Does Travel Change Something?

I like my own moments of serenity. And I like it a lot. With an exception that Ani and the dear ones being provided with the ultimate override access, they can come in and take me to their world anytime. 

But during the solo business trips, this would be the best moments I enjoy during the day or on the weekends. Back in the hotel or the apartment, I like to gaze at the streets, just watching the movements out there for some time.

And I strongly agree to the fact that the mind of a men can go blank. A cache clear moment is truly recommended if you can do so. And I like those moments. I have found myself lost in the parks, railway stations, official meetings (:D) – no regrets.

Travel actually doesn’t change anything. It is just that you still think about the very same things at a different location with some changes to the routine. But thoughts, likes, worries, hope - life is the exact same thing wherever you go in the world. At the end of the day, the life is where our heart is.

When we have something in abundance, we tend to lose its value. That is why travel seems to be more exciting than the daily routine life. But when you travel enough, you will want to have the life back.  

Autumnal Equinox - The What?

I started my day staring at this +Google logo and trying to understand what the term meant.

After reading about it for quite long time, got bored with the geographical descriptions and explanations. The fact is simple: Winter is coming. 

Then I realized that my camera picked up the signs during the last weekend walk. The trees are changing the colors. And the entire park looked beautiful.

I picked up these two leaves and arranged them to click this picture. I might be looking silly, but I believe photography is all about thinking simple.

The transformation of the nature is in progress. Half way through...

Nature is a wonderful work of God. The whole mix and match of colors, they are so captivating.

Why To Visit George Square Every Weekend?

Another weekend is getting over. I took a 3 hour walk through the places that I never explored before.

Every weekend morning is a new day of exploration and learning. But I always take a walk towards the George Square without fail, before heading anywhere else. This place is kind of heart to Glasgow and something or the other event will be happening at this place for sure.

Last week it was a huge gathering of people to show solidarity towards the refugees from Syria. Almost everyone had a flag or a pluck card with them which had touching messages and images. 

One of the pictures, the 3 year Syrian toddler lying dead on the beach made me to cry inside. It gave me an excruciating dream on the same night. Sometimes, those images shows us how blessed we are than we believe. Frankly speaking, I don't want to discuss about that picture anymore.

This week, I believe it was something related to the Scotland Independence. Even though I didn't understand the entire idea about this campaign, the beautiful flags and the enthusiasm of the people around kick started my photographic interest which made me to create this short video. 

Every exploration is a revelation about this beautiful world that I live in. People might look different outside in various aspects, but when it comes to the inner being, everyone is the same. We are one world.

The Fringe Festival - The Art Lover's Heaven

August - time for the famous Fringe Festival. First time when I heard this, I didn't have any clue about it as usual. Then went on searching to find about the same.

What is this all about?

• Largest art festival in the world
• Talented artists from the big names to the unknowns
• Which includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events.
• 300+ venues, 50,000+ performances from 3000+ shows - that's huge.

I thing the art lover will stay around this place for the entire month for sure. It is a heaven for them.

Frankly speaking, I don't know anything about art, but I certainly enjoyed the whole place filled with people and performances. For me everything was entertainment. So my formula, art = entertainment! That make sense now. 

Every nook and corner of Edinburgh had something related to the festival. Free entry to various venues, flee markets, art collections, discounted dining at the restaurants and drinks - lot of options to explore and to enjoy during the festival.

I am not sure whether you have experienced the pain in the eyes in a hurry to grasp every view around you on a travel. It happened to me. I didn't want to miss out anything around me during the whole walk and it gave really tough time for my eyes.

Time For An Evening Snack

The museum visit took sometime that the evening demanded a snack and made me stroll to the in-house coffee shop for a quick grab. A biscuit, yummy jam and latte made my moment.

As I mentioned before, you have more restaurants here than people all around. It is the time when you spend the joyful moments with your dear ones being yourself with freedom and acceptance.

For me, meeting friends over a coffee or food is something that I never want to miss. That would be one thing that I always enjoy while being with the close ones. There is immense fun to sip a coffee or tea and to discuss about everything under the sky. 

Those moments made the tea and coffee an inevitable part of my daily life. I really crave for a coffee in the evening :)

It Smells Like Christmas!

If you ask me for one season in my life that I enjoy my heart out, it is the Christmas. 

