Explorer of Experiences

It's been a little over a year since my trip to Amsterdam. I spent three days there and made it a point to see as much as I possibly could and spend as less time in my lovely hotel room (read about my stay at the Hyatt Andaz Prinsengracht ). So this really is a much delayed blog about the many things I saw and places I covered, and now highly recommend.  A PICTURESQUE URBAN   GARDEN Amsterdam is a city for Instagram lovers! Almost everywhere you look is postcard pretty and picture perfect. Doors are a beauty in themselves and old buildings have flora organically adorning them. You'll stumble past lovely plaques on the walls and will enjoy the strains of the violin from street musicians. Take a stroll inside the massive Vondel Park replete with idyllic lawns, ponds and footbridges; truly fairy tale like! Make sure you charge up your phone battery because I'm pretty sure you're going to be click-happy once you step out on the streets of Amsterdam. These are s...

Last weekend, I got a unique opportunity to visit Gowardhan Cheese Factory in Manchar district, a good two hour drive from Pune city. The owning home-grown company Parag Milk Foods brand portfolio includes Gowardhan and GO boasting of a range of dairy products that have been retailed across Mumbai and Pune over the last decade. I first started using their yoghurt when the local kirana store ran out of my usual preference of Amul , Danone and Britannia . One spoon of it and I instantly found it so fresh, light and 'unprocessed'. I have always loved cheese but now I even prefer it over chocolate. So when I was scheduled to visit the GO factory, it bore semblance to winning the golden ticket and entering glistening gates to its factory much like the popular Roald Dahl 's  Charlie . Except that it was not all that dramatic! 

Exotic, old-world charm and vibrant, Turkey is all of this and more. It sits on the world map with one foot in Asia and the other in Europe. But this Republic is not confused. With a rich heritage and great infrastructure, it is no surprise Turkey has found its rightful place on a traveler's bucket list. The conventional Indian travelers per se discovered Turkey in 2010. A lot of my friends and my Facebook pages had Turkey trip photo albums popping up. Very different and beautiful landscapes made Turkey a fascinating and alluring destination.  In April 2012, it was finally my turn. I visited Turkey - Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukale and Antalya, to be precise. Back then, I had not begun maintaining a blog - which I regret - so I did not practice keeping notes documenting my travels. Now when I think of writing this blog, those lovely and interesting beads of trivia and experiences lie somewhere distant in my memory and I struggle to fish them out. Hence, I will carry out this...