Before the Madness

It’s been a crazy couple of months for me, which explains why I’ve gone AWOL since August. Changes. So many changes. Lately, it felt like I could barely keep up with life. I didn’t even have time to think about traveling. I’ve been that busy. I needed a break from pretty much everything. So to escape all the madness and slow things down, I grabbed my trusty camera and went out early on a Sunday morning. With only the shrouded light of dawn and the echoing sound of my footsteps on the cobbled roads to accompany me, I walked the empty streets of Vienna.

Utter stillness. I cannot begin to describe how wonderful it felt. To be able to photograph again. To walk slowly without having to check if I’m not running late for anything. To just let my mind wander without mentally going through ten items on my to-do-list. To just live and be. Suddenly, my world was round again. 

As night fully gave way to the light of day and the world slowly awakened, I stowed away my camera with a smile on my face. Sometimes, just a few quiet moments before the maddening rush of day is all the sanity I need.

Thanks for dropping by!

Snippets & Musings III

My iPhone gallery is a memory lane. It is a collection of passing moments and fading sensations that are captured frame by frame. Whenever I have a hard day, I simply browse through my gallery to remember that life isn’t always as hard as it sometimes may seem. Life doesn’t just give us rainy days. Life can give you an endless field of wild Alaskan lupins. It can lead you through a mountain path shrouded in fog. Life can take you up to mountain glaciers or let you rest at the edge of a waterfall. No, it’s not just rainy days. We do get our share of blue skies and calm waters. All we need to do is remember. 

A lovely week to you all!

Lavender Fields On My Mind

The temperatures have been finally reaching the 30°C mark and to me that means summer has arrived in full swing. Though I enjoy traveling during winter, nothing gets me to wanderlust more than summer's early golden sunrises and balmy evenings. Presently, I am dreaming of the lavender fields in Provence. I’m itching to go back to France and spend a good whole week or two in the magical countryside. I have this picture in my mind of me cycling down a country lane that's lined on both sides with an endless sea of lavender, with the wind whipping my hair, the scent of summer heavy in the air, and perhaps a quaint old French village sprawled in the distance. Oh, be still my heart! I’m falling in love with a dream! Sigh. I cannot help it...I’ve got lavender fields on my mind. 

Happy travels dear reader!

The Perfect Whim

Verona was a whim. I had a few days free the following month and my restless soul wanted to wander. Without second thoughts I went to the train station, grabbed a copy of the timetable of departing trains, and randomly picked a destination. Except for Juliet’s Balcony, I had no idea what Verona had to offer, but I figured that with Italy I simply cannot go wrong. I love planning and organizing trips but for Verona I did not do any research at all, which was somewhat unnerving for the plan-freak in me. Yet, spontaneity was the word for the day.

After a comfortable train ride, which offered magnificent views of the countryside, I arrived in Verona with absolutely no expectations. Having no clue as to what was hidden in the city, I embarked upon the quest of discovering it. That’s the beauty of going somewhere unknown. I got to discover places instead of spending the whole day looking for them. I got to see something for the first time in actuality as opposed to seeing them for the first time on my computer screen. It heightened the sense of wonder. Every moment and every place became an experience instead of a checklist I needed to tick off.

I wandered the winding streets, spent the early morning hours reading at a quiet piazza, marveled at the painted facades, and savored my pasta while listening to beautiful Italian music in the background. Verona was an understated beauty; a wonderful place to just relax and be. It was a perfect place to soak in the Italian culture and marvel at it’s history without throngs of tourists pushing their way through the streets. It was a place for gelatos, italian cypress trees, and arched bridges. It was a place to get lost in. Now only if all whims led to such perfection, I’d be the most recklessly carefree person in the world.

Thank you for reading!

Liberty! Oh, Sweet Liberty!

Don’t you just love springtime? It’s that reawakening that just feels like the first ray of sunshine after a week of rain. With springtime also comes a sense of lightness, of hope, and of freedom. So fittingly, I went to Liberty Island during my last NYC trip to enjoy the beauty of spring at a place that represents hope, freedom, and new beginnings.

There were hundreds of tourists that day. People jostling one another as they made their tour around the island, guides shepherding their group and trying to make themselves heard over the din, and a ceaseless babble of talk joined by the crying seagulls made the small island like a mini New York — madness and all. But there was more than just that. 

Many were those who lay upon the grass to just admire outreaching tree branches frame the sky. People sat and talked beneath the pale pink blossoms. And surely, there must have been a few errant tourists who drowned out the voice of their guides to just admire the wonder of the place. Freedom was more tangible than ever. For beyond its history and beyond the richness of spring, sweet liberty was felt.

Thank you for reading!

Park Hyatt Vienna

A few weeks back, I had the chance to photograph at Park Hyatt Vienna. Now, the acclaimed name itself demands excellence and I am happy to say that it delivers nothing but excellence. On two occasions I sat at the foyer and got to observe the staff; they were not only efficient and helpful, but friendly as well. And let’s not forget the hotel itself. I mean, come on! The place looks incredible! Just stepping into the hotel is a whole experience of its own. But enough about me raving, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, but even my photographs are mere shadows of what this beautiful hotel truly is. You have to stay here and experience it for yourself.