For the past two weekends I stumbled up on the Christmas decorations in 4-5 shops. Initially I thought there are some people like me who think about Christmas bit early. But the truth is that I might be the last one in the major chunk who enjoys this season. 

Majority of hotels doesn't have a vacancy for 2015 Christmas. Everything SOLD OUT. That's crazy.

But looking forward to welcome the season. Lot to share with Ikey.

Why You Should Visit The National Museum of Scotland?

I am not a museum goer. However, since my visit to the National Museum, I kind of started to love these places. And this museum bestowed me with wonderful piece of knowledge about the history of Scotland.

Almost all the historical significant structures has undergone multi million pound (~ 47 million in pounds) renovations in Scotland recently. So does the national museum. Due to the surge of visitors year by year, that was a wise decision to take anyway. 

Merges happens for museums too. The official national museum of Scotland was formed as a merge between the new museum of Scotland + Royal museum in 2006. The place is so rich in its collectibles itself. Ranging from historical, cultural, antiques, science, technology - this is a place where you can spend learning something. And kids will love this place for the interactive items that are around. I was enjoying each and every corner of this museum. 

I entered the museum through the basement and climbed up to the wonderful white color painted, glass paved hall. It was so beautiful with with the sunlight that was filtering through. The structure is very old to when it was constructed. There are several exhibits that you can enjoy at this location.

There are close 9000 exhibits in this museum and majority are authentic ones, not the replica's. Several exhibits which are opened to public after the renovation are not seen by several generations. And this makes the museum a special place to go.

Here is what the main areas that you can visit once you are in the museum

• Grand Gallery
• Art Gallery
• Natural Habitat Gallery
• Scottish History and Archaeology
• Science and Technology
• World Cultures
• New Galleries 

If I have enjoyed this, then think about the kids. I could see more kids than adults in the gallery. With parents and grand parents, the kids were trying to learn new things from all around. With great happiness and excitement, they were racing through the museum alleys and enjoying their heart out. Sweet childhood days!

Things To Know About The Central Library

Library isn't the place that I like to visit at all. However, I thought of paying a visit as there was a Photography Exhibition going on and it was *free* :) 

This is one marvelous heaven of book and literature. Attain a membership and enjoy the wide collection of world famous books everyday.

Spent sometime around the photography exhibition and returned to the path of discovery.

Quick facts about the library:

• Opened in 1890 and the first library building in the city
• 500,000 book loans annually issued by the library
• Library has the card indices to track and find the books 
• Utilized the day light to the most through its architectural design

More Pictures Along The Royal Mile

This post is a continuation of the Royal Mile walk post, which you can read by clicking this link. I have around 234 pictures taken on the one day trip to Edinburgh. So thought of sharing some more.

Music again. This gives life to the streets and the surroundings. A bagpiper sharing is talent with the rest of the world. This musician has the skill. I enjoyed it for sometime. In-fact Scottish music is something I enjoyed from television. So enjoying it live was a precious moment for me for sure.

People likes the food, drinks, the varieties - there are more restaurants in the city than the people. And all are different and adds their own flavor to what they offer.

The City Sightseeing red bus that you can see in almost all the cities in UK. I took the ride one day. My main aim was to take some videos from the open roof of the bus. And it was wonderful. Pay 13 pounds and hop on and off the bus at the designated stops. A very good way to enjoy the town in an organized manner.

The Scottish attire. The traditional Scottish uniform or formal. You can see this as a primary outfit for any events in Scotland.

More street performers. I always try to stop and watch (pay some money at times) to encourage this people. They are doing it to earn some bucks or at least a recognition. We can give both right? Just give it then.

The Famous Royal Military Tattoo Event

When my colleague first asked me whether I am interested to go for the Military Tattoo, I told him that I am not interesting in getting a Tattoo. After realizing that it was one of the several funny ignorant moments in life, I took it in a stride and studied about it. When the Edinburgh trip came along, I read little bit more about it to get more understanding.

The Military Tattoo is a yearly event that is performed by the royal military. And I wondered how come they call this moment with a word Tattoo and it was interesting to know how it was derived. For me, it was kind of a  royal level of piping championship. Band of the powerful ones.

Close to 3 laksh spectators in and around UK, fire works, the castle premises - the experience is certainly at a different level. 

And the best part is that the event location is the Castle entrance. Temporary stands on the either sides enables the visitors to enjoy the dazzling beauty of the parade with a view.

