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Camino De Santiago-"The Portuguese Coastal Way"

Camino De Santiago-“The Portuguese Coastal Way”

2020 has been a very challenging year for us all so far, but last year same time, I had taken a spiritual pilgrimage on foot which was about 280kms in theory ( though my google map recorded me walking more than 310kms) starting in Porto, Portugal and one ended in Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain on 12th of June 2019.Many of you must have heard of it, it’s called the “Portuguese Camino…

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Tiny,Small Practice on the "Day of Yoga"

Tiny,Small Practice on the “Day of Yoga”

I am seeing posts on the internet and feeling so happy that thousands of people all around the world have gone out in numbers to practice Yoga today.What a wonderful wonderful initiative.I am seeing whole World as one today.

And I also know many of you couldn’t make it anywhere because of crazy life schedules.

So I say how about we practice little Yoga right now???…even before you finish this…

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Italy,the 5th most visited country in the world is where I went missing this summers with my partner #oldmonk and I come back with a bag full of happy memories.To add anything to already existing travel articles and data about Italy on the Internet can be difficult as there is no dearth to it, so I will just write about what we enjoyed the most and what you can add in your bucket list if it matched your wavelength:)

Ah!This Turquoise 🙂

Now the order that I list are almost equal in terms of my experience, the thing is that when you are there in flesh and blood experiencing it, it’s all together a different high so the list is in the sequence we visited.

1.Cinque Terre:Hiking,Wandering,Sunset and Night Photography

“Cinque Terre”,the cluster of five villages on the rugged Ligurian coast are very picturesque and you can hike all of them.As my Old Monk is not a big hiker and he reluctantly agreed to do only one, we chose the blue hiking trail from Monterosso to Vernazza and boy, it is just spectacular!!

The hike gives you an opportunity to take in gorgeous views of the sea and as you keep hiking and look back at the village you have left behind, it just keeps getting cuter and tinier.

The highlight for me was when I got the first glimpse of Vernazza from a distance and second was when I saw Monterosso again from Vernazza’s harbour:) So I suggest a hike is a must if you can.

Views while Hiking.This is Monterosso!!

View of Vernazza while Hiking

Also,be a early riser as the sun can get strong and this comes from someone who stays in Delhi where we experience excruciating heat:). Also the crowds can get to you.Again from someone who lives in the second most populated country in the world:) So starting early can be a really good idea.

Hiking Trail!

Secondly,when we reached Riomaggiore (our 5th village) by train of course, we climbed up the stairs on left of the harbour and it had gorgeous views of the village, sea and sunset, this was an absolute highlight.See the sunset time online and make sure you don’t miss it.

Finally we planned and got back to Vernazza again after the sunset to take night shots of the village.The best part,at night the village was almost empty ,with all tourists gone and it thus became the best time to spend eating focaccia and admiring the village harbour while experiencing the softest sea breeze.

Vernazza

2.Detour- Porto Venere

So when we were doing “Cinque Terre” our Airbnb host suggested we must take a detour and visit Porto Venere, and we are glad we listened because we just loved it.My highlight was the view from the Window and then Balcony of San Pietro Church.I also liked walking the steps of Byron’s Grotto,Sipping a coffee in a corner tucked away cafe, walking the oldest lanes of Porto Venere ,chatting with a Nun who lives there from Kerala and buying the best Pesto I ever had.Ah!

Views from the Cathedral

Byron’s Grotta

Try Pesto here, the best!

3.Staying in a Vineyard in Chianti-Tuscany

We chose Chianti Classico region for the first part of our stay in Tuscany.Our stay was in the midst of endless vineyards of Casa Sola, in absolute wilderness.

My Chianti Abode (only a section of it of course!)

View from my Tuscan Window

From here we drove around the Chianti Classico region…The landscape was serene with endless vineyards, olive trees and the beautiful red poppy flowers.

We did the Castellina in Chianti (beautiful village where we had a hearty breakfast), Radda in Chianti (I bought traditional coffee makers from this village), Gaiole in Chianti (famous for L’Eroica cycling event each year) and Greve in Chianti.

