Travel

Zurich, along with Oslo, Norway is one of the few unassuming expensive European cities that I would not recommend visiting. The joke goes that Zurich whose German pronunciation is tsü-rich/त्सुरिच is “too rich”. The city is entirely unremarkable in terms of tourist attractions. A day is more than sufficient to see the city. I would recommend starting with a walking tour, it will give you basic idea of the city. The old town is small and can be covered in a couple of hours. ...

Singapore is hot, humid, and opulent. Luxembourg is cold, windy, and opulent. By some measures, Luxembourg is the richest country in the world. It is also one of the safest. It is the only duchy, that is, a country ruled by a duke (a level below a king), in the world. It is also one of the smallest countries in Europe. The best way to see is to get in early via a direct train from Brussels to Luxembourg 5:30 AM -> 9 AM for about 26 Euro. ...

Antwerp is easily accessible from Brussels in about ~1 hour by train or ~40 minutes by bus. Compared to Brussels, Antwerp is small and charming. I would recommend starting the day with Legends of Antwerp tour. One great thing about this tour is that you get to see both a church and a museum for a short time for free. Both of these have entry tickets otherwise. This statue of a man throwing the hand of a giant (who used to demand tribute and punish sailors if they didn’t pay) into the sea gave the name to Antwerp. “Hand werpen” means “to throw a hand” in Dutch. ...

Brussels is a charming European-style city with cobblestone streets, historic architecture, and a rich cultural heritage. Brussels . I would recommend doing a day-trip to Brussels if you are visiting Paris or Amsterdam. Every street/area in Brussels has two names - one in French and one in Dutch. Sometimes, they are not even similar. The Grand Palace (Grote Markt) is the central square of Brussels and a UNESCO World Heritage site. ...

Rakhigarhi (राखीगढ़ी), an archeological site in Haryana, is dated to 3000 BC and might be even older. As of July 2021, the site isn’t ready for visitors just yet. There is a museum, but that’s under construction too. So, if you are planning to visit, wait for a few years.

Paris is huge. Paris is spread out. Unlike Eastern European cities, Paris does not have a beautiful old town. In fact, the city is so overhyped that there is a Paris Effect named after it, where tourists expect to see a beautiful city but are disappointed when they arrive. Now, of course, if you travel to Europe, you have to visit Paris because everyone else does. Here’s my recommended plan for Paris. ...

We took an 11-day cruise in the Caribbean spanning 8 ports of call across 7 countries. The ship, Norwegian Breakaway, is an old ship. So, the amenities are lacking compared to our recent experience with the Royal Caribbean. Compared to our previous trip seven years back on Norwegian Cruise Line, The food quality for vegetarians has declined significantly, especially since the buffet is no longer open 24 hours. Furthermore, the dine-in restaurants are startled when we ask for vegetarian food. ...

Costa Rica is the most beautiful of all Central American countries. Day 1 - San José Like most Latin American capitals. San José is a bit of a dump. Further, it rains a lot in San José. I would recommend leaving immediately for Jaco. Day 2 - Jaco I took a 2-hour bus from San José to Jaco. Unlike San José, Jaco is a beach town with a significant expat population. ...

After an overnight bus journey from Vilnius, Lithuania, I reached Warsaw, Poland. Warsaw isn’t a typical eastern european capital. It is huge. Compared to Budapest or Tallinn, it is a huge metropolitan city. However, they have spent decades recreating the old town which was completely destroyed in the World War II. I would recommend staying in the old town and starting your trip with a walking tour. You will visit the town square Warsaw Poland Town Square See the Wishing Bell ...

Continuing from Riga, Lativa, in a 4-hour bus ride, I ended up at Vilnius, Lithuania. The town feels quiet and small. There isn’t a lot to do here. Day 1 Start your day with a walking tour which gives you a nice overview of this city. Medeina/Medeine is a famous forest goddess of the baltics before conversion to Christianity. Afterward, visit the Money Museum of the bank of Lithuania. Just like the Bank of England Museum, you can hold a gold bar here. And there’s no entry fee. ...