Germany - My Travel Journal Part - 1

I went to Germany in march to stay with my daughter. In few months of stay I had an amazing opportunity of visiting few cities and town to explore Germany. Germany is a country that has been at the heart of Europe for centuries. From the unique culture shaped from historical influences, amazing cuisine, and architecture, there is so much to enjoy during a trip to this country.

 

First I landed in Frankfurt where My daughter stays. My son-in-law, my daughter and my grandson who is two years came to the airport to receive me. I was very much excited to see all of them after a very long time.

 Frankfurt  is a city that has some interesting contrasts, unlike Mumbai, when you are out of the airport you can breathe fresh air and there is no pollution. Temperature is usually low.

 With the financial powerhouse of the country being home to an amazing range of skyscrapers, there is also a great range of historic architecture and and mentally-stimulating attractions. There is a great exhibition hall one of the largest in the world  and several science museums to check out.

 As Frankfurt has the reputation of being a concrete jungle, travelers are invariably pleasantly surprised when they realize how green the city actually is. Apart from numerous tree-lined boulevards, Frankfurt is punctuated with lush green parks and gardens, many of which also have playgrounds. We take a look at the best green stretches in Frankfurt to escape from the hustle-bustle of the city.

Germany has open-minded and tolerant society. The country has a high literacy rate, great freedom, high standard of living and world class education that enable them to deal with challenges. Punctuality is very important for Germans and they follow rules very strictly. Social life in Germany can be quite interesting; you can see theatres, orchestras and museums everywhere, even in small towns. There are various exciting adventurous destinations that can be explored using bicycles.
 

Germany is a densely populated country and has a very good transport system. The roads in Germany are well built and well maintained with proficient road signage. The construction areas were well marked. Germany is well known for its AutoBahn and the traffic on these moves fast with no speed limits for normal traffic. The German Autobahns (the no speeds limit highways that connect the whole country by roads) are world famous. Apart from roadways, Germany also has very good railways and waterways. S-Bahn (suburban railway) and U-Bahn (underground railway) are very common in cities in Germany and help you in reaching destination quickly and comfortably.

 We ran into this a lot in construction zones; it was typical for the two-lane highway to split off into a construction zone into two different directions but then connect back together once we were though the construction zone.I travelled in Tram, U-Bahn, Bus S- Bahn and Bus Like Mumbai it is not crowded I enjoyed  the trip.

Shops are closed on Sundays in Germany. Do not save your shopping for Sunday. It was surprising how whole towns shut down, even in tourist sections. Only some tourist restaurants and bars would be open.
 

You can find grocery stores throughout Germany. Stores like Rewe, tegut,Lidl, Netto, Penny and Aldi are popular among locals and have a great selection of goods. They are well stocked with anything you could want for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We easily cut our food bills in thirds by shopping at local grocery stores.My daughter Purchased things from Tegut and Rewe

Having lunch packed we could easily pull off anywhere, we found local parks, rest areas and lookouts were our favourite places to enjoy lunch.

If you are travelling to Germany you need Health Insurance. The German health care system specifies that every person in Germany is required to have a health insurance. Even those who will stay in Germany for a short time must be health insured, otherwise requests for visas will not be granted.

Statutory health insurance providers in Germany are legally bound to insure everyone, regardless of their health, age, income, employment status, and more. You can also sign-up for any health insurance provider of your choice. Once you’re insured, you’ll get an electronic health care card, which will cover things like doctor visits, prescriptions, and more. All you need to do is present it to your provider and they will automatically bill the health insurance company.

The people, language, and traditions are what make the German culture unique. Germans are very friendly people. They usually greet each other by saying "HALLO". It has had a key role in the history of Europe, and not only. English speakers call it Germany, Germans themselves call it Deutschland. Germany is known as the country of poets and thinkers.

 German dress is typically western. Both men and women wear dark simple suits and shirts in business context. However, each region of the country have their own traditional costumes, which differ a bit from one another. But, in the state of Bavaria, the traditional costume for men is leather trousers that end just above the knee, while for women it is a dress that incorporates a bodice, blouse, full skirt and an apron. You can see people wearing these costumes, especially during carnivals or festivals

The German cuisine is also rich with different types of delicious traditional foods, as well as vegetarian and vegan. In Germany you will always have a lot of choices on what to eat and drink.
 