We also did day trips to two beautiful town/city San Gimignano and Siena.

4.Staying in an Ancient Castle in a tiny Tuscan Village, Castle Muzio.

With a population of just 35 residents, Castle Muzio was the perfect, fairy tale village we chose for staying during our later part of Tuscany. Here we divided our time checking out the Tuscan villages and landscape .The castle stay was cozy and here my window overlooked the village’s chapel and it’s bell tower that rang every hour:)

Castel Muzio

View from my Room in Castel Muzio

So our highlights here were Val’Orcia,San Quirico and Crete Senesi regions…endless rolling hills and Poppies made us so happy.Our cameras kept clicking but to just be and soak in everything that Mother Nature has to offer was just soul satisfying.

My most cherished spot if I have to pick will be “Capella Della Madonna Di Vitaleta”,the chapel with cypress trees.So simple yet so profound.

In terms of Villages I definitely recommend “Montepulciano” and also “Pienza” actually.

Montepulciano

  Street in Pienza

  Pienza

5.Salerno a Lovely Surprise

After doing the famous Amalfi Coast we relaxed in Salerno.We had done absolute zero research on Salerno and hence it became a sweet surprise.Firstly we stayed in a Port facing room in the apartment of an Old Couple who were the sweetest.The view of Yatchs, Ships and the Sea was so cool and the sound of Seagulls made it all so unforgettable..

View from My Window!

The old town of Salerno has also so much to offer.Because it is less touristy we saw Italians in their weekend bests enjoying the promenade and in the shopping streets of the old town .I got two pairs of Italian Shoes here, probably that’s why it is also a highlight:)

The Cathedral was hosting a music performance by different schools and it was open for all to visit, which we did.Supernice!

Also we had a very authentic Atypical but Gourmet dining experience in Cicirinella,Salerno.A definite recommendation, but book your table in advance here.

6.Lecce-For Art,Music and Culture

For a few nights we made the historic centre of Lecce our Basecamp to explore the Southern Puglia region. The Old town of Lecce is beautiful and we liked it because of it’s eclectic mix of Working Artists, University Students, Monks,Nuns and Musicians.

We were happy to catch up with the Lecce music scene too with the band “Almoraima”.

It just had a good feel to it and people peacefully were having a great time.

7.Puglia Coastal Routes 

This Mediterranean coastline is endless with it’s Azure water.We drove down from Lecce to Leuca and had the best time.We hopped from town to town dipping in the Azure waters, swimming,relaxing on the rocks and savouring seafood.

The halts on the route we took and recommend is Porto Badisco- Castro Marina – Tricase Marina – Marina Di Novaglie – Il Ciolo (the bridge that’s famous for jumps, though I just swam underneath!) and Pescoluse (Maldive del salento).Just Fab!

Castro Marina

Porto Badisco

  Ciolo

Pescoluse

8.Staying in a Trulli

Ah!The truly magnificent experience ever.We stayed in a 200 yrs old Trulli in the fairy tale “Itria Valley” of Italy right outside Alberobello. This Trulli was our home for four days.I felt like a wealthy farmer of medieval times.I had an underground room to myself which the owners have converted in to a Museo, an underground cellar which was so cold  I could imagine it acting like a big natural refrigerator of those times and a room in the air practically, basically a wooden loft with a wooden ladder.I love restoring things so this was such a delight.

The host left us unlimited table wines to savour and other goodies.Here we went to the local market, cooked food and basically relaxed as if we were locals.

9.Walking the lanes of Old Towns of Puglia

You pick any town in Puglia region you will like it for it’s stone washed buildings, the sea view,harbor and marinas.We visited so many towns and it ‘s hard to choose the best but I am going to # some so you can google and pick yours.Just wander and get lost in these towns, you will love it.

Otranto

Polignano a Mare

  Trullo-Alberobello!

Ostuni

  Street in Martina Franca

#Otranto #Polignanoamare #Ostuni #Alberobello #Locorotondo #gallipoli #Martinafranca

10.Binging Out in Italy

Now Italian Cuisine is every kids favourite and we were absolute childlike in eating our Pizzas and Gelatos for sure.We ate absolute amazing pizzas but our favourite Pizza was at La Pia in La Spezia and it was right next to our bnb.

