San Francisco: Gateway to California

The city of San Francisco sits on the northern tip of the peninsula that creates the California Bay Area. San Francisco is the premier city of northern California, and has been at the forefront of the development of California as a whole. It is the financial hub of the state as well as the second most important financial hub of the country, after New York City. San Francisco has served as the gateway for many a watershed moment in history - it was a strategic stronghold of Spanish California, it was the embarkation point for adventurers and treasure seekers during the California gold rush, as well as for most American Naval forces in the Pacific theater of the second world war. San Francisco further became the focal point when these forces returned after the war, settled down, and led to the rapid development of the whole Bay area, first as a research center for the armed forces, and later of course as the technological hub of the world. Today San Francisco is famous for being a liberal and arty city nested into Silicon Valley, and for being the financial center for the otherwise technology dominated surrounding Bay cities.

Downtown San Francisco from Twin Peaks

The most famous landmark in San Francisco, and indeed one of the most famous in America, is the iconic Golden Gate bridge, famous as the gateway to and from the Golden State of California. The Golden Gate stretches from the peninsula of San Francisco towards the North Bay, and is in fact part of the arterial California-1 state highway, which runs north-south through the state.

Golden Gate Bridge - from south (city) side

Driving up into the hills on the other side of the bridge, there are several stunning vista points, offering panoramic views of the Golden Gate bridge, San Francisco downtown, Alcatraz island, and the Bay beyond.

Golden Gate Bridge and Downtown - from north side

Golden Gate Bridge and Downtown from vista point

Along the main marina just north of the downtown, is the impressive Embarcadero, the main street along the waterfront.  The Ferry Building is located here, with scheduled ferries to various points across the bay, and so is the nouveau sculpture of Cupids's Arch.

Embarcadero - Cupid's Arch and Ferry Building

Above the Embarcadero looms the Bay Bridge, the only direct vehicle connection from San Francisco toward Oakland and East Bay.

The Bay Bridge

On the Marina itself, Pier 39 is the most famous among all piers, with its full complement of eateries, souvenir shops and one surprising implement: California Sea Lions lounging right in the middle on specially reserved rafts.

Pier 39

Pier 39 with California Sea Lions

 The waterfront is famous for lots of seafood restaurants, and local specialties are the crab-cake sandwich and the clam chowder in bowls made of sour-dough bread.

The Seafood Spread

Inland on the peninsula, San Francisco is famous for its incredible steep streets. For a casual visitor, its really creepy to look back from the car, in the middle of hand-braked bumper to bumper traffic, on a street at 45 degree angle! The locals seem matter-of-fact about it, and are even used to parking with wheels turned instead of straight, so that any untoward backward slip will put them onto the street instead into the car parked behind.

Lombard Street - Uphill task!

I really wonder what would have prompted the city planners to build such steep streets instead of gently sloping and winding streets, and the only explanation I can think off is that American cities must value straight streets and grids so highly, that they rate steep straight streets higher than gentle winding ones, which would have been the norm in Europe or other places.

San Francisco's steep drives

The most curious and famous of San Francisco's streets is the Crooked Street (formally called Lombard Street), which is a weird combination, being a sharply winding street that is also steep. It is one of the tourist to-dos in San Francisco, to drive up the steep street on the other side, and then drive down the crooked street, dodging tourists, parked cars, and other similar enthusiastic drivers.

Lombard Street downhill - 'Crooked Street'

 From the bottom edge of Crooked Street, you can see all the down to Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz island beyond. This is one of the most popular routes on the San Francisco streetcars.

Hyde Street - Downhill towards fisherman's wharf and Alcatraz Island

The city of San Francisco has a long history of being welcoming to people from all over the world. It has one of America's oldest and largest China-towns, it has today a large Hispanic minority, it is famous for being LGBT friendly. It offers something for everyone, from the biggest cliches to the most esoteric things. It offers a wonderful glimpse of what California has to offer, for tourists and residents alike.

Madrid and Andalusia

Madrid: A huge, pulsating, vibrant, colorful, exciting city! Madrid makes the emphatic statement that it is the capital of Spain. There is a building around each corner that has a 'national' or 'royal' somehow entangled in its name, leaving visitors in no doubt about the city's status as the political as well as geographical heart of Spain.

The vibrant nature of the city starts at the very center: the Puerta del Sol, where the famous Madrid Bear marks the so called 'Kilometer Zero' of Madrid and of Spain. From here radiate paths to everywhere, and once you you manage to extricate yourselves from the souvenir shops, the cafes, the people selling beer cans on the street, the people handing out leaflets and jabbering away in Spanish you can slowly start taking in the wonders that Madrid has to offer.

