Some pictures I took last sunday from my visit to a park.
Category: Travel
Latest Travel Diary-Tipaza (Algeria)
During the family time for Eid last week, we managed to steal some time to satisfy our travel buds. The latest travel destination was Tipaza a town mostly known for Ancient Roman Remains 70 kms west of the Capital Algiers. It is also an Archaeological site under UNESCO world Heritage and one of very few remains of Roman and Punic Civilization dated back to 6th Century BC. The historic limestones against the Mediterranean Sea bearing the witness to once thriving port City then called Tipasa .
There were signs and display board citing different buildings once standing there and now just the ruins . One of them was a Temple , where one could see an elevated floor with few stones erected . The amphitheatre was much in shape, you can see the rooms from where the gladiators and animals must be coming out .The floors and wall markings showed the living rooms and housing once upon a time. The underground drainage system was one of astonishing things where the big drains were ending into the sea.
You can read more about it here.
Travel Diaries #Algiers
Recently I have been to this beautiful City of Algiers (Algeria), so a travel blog about the city is a sure thing .You will see more of such travel posts from my summer break so wait for them . Algeria is a Nordic African Country ,infact the biggest country in African Continent by area. Algiers is its capital city.Being on coastline (west of Bay of Mediterranean Sea ) it has typical mediterranean climate.The city can be said to be built upon rocks as it is on altitude 400 ms above sea level.
The first place I have been to was this Jardin d’essai (gardens of tests ) ,it has beautiful green trees aged more than 100 years .The place has park, zoo, some ponds, and aninstitute for ecological studies.
The other place I visited was old town or downtown as it downhill alongside the coast. It has old french style architecture.The downtown is busy area with old white buildings , cafeterias, and shops.
The next thing exciting was the port and beautiful view of city during the day and night.
Algeria has a rich history starting from Ottoman Empire to French rule and its struggle of Independence from French which ended on July 5 1962, so you can say it is still a new Republic .Below is picture of Maqaam -E -Shaheed which is a museum of History of Algerian Independence and an iconic symbol of tribute to its martyrs .
and last and the most important, it has nice clean beaches with fewer people and some good halal food and lot of green mint tea and you can swim there with your burkinis or bikinis ( though not likely to find many ) as you like.
and yes since I was home with my in laws , I ate local home cooked meals that you don’t find in restaurants for example below is called Shakshoukha. It is steamed fine pasta poured over with red sauce cooked in chicken topped with chickpeas,veggies and eggs in short yummy 😀
Some Algerian cakes that you have with your tea or coffee.They were close to some Indian baked biscuits called Naan Khatai ( if any of you know ) .
So that was from my pictures, Hope you liked the city tour with me 🙂 More pictures of more places on my next visit .
Postcard from Warsaw
Sending you all a postcard from Warsaw.
(Wilanow Castle Warsaw Poland )
It is a come back post
Hi Everyone,
I am back from my much awaited vacations in India, which got over too soon. I am still having a hangover effect from the holidays, still not back in my routine.I missed you all and reading your blogs. My head right now is an overstuffed bag , full of stories and anecdotes struggling to come out, which one first ! ( Last in First out or First in First out ) ! I am planning to share them in small posts in coming days .
I actually took a break from technology and all devices, didnt use internet , phone or TV for two complete weeks which actually helped my brain to calm down from unnecessary information I was exposing myself to and getting worried for reasons least important to me, having anxiety and then feeling tired and sad. That didnt mean I had no stress at all, I had some stress during my brother’s wedding lots of work for lone sister running upside down in heels and gharara (traditional attire) for few days , which I compensated well with some travelling done with my husband, it was his first time in India . So after spending few decades on earth I finally managed to see Taj Mahal in real , Thanks to the never giving up , incessant wishing of my husband to see Taj Mahal , it was worth every wishing .
I feel much relaxed after meeting my family , hugging my mother tight and annoying her until she starts yelling .Noticing the changes in her face , few more wrinkles now , newfound behavioral changes in my father, he actually started speaking more ( you can read it as too much) and repeating everything he says as if trying to remember things like a small child, he has started sleeping like a cat in every corner of the house for his small nap and don’t you dare tell him that he actually slept while we were talking !
