Two days in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Ashish on February 15, 2020

Day 1

If you are arriving at MSP airport, then start your journey with the Mall of America. It is the largest shopping mall in the United States and is pretty close to the airport. Next, head to Minnehaha falls. It is the favorite fishing spot for the locals.

Minnehaha Falls

Hereafter, you can head towards the downtown. There isn’t much to do in downtown during the day time. And I would recommend checking out Sculpture Garden and the Lake of Isles in the evening.

Sculpture Garden

Lake of Isles

Day 2

Start your day with Mill City Museum. The museum shows the history of Minnesota. You can see a beautiful view of St. Anthony’s Falls, the only natural waterfall on river Mississippi. St. Anthony’s Falls provided hydropower and made Minnesota the hub of white flour production in the world. The museum gives a beautiful view of the Stone Arch Bridge as well.

St. Anthony’s Waterfall

From there on, head to the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota. It is free and worth a small visit if you have time. Coming back to the downtown, Sidewalk Harp and Sculpture Clock are worth a shortstop.

Sidewalk Harp – walk below it to see the music play

Sculpture Clock

In the evening, watch a live show at either Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre or The Lab Theatre.

Note: Most of the city, including the main airport, MSP, is well-connected via inexpensive public transport. So, you don’t need a rental car to get around.

Barcelona (Spain) in four days

Ashish on January 4, 2020

Barcelona

Public transport is good, get a Metro card with ten tickets, it can even be shared simultaneously.
Beware of pickpockets.
Credit card acceptance is high, but not 100%.
Paella, a rice dish, is famous in Barcelona

Madrid (Spain) in two days

Ashish on December 7, 2019

Madrid, originally Myrit, was set up by Moors in about 700 AD, to fight against Catholic Spanish stronghold of Toledo which used to be the old capital of the Castile kingdom.

Public transport is good, get a Metro card with ten tickets, it can even be shared simultaneously.
Beware of pickpockets.
Credit card acceptance is high, but not 100%.
Churros + hot chocolate are famous in Madrid.
The city has pedestrianized itself over time, so the city center is entirely car-free.

Rome (Italy) in three days

Ashish on November 2, 2019

Rome has a rich history pertinent to western civilization. There are three different aspects of roaming in Rome, namely, architecture, history, and religion (Catholic – Christians). I was profoundly interested in history and to some extent, in architecture, and that influenced my itinerary.

A day in Venice (Italy)

Ashish on October 2, 2019

A day in Venice

Compared to Prague, Rome, Vienna, and Split, Venice is a tourist trap. The city is made up of a collection of 100+ islands. Bridges connect most of them, and you can walk throughout the city. All the public transport is using water buses called Vaporetto. A single trip costs 8 Euros. If you are planning to use Vaporetto, buy a 24-hour pass worth 20 Euro which covers unlimited trips on Vaporetto.

Croatia in Four Days

Ashish on September 1, 2019

Croatia is a Balkan country south of Austria. It’s a small country of 4 million inhabitants and cities with medieval architecture. Games of Thrones was shot here.

Budapest (Hungary) in Two Days

Ashish on July 7, 2019

Budapest, pronounced Budapescht, consists of two cities, hilly Buda in the west, and flat Pest in the south. The city structure is similar to Prague.

Vienna in two days

Ashish on June 18, 2019

Vienna is a historic city. First, a pivotal battle between the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe was fought in 1683, and then, during the second world war, significant support to Hitler came from Vienna.

Some tips for the first-timers

The dominant spoken language is German, but it is not hard to find English speakers.
Public transport is great and a 24-hour pass costs 8 Euros.
Most of the good spots are near the city center, so don’t stay too far away.
Toilets inside shopping malls, big grocery stores, and restaurants are usually free. Outside ones charge 0.5 Euro.

Prague in Two Days

Ashish on May 5, 2019

Prague, or “Praha” in Chezch, is probably the most famous city in Eastern Europe. The city boasts medical castles, museums, and quite a few quirky attractions.

Maui (Hawaii) in 4 days

Ashish on March 2, 2019

Maui is a small but beautiful island of Hawai’i. Here is a recommended 4-day itinerary for Maui. This itinerary is a slightly modified version of what I was able to do. The public transport on the island is poor. For solo travel outside the rainy season, I would recommend renting a moped to go around. Otherwise, rent a car.

The island has a much more developed western part consisting of Kaanapali and Lahaina, which have major resorts.