Medicis' Florence - Gates to Heaven

So, we watched this dramatic thriller series - 'Medici : Masters of Florence' on Netflix. At the time, we were impressed by this period drama, done tastefully and artfully. Little did we know, that in few months we would be in the lands of Medici.

We planned this trip, and we were thinking of Italy as very strong contender, in the list of countries. With the charm of Rome and mysticism of Pompeii and romantic background of Venice, we finalised Italy. And then suddenly.... Oh... Oh oh... We realized Florence is on the cards too.

We went to Florence, (and even to Doge's palace in Venice) reminding ourselves of enticing and bloody and long legacy of Medici. It changed our perspectives, and we looked at Florence in a different light. How different? For one, we could actually visualize the Duomo as blood and sweat of generations of workers who survived plague, wicked politicians, and the troubling complexities of then evolving religion. Secondly, we did appreciate the overwhelming expanse of the architecture with more relatable historic events - all thanks to Netflix series on Medici.

Other interesting thing which happened during Florence stay was, we met Jacob. Jacob is an American student studying in Florence, who did a free guided tour for us of Duomo, and gave us excellent suggestions about how to best manage our time in this beautiful looking city. (We being slightly shy camera people, couldn't/didn't ask Jacob for a selfie. In retrospect, not getting a photo together was not the smartest thing to do. We loved your enthusiasm, Jacob.)

Florence has a lot to offer. We already have plans to visit the city again. It is an overwhelming experience. 

So here are our ten recommendations while planning a trip to Florence -

1. Watch Netflix series before or during your trip.

2. Firenze plus card works extremely well if you are going to spend 2 and half days or more. 
http://www.firenzecard.it/?lang=en

3. Do all climbing tours - dome of the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, bell tower, and many more perhaps.

4. Have a really good pair of walking shoes and Be ready for a lot of walking.

5. DO NOT MISS Bargello. On occasions, Museum closes at 1.00 pm, plan accordingly.

5. Rick Steve's audio guide for Bargello is a must. Especially his commentary on 3 Davids and great original works of Michelangelo and Donatello.
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/florence

6. If you are an art nerd, one day for Uffizi is an underestimation.

7. In a stay, over two nights, it is possible to walk almost the whole town. Do it, if possible.

8. Real David is not outdoors, visit Galleria dell'Accademia. (Especially for Indian tourists, who go with tour packages).

9. There are a few good bookshops around. The one called, paperback exchange, is an interesting place to visit. Used books in very good condition, are bought and sold. You can get popular, classic title for and under €1.

10. A lot is interesting and popular (not necessarily good ;)) movies are set in Florence. e.g. A room with a view, inferno, and so on. Watching them gives a very special feeling. For movie buffs, it might add some more fun to this already rewarding city.

Libreria Acqua Alta - Venice

A very kind owner, son of Luigi Frizzo, made our visit to acqua Alta bookshop, a sweet memory. He told fascinating things about how his father would manage the shop during rising water - 'acqua alta', the fun and rationale of shelving books in boats, gondolas, bath tubs and so on. Visiting this bookshop was pretty high on my bucket list, and boy!! Was I happy?

After roaming around for a complete day, tired, we came back to our hostel. Our hostel (hostel generator) was situated on an separate island. It was slightly late in the evening, almost dusk. It was drizzling, making it cold and windy. But we buckled up. I couldn't bear the thought of not going to this bookshop after having come here crossing thousands of miles. After a small boat ride across, we started asking for directions. I had Google map directions. But as they say, getting lost in the narrow alleys of Venice is an experience in itself. After going around winding lanes for around 20 minutes from St Mark's square, I could sense, we are near. A local told us, maybe it isn't open today. My heart broke a little. We paced faster, as the shop welcomed us to this -

The whole drama of getting lost, thinking we might not make it, the kindness of owner, exotic nature of the shop, chilly air, the book staircase was so overwhelming - it brought tears. We spent quite a lot time here. Met an interesting southerner, David, from Salerno, Italy. Had nice chat. Pumped enough book smell into lungs.

