Aqaba, a resort on the Red Sea and Wadi Rum, a very popular natural desert reserve near Aqaba that has featured in a few movies. 

Visa

Almost everyone gets visa on arrival for 40JOD. However Indian passport holders have additional checks performed. They need to carry at least USD1000 (some say USD 3000) in cash and hotel reservations. It is easier to get a visa for up to 7 days than 7 days and over. It took us two hours to get the Visa. An alternative would be to apply for visa at the local embassy. However you need to  make a personal appearance (available only in New Delhi) and the cost is higher. With a visa in the passport, it is a breeze on arrival. 

Hotels

In Amman we chose Amman Pasha Hotel, a hotel right in the center of the city. It is a budget accommodation, however, right beside the Roman amphitheater. They had their own travel desk and a cafe/restaurant. We arranged transport for our entire trip through them and we found them mostly reasonable.

In Petra we stayed at the 3-star Petra palace hotel. One of the furthest away from the entrance to Petra, at about 200 meters, it had rooms that could accommodate 4 people which was not so common otherwise. The closest would be Petra Guest House.

In the Dead Sea region, we stayed at Holiday Inn Resort. The cheapest of the resorts and the northern most. However no complaints on the facilities. Very well maintained and truly a resort in all sense. 

Language

Arabic is the language spoken widely. However a lot of them understand and speak a little English. Especially those that deal with tourists can understand basic English and try to converse with you in broken English. Even otherwise they try to get help from others who can speak better. 

Currency

Jordanian Dinar, currently almost at par with the GBP. It is made up of 1000 fils. It is very easy to spot a tourist and tourist are most easily fleeced since they have no idea of the local cost of living or prices. An example would be tourists are sold a bottle of drinking water for 1JD while locals get 4 bottles for the same price. I willingly parted with 1.15JD for 4 bananas while the previous night I had paid 1/2 JD (500 fils) for 8!

Food

Hummus, Lebaneh (thick yogurt), Baba Ganooge as dips for flat bread, Falafels and Tabouleh are vegetarian staples. However, you get bored with them after a while as this is all you get if you are a vegetarian. Fresh lemon and mint juice is so common in all restaurants and helps keep you in good health during travel. Bottled water for drinking is a must. Tap water is quite safe for other purposes.

Souvenirs

Mosaics are very popular to the west of Amman. There are many stores and factories making and selling mosaic art that can be framed and hung on walls. The price of course depends on the craftsmanship. However it also depends on whether it is a store catering strictly to the tourists or a merchant who sells his work for a small mark up! Cosmetics and toiletries made with minerals from Dead Sea are another popular purchase. However the prices match something off stores in the UK or even a little more expensive than my regular LUSH and Body Shop hangouts.  



Sand Art bottles are another cheap but Jordan based souvenir. Colorful sand is filled into glass bottles in a pattern or depicting a scene. They can be customized with names or designs you want. They start from 2JD for a small bottle. I also saw a lot of jewelry being sold. Did not bother to explore as I found similar ones for lower prices on ebay! 

Certain incidents left a bad taste about Jordan at the end of our visit. There is wide spread fleecing of tourists both at the individual and at the government level. Visa fee of 20JD pp was all of a sudden doubled to 40JD on April 1st that took a big hit on our budget. Entry fee of 20JD to Petra was hiked to 50JD pp with a compulsory tip horse ride included. Many of the souvenir establishments treat JD at par with GBP though it is available for 1.10 outside. Chauffeured taxis arranged through your hotel are a good way to explore the country. However getting a knowledgeable English speaking driver depends largely on your luck. We were lucky only the last two days. The first couple of days we had drivers who watched us being fleeced while the last day our driver got us 3 sandwiches and some falafels for 1.5JD at Hashem - it was our dinner!

A week's visit would be nice. I am a little bitter at missing Wadi Rum which is supposed to be of great beauty but sadly this would be our last visit to Jordan considering the expensive airfares and the visa issues.

Keukenhof

I remember watching a show of Toot & Puddle on Nickelodeon sometime back where they go to Amsterdam and one of their friends back home asks them to bring back a picture of tulips. They search high and low but end up not finding a single tulip. In the end they take a picture in front of a picture of a tulip field. Since then I've been wanting to visit Netherlands for seeing fields of tulips. Unfortunately, just like Toot & Puddle, we too were too early for the season and missed the tulip fields but were lucky to see them in the Keukenhof Gardens!

 The Keukenhof gardens are located in the bulb region of Netherlands - about an hour from Amsterdam. This is a garden that is carefully planned, planted and groomed. Right outside the Keukenhof Gardens are the flower fields. If you are lucky to catch them in season (April - May), you're in for a visual treat!

This area of Holland is the flower capital of the world. They are the largest supplier of fresh flowers in the world. There are flower auctions every morning in nearby Aalsmeer and needless to say, the freshest ones are bid for huge amounts.

 

The garden is huge! There are tulips of every imaginable color, each one with their own name, a small petting farm, lake, fountains, cafes and different kinds of flower shows. It would take an entire day.

The Flume Gorge - New Hampshire

The Flume Gorge is located in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire and is a popular spot during the fall. This is part of the Franconia Notch State Park. The Flume is a natural deep gorge between two mountains. There are two walking trails. Of course, we did the easier one. It still had stairs and some steep paths and took us through the gorge and a beautiful water fall.

You can either ride the bus from the visitor center to the base of the trail or walk. If we walk, we get to see a New Hampshire covered bridge over the Pemigewasset river

Other interesting spots in the White mountains are the summit of Mt. Cannon and the Kancagamagus scenic highway. Of course, the best time to visit would be the fall season. The trick to getting the best fall colors is to visit not too early and not too late. Keep checking foliagenetwork.com and visit between high and peak colors, which is usually during the Columbus Day weekend.