Short work trips to European cities

In 2019, I had to make a couple of short work trips to some cities in Europe (and around). As they were for work, I spent most of my time between the hotel, office and the airport. But I did manage to snatch a few hours here and there to go outside, explore a bit of the city and walk around. And it felt awesome. At least I got some feel of the world outside, even if just for a few hours 😊. And so here are snippets of what I saw during my few hours outside, in Istanbul, Cairo, Asturias, Madrid, Dusseldorf and Milan.


Two days in Istanbul

I was in Istanbul for two days for a conference and I must say, even the two days were enough for me to again fall in love with the depth and variety of experiences in Istanbul. As soon as you land here, you feel a vibrancy in the air, which is difficult to explain. My flight landed past midnight but still I could see the city, alive at night all the way till the hotel. With its low and high lights, its teeming millions in the streets, the small hills in between and the mosques on top of those. Just the drive in brought back all the energy to explore the city all over again...

Our take-off point

The first day, we had a yacht ride on the Bosporus. We got into the yacht from one of the palaces on the side, and then were in the water for the next few hours. We went up and down the Bosporus during this time, almost till the end. The weather was sunny and warm. The sky a deep blue, dotted with clouds. And there was something very heavenly about the whole surrounding, the deep blue Bosporus on a sunny summer day. I remember thinking, that this is life, this is what bliss must feel like.

Holiday homes on the side

As we floated on the Bosporus, we initially passed by the busy city, then all the mosques looking majestic, on top of the hills. Then came some forts on the banks. And then many grand houses on the sides of the Bosporus, which looked like holiday homes. It just felt so relaxing, fun and uplifting. Just to be there. And seeing all I did on the boat ride encouraged me to read about Istanbul when back in London.

Then we walked back to our hotel, taking in the colours and life of the city. It felt like such a vibrant place with so many layers. You walk past high end shops, then roadside vendors, then a green park, then a mosque and then the Bosporus. Everywhere there are people, smiling and going on with their lives. Everyone with a different story to tell.

In the evening, I was to meet a friend near Galata Tower, and decided to take the public transport there. So I first took a tram and reached a bridge. There I got out and saw a guy selling the Indian butta, which I wanted to buy. But I decided to then take the train up the hill to Galata, called Tunel. This slow moving one stop train takes you up the hill to the Galata tower. At the Galata, we had dinner at a market place, with green plants growing all around, bringing a lot of coolness to the restaurant. And there were lots of people sitting around just chatting. I loved it all again, I don't know why.

We then walked on Istaklal street, doing a bit of window shopping and then went in to a restaurant to sit on the terrace and eat Baklava. The Baklava were too heavy to eat a lot, but from the terrace, we got a good view of the street at night. It was so active even so late. So clearly nothing much has changed since I was here last, in 2006...

Blue Mosque at night

At night we saw the Galata tower and the blue mosque. And both looked scintillating. We also walked to the Galata bridge on top of which people were fishing. And under the bridge, there was a long line of restaurants, each with a brilliant view on the Bosporus. The restaurants had people standing outside, trying to lure in tourists. We sat there at one of those for a bit, just enjoying the feeling of being between Europe and Asia, with a grand water body below and the vibrant city around.

Istaklal street at night

While walking back, we saw people on Istaklal street late through the night. And shops were open even at 1 am! There were some people begging and a few singing on the sides. It was tough to get by with English though. As the shops were open so late, I bought some Turkish sweets and finally said goodnight to such a long day in such a vibrant city.

The next morning, after our morning sessions, we had a few free hours before our flight. So we decided to walk till the Hagia Sofiya. We couldn't reach there as we got lost a few times 😊. But we did experience Istanbul again. The streets sometimes feel rich, sometimes have a European feel with outside sitting, sometimes feel Middle Eastern and sometimes just feel downtrodden. And all of it exists right next to each other. People are different everywhere and seem to be from different countries and backgrounds. And all seem to be going somewhere.

I finally got to the butta place again and bought butta. It turned out that the vendor was Pakistani, and he spoke to me in Urdu. So clearly Indian style butta isn't made by anyone else! Anyways, after randomly exploring the city and never reaching the Hagia, we came back to our hotel to be off to London. It even started raining while we were going to the airport, just after it was so hot and sunny all day. The city never fails to surprise me. Flying out of Istanbul was a bit of a surprise though, given how many security checks you need to go through! I had to go through 3 baggage checks and 3 passport checks before I got to the plane. Clearly, things are more fragile here than I remember from before.

Anyways, I was so impressed by this visit that I came back and read two books about Istanbul. It is such a deep and layered city, with so many cultures merging in a mosaic, it always feels like a mystery to be understood and solved. Again and again.


An evening in Cairo

My work trip to Cairo was one of the shortest ever. I barely got 24 hours outside the airport - I landed there early morning and flew out the next morning. From the air, I could see how huge the whole city was. The lights extended till where my eyes could see. Apparently 30% of Egypt's population stays in Cairo and around.