Everything, everything in Madrid is worth seeing! The crazy melee of the El Rastro street market on a Sunday which almost supersedes Mumbai fashion street, the wonderful square of Plaza Mayor with its outdoor restaurants (and its staring japanese tourists), the broad Paseo del Prada street lined with a number of top class art museums of the world, the Las Ventas Bullring - the largest in Spain, the spanish royal palace with its mere 2800 rooms, the innumerable pubs, restaurants, cafes, discos, tablaos - and at least as important as the buildings and the monuments, the atmosphere and the people!

Puerta del Sol

Puerta del Sol

Paseo del Prada

Plaza Mayor

I always appreciate the interactions with Spaniards I have had so far. In France and also Italy, when people know you don't speak their language you are treated with thinly veiled impatience, bordering on disdain. Travelling in Spain too means meeting people who don't speak a word of English. The difference I find here though, is that there is no resentment about the fact that you don't speak Spanish. People go on chattering away in such an unaffected way, its fascinating. Then the last resort of course is the universal language: hand gestures!



A two and half hour train ride on the super-fast AVE express train brings you 600 km south from Madrid and into the province of Andalusia - the erstwhile Muslim stronghold in Spain, later the Spanish gateway to its colonies in the Americas, today the southernmost of the 17 provinces of Spain, and a traveler's paradise..

Andalusia has tremendous diversity in physical features - it has two coasts, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, it has numerous hills and mountains, notable among which is the Sierra Nevada, and a number of river plains and hillsides perfect for olives, oranges and the like. It has its strong cultural identity within Spain as well, and is the birthplace of flamenco and bullfighting.
The Moorish rule still has its remnant effects, with inner courtyards of houses remind you very much of Morocco, even though the town on the whole might look essentially Spanish.

Doorway in Seville

We actually managed to see a good deal of the province considering the short time of 4 days we spent there. We made our way through the capital city of Seville, and also other culturally important places like Cordoba, Granada and Ronda, before finishing off in Malaga on the Mediterranean coast.


Cordoba was in the middle ages the largest, most sophisticated, and most cosmopolitan city in the world. The great mosque of Cordoba, erected in is period, stands witness to those days. After the 'Reconquista' by catholic Spain, this mosque was converted into a cathedral, known now as the Mezquita. It is a massive, impressive structure, with its famous double arches with the 'Candy look' enhancing the feeling of Infinity.

The Mezquita: Cordoba

The Mezquita: Cordoba

Seville is today an exciting, charming, beautiful city, though very different to what it must have been in ages past - first as a Moorish stronghold, then as the monopolistic port for trade with the Americas. The Giralda is the erstwhile mosque minaret, now the bell tower of the Seville cathedral. The Plaza de Espana, built is the 1920's, is a comparatively newer addition in Seville's already impressive heritage monuments list, and today houses a number of offices of the government of Andalusia.

Giralda: Seville

Giralda: Seville

Giralda from the gateway of Seville Fortress

Plaza de Espana: Seville

Plaza de Espana: Seville

Plaza de Espana: Seville

The jewel of the city of Granada is the magnificent Alhambra palace, overlooking the city from its lofty hilltop perch. The fabulous Nasreen palace, the fortified battlements, the vast gardens - and all with the incredibly serene motif of running water everywhere - is an absolute treat to the senses.

Nasreen Palace, Alhambra: Granada

Nasreen Palace, Alhambra: Granada

Alhambra Gardens: Granada

Alhambra Gardens: Granada

Alhambra Gardens: Granada

Ronda, set in the hilly Andalusian countryside, has some spectacular and dramatic views. The city is literally of a cliff edge, with a dramatic arched bridge at the city center, with the city sloping off on either side of the bridge and a view of kilometers of wilderness on the other side.

Ronda City center

Spain!
Indeed a Puerta - a Gate - to unlimited fascination for an avid traveler!

Yosemite: A Place of Tall Tales!

Yosemite National Park entrance

California is blessed with a huge diversity in geographic features and beauty, from a breathtaking coastline and beautiful beaches to arid desert stretches to pristine woodlands. The crown of this natural abundance though is the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and the foremost jewel of this crown is the Yosemite National Park. The famous tunnel view out over the Yosemite valley actually seems like a figment of imagination, even as you stand and admire it. Sheer cliffs, sparkling waterfalls and a beautiful blanket of evergreen conifers - it is difficult to take it all in in one view.

Tunnel View, Yosemite Valley

Tunnel View, Yosemite Valley

And so it seems that you have reached a wonder world, just about 2.5 hours drive from the bay area. Yosemite valley is a world heritage site and a massive tourist puller for a reason, or rather, several of them. As you drive through the valley floor, impossibly smooth and sheer granite domes rise on both sides. Incredible waterfalls dot these cliffs, creating clefts in the impenetrable looking rock.
Many of these super-rocks are famous as hiking and climbing exploits for those so inclined. The more famous is perhaps the half dome, which is the most famous landmark of Yosemite. From spring to late summer, the half dome and its reflection in Mirror Lake is one of the most famous sights to behold in the valley.

Half Dome in Mirror Lake

The big brother of half dome is the hulking El Capitan, a geological wonder and a challenge for professional climbers. It seems to rise impossibly sheer, right next to the road.

