Cambridge

Make it Newquay

Called the British California, Newquay is a seaside town and major seaport of Cornwall, England. I arrived into this quiet city minutes before midnight. Weary and tired, all I wanted was to fill my growling stomach and have a good night's sleep. The caretaker of the guest house informed me that if we drive to the city centre, we will find a number of cuisines and fast food chains. All that tiredness from driving did not allow me to experiment with my choice of dinner. Green chillies, a Indian take away offered my stomach some solace and I decided to call it a night. Next morning, as I woke up to the sun peeping right on my face through the curtains, all I could see was mist on the road. It was so intense that I could barely see the cars on the road or even the trees in the lawn. I found out at the reception that the hotel conducted surfing and bodyboarding activities in the afternoons. In fact, this town was only known for the exhilarating activities it offered. The beachside was engulfed by the mist and it seemed impossible to do water sports that day. As I walked through the town, I realized how much the town had to offer. The restaurants ranged from  ethnic Lebanese food to authentic Indian food to Turkish shawarmah. The streets and lamp posts were adorned with colourful seasonal petunias and one could smell freshly baked cakes right out of the oven. Breakfast was at Kimz, an eatery run by a group of elegant and efficient old ladies. When my friend ordered for vegetables in spicy gravy with cheese and rice, little did he know that he would be served the almost Indian style 'rajma-rice' in a typical British restaurant. For myself, I ordered for scrambled eggs and buttered toasts with a large glass of banana milkshake. And trust me, it was totally out of the world. After a heavy brunch, we headed to the Newquay activity centre for a session of water surfing. I was mersmerised by the location of the centre. Situated on a height and surrounded by white palatial summer bungalows, it provided the most beautiful view of the sea. All suited up in the surfing gear, I walked down to the beach with my friends. I had chosen to be the photographer for the day and preferred enjoying the silence of the sea. The shore was occupied by surfers of all ages, shapes and sizes. The locals had come out with their pets to enjoy the sun. It was pure bliss to simply sit and watch everybody. After about two hours, we headed back  to the centre, showered, changed and headed back to the city on our trail for more discoveries. The buildings were of the old Victorian era and added that British charm to the city. There was nothing exclusive to see in the city but the ambience and charm it held, made it so much more interesting. The other side of the beach had my discovery of the day. I was unable to find that one word to describe my discovery. On a cliff, in the middle of the sea was located a guest house which was connected to the main land by a long white upwardly bent bridge. My imagination took me to the middle of the bridge and I could feel the sea lashing waves on the shore some 100 feet below me. I smiled on my imagination, captured the picture in my head and walked off with my companions towards our next destination, St. Ives. True to its reputation, make it Newquay: make it soon.

Along the Jurassic Coast

This was the first time in a year in England that I experienced a traffic jam  on the highway from Bournemouth to the Lulworth cove. The day promised to be bright and sunny with those occassional bouts of chill laden winds. It was early September and the temperatures had already begun to drop and slight drizzles were self-invited. All I wished for that day was a unperturbed walk along the renowned Jurassic coast. Just in time for brunch, I arrived at the Lulworth caravan park almost an hour and a half behind the planned schedule. The weather looked perfect, I  quickly grabbed a  snappy burger with fries from Harry's cafe bar and walked off towards the coastline. What I saw from the top of the cliff, was just a snapshot straight out of those glossy bollywood movies. Blue water, picturesque shore, bright coloured canoes and innumerable rainbow coloured beach umbrellas.The water was so clear that I could actually see shades of green water , which appeared coloured because of the wild growth around the reef. Lulworth is a huge private property in Dorset. It has a 300 years old castle, which once was used as a hunting lodge. The other end of the estate was a caravan plus camping site. Another asset to it's name is the naturally formed horse-shoe shaped harbour created around a 1,000 years ago. When planning a trip this side, one should without second thoughts atleast set aside an entire day and night to enjoy the serenity of the place. The interesting fact about this place is that the cove is still evolving. The Fossil forest and Mupe bay offer stunning walks along the cliff tops for nature lovers. Apart from Harry's cafe bar and Costcutter's general store, there is a cafe down the beach  serving ice-cream, waffles and drinks. The Durdle Door and Man O'War beaches are crowned as the jewels of the Jurassic coast. The walk down the mountain to the roach arch was steep and uneven, but definitely worth all those occassional stumbles and falls.Those not very keen on taking the rough route, can always opt for a walk around the cotour of the mountains. The beaches bustled with activities. From snorkelling to diving to canoeing, people engaged themselves in every possible sport. One could spot young tots jumping from the reef as if they were diving into their bath tubs. Being a pebble beach, walking to a good spot in flip flops was rather uncomfortable. Somewhere down the end of this corner of the beach, we parked ourselves. The idea was to swim across to the reef, laze around for a while and then head back. I, accommpanied by my friend slowly stepped into the ice cold blue water. The sea felt smooth and the fact that there was nothing wobbly and slimy near my feet pacified me. A thousandth fraction of a nautical mile into the water, we stood still to be sure if we wanted to go further. The swim would be worthwhile, I thought. Even if I drowned, my partner in crime would save me. Within the next second, I was already on my way to the reef. Almost there, I felt the wilderness on the reef tickling my feet. I pulled myself up and there I was, in the middle of nowhere but witnessing the most picturesque view of the Atlantic ocean. Shimmering water and colourful canoes queued up straight in a line resembling multi-coloured stones in a diamond necklace.The sun was halfway down to sunset. The winds sent a shiver down my spine.The reef was covered with dull-coloured corals which made commutting to the other half painful. Standing on top of the reef, I considered myself to have established a commendable feat. Once, back on the beach, I quickly changed and picked up my duffle to head to the other half. This half was more crowded with people lying around leisurely but the view of the arch was spectacular. The arch had been naturally formed by the powers of the sea and erosion of the mountains. When seen against the light of the sun, the arch resembled the bent neck of a dinosaur, quenching its thirst with the sea water.The travel bug was  content to have captured such magnificance with its eyes. The walk up, back to the car park did not seem that long as it did the first time while  I walked down. My discovery of the day, was this small bent triangular gateway in a distant mountain. To me, it seemed like a door to the other side of the inaccessible coast with  lots more to discover and explore . And for those thinking how did I manage to return to the coast from the reef. A very kind English gentleman lend me a ride on his canoe till the coast, loyally gaurded my friend swimming behind us. Another well spent day into the travel bug's travel logs.