 German cuisine includes numerous varieties of cheese, which include tangy and hard cow's milk cheeses like emmentaler and tilsiter, which are especially good for melting and grilling.

 As for bread, there is a long tradition of bread-baking of which Germans take pride in. There are breads with different shapes, black and white, with different tastes and names, sweet, soft, plain with all types of seeds you could think of. There are lots of ethnic restaurants offering vegetarian food in Germany. But if you want to try traditional German food, you also don’t have miss out as a vegetarian. There are enough traditional vegetarian German dishes for you to try. 
One popular vegetarian dish is Spargelcremesuppe (asparagus cream soup). Be sure to give it a try, if you happen to be traveling to Germany during white asparagus season!my daughter love this soup.
 

In three months of stay in Frankfurt my daughter's friends and Son In law's colleagues invited me for lunch/ dinner.  My daughter's Family friends showed their love and affection. I feel honoured. They cooked Indian Food. Indian Grocery is there in Frankfurt. They use Pressure cooker and mixer. Similar like India. Their Kids are going to German school Some are going to International Schools. Kids are having so many extracurricular activities.

 There are so many Indian Restaurants in Germany.
The country has gone through a tumultuous history, the signs of which are evident in its rich and diverse architecture. Its palaces, castles, cathedrals and monuments best tell the story of Germany. Night and day, rain or sunshine, there are people on bikes, people running, parents playing with their kids, old people taking the dog out for long walks. Everything here feels normal, human, with emotions. Not everything is transactional. We like Germans and Ifeel like we are somehow very similar to them. Germany is also a practical place to visit, as the transport system is modern and few of the people speak English.

Had a great time in Frankfurt for couple of months. Visited many places in and around Germany. Will share my experiences in my next posts..

                                                                                                                                                       

A trip to Kolhapur

After  Having darshan in Pandharpur ,we proceed toKolhapur Mahalaxmi temple. The Shri Mahalakshmi Temple of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India, is one of the Shakti Peethas also called Dakshin Kashi, listed in various puranas of Hinduism.

 

A shakti peetha is a place associated with Shakti, the goddess of power. The Kolhapur peetha is of special religious significance, being one of the six places where it is believed one can either obtain salvation from desires or have them fulfilled. The temple's actual name is Ambabai Temple.The temple takes its name from Mahalakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, and it is believed that the divine couple reside in the area.

Mahalaxmi or Ambabai temple as it is locally known is situated in the heart of the Kolhapur city in South Maharashtra. The temple was constructed sometime in 6-7th cen. AD. The temple belongs, architecturally, to the Kannada Chalukya empire, and may have been first built circa 700 AD. Mounted on a stone platform, the image of the four armed and crowned goddess is made of gemstone and weighs about 40 kilograms. The image of Mahalakshmi carved in black stone is 3 feet in height. The Shri yantra is carved on one of the walls in the temple. A stone lion, the vahana of the goddess, stands behind the statue. The temple has been patronised over the years by various ruling dynasties like the Marathas, Yadavas, Silharas etc. The sabhamandapa appears to have been built during the maratha period and has a wooden construction typical to that period. The temple walls are ornate with several motifs and figurines of Gods, Goddesses, Apsaras, Gandharvas, Yakshas etc.

 

Visit the temple at 5am so as to get good "darshan"., there was no queue and we could complete the darshan of Goddess Mahalaxmi in less than 15 minutes with reasonable time to spend in sanctum sanctorum. . The inner soul get purified by the simple darshan of ambadevi/ Goddess Mahalaxmi. We have experienced the "kripa" of Goddess Mahalaxmi and get a lot of positive vibes and immense peace of mind inside in front of the Goddess, something that only a few can experience and cannot be expressed in words.

There are a number of deity around the temple complex and make sure from which side you have entered as there are 4 entrances and from inside all looks similar. With peaceful internal surrounding embedded in beautifully crafted pillars Maa lakshmi temple brings in the old age Indian sculpture art at its best.

Jyotibha temple

After visiting to Mahalaxmi temple we started journey to Jyotiba temple which is one of ancient temple in India & belongs to Nath Sampradaya people. 

 

Temple is situated in Sahyadri mountain ranges. It's 3000metre above sea level. Situated at north west of Kolhapur city about 20 km. Better to travel by car as bus frequency not much. As location on mountain so road is zig-zag / Ghat section. After reaching there when getting into temple we saw 'Gulal' everywhere. Piligrims fly red Gulal - Auspicious powder, the floor of temple looking all pink and beautiful need to experience it once.