El Capitan

 After the granite blocks, the next set of landmarks of Yosemite are the plunging waterfalls. The upper Yosemite falls is the highest of them all, a signature of the valley. Another famous one is the Bridal Veil fall. As you approach you feel the mist on you, long before you even see the water cascade around the corner.

Upper Yosemite Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

And finally, an important feature of Yosemite, for which it is less famous than the granite and water, are the Giant Sequoias. Although the Sequoia National Park and other locations in the Sierra are more famous for their giants, Yosemite also has the impressive Mariposa grove. The largest and oldest living thing on the planet, the Giant Sequoia is an awe inspiring and humbling sight. As you stand at its bottom and try to see the top, you try to imagine what it means to be 2000 years old - and fail miserably. 

The Mariposa Grove

The Grizzly

The Mariposa Grove

In typical approved American style, all the major trees in the grove are named and documented: The biggie of the lot is called the Grizzly, four elegant Sequoias in a cluster are called the Bachelor and Three Graces, and more such. If at all there was any inspiration for the Magic Faraway Tree, I am sure this must have been it!

Netherlands: Dutch Symbols, Cityscapes and Monuments

If you live in the Rhineland area of western Germany, you are very close to the border with the Netherlands. When you live anywhere in the Netherlands, you are very close to the border with the next country! From the center of the Netherlands, you can reach the extremities of the country within a couple of hours of train journey, and more often than not you are likely to be in the next country in this time.

In this small piece of land the dutch people have crafted their sandcastle of a country, becoming experts at harnessing the unique opportunities of the geography and keeping at bay the continuous threat of being a land under sea level. The Netherlands can be considered as the fist truly commerce based 'capitalist economy' ever, when Amsterdam ruled as the world's richest city and dutch Merchantmen sailed the seas from Suriname to Indonesia.

Canals lined with their narrow row houses are famous mainly from Amsterdam, but actually are ubiquitous throughout the country. The complex crisscross network of canals and their locks is important to the Netherlands not just for commerce, but also for regulating water levels of the low-lying areas.

Canal with multiple bridges in Amsterdam

Canals act as thoroughfares for boats and barges

In Utrecht, the peculiar specialty of the canals is the promenade on the water level

Dutch architecture in general has two very distinct styles: first is the retro medieval/classic style which is seen all over Europe. Second is the truly ugly modernist architecture which unfortunately dominate the centers of many dutch cities, a result of the post war modernist frenzy. For me these sections are eye-sores enough not to include any photos of them here.
Space is at a premium in the Dutch cities, and the narrow, steep and extremely confusing dutch stairs are a formidable challenge to the uninitiated. In the Netherlands, unadorned brick buildings are typical, with stepped gables and many with the famous hooks for hoisting furniture up from the outside (That's what narrow stairs lead to!)

Typical 'Canal Houses' in Amsterdam

City center of Deventer

City center of Deventer

Narrow alleyway near the old city walls of Maastricht

Old Market in Maastricht

The Brick motif is present throughout the country in all kinds of buildings: castles, churches, towers, canals, pavements - everywhere.
The topography has automatically led to whole dutch cities surrounded by moats, which are of course part of the canal network rather than a still body of water. Often the central canal passing through the town was the main 'highway'.

'Koppelpoort', the combined land and water gate in the city walls of Amersfoort

Inside the city walls of Amersfoort

the 'Tower of our Lady' in Amersfoort,
placed over the geographical center of the Netherlands

St. Nikolas church in Deventer

'Vrijthof' the central square in Maastricht

Another interesting motif associated with the Netherlands, although it did not originate there, is the Tulip. The Netherlands exports tons and tons of tulips, an increasingly rare example of massive agricultural export from a western European country.

Keukenhof Tulip gardens

Keukenhof Tulip gardens

Finally, the greatest cliche associated with the dutch countryside is - Windmills!
The dutch have traditionally harnessed wind power freely available in their flat, low-lying country for all kinds of purposes like grinding flour and pumping water to control water levels. Windmills still dot the countryside as well as the towns, but most of them are not in commercial use, and are maintained for their historic value.

'Kinderdijk', biggest Windmill farm in the Netherlands,
built to regulate water levels

'Kinderdijk', biggest Windmill farm in the Netherlands,
built to regulate water levels

There are two dutch symbols to which I have not dedicated any photographs, simply because they are already present in almost each photo here already. First is the fantastic and dangerous creature called the dutch Bicycle. Its safer to cross a dutch highway blindfolded in the middle of the night that to cross a dutch cycle path! I don't think there is any place on earth that allows such impunity to Bicycles like the Netherlands.
Second almost ever-present symbol is the gray sky and the drizzle. You never know when a perfectly blue-looking sky can start weeping, and turn blue again as unexpectedly. As a friend from the Netherlands once told me: Here, if you don't like the weather, wait for five minutes!