Caerphilly- Wales

It was one of those visits which had to be noted in the bug's diary. While planning the itineary for Cardiff and Swansea, I had no clue about the existence of a small picturesque town called Caerphilly. The night before my visit to Cardiff, I decided to make a list of all the castles in Wales within close proximity of Cardiff. Amongst the so many others, there was a certain 'Caerphilly castle' which was only 8 miles away from the Ibis budget hotel, where we had put up. We drove into the town around midday. The town resembled that scenic little background from a novel where only happy people lived, sold bread, poultry, vegetables and flowers for a living. A narrow road fit for horse drawn carriages ran through the limited town with shops on both sides of the road. The white buildings with ancient black direction boards outlined with golden borders made it picture perfect. The lamp posts were adorned with seasonal flowers and added that vibrancy to the serene and calm whiteness of the town. I began walking towards the castle making occassional stops at the local bakeries. The smell of freshly baked cupcakes was enchanting and when in Wales and in a typical Welsh town, one dare not ignore such divine invitations. The town has remnants of the Welsh occupants. Delving into the history of the town, it takes me back to the era when the Romans had invaded Britain around AD 75 and built a fort around which the city grew. The castle dates back to the early 12th century and has survived innumerous wars and conquests. The castle flaunts its 13th century military architecture with pride and would surprise its visitors on being the second largest castle in Britain after the Windsor castle. In terms of tourism , the town has nothing much to offer. For those who want to live a typical Welsh day out, must put Caerphilly on the top of their itineary while in Wales. I distracted by the locales, finally arrived in front of this giant of a castle. It appeared over bearing surrounded by a clear water lake. Pigeons flocked the water. The towers and large gates looked rustic but definitely made me imagine how majestic this castle must have been in its youth. A slight walk uphill brought me to its main entrance. The castle was connected with the mainland through a wooden bridge. The types which functioned with the help of the first version of what we call a lever today. In those days, horses followed the royal carriage, fifty men stood guard and closed the doors behind to the rest of the world. The bug's quest of the castle's history is never ending. The architecture of the castle was  calculatively very military. It actually had a dam built on the south end of its rear. The dam was used as a mode of defence by the army. The walls had holes at equal distances to aim loaded canons at the enemies. The castle was in ruins now with constant renovation work going on. Whatever was left of it gave a fair impression of its past persona. I called it a day and walked back content with what I had experienced. One must attribute the charm of the town to the riot of colours it was engulfed in. The emerald green foliage and the clear blue sky with distant mountains on its periphery made it a perfect place for a day out. And yes, the bug's discovery for the day was a product of it's vivid and creative imagination. The castle housed an almost broken, leaning half in the air, an imposing tower like structure with no turret on the top. It literally resembled the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy. That was an architect's marvel and  Caerphilly's local leaning tower of Pisa was carved out of the so many attacks, wars, generations of kings and seasons it had sustained over the centuries. And, I rested my thoughts.

Photos from Bath coming up soon!!!

The Roman whiff

Bath is about two hours away from Cardiff by car. On arriving, the nearest parking available was four storeys below the ground level near the Bath abbey. I stepped out of the car parking on to the main street and was undecided which direction to head. The left promised those tiny little shops out of Jane Austen's novellas and the right would take me to the royal crescent. After much thought , and consulting google maps on my smart phone I shortlisted three destinations on my agenda for the day, the royal crescent, the thermae spa and the circus. I planned to whisk through the museums on the way. With my 'to see' list in my head, I started walking uphill to the main city.Bath is a walled city with evidence of Georgian architecture at every turn. It still has remains of the old Roman ruins which existed around 8 feet below the present day city. On asking around for directions, a local shopkeeper told me