And the event really got a military strictness in its execution. Heard that not even once the schedule had a shift due to any reasons. The week before my visit, during the parade it rained and still the show went on and everyone sit and watched. That's the craziness the people have towards this event. Amazing.

Things To Know About The Royal Mile

Walking up the road towards the castle, you will end up at the junction which merges with the Royal Mile road. Royal Mile is the vein of Edinburgh old villages. You walk through the path and can witness the historical sweetness of Edinburgh. And trust me, I had a tough time to navigate through bustling crowds on the way. Most crowded location in Edinburgh for sure.

The path is precisely a mile in distance and connects the Edinburgh Castle and HolyRood palace. So as you can think, a mile becomes royal mile when it is constantly used by the royal family. Like anything else :)

When you walk along the path you can see connected tenements along the line. And narrow passages that runs to both the directions which was so interesting to watch. Like secret passages and without a map, you are lost for sure. The paths are paved with smooth stones and everything around radiated a royal touch and feel. 

Adding more colors to the place, apart from the usual structures the place was filled with performers and high volume of shopping events as a part of the Fringe Festival.

Lot of street performers as a part of the festival made people to take a moment to gaze at them. This act specially should be pretty tiring. They were still for hours. Appreciated.

There is no Scotland without music. And it is not just music. It is always the perfect one. I really wonder why these people are not coming on to the main stream yet. Highly skilled in what they do. I listened to them for almost 10 minutes. Their fingers created magical waves of sound which trembled the old rustic walls and added more taste to its existence.

I have mentioned about the architectural elegance about this place couple of times. Doesn't matter whether a house is big or small, all are treated with the same perfection for the look and feel. Beautiful homes near to the royal palace.

The above picture is not an entrance to the Harry Potter style school. It is a restaurant located on the right side of the Royal Mile when you walk towards the HolyRood palace, just out from the castle entrance. 

People walking along the Royal Mile. There are several attractions alongside. Including the authentic Scotland Whiskey tasting and food. Really an experience for a life time.

Ok. Give me a way people. I have to reach the other side in a minute :)

Royal eh? Oh yes. My eyes started paining trying to devour each and every details on the way. A real hungry traveler. How much ever you enjoy the entire place, you will still feel like going there again and connect the dots. That might be an hallucination. Because the beauty is enjoyable for a life time.

A short video on The Royal Mile:

What Is All About This Dog? Greyfriars Bobby

There was so much crowd around due to the Fringe Festival. A complete vibrant feel all around. Suggestion for visiting the old town came up which made to take a route away from the main festival premises. 

This is when I noticed a crowd ahead trying to click photos around a statue. Kids were rushing for a chance to get the click next to it.

I recollected a similar picture while going through the other day as a homework for the journey and was glad to see one famous spot in Edinburgh. In-fact, Greyfriars Bobby is famous around the world.

For those who haven't heard about Greyfriars Bobby, this is a glimpse of it. 

The incident happened in 1850 when John Gray and his family migrated to Edinburgh. As he couldn't find the job he wanted, he took the job of a night watchman.

Might be that he was feeling lonely he bought a watchdog named Bobby. Bobby was his companion all through his life since then. 

When John died in 1858 and was buried Greyfriars Kirkyard (which is closed to where I stood while clicking the above pictures), Bobby refused to leave the grave. People tried the level best to keep him out of the place, which didn't happen. He was a loyal partner. in 1872 Bobby died being a loyal companion to his master.

I am not a dog lover, but this story moved me anyway. It is a story of impressive relationship between two living beings.

This coffee shop with the hero's name was attracting lots of crowds.

Enjoyed being around this place for sometime and helped couple of people with their photos. And moved on to the next destination.

The Journey to Edinburgh

One of the best way to travel in UK are the trains. The initial fear of traveling alone, which holds me back for a week at a new terrain was kicked out with this first journey. Now I am almost hopping in and out of the trains to travel in and around Glasgow. 

It is an hour of travel from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Got into a train with a return ticket that costed 13 pounds and enjoyed the changing landscape through the windows till I reached the Edinburgh Waverley Station.

The stations are architecturally amazing with the structures, columns and glass panes and roofs. 

Easy access from the heart of the city

We can enjoy the beauty of the city from inside the station. 

Yey!!

Art is almost everywhere. This has some meaning. I will never get it :)

So clean and tidy. Operated by a private firm, the standards are never compromised.