You will see locals and tourists queuing up.We saw locals ordering a slice of Pizza with Farinata (a local chickpea pancake) and we did the same.But the Slice was so good that we then ordered a full size Pizza (that just melts in your mouth) and we also went there the next day and the day after:)

I am also going to pick L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele for our Pizza journey in Naples for the sheer theatre of it.First you get a slip with your queue number, ours was 84 so imagine we had 83 tables before us, practically a wait of 1hr:30mins, but the best part is you have people from around the world waiting outside for that one bite of the legendary “Margherita Pizza” or “Marinara Pizza “(my pick is the Margherita )and it is more like a celebration.Due to the crazy waiting line, we saw people having beers,gelatos and even pizza from another shop before they entered to have the legendary one.haha!!

Btw,you won’t believe where I had the third best Pizza.It’s the authentic Neapolitan Pizza I made myself..haha..! We did a cooking class with Tonino Academy in Naples and the Pizza we made was so soft and yum and I just couldn’t believe that I could make such a yum tum Pizza:)

My coffee cravings was satisfied in many cafes where I would have a shot of cafe macchiato and I like to have it with fresh orange juice which may sound weird but it’s my fav pair.

In the land of Gelato it’s difficult to pick one right ? but I think we know our favourite and it’s at Perche No! in Florence.In midst of the historic centre this melt in your mouth Gelato was the sweetest experience ever.We highly recommend it because  you cannot go to Florence and not have Perche No! gelato.You just have to.

On that sweet note, Go Missing!

Ciao!!

x

#italy #puglia #tuscany #gelato #pizza #rollinghiils #cinqueterre #trulli #salerno #lecce #castlemuzio #italytravel #traveleurope #europe #siena #florence #travelaroundtheworld  #italianholiday #italyroadtrip #italymustdo #italythingstodo #travelitaly #holidayinitaly #italybucketlist #europebucketlist #thingsdotoinitaly #pugliaregion #chianti #tuscanyroadtrip #trulli #trullo #tuscanvillages #cinqueterrehiking #cretesenesi #valdorcia #sanquirico

Ps:-All pictures are clicked by us!!Except the Riomaggiore Sunset(taken from Google) as our Camera acted up a little that time.

  Ciao!! x

            My Top 10 Italian Holiday Experiences Italy,the 5th most visited country in the world is where I went missing this summers with my partner #oldmonk and I come back with a bag full of happy memories.To add anything to already existing travel articles and data about Italy on the Internet can be difficult as there is no dearth to it, so I will just write about what we enjoyed the most and what you can add in your bucket list if it matched your wavelength:)

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G Y P SY C H I L D

It’s been a while since I updated you on my travels.I have had an amazing ride this year and my love for travel has finally taken shape in G Y P S Y C H I L D. Life is a limited offer.We take many years to figure what we really want.Lucky are those who figure life out in early years.I used to get amazed and admire those people at the same time.But after 12 months of blood, sweat and hard work I…

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5 Yoga Practices that can enhance your daily well being tremendously !

5 Yoga Practices that can enhance your daily well being tremendously !

A very happy International day of Yoga to you! At many drawing room conversations,I often come across questions put up by my friends and relatives that takes me by a bit of surprise…like…Now that you are here can you teach me some Yoga? Or You aren’t leaving today without teaching me some Yoga so I can loose some weight?Or I am suffering from a frozen shoulder teach me two three yoga moves before…

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Something out of a Wes Anderson Movie - Hội An

Something out of a Wes Anderson Movie – Hội An

I posted a cover page on facebook many days back and my dear friend Nihal said it looked something out of a Wes Anderson Movie and I was like Voila!! So aptly put,that’s how the old town of Hoi An looked to me-A Wes Anderson Movie Location!!! Hoi An is such a cute quaint place and while I was planning Vietnam, I calculated and was thrilled that my Birthday would fall the day I reach Hoi An and…