Maharaja's Palace

The New Palace is a stunning example of the royal architecture of the time. Even today it's a residence to Chhatrapati Shahu, Shivaji's direct descendent. 

 

It was constructed between 1877–1884. They took 35 rs entry fee at the gate. While  entering the museum There is a small lake with deers and peacocks and good raised staircase for viewing the animals better. 

 

New Palace Museum has a great collection of historical photos, paintings, furniture and other valuable things. One section has all the animals likes stuffed Tigers, Tiger heads, Sloth Bear, Black Panther, Wild Boar, etc. Darbar hall is a really beautiful place in this palace. Taxidermy facilitated the mounting of several heads of Wild Animals as well as on display were full bodied stuffed wild animals in their original skin chemically treated for preservation… Awesome !…. 

 

 Darbar hall occupies double height and raised throne at the end of the hall. We can see so many weapons like swards , arrows , & so many other weapons. Weapons that included Spears, Pistols, Cannons, Guns, Rifles, Swords, Knives, Axes and many others T he building was neatly done up with stone and had balconies and minarets and was neatly carved.

Important Documents and Parchments, Photographs and oil Paintings that captured the grandeur of the Royal Family… there is one document from the Governor General of the British Empire in India bestowing the Title of Maharaja to the Head of the Royal Family of Kolhapur at the time …. Hunting was a passionate Royal activity….  One of the best preserved Heritage places in Maharashtra as well as India. The palace is well maintained to its prehistoric conditions while converting it into a museum. history lovers may find this place a treasure tomb.. It will take 1 to 2 hrs to cover the museum . Overall very beautiful New Palace in the heart of City.

The Binkhambi Ganesh Mandir is a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha located very close to the Mahalaxmi temple. The temple is not crowded and we got our Darshan very quickly. The unique aspect about this temple is that there are no pillars used for supporting the roof of the temple.

Preparation of Jaggery:

As you step into a jaggery plant you will be cordially greeted with a refreshing welcome drink. You can also sip on fresh sugarcane juice that is heavenly nectar for tired travelers.

 

Jaggery is prepared by a very simple method using simple machines and few large and small vessels. It also does not require a large space as well. The cut and cleaned sugarcane brought from fields are stored in the premises. These canes are put into the power driven crusher (earlier it used to be done through oxen driven crushers). The extracted sugarcane juice gets directly stored in a concrete storage tank. The remaining wood pulp is scattered near the unit for drying. After that, the juice is transferred to a large iron vessel for heating on a furnace through a motor driven machine.

 

The vessel is heated for about one hour and the dried wood pulp from the crushed sugarcane is used as fuel for the furnace. It’s amazing to know that every part of the cane is used in the process. During boiling process all the wood particles are cleared by skimming of the froth from the vessel. By constant boiling the juice gets significantly reduced and gets thickened up and becomes golden in colour. It is stirred continuously and lifted with a spatula to check its thickness. If it forms many threads, it has completely thickened. after cooling down the jaggery becomes a soft solid which is now pressed into the desired shape for selling at the market.

Vessels for shaping Jaggery

Before pressing the semi solid into the vessel for desired shape a cloth is put in it so that jaggery can be easily pulled out after it gets converted into solid state. The fresh aroma of jaggery was very tempting. The quality of the jaggery is judged by its colour, brown means it is higher in impurities and golden-yellow implies it is relatively pure. The owner informed us that there are malpractices of adding colour or harmful chemicals to simulate the golden colour. Finally, we got a taste of fresh jaggery and it was pure, fresh and amazing.

Nothing compares to the warm, sugary deliciousness of freshly prepared jaggery. This is some of the purest jaggery that you will taste in your lifetime.

 ThePanchgangaRiver

Uttareshwar Mahadev Temple:

 

Rankala Lake:

 

The Rankala Lake is a very famous tourist attraction for people from all over the world. Marked by the natural beauty and peaceful environment. The lake was constructed by Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, the then king of Kolhapur.

 

Its a cool place and is very near to Mahalaxmi Temple. especially in evening beautiful sunset is seen at evening is lake is speciality of kolhapur and also available food at evening time...most beautiful place

 

In one day we visited so many places.What a great place Kolhapur really enjoyed a lot! The journey was truly very memorable and had amazing experience. Still Many places to visit yet. Waiting for one more trip!