Airport styled status boards. Efficient way to find out the next train with ease. No confusions.

Back at the Queens Street station Glasgow.

Why To Visit Edinburgh?

To be frank, I didn't see 90% of Glasgow yet. But Edinburgh travel happened due to couple of reasons.

First, Glasgow is a fashion center. The city and the crowd is not something that I enjoy in my travel. I like the places which are serene and ambient. Edinburgh surely matches this like.

Second, the old charm city plus the castles and the narrow stone paved alleys which makes it a historically significant world heritage destination.

These two reasons were enough for me to hop on the Scotrail and an hour of travel slipped me to the beautiful terrain of Edinburgh. Awesome.

Few interesting facts about Edinburgh below:

• Mons Meg: The Edinburgh castle has this super power canon which fired the canon balls weighing close to 200kg to almost 4km (Wow!) Just imagine the moment the canon is fired. That guy will be dead probably due to the sound waves around :)
• Walking back from the castle I noticed a Greece architecture styled structure on the top of the hill. It was the The National Monument on Calton Hill, which is also called the Edinburgh’s Shame. Because this high profile construction got stalled due to fund issues. 
• Nicolson's Cafe where JK Rowling penned Harry Potter which is owned by her brother in law. I had a pen and a paper with me too :P
• Britannica Encyclopedia is born at Edinburgh
• Edinburgh castle is seated on a dormant volcano. Oh yes, its dormant and that's why I could click a picture :)
• Royal Mile the straight path from the castle to Holyroodhouse palace. I photographed the entire path throughout.
• August is the time of Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the worlds BIGGEST art festival. Not much relevant for me anyway :)

The places visited in Edinburgh. 

• Arthur's Seat
• Edinburgh Castle
• Edinburgh Old Town
• National Museum of Scotland
• Camera Obscura and Wold of Illusions
• Calton Hill
• Palace of Holyroodhouse
• Royal Mile
• Edinburgh New Town
• Princess Street 
• And a whole lot of walking up and down the beautiful streets.

The magnificent Edinburgh Castle. View from the street. 

This is what I could cover in a day. Pictures and posts to follow. 

Can't leave this post without saying that Edinburgh is a must visit place in Scotland.

Glasgow Necropolis Vlog

Short video I took while visiting the Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis. Some photos from the visit, you can view by clicking here.

Video - World Piping Championship 2015

Time Lapses are recommended to be recorded on a tripod. I didnt have one, so had to hold the camera for minutes to get the initial time lapse from the event. I could have stabilized the visual, but it will kill the entire clarity. So keeping it as it was recorded. Enjoy!

World Piping Championship 2015

I did prepare to go and see this event from the moment I heard about it from the colleagues. Everything at this place was awesome except the entry ticket for 16 pounds (that's too costly) and it became worse when the security blocked me from clicking the photos. 

I was kind of frustrated but then noticed that several visitors were clicking pics around. Then I asked another security at the event about clicking the photos and he agreed to it. Weird! 

Anyway that was enough for me to get started. 

A little history about this event before we dive into some pictures.

The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association (today known as the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association) was formed. For competitive bands, the title of World Champion is highly coveted, and this event is seen as the culmination of a year's worth of preparation, rehearsal and practice. This makes it a tough competition.

Until 2013, the entirety of the World Championships has taken place on one day in August, the current venue being Glasgow Green (which is a minute walk from my apartment).Typically several hundred bands attend, traveling from all over the world. And the entire place was crowded with bands and people.

Okay. That's enough.

The venue was awesome and the climate was wonderful. I walked around and enjoyed the whole show that they presented. 

The bands has to perform several rounds to reach the final. This is one of such qualification rounds that was happening when I reached the venue.

The band is so synced and disciplined that almost entire team sticks to pre-defined plan for any kind of movement until they move out from the competition ground. All the bands will have a set of bagpipers and drummers, the core part.

Drummers of the team towards the end of the formation.

Scotland is all about food and drinks. Behind the shop is People's Palace.

Practice session going on before the real fight.

The venue had other events too. Like this one, heavy weight championship. Jaw dropping competitions. Wooh!

He just threw a 15kg stone to the thin air. 

I loved it when the sun was out and froze to death while the clouds hid it.

The Scottish dance competition that was held as a part of the event. Skilled students. Totally enjoyed the show.