We lingered, and lingered. It was almost time to close the shop. After I was done with the smelling, hugging, reading, skimming, and finally  shopping, the owner gifted us this poster (the very first image). On one side, it's a collage of shop's icons, while on the other it's Luigi Frizzo, kissing Marilyn Monroe. The poster now adorns the wall in our home, reminding us of the great kindness of the owner and wonderfulness of the shop itself.

Nice, France

The beautiful town at the south coast of France is a must - go. Known as gateway to Italy, this town has a lot to offer. We were there in mid -March 2017. Seasons were changing. People were still walking around in necessary winter clothing, however, days were bright and sunny. With cool and sometimes colder breeze, we found the weather perfect for outings.

The whole town can be mapped with the reference of tram that runs in an 'L' shape across the town. Right from the rail station, the tram goes through the old city, all the way near to the port. If you keep this in mind, it is difficult to get lost. There are local buses too. But it is perhaps, best to explore town on foot. With right weather, you won't feel very tired even after walking for 30 - 45 min.

The main attraction of the town is the  sea side walk. The place feels very lively and charming with people cycling, jogging, roller skating all the time on the promenade. It's very easy to rent a cycle or roller skates. You can rent them right on the promenade as well. We spent almost a day just walking around, relaxing on the chairs on the promenade. The blue of the sea is calming and soothing. Along the sea side, on the eastern side comes the fort of the Nice. There​ are free elevators to take you to the second floor, where the elevator opens to the breathtaking panoramic view of the sea. There's a well maintained Garden, a couple of small and quaint coffee shops up there. There are many locations all around the perimeter, which offer you mesmerising views.

The buildings in old town, along the coast line, are grand and add further to the beauty. The archways take you to the markets of the old city. Every Wednesday, the market hosts a small art exhibition and sale. These are the local artists themselves at stalls displaying their work. It's an experience in itself. Market is also famous for flower market, which has exquisite variety of flowers. We took a nice, long stroll here. The market lane is lined with bistros​ and cafés. There's a fresh and invigorating mixture of aromas in the atmosphere, of coffee and flowers and lavenders. Small lanes surrounding the market are filled with bakeries, pastry shops, souvenir shops and so on. Along the tram line you can find big, branded stores, if that's your calling.

We feel that Nice can be a destination for every kind of traveler. If you find yourself an accommodation that suits you, the town isn't much expensive. In fact, in a cozy little chair, with a cup of coffee, along the bright blue coast, one doesn't feel many needs.

Dunes of dismay

On the occasion of our 7 th anniversary, we chose Rajasthan. A trip pending for long, had to be planned. I would post a longer, separate piece about travel information and what not to miss, but this is not that.

Jaisalmer - golden city. We had two different kinds of stays here. One in the middle of desert, in the tents, and the other at a hotel. Upon entering Jaisalmer,We proceeded directly to the desert stay, crossing the city, traveling another hour towards Pakistan boundary. Sand everywhere, small settlements ('dhani'), many checkposts, an experience to have. We soon reached our tents. In the middle of sea of sand.

At the tents, we were welcomed and were told that soon we can go for our camel ride and see the sunset from dunes. We kept luggage in the tent and proceeded for the ride. We both were to go on the same camel. There was a young man, in his early 20s, who helped us. An anxious and fumbled, yet a successful attempt, and we were aboard. And within a minute we were taken by surprise. The person at the helm (noose?) was a young boy, not more than 10. 

There was a crowd of emotions and thoughts in my mind. He is so young, can he really do it?, Why does he have to do it? Such a bright boy... What's the deal? It was also the same time, when the ride was going uphill. Both of us held each other tight, telling each other soon it will be over and we can be on land. To get out of chaos in my mind, I started a conversation with the boy. Ali lived in nearby village, 10 km further towards the boundary. We gathered that we have no reason to fear, he is an expert at what he does.

Finally we reached dunes, not more than 3 km away from tents. As soon as, we reached there, we were joined by Salim, another 10 or so, young and bright boy. He helped us get down. He came with a cement gunny bag turned into a cold storage with few ice slabs in it. He was eager to sell cold drink. He insisted that we buy a 10 rupee bottle for 40 rupees. He insists that we buy, because this is off season, we must. After exchanging a glance at each other, we did buy. All 4 of us sat down. We took turns in asking and answering questions. It went something like this -

Sushruth - स्कूल जाते हो आप? Do you go to school?