Once I landed there, it felt like having come to a different place. Everything was written in Arabic and it was not as easy to get by with English. I got an on arrival visa at the airport from one of the bank stalls and then in 10 mins, I was out of immigration. It looks like the airport is open all night, unlike European airports which shut down at night. I was staying in the airport hotel itself given the early flight timings and took a hotel shuttle rather than walking there, which was convenient. The hotel though could have been anywhere in the world, it didn't feel like I was in Cairo at all.

The first half of the day, I was in the New Cairo part of the city. It was very near the airport and felt like any other modern financial centre. The traffic felt much busier, but more on that later. After my meeting, I had a few hours left in the evening and decided to make a rush for the Giza pyramids, to at least see something of the city as I was there. The pyramids are on the other side of New Cairo, in the city of Giza, and traffic getting there is expected to be bad. I was discouraged to try to see the pyramids, but I did anyways.

Yellow houses of Cairo

It took me almost an hour to get there and it was quite an interesting drive. I could see the desert everywhere, all yellow and empty rocky landscape outside the city. Inside of course, the city was very densely populated. The driving wasn't that bad, as there are a few highways which literally take you over the city of Cairo, to Giza. It was all so crowded everywhere and you could see the city below the highways. Shops, houses and narrow lanes. Filled with people. And in between, I saw some very pretty mosques and churches.

There were high rises everywhere. All in yellow. It felt like a sea of houses everywhere I could see. It was almost like a bombardment of yellow on the eyes. But lot of these buildings looked only partly completed. They all had this yellow sandy shade to it and felt as if stuck in time. People were staying in them, but they had not been completed. I am guessing those were the poorer parts of town.

On the way, I also drove over the deep blue waters of the Nile. And realised why it is known as the lifeline of Egypt. It was all so green and alive next to it, while the rest of the city was so yellow. There was also something spiritual about the Nile, something worth exploring on a longer trip to the country.

The pyramids

I reached the pyramids much later than I expected and they were closed. So I was only able to look at them from the outside. As grand and magical as they looked, with the setting sun behind them, I do think they lost a bit of their shine as they are literally inside the city. But their grandness and peacefulness was quite impressive. Standing as testament to the movement of time... I had been super warned to stay away from the hustlers there, so I avoided going into any of the shops I around. I found a Pizza Hut right in front and walked up to the third floor to get a good view of the pyramids. And the view from there is something I would totally recommend.

View from Pizza hut

After this quick view, we drove through the city to come back. By then, the sunny and warm day had also turned colder, just like it happens in the desert. Inside the city, we drove next to the promenade next to the Nile, which was very active again. Lots of people were walking there in the cool air, and the road was lined with tens of nice restaurants. I drove by Tahrir Square too which didn't really have much. But I could see all the liveliness there. My drivers didn't speak English well and were surprised when I wanted to stop and see things on the way, like walk next to the Nile and eat at one of the restaurants there. They kept discouraging me and just kept driving me around!

I was surprised by how much everyone was scared of driving into the city, as if the traffic would dissolve them! The distances surely are huge. You can keep on driving and still be barely far from where you started. But it wasn't as bad as I expected. Definitely better than Bombay traffic 😀.

For dinner, we went to the Lakeside club which was in New Cairo. Driving there I saw how different New Cairo was to the old city. It had very wide roads, green trees all around and houses which looked like palaces. And the restaurant was next to a swimming pool surrounded by lights. The food was good, but again the restaurant could have been anywhere in the world. Its not fun to eat at such modern places when you are in an ancient place like Egypt. I would definitely like to see more of the country and its culture sometime. But Cairo I may want to stay away from 😊. I found it very tiring somehow, don't know why.

At the airport in the morning, I saw some people wearing the choga, but not a lot. So it felt like I was in the Middle East. And I saw men kissing when greeting each other, which was super weird. Anyways the trip ended quite quickly, but I am happy that I saw something of the city, and not just the hotel, airport and office!


A weekend in Oviedo, Asturias

The trip to Oviedo was a personal trip to attend a wedding. So it wasn't work but it was still very busy and I wasn't able to see much of the area. I loved what I saw of it though. And plan to go back sometime for sure 😊.

Asturias is a principality in the north of Spain, neighbouring Galicia and Portugal in the west, and Santander and Basque country on the east. It has the coast and the mountains on either side and boasts of a different heritage and weather from the rest of Spain. For one, it is always cold and rainy there. It is greener than the rest of Spain. And the people here have Celtic origins and believe in some different motifs and symbols.

There are two main towns in the region, Gijon and Oviedo, and both share the same airport. While landing at the airport, I saw the area around the sea, and it looked fabulous. I could see the sea waves lashing against the cliffs, the clouds on the top and this huge green area in between. The whole area had small green hills, dotted with wooden houses like in Switzerland, but colourful like in Italy 😊. The colours looked resplendent against each other, and very welcoming.

