Travel - Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Travel: Cologne, Germany

Of spires and cars The brooding spires of the Cologne Cathedral dominate the city as well as the skyline So there we were, in the famous cathedral town of Cologne (or Koln) in Germany. Counting (German) cars! And what were we doing that cool morning? We were counting cars, and fast discovering that sometimes clichés…

Travel: Bannerghatta National Park

I am in the Bannerghatta National Park, Bengaluru’s favourite getaway. I have signed on for a Jungle Lodges Resorts (JLR) night-stay package, which includes all safaris and meals. Earlier that day, I had checked in at the JLR camp; 1 and 1/2 kms inside the park, past ponds filled with blooming pink lotuses, huge anthills black…

Travel: The Alhambra Gardens

The Gardens of Heaven If the Alhambra palace in Spain is a beautiful diadem, Sheila Kumar finds the Alhambra Gardens the jewel in this crown Blame it on the window views. Al Capone, Al Pacino and Alhambra…. There I was, taking the tour of the Nasrid Palace in the Alhambra, stopping every few feet…

Travel: Delftware in Amsterdam

The Blue Streak It is a thought that strikes most people when they lay eyes on the beautiful blue pottery of Amsterdam.This being the place of Delftware, there is indeed a lot of blue pottery to admire: the houses, the clogs, creamers, butter dishes, jars and jugs of all shapes and sizes, plates, candle stands,…

Travel: Lyon, a moveable feast – In between bites

I have got to be honest and upfront about it: I had come to Lyon to eat. This city that sits tidily between two charming and seemingly placid rivers, the Rhone coming down from the Alpin glaciers and the Saone coming in from northeastern France, is one that the French, an epicurean nation if there…

Travel: Nubra Valley, Ladakh

Nightfall in Nubra Nestled between tall mountains with pristine blue rivers flowing in its lap, Nubra Valley is home to nature in its purest form. Sheila Kumar heads north of Leh to marvel at the delights the valley has to offer It is the twilight hour and the gloaming lights up the Nubra Valley…

Travel: : Heybeliada Island, Turkey

Islet in the sun The writer visits a lovely Turkish island with no cars but plenty of shaggy dogs. It’s a gorgeous morning, a brisk wind rifling the surface of the Sea of Marmara, the sun still in a mild mood though we have crested the mid-day point. I’m on the deck of the Baris…

Travel: Ladakh

Stop here, or gently pass Preserve the land’s beauty with responsible change, says the writer, who returns to Ladakh after 29 years I stared around at Changspa, mouth agape. The long and winding street was full of tourists, mostly foreigners. They were everywhere, peering at the coral and turquoise knick-knacks on display in the…

Travel: Chimi Lakhang in Bhutan

Blessed by the phallus Bhutan’s mystifying phallicgraphy is a tradition dating back to the 15th century. The Chimi Lhakhang was not on my list of Bhutan must-sees. In fact, I did not even know about it. And then, en route to the hill station of Punakha, where the current king wed his pretty wife,…

Travel: Jageshwar Temple, Kumaon

Temples of solitude It is a hot April day, but not too hot. I am gazing at the cluster of stone temples that makes up the ancient Jageshwar complex, 125 temples devoted to Lord Shiva. In turn, I can feel someone gazing at me; the compelling intensity of the scrutiny is like…