Landing and taking off at the Changi Airport, on the mid-night flights does not do any justice to the Airport that is supposedly one of the best in the world. I realised the excitement that Changi Airport offers from a travel magazine. And after having read that, I decided to actually spend some dedicated time the next time I land there, just to ch …

Dublin, is a small city and hence very doable in a day. To me, it was a nice simple city having a cold weather with plenty of very warm people to compensate for that. Never in my life, have so many people addressed me as ‘my love’ in a very distinct accent. I felt like staying there forever. We were there on a day that locals kept saying such lovely …

Paris and the Eiffel tower are like two sides of the same coin. The iconic tower has volumes already devoted to it that you will have more than enough to read about. Let me tell you about the two other places that pulled my attention. The Galleries Lafayette Haussamann is one of the most famous shopping landmarks in the world not just due to the Cou …

(This was written by two of my Potterhead daughters who took the Potter trail independently while the non-Potterhead mum and youngest (non-literate Potterhead yet) daughter stayed back and prayed that the girls would magically appear should they lose their way back to the hotel. Don’t attempt this without a GPS or mobile on the children. The photos …

My experience of Kolkata is really a one-day affair and perhaps a rushed trip all over the city. Hiring a tourist taxi for the entire day is perfect to cover most of the iconic sights. One of those must-see sights was the Howrah Bridge over River Hooghly that was looking all polished up and shiny from a distance. I thought the driver had fooled me …

Aquaint little town with strong French influence, makes one feel temporary in Europe. Synonymous with Pondicherry is the self-contained town of Auroville, the commune. I had taken a bus ride in my 20s from Chennai to Pondicherry on the scenic East Coast Road. Hiring a car from Chennai, we kept looking out for the sea coast but not even a glimpse of …

Brussels,the capital of Belgium, is like any other European city, but much smaller and compact in size. From the Brussels Centrale station the trip to Waterloo Memorial 1815 is just 30 minutes away. However, we took the train to Gare de Hennuyeres which is in the town of Braine-le-Comte, and then a car ride to Waterloo as we were being taken around …

The Pope’s address is accompanied with his blessings on the person and also any religious items  have carried along (please do consider buying rosaries at home itself as a simple rosary costs at least one euro from the street stalls there). There are massive crowds everywhere on the day of the Papal audience so hold on to your kids tight while movi …

Dohawas really a pleasant surprise with all its planned development and infrastructure that seemed to be done in a way that will benefit the quality of life for its residents. It is one of the best places to visit in the Gulf region. There are plenty of touristic places mushrooming to showcase its culture as well as natural beauty with world class …

There is absolutely nothing that comes close to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, in Abu Dhabi (the Louvre Abu Dhabi requires another dedicated post which will be posted  later). The grandiose of this Mosque has many boastful elements to it. The largest mosque in Abu Dhabi, and one of the largest in the world. Largest carpet, largest chandeliers, larg …