After landing, it was a one hour drive to Oviedo which was through stunning countryside. It was sad though that the entire three days I was there, it was raining very heavily. So we could not explore much of the outside but I could see its potential for sure. Oviedo looked like a nice quiet modern town. And you can see high snow covered mountains all around. No wonder, this place was cooler and greener, very different from the Spain across those mountains.

The first evening, we had an event at a traditional Asturian cider place. They are famous for their apple cider, made from apples grown locally. The place had a very fun and casual feel about it. With huge barrels kept like decoration, inside the restaurant. And the apple cider was served by the waiters in the traditional manner, after tossing it into the glass from a height, so that it splashes everywhere. It was fun to see this show before every glass being served 😊.

View from Meres Palace

The wedding next day was at the Meres Palace which was a lovely venue. It also suddenly stopped raining that day which was welcome, as we got to see the lovely bright countryside for a bit. The views from there were stunning. Of green mountains, orchards, beautiful wooden colourful houses on the hills and so on. All around it, it had apple orchards (for the cider 😜) and within the Palace, they had a chapel, a lovely ballroom and a grand interior to host the wedding. They also had amazing food and of course the traditional apple cider, being served by the waiters in the traditional manner. We had a great fun time at the wedding. I also noticed that everyone here dressed up in much more subtle colours and clothes, even to weddings. Especially given how much being an Indian I love colours, everyone around felt very very sober 😊.

The chapel

The next day we had some time, so we walked a bit around town as there were some places to see. But it was raining so much, that we just stopped and had lunch at La Corte de Palayo. Which turned out to be an amazing choice. The food there was outstanding. And I must say, Asturians love their food. They have so many tasty dishes, even vegetarian. Both at the wedding, in the restaurant and my friends place, the food was so yummy and tasty. I loved it!

And very soon it was time to leave. I found Asturias to be very different from the rest of Spain that I have visited. People are very friendly here. And happy. As family living is still quite a large part of their life. Its tough to get by with English though. Its definitely a place am coming back to sometime.


Two days in Madrid

Lunch at the casino

I spent two days in Madrid recently on a work trip. The first day was at the conference in a museum - Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. It was an impressive location. We explored the museum a bit between sessions and the paintings were impressive. Our lunch and dinner was at the Casino de Madrid nearby, which was even more grand. The lunch room was gorgeous, with its painted roof and huge chandeliers. And the dinner on the terrace was lovely, with cool wind blowing all around and a view of the bustling street below.

View of Madrid streets

During the day, we took a quick break and walked out in the sun to the Sol market place. The area was quite charming, with small streets, boutique shops, painted buildings, and lot of street artists in the square. Some of the street artists tableaus were much better than I have seen elsewhere. And it was so hot and sunny, it felt awesome to just walk outside. At night, we walked to one of the party areas near our place and spent some time at Salmon Guru. All around, the place was very active, and full of people even after 11 pm.

The next day, after the conference, I spent a few hours with a friend where we walked around the Central area. We also walked to one of the local markets and saw the local fish being sold. Madrid has such a green and open feel to it, with its wide tree-lined roads, its sun and its laziness. I always miss this in London. And there is so much to do in the city too. I feel it is not really a touristy place but a stay-worthy city.


An evening in Dusseldorf

I spent a couple of days in Dusseldorf on work where I barely got to see the city. But one of the evenings, I had a few hours to explore the place, and I liked what little I saw. I walked to the central area where I walked around the cobbled streets of Altstadt. There were lots of shops and restaurants there and some churches and other grand buildings. It felt like the downtown of the town.

Houses on the Rhine

The highlight for me though was the walk along the Rhine river. From Alstadt, I just walked to the river and walked along it for a kilometer. It was a sunny day and people were siting outside at one spot enjoying concert music in the sun - such a European thing to do.

As I walked along the promenade, I was impressed by the huge houses on the other side of the river and the greenery there. Plus the row of trees all along the river. It felt like a lazy calm place where walking along the river feels like coming to a different place altogether. I enjoyed the calmness of the city, and again felt that it is a non-touristy, but worth-staying-in kind of place.

Summer concert

The Promenade

A couple of hours in Milan

The carving

Milan was a very short and busy work trip for me. I only got 2 hours before my flight to explore the town, and so I took a tram to go to the Duomo, the Cathedral. The Duomo is the heart of Milan, everything is concentrated around it. All shops around are named after it. And that's the place everyone tells you to go to if you have time in the city.

The stained glass

I have been to Milan before and have seen the Duomo before too. But this time, I went inside and was amazed by its grandeur and detailed work. I especially loved the stained glass windows inside. They were huge with some very detailed work on them. And the carvings on the outside are fabulous anyways. It suddenly got sunny for that one hour we were there and it felt like the Duomo was suddenly shining...

We also then walked into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele arcade nearby and that was shining too. All the gold paintings and lighting all around. And I left Milan again feeling how grand even a market in Europe can be...