Berlin - a city one can never tire of.....................

On my third visit to Berlin, I was still discovering new sights and experiencing the old ones in a different light........I explored the city by tricycle, helicopter, boat, bus, tram and car!!!

The Brandenburg gate

One of my modes of transport to discover this buzzing city

The Gendarmenmarkt is a square in Berlin, and the site of the Konzerthaus and the French and German Cathedrals.

The concert Hall

Segways are another way to discover the city. But I have not tried it yet.

Don't remember what this beautiful building is.

The Humboldt Building is a unique design

The Museum Island which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Museum Island is the name of the northern half of an island in the Spree river in the central Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, the site of the old city of Cölln. It is so called for the complex of five internationally significant museums, all part of the Berlin State Museums, that occupy the island's northern part: 

1. The Altes Museum (Old Museum) completed on the orders of Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1830.
2. The Neues Museum (New Museum) finished in 1859 according to plans by Friedrich August Stüler, a student of Schinkel. Destroyed in World War II, it was rebuilt under the direction of David Chipperfield for the Egyptian Museum of Berlin and re-opened in 2009.
3. The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) completed in 1876, also according to designs by Friedrich August Stüler, to host a collection of 19th century art donated by banker Joachim H. W. Wagener
4. The Bode Museum on the island's northern tip, opened in 1904 and then called Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum. It exhibits the sculpture collections and late Antique and Byzantine art.
5. The Pergamon Museum, the final museum of the complex, constructed in 1930. It contains multiple reconstructed immense and historically significant buildings such as the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon.

  

Berlin Cathedral

The Berlin TV Tower

The Lustgarten or the Pleasure garden

The National Gallery

The boat cruise on the River Spree

The Bode Museum on the river Spree

The warehouses on the East side which look thoroughly decrepit and rundown from the outside but come night and they turn into the hippest night clubs.

The Berlin Wall

Peace

The bear is the mascot of Berlin

The Tempelhof airport

The red carpet was painted on the floor.

Saved them the effort of laying the real thing down for visiting dignitaries.

Historic aircraft at the Aviation Museum

An acrobatic tribute to Amelia Earhart

Lots of history and facts......

A piece of moon rock!

Never thought I would ride in a stretch limousine!!!

Another mode of transport to view the city.

Potsdam from the air. I must make a visit there.

Templehof from the air.

This airport was built in the 1930s.

It was supposed to be able to host 150000 people on its roof to view airshows!

That was the German vision and ambition in those days.

We also had a dinner hosted at the historic Pan Am lounge, courtesy Air Berlin.

Truly, a time when aviation was for the elite

and being a flying crew meant a life of privilege and luxury.

Jaipur - the land of the Maharajahs

Jaipur, the capital of the fascinating state of Rajasthan is also known as the Pink City. It, alongwith Agra and Delhi, forms the famous Golden Triangle which is a "must do" for every tourist. So when my friends Martin and Hasna visited India, I convinced them to see Jaipur alongwith Agra. They were not at all disappointed.

Rajasthan is also known as the land of the Maharajahs and it was only fitting that we stayed in the royal Rambagh Palace now converted into a hotel. It truly was exquisite to stay in a place where there were peacocks walking on the lawns, royalty staying in the same hotel (the King and Queen of Bhutan were on their honeymoon) and the opulence and grandeur of the rooms in the hotel reminded one of a forgotten era. We actually had to drag ourselves to go out and see the sights which were each better than the other.

Some of the important places of interest are:

• The Hawa Mahal - The "Palace of Winds" was built in 1799 and is designed in the form of the crown of the Lord Krishna, a Hindu God. Its unique five-storey exterior is also akin to the honeycomb of the beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas that are decorated with intricate latticework. The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen, since they had to observe strict "purdah" or veil. Built of red and pink sandstone, the palace is situated on the main thoroughfare in the heart of Jaipur’s business centre. It forms part of the City Palace, and extends to the Zenana or women's chambers, the chambers of the harem. It is particularly striking when viewed early in the morning, lit with the golden light of sunrise.
• The City Palace - It is a complex of various palaces in the heart of the city and is still a royal residence. The Chandra Mahal palace now houses a museum but the greatest part of it is still a royal residence. Mubarak Mahal, meaning the 'Auspicious Palace', was built with a fusion of the Islamic, Rajput and European architectural styles in the late 19th century by Maharaja Madho Singh II as a reception centre but today has a vast collection of textiles which are displayed.
• The Amber Fort - The Amber (pronounced Amer) Fort is situated on a hill and is one of the principal attractions of Jaipur. The fort is built on 4 levels, each with its own courtyard and is built with red sandstone and marble. There are various parts to it including the Diwan-e-Aam or the "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-e-Khas or the "Hall of Private Audience", the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace) or Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over the water cascade within the palace. 
• Jaigarh Fort - The Jaigarh Fort is connect to the Amber Fort through a subterranean passage and together they are considered as one complex. It is also known as the Victory Fort.
• Jantar Mantar - The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Maharaja (King) Jai Singh II at his then new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1734. It is modeled after the one that he had built for him at the Mughal capital of Delhi. He had constructed a total of five such facilities at different locations, including the ones at Delhi and Jaipur. The Jaipur observatory is the largest and best preserved of these. It has been inscribed on the World Heritage List as "an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period". The most amazing thing is that it is very accurate. An excursion through Jai Singh's Jantar is a unique experience of walking through solid geometry and encountering a collective astronomical system designed to probe the heavens. The observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars' location as the earth orbits around the sun, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides. Each is a fixed and 'focused' tool and huge in size.
• The Albert Hall Museum - The museum has a rich collection of artefacts like paintings, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures, colourful crystal works etc. The building itself is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. I saw some amazing ceramics from Pecs in Hungary.
• Nahargarh Fort - Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the city of Jaipur. The view of the city from the fort is breath-taking. Along with Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort, it formed a strong defence ring for the city. During the Sepoy revolt of 1857, Nahargarh served as a refuge for Europeans fleeing from the havoc created by mutineers in neighbouring states. The word Nahargarh means the abode of tigers. Legends say that it was named after Prince Nahar whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed construction of the fort. Built mainly in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, it is partially in ruins. It was extended in 1868. The rooms are linked by corridors and still have some delicate frescos. There are nine apartments for the nine queens the Maharaja had and all are well planned and decorated. Nahargarh is also called the hunting residence of Maharajas.
• The Jal Mahal - or the "Water Palace" is located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. It is an architectural beauty built of red sandstone of five stories, four of which remain under water when the lake is full with only the top floor being exposed.
• Choki dhani - is a unique village resort which captures the spirit of Rajasthan showcasing the life, culture and arts of the people. You can also sample the traditional food at the popular buffet.
  
  

  

The Hawa Mahal - The Palace of wind

One of the structures at the Jantar Mantar

The huge sundial

One of the Zodiac signs

Another view of the giant sundial

At the city palace

Mubarak Mahal

The King's residence

When the King of Jaipur went to England for the King's coronation, he carried his water with him!

Amber Fort

The Hall of Mirrors

The terraced garden in the middle of a lake

Jal Mahal

The traditional meal at Chokhi Dani

Albert Hall Museum

The view of the city from Jaigarh Fort

The grounds of the Jaigarh Fort

The reservoir at the Nahargarh Fort

One of the beautiful rooms at the Nahargarh Fort

Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012

Once again it is time to say Goodbye to 2011................thank you for all the experiences and learning. Some of the memorable ones are.........

• Visits to the Phillipines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Maldives and the Czech Republic.
• Walking amongst the mystical temples of Angkor.
• India winning the Cricket World Cup.
• The first Indian Formula One Grand Prix turning out to be so successful and well organised.
• Experiencing the Eurovision Finals contest in Dusseldorf.
• Meeting Sebastian Vettel, the Formula One World Champion unexpectedly at Agra.
• Being part of my friends Martin and Hasna's wedding in France.
• Taking them around Agra and Jaipur which was absolutely beautiful.
• Reconnecting with old friends, making new friends and spending time with family.
• Spending time with my cousin John on a trip to Canterbury.
• Numerous trips to Singapore to spend time with Floyd and Cheryl and taking in the arts and culture scene - Lion King, Swan Lake on Ice, Elton John live, etc, etc.
• A helicopter ride over the city of Berlin.
• Visiting the beautiful Chamonix and Mont Blanc and the awesome Montreaux.
• Walking the streets of Paris during Fete de la Musique.
• Enjoying the KLM Golf Open with my friends.
• Spending time with Jan and Irena in Prague.
• The announcement of the impending birth in our family filled us all with hope and excitement.
• The horrific bomb blast in DEL that injured my dearest friend Ron made me appreciate my friends and family even more.
• The brutal murder of my friend's mother made me realise life is all too short.
• The realisation that I have many many friends and well wishers who truly share my joys and success
• And ofcourse conceiving and executing the Fun@Work initiative which reinforces the fact that we have some amazing people who need an environment to blossom.

2012 ............am sure you will have a lot of surprises in store for me. Please be kind...........to me and my family and friends. Shower us with love, joy, peace, good health, excitement and prosperity.

On my wish list........

• Continue with the Fun@Work initiative and make it more fun for those at work.
• Learn Spanish to be able to converse fluently.
• Travel as much as I can to new places.
• Participate in the Dream run of the Standard Chartered Marathon.
• Participate in the Lavasa Women's Rally.
• Spend more time with my family and friends.
• A coast to coast drive across the USA.
• Hone my photography skills.
• And of course, work on my blog.

"20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” ~ Mark Twain