What’s life without some entertainment? So, this epilogue of sorts to the travelogue consists of some deleted scenes, because putting them in the travelogue itself will break the flow. So, ready for the ride? Scene 1 – Chidambaram – One Deekshithar’s traditional house It was divinely ordained that Day 2 of our trip must be…
Category: Travel
On the Vanthiyathevan trail – The final part
So, on Day 5, we had two major places of interest, both of which are central to both history and the plot of Ponniyin Selvan. In the novel, Senthan Amuthan is introduced as a young man who tends to the flower garden attached to the Thirumazappadi temple. I was determined to see this one and…
On the Vanthiyathevan trail – IV
Day 4 was fairly laid-back. There wasn’t much on our agenda except the Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara temple and then off to Trichy. However, a minor development made our day a bit more exciting than we anticipated. My mother called in the morning to let us know that Tamil news channels were talking of the floodwaters rising…
On the Vanthiyathevan trail – III
The best part of going on a trail of places we’ve only ever heard of is that we can never be too sure if we actually end up where we’re supposed to. Day 3 was perhaps the most interesting of our five-day trip. While we all know that Kumbakonam is a town filled with temples,…
On the Vanthiyathevan trail – II
Day 2 was far more interesting than we expected it to be. The beautiful Vadavaaru accompanied us much farther than we thought it would. The first stop on Day 2 was the Thillai Nataraja Temple. Day 2 – Stop 1 – Thillai Nataraja-Sivakama Sundari Temple – Chidambaram Not that this temple requires much introduction. Purported…
On the Vanthiyathevan trail – I
There are vacations. And there are vacations. The first kind are those you plan, you book yourself into a nice resort or hotel, you take a train or a flight and you go. The destination is clear. And so is the plan. And then there are other vacations. You have no idea where you want…
Travelling solo…
I really missed travelling solo. The world seems to have a problem with solo female travellers. Especially Indian tourists travelling with an entourage. Two aunties asked well-meaning questions on why I’m travelling alone in a space of two hours. Not that it’s any of their business but for some reason, people don’t seem to get…
Leaving Prague
It was a wonderful three days in Prague. I haven’t seen all that I wanted to, but I come away feeling there is so much of history to discover in this charming little city of Central Europe. Sitting in this flight that takes me to Paris, I feel the same sense of elation that I…
A day with art…
A dreary and raining day once again. Prague seems to conspire against me in my quest for sightseeing. But, I decide that there is no point in coming all the way to Prague and sitting at home, however cozy and inviting it may seem. First stop: National Gallery. Three exhibitions. Starting with Neoclassicism in the…
The Prague castle
Dragged myself out of a very warm and welcoming bed to go see the Prague castle. It’s raining. And six degrees. Not very motivating for someone from a place where the Mercury rarely dips below 30. Boards with explanations must be bilingual. This way, we’re not obliged to buy pointless audio guides. The Czech Republic…