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Traveller's Diary Uncategorized

Iberian Surprise

Ms Dipa Roy, one of our members, shared memories of her visit to Spain and Portugal in October 2018 with Mousumi Gupta.
“We went to Spain and Portugal on a tour package of SOTC India. It was 10-day tour and we reached Madrid on October 16. All the hotel and tour programmes were arranged, including breakfast and dinner. Lunch was not included but after having a heavy breakfast, none of us was too keen on having lunch. Only a light sandwich or fruit was enough,” said Ms Roy, detailing her trip.
“Madrid, a vibrant capital of a diverse country, Spain, offers visitors the chance to stroll along its lakes, enjoy the greenery and check out several must-see places. We enjoyed the exciting history and heritage, which blends seamlessly with most modern and convenient infrastructure. We also visited a few of the 60-plus museums, which are repositories of a huge collection of artwork.”
“The next day, we went to north-western Spain-Salamanca province, a university town. The glowing sandstone buildings makes the city a magical destination in the country and its always full of life and movement, thanks to the students. Here, we caught a glimpse of rich and diversified culture dating back to over 2,000 years in Salamanca’s historic centre,” reminisced Mr Roy.
“We started for Lisbon the following day, the charismatic coastal capital city of Portugal. The city captivates travellers with its relaxing sandy beaches, limestone buildings with glorious weather and cinematic hillsides. The monuments and museum with contemporary design and bronze age metalwork is another attraction for all of us.”
“From Lisbon we went to Seville, capital of southern Spain. The intoxicating Gothic cathedral goes hand in hand with the modern theme parks. During 17th century the ports of Seville had the monopoly of foreign trade by sea. Granada, another spectacular city at the foot of Seirra Neveda in Southern Spain was our nest destination,” she said.
On her gastronomical adventures, Ms Roy said: “With tranquil Islamic architecture, bohemian cafes, clubs, traditional food make the city an amazing tourist destination. I got a chance to taste some local delicacies here.” “The next day we went to Valencia, a Mediterranean city in the eastern coast of Spain. I liked the city because of its wonderfully liveable with thriving cultural, superb spot for eating out and of course the manicured gardens and parks.”
“Our last and most-awaited stopover was Barcelona-the city I personally liked the most. Barcelona is a major travel destination specially because of its vibrant life and the locals say that the city never sleeps. The diversity of the city pleases the tourists every time they visit and witness the dynamic culture and heritage of it.”
“We came back to Kolkata on the 25th with some indelible memories to cherish throughout our life,” said Ms Roy.
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Traveller's Diary

Going gaga over Gujarat

Our member, Mr Dipak Kumar Dasgupta, shares his incredible tour experience of Gujarat with Mousumi Gupta.
Gujarat, India’s longest sea-shore state, is well-known for its varied terrain—sacred places, forests, hills and deserts—which has made this state a sought-after destination for tourists from across the country and abroad.
We visited Gujarat a few years ago, but the memories are still afresh. The places we liked the most were Somnath temple Prabhas Pathan, Bet or Beyt Dwarka, Gandhinagar and Gir forest.
Shree Somnath Jyotirling temple or popularly known as Somnath temple, adored by most tourists, specially attracted us because of the intricate and flawless carvings of the skilled artisans of Gujarat. It is famous for one of the 12 lit jyotirlingas – a symbol of Lord Shiva. The guide described how it had been destroyed and rebuilt countless times in the past years.
Millions of devotees come from different parts of the world to seek the Lord’s blessings. The Brahma Kund of Prabhas Pathan, which is spoken in Puranic literature with great reverence, is also known as Triveni Teerth, is another place worth visiting.
Bet Dwarka, a small island located off the coast on the Gulf of Kutch, always stirs curiosity among the tourists, for its mythical claim of being the actual residence of Lord Krishna, as well as the archaeologists because a major part of the island which drowned in the sea owing to continual coastal erosion.
The interesting part is that it is a 15-minute scenic ferry ride from Okha, which is quite comfortable even for elders. The place is also known as Shankhodhar because of its dotted and huge variety of conch shells.
Gandhinagar, the administrative capital of Gujarat, houses many spectacular sightseeing places of which we liked the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple, a grand architectural masterwork and a humble tribute to the sages of Hindu mythology.
The sanctorum embraces a 7-foot tall image of Lord Swaminarayan. It is a paradigm of silence and peace where people are engaged in selfless service to the Lord.
Sabarmati Ashram, on the suburbs of Ahmedabad, is also an interesting place to visit, as it was the residence of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. It has now been transformed into a museum with all the belongings of Gandhiji and the charkha he used in those days.
Gir forest, the royal kingdom for Asiatic lions, is another must-visit place in Gujarat for its wide variety of wildlife and also flora and fauna. This is a fully protected national park, where tourists can watch the wild animals free from captivity and in their natural habitat.
The lip-smacking dishes, the aesthetic art and craft, Gujarat has steeped in a certain charm and history and for us it was a well justified holiday trip.