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Saur Village - My New Home

Saur Village – My New Home

What’s up world? Happy Baisakhi!! A festival that is special in many ways but one definitely being the Harvest! Celebration of crops and produce by our hardworking farmers!!  I have been missing for a while now and my close friends are worried. I am in range for few days to tell you all that I am super and having a very different experience right now. I also thought I should blog before I wander…

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Turquoise water of the Supin River that didn’t leave me for three nights, Peaks in front of me that kept me busy Wondering, Wooden Bridges that I crossed smiling, Giggles of the Mountain Children like beats in my heart, the first Snowfall of this winter that fell on me like fairy dust, the Simple Village Life, the beauty of which touched me and also left me in tears, is how gorgeously 2016 ended…

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Phong Nha-Ke Bang

Hi…what’s happening people? Happy 2017…I hope all your crazy dreams are fulfilled this year and at the same time, may you be surrounded by love and peace.So I went travelling to the villages of Uttarakhand and hence a gap in finishing my Vietnam series..I probably have another two blogs coming up on Vietnam including this one…we will see! @Phong Nha Botanic Garden My friend Ruby who visited…

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Karma Yogi- Noa

On 5th Dec,World celebrated International Volunteer Day..and I have been wanting to share this blog with you ever since. Yoga is divided in to 4 paths,One of its path is Karma Yoga or Yoga of Action.The principle is simple,it’s to do selfless service to the cause that’s dear to you,do it with your full heart,detach yourself completely from the expectation of any rewards of your action,do not…

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Mayaa Gone Saigon

If you have only a day in Saigon (My love for old city names remain…I prefer Madras to Chennai, Bombay to Mumbai,Calcutta to Kolkata and Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City) then this blog is for you. I think we did quite a bit and it was a pretty tight Itinerary to get the Saigonese flavour. Typical Saigonese Life-People enjoying some Tea and Coffee on Tiny Tables! We started our day with a Banh Mi and…

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Chào Hanoi

Chào (Hi)! You all doing good? Gearing up for the festive season? Well Vietnam too was, when we left:) We saw Christmas trees decked up almost everywhere and heard Jingle Bells in Vietnamese..really cool! In this blog I give you juice on Hanoi. The Highlights really!!!Try them out and you can do it all in a day:) Hostel Life: Stay in a hostel.We stayed in Nexy Hostel ,took a twin room here. This…

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Quickfire with Manav (The Trek,Travel,Trip Guy:))

Hola! My quickfire series is getting very interesting because I realised I know so many wanderers, travellers and awesome adventure junkies. Trek attracts a lot of us, but how many of us end up doing it? I am telling you this, once the trek bug bites,there is really no escape:)so be very careful if you wanna try:) This Quickfire is with “Manav Menon”-A trekker who left his hefty paying corporate…

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Mekonose

Well I have been postponing writing about Greece for a while because I thought I won’t be able to do justice in describing exactly how my heart feels when I think about my time spent in Greece. But then my partner was like…come on…don’t think too much. Just write. I agreed! So I am writing about Mykonos first….Mykonoooooossss is this very cool Cosmo-Island buzzing with all kinds of posh and hip…

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Quickfire with Mari

Hola Everybody! I am back with my Quickfire round that I do with my most favourite travellers and I am very excited for you all to meet Mari. Mari and Me are batchmates.We did our Yoga Teachers Training Course together in 2014 in Madurai (btw this is also our 2 year course anniversary month).We spent one month together in the Ashram and had the most amazing time in Madurai. Mari Tobler loves to…

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DiwaYoga

Namaste!!! Wishing you all a sparkling year ahead and hope you all had a beautiful Diwali. Diwali is most likely every Indian’s favorite festival. We call it the festival of lights!! It is a five days celebration.   This year Diwali was a bit different for me and my partner because we didn’t go to our parent’s home, which is like a custom for about 5 years now. While we are at our parent’s, Mom…

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Quickfire!!

This is going to be my favourite part of blogging, where I am going to play quickfire with some of my favourite travellers!!! Introducing Sork aka Michele from beautiful Melbourne,Australia Sork has been travelling solo since she was teeny veeny. Sork is my soul sister and we had the most amazing time spent together in Mysore.We laughed together and we also cried together.We most definitely…