Salim - नही सर, स्कूल तो चलती ही नही यहां . No sir, school doesn't run at all.

Sushruth - पसंद है आप को स्कूल ? अगर शुरु हो जाए, तो जाना चाहोगे ? do you like school? If it runs, will you go?

Salim - हाँ, क्यू नही? हमे तो स्कूल जाना अच्छा लगता है | कभी कोई मास्टर आ जाते है, फिर चले जाते है. वैसे तो  स्कूल बंद ही है कब का। हम ने तिसरी कक्षा तक पढाई  की है?why not sir? I like it in school. But teacher is not available at all. Someone comes, sometimes, but it is mostly shut. I've studied till 3rd. But after that school never opened.

I - उमर क्या है आपकी? what is your age?

Salim -  दस साल होगी। 10, maybe

I- और आपकी? and yours?

Ali - 10

Salim - मेरा बडा भाई यहा जैसलमेर मे  स्कूल पढता है। उसे हर महिना 2000 रुपये भेजना है। उसका होस्टल है। छटी कक्षा मे है। have a brother, who studies in Jaisalmer. We need to send 2000 rupees to him every month. He's in school with hostel. He studies in 6 th.

I (to both) - आपके पिताजी क्या काम करते है?what about your father?

Both of them - कुछ नही, छोटा बडा कुछ कर लेते है।nothing much, works here and there.

Sushruth - भाई  बहन? how many siblings do you have?

Salim - 4

Ali - 3

Salim - आप लोग कहाँ से आए हो?where are you people from?

Sushruth - Pune

The conversation went on, and we found out that, all their siblings, uncles have similar means of livelihood. August - September being the 'off - season' for Rajasthan, they were finding themselves financially compromised with each passing day. We learnt that Ali gets 1000 rupees a month and has to look after the camel from that amount itself. Thus, his livelihood depends mainly on 'tips' from the tourists. The whole 90 - 100 minutes on those dunes felt like forever. The clash of the snail pace of the life in the desert and torrent of thoughts made us question everything around our own reality.

When will education reach them? Who are we to decide what education should they get? But, isn't it their right that they be part of the mainstream education? Who will Salim and Ali be in another 10 - 15 years? What is my responsibility? What are 10 year olds all over the country, in both urban as well as rural parts doing at this very moment? 

This made us realize that dominant ideas of childhood, changing needs and requirement of rural children in modern techno - economic society and so many other aspects of childhood in general need to be studied, with all its limits and scope. (Also, was reminded of an article by Krishna Kumar - Studying childhood in India). 

The struggle for sustenance has made Ali wise beyond his years.I have captured their faces on camera. However, neither do I have courage to display their innocence here nor it is just about Ali or Salim. There are many of them. This photograph captured Ali, Salim, and some of their friends. The photograph is out of focus and blurred, a little like their lives, I felt.

Varkala (Kerala, India) - Mesmerizing Beauty

We went there at the end of August in 2011. It was just a destination on our elaborate Kerala trip. But it was so worth it. In fact, I would recommend this as a solo weekend destination. One can rent a car from Trivandrum (airport/railway station/bus stand), and within 2 hours, you will reach varkala. As we gathered, there are many foreign tourists who stay/relax in here. We came across a few ourselves. The overall town and even the area around promenade near cliff was laid back. 

August is marked by heavy rains in Kerala. We didn't mind it at all. We were lucky to have some sunshine hours. It was our first experience to see the sea from a cliff. And it was breathtaking. We stayed just next to Helipad, at the beginning of promenade, in a homestay called La exotica homestay. 

Varkala Promenade

The property is just at the cliff, across helipad. You should look for the property which is at the north end of the cliff. We found rates on a little higher side for the stay, but we anyway took it for the view. The service at the homestay was excellent.

The whole town, homestay, promenade, temple (Janardhan), town walk, everything seemed a bit deserted. But we liked it better. 

The only downside was, we struggled to get good vegetarian food, but managed with good old idlis anyhow. 

I recommend all types of travelers to give it a chance and you wouldn't be disappointed.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Varkala