I met my cousins and we had our overnight talks which ended up until 8 am in morning. Kids grown up fast entering their teenage , babies grown up , now losing their front teeth , some new additions in family crying all night and not letting their parents sleep . My grandparents overjoyed to see us and not letting us go .
I think it is already long briefing of my vacations, I keep the rest for other posts as well, Hope you had good time as well while I was away 🙂
Sunset
Sunsets always make me nostalgic and pensive as I look at the magnificent sky and its mesmerising colours. I haven’t written a poem for almost 5 years now, I was never a regular writer but every now and then I would pick a pen and paper and write a poem since my childhood. Later when I grew up and read them, they seemed so childish and foolish. There were some nice poems too of my teenage years and early twenties but one thing was common, they were all sad. Reading them was revisiting my past and return of pain as well. Slowly I stopped reading my poems later any poem and eventually gave up writing too. Since then five years have already passed.
Last year I created my blog without having any slightest intention of coming back to poetry; it was to express my thoughts on so many social issues and stereotypes. I started following so many of you who write exceptionally good poetry. Reading their work has reignited the old dead flames. The words started talking to me and my hands were seeking paper and pen. I kept resisting but you see here I am 🙂
My first one after the long break,
I watched the shades on canvas
As the painter paints His sky.
Here goes the giant brush
To paint all blue,
Then a wave of red
With some yellow strokes
and voila,
It looks redder today!
Soon the black curtain
of night is pulled over
And the magic ends.
Only to wait for next painting
Until the next sunset.
Some pictures of Brussels
The city is all lit up and it looks beautiful. Some pictures I clicked over last week.
Barcelona Memories :My Night Walks
Barcelona is one of the most amazing cities I have been to, I fell in love with the city just after seeing the pictures so much that I decided to do my Masters from Spain. LOL but true! I am still very much in love with the city and I think will always be, but now I have many reasons , I have met my husband there, some great friends and own now some lovely memories.
There are memories associated with all corners of city especially the streets walked daily, cafeteria near our school and those restaurants where we ate like crazy after our continuous lectures from 9am -2 pm !
I have a bag full of memories so to put them all in one post is not possible 😦 as I am looking to my old pictures now , but that could be another reason to post something again 😀
I love to walk especially at night when most of the city sleeps except few night owls , the silence of city and sound of water along the port always made me nostalgic. My walk was always the same streets from home to port and back , as if sea beckons me everyday ,whispers to me through all those splashing waves ,I always feel that sea side connection so strong.It was my daily destressing therapy , looking at the water, thinking about life and musing then until we meet again tomorrow or day after!
Some of my favorite pictures from my Barcelona Memories Bag :
My Love for Bruges
Recently I have been to this beautiful city of Bruges ,which is in Belgium and I wanted to share with you all my experiences with the lovely city ,so here I am .
It was not the first time I have been to Bruges but I like it more ,each time I am there, and there are many reasons for it,
It is an old small town of Europe which reminds me of medieval era, with lot of small cobbled streets, canals and those medieval style buildings. I want to be lost in all of those streets and find my way again to another beautiful street with those lovely small houses and shops.The boat ride in canals is amazing , they take you to an entire tour of the city through canals and tell you about their history on the way .The city center is a good mix of old and new, you will find all brands for shopping in those antique style old shops, Also there are nice traditional cafe and you will also find McDonald ,Quick etc . There are many beautiful restaurants alongside canals where you can sit and watch the boats in water coming and going . Apart from it, there are old churches,Belfries ,clock tower and museums( for those who like to visit them, ) I am more interested in seeing old architecture and scenic beauty . There are some old wind mills outside the city , I loved walking up hill to see them more closely .The picture on top is of the passage on the side of the lake , you will not want to come back from here , it happened to me and my husband , none of us wanted to come back home!
I have added some pictures from my recent visit , hope you like them .The whole experience is a fairy tale one ! .
