End of an era?

Today was graduation day! Iam now officially an alumni of the INSEAD Dec 2006 batch and it felt like it was the end of an era... This year in my life was packed with everything and it was emotions in full swing. Thankfully I made it through the evening with no tears. Had a cosy dinner with R & his cousin in Paris and then headed out to the last hurrah party of the year. (Oh, K decided to skip so that he can spend housr chatting with his fiance on Skype ;-)).

As for travelling, it did not stop this year, saw lot more of Paris, a surprise trip to Barcelona at the end of P2, thanks R! I love you too :-), Berlin, Pisa, Verona and Venice with parents. Oh yeah, not to forget the tip to Pennsylvania as an exchange student at Wharton and all the US trips while I was there. Next off to Madrid to spend christmas and then to Sicily for a great way to begin the New Year!!

Great year, great memories and now ready for making some new memories!

Versaille

The afternoon was graduation at Versailles Palais Le Congress and this morning we decided to spend some more time exploring the chateau as this is R's cousin K's first time here. We stayed at Le Versailles literally few yards from the chateau so as to not waste any time getting to the chateau :-) It was nice to revisit the place again and this time around we also did a tour of the garden in one of those buggies that seem to travel slower than a man with a limp but hey it was still better than walking in the cold.

Will put up some pictures hopefully soon!

Gay Paree!!

Well, the good news is I did like Paris but it took me a day to warm up to the city. But I am not sure why the city receives so much adoration! It is definitely a beautiful city but for whatever reason, I am convinced that there is something better out there... Frankly, I am not that excited about living near Paris next year but hey everyone seems thrilled by the news. I just give them the biggest smile my face can muster & go "Yiiipee!!!". Who knows may be by next year, I would grow to love the place.

Now to the real content... R & I decided to drive to Paris, it was a long 8hr drive and I have to say the drive along Germany was prettier. In our hotel we were greeted by a view of the Eiffel tower glittering at night, quite pretty I should admit.

Partnach Gorge

Falls at Partnach Gorge
Well, Nov 1st was holiday here in Bavaria. While the Bavarians were celebrating All saints day, it was Diwali for me. It was also such a lovely weekend and thanks to the holiday tuesday felt like an extension. It was a little cloudy but still the weather was great to get outdoors. After having a heavy Diwali meal we dedcided it was time to burn all those calories.

Once again the Garmisch area (about 60 miles south of Munich) came to our rescue. This time it was a trip to the Partnach gorge. The drive to Garmisch was so plesant with the fall colors all around us, burnished copper, bright yellows, browns and the sunlight falling just so against the backdrop of the majestic mountains. I was feeling so humbled and in awe at the beauiful setting. Nature never ceases to work its magic on me, when I see the beauty around me, I feel so blessed to have a chance to see and experience everything. I cant help but use superlatives :-P


From the chair lift




Once we reached the Olymic ski stadium, R & I took the chair lift to the top of the Eckabuer peak and then started downhil, a one hour hike to the Partnach gorge. On the way ofcourse R felt obliged to stop and have a Weiss Beer at the Hacker Pschorr brewery along the way :-).

The view on the hike down




As we got closer to gorge the path got a little slippery from the recent rains. Once we reached the gorge, we were walking through tunnels and along a narrow ledge with the Partnach river flowing below and sometimes behind waterfalls.


The river and the entrance to the gorge








If anyone ever visits Bavaria, they should definitely see the gorge. I have also heard (and seen pictures) that this is an absolute delight to visit in winter when the it is supposed to be a "magical place of ice & snow formations". As you might have guessed already, I am thinking of going there again in winter :-)

Zugspitze

The Summit
The villages of Garmisch-Partenkirchen look like a post card that came alive. It is a wonderful alpine resort with views of towering mountains and lakes. Infact, Germany's tallest mountain, the Zugspitze lies right here. It is also a major ski resort and was the location for two of the Winter olympics. Standing 2960m (9720 ft), the view from the top of the peak is a feast to the eyes. You can see the alpine mountains extending into Austria, Switzerland, Italy and ofcourse Germany.

We took the cog wheel train from Garmisch station to Zugspitzplatte, a plateau that offers some stunning views.

The Cog wheel train
After a bit of strolling at Zugspitzplatte we took the cable car to the peak. While we were waiting to take the cable car, we actually saw hikers coming down frm the peak along a path which did not even seem to exist and not too mention way too steep. I have no other explanation for their action, other than they were just plain "verrückt" (that's Crazy in Geraman!).

At Zugspitzplatte

The view of the peak from Zugspitzplatte

Snow in fall, ski slope

Two people hiking down!!

Can you see them now?

After taking in the sprawling views, we decided to dine at the restaurant that is at the highest elevation in all of Germany ;-)

People trying to get to the summit

The sprawling Alpine mountains

From the top

We then descended through the Eibsee cable car all the way to the base.

