Category Archives: Countries & Travel

Bike trip to Marken

Marken is a tiny gorgeous island town, about 30 km from Amsterdam. The last time I visited that place, I along with few friends took public transportation, but didn’t reach the light house as it required walking for few kilometers and not everyone was up for it.

Having recently purchased a road bike, this time I decided to bike to it and back – a total of 60kms – alone.

Before I could reach the Lighthouse in Marken, which is well connected by dedicated cycling paths, I had to bike through lots of small towns, marshes, fields and lots of bridges over canals and the famous dykes of dutch-land.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Fussen

Near the town of Fussen in Bravaria, Germany, in the district of Hohenschwangau, is an extremely beautiful castle called the Neuschwanstein castle, famously known as Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle for Disney is said to have gotten its inspiration from this structure.

The view of the Castle, from a vantage point, that can be reached by a trek into the Alps, is breathtaking. The castle, glimmering in sunshine, with the background landscape surreally draped in snow, just can’t be described in words.

The view of the Hohenschwangau Castle built by the King Ludwig II’s father, is also quite beautiful.

A short hike from the castle, at the foot of the alps, is the quite aptly named lake – Alpsee. Its serenity makes the entire place seem like it was a scene out of a dream.

None of this would have been possible, if I hadn’t ignored many of the warning signs along the route. Infact I made it a point to use them as waypoints to reach spots which usually others wouldn’t.

Spending time alone, peacefully lost, drowned in the most amazing of sights, in the mountains covered in snow, with no people around – was definitely one of the most amazing of experiences.

Speulderbos – Forest of dancing trees

Spuilderbos also known as Speulder- en Sprielderbos or more popularly ‘Forest of dancing trees’, is an enchanting and beautiful forest near the town of Puten in North Holland. Its particularly famous for – its peculiarly shaped trees that appear to be dancing silently; the discovery of artefacts dating few thousand years BC; rich flora and fauna and also for being the biggest forest in the Netherlands.

Sunset

After reaching the station, I realised the train line to Zandvoort beach was closed. Hoping to find my way to some beach, I boarded the next available train and got off at Leiden. A train to Den Haag was arriving on the same platform and decided to take it, to go to the Scheveningen beach.

Clear skies and low winds, made way for one of the most spectacular of sunsets I’ve seen in a very long time. As I had left my camera gear home, I ended up capturing it on my phone.

Nostalgia

Most parts of this town – the roads, canals, buildings and bridges are few centuries old, and Inspite of that, they are all surprisingly intact, enough to be habitable. Walking by those buildings and canals, one can sense the lingering past, a sense of a time long gone by, in every nook and corner. This town is the very definition nostalgia.

No Fuss

I like travelling and getting lost.