More mountains

Eibsee lake

At the train station at Eibsee to get to Garmisch

Check this out for more info on Zugspitze.

Königssee at Berchtesgaden

It was decided that R & I were going to go to Berechtsgaden with two of our friends to see the (in)famous Eagle's Nest. It was a gift of Bormann to Hitler for his 50th birthday and is considered an engineering marvel. But unfortunately, they closed down earlier this year due to maintenance. However, we had made up our minds to not waste the beautiful day (who knows how long it would last, November was just around the corner.)



Once we reached Berchtsgaden, we hit the Tourist information center to figure out the plan for the day. It was decided that we were going to hike at Konigsee lake (ofcourse only after filling our stomachs with the much needed fuel ;-). This lake is considered to be the most beautiful in Bavaria (or according to some Germany) and the water is supposed to pure enough to drink (it was cyrstal clear, but I probably wouldn't recommend it). The emerald green water of the lake is surrounded by steep mountain walls especially on the eastern shore.








We were quite adventurous (?!?!?) that day and decided to go along a not so unchartered territory which for me including once walking without my shoes on in ice cold walter one way and with my shoes on, on the way back. I would strongly discourage anyone from trying both methods. Apart from the fact that the water is extremely cold to the point that you may not feel your feet, you wont even know that just hit a rock and broke your nail and are bleeding :-( Well, this was just the beginning of the fun.


The next part involved climbing quite steep mountain sides which was not as daunting as sliding down on your derriere on the way back down. Thanks to our friend, I was holding a long stick for support and R promptlt informed me that I was walking like Dronacharya. Being the optimist that I am, I now look at it as, "well he atleast compared me to a well famed guru of Mahabharatha and not a cripple". But ofcourse, considering that I was wet and numb from having just slipped and fallen into ice cold water by the water falls (thanks largely to the well intentioned actions of R), I was in no mood for this comment.





Inspite of my frequent interludes with ice cold water that day, it turned out to be quite memorable, thanks in large part to the natural beauty of the place. Next time I visit konigsee may be I should try the less exciting method of taking the ship across the lake...

Dachau & Andechs

This past wekend reminded me a lot of our Vienna trip because we started with the concentration camp on saturday and ended with the monastery on sunday.

Dachau Concentration Camp

On the gate : "Arbeit macht frei" - "Work frees"
The charming and idyllic town of Dachau that lies just 10miles north of Munich is a sad reminder of the bygone days of the Nazi era. While a gentle breeze blows and the town has a charming feel to it, there stands KZ Dachau with high walls and electric fencing - so glaringly out of place. Dachau holds the sad distinction of being the first town to ever have concentration camp established by the Nazis. Soon after Hitler's rise to power, Himmler and the SS converted what used to be the remanants of a armaments factory of World war I into a concentration camp. During its notorious history, between 1933 and 1945, more than 206,000 prisoners from 30 countries were imprisoned at Dachau, perhaps a lot more.

The Memorial

The Krematorium






Inspite of having a gas chamber disguised as a shower it was never really used. This however, did not mean that no killings happened here.


The Shower (of death)?

The gas pipes disguised as showers

Numerous other methods had been devised for the purpose. The short movie that is screened is definitely worth the time and opens your eyes to the suffereing of the prisoners. Dont be surprised if you leave the place with a dreary feeling. The treatment metted out to the prisoners goes beyond one's imagination. I cannot believe how one can treat a fellow human being in such a grossly inhumane manner.


The barracks that held prisoners almost 5 times their capacity



The new crematorium - in an effort to keep up with the death rates

The old crematorium

To learn more about the camp visit the official site.

Andechs Monastery

The Andechs Monastery


Andechs, a Benedictine monastery close to the Starnberger see was such a delight after the grim trip to Dachau the previous day. R & I made the trip with a friend of ours and her mother. The monastery is set on the mountain of Heiliger Berg (meaning Holy Mountain). While the pilgrims visit to venerate, the not so devout make the journey for the beers and cheeses produced by the monks. Yes, you read it right, MADE by the MONKS :-). Several monateries in this region seem to have that trend. The monateries had to be self sufficient and the money from the products were used to sustain the place. There is a huge biergarten and a restaurant that sells Andechs beers.


The chapel

Yes, they are beer bottles!!

Once inside the monastery, you can climb all the way to the top of the structure which involves very narrow and steep steps. I should add here that the steps are constructed in a manner that is very discriminating for the vertically and horizontally endowed (for those less refined, I mean tall & stout). The view from the top is quite amazing and one can see both Ammersee and Stanberger see lakes.


The narrow stairs

The view from the top

The Stanberger see

The Ammersee

To learn more about the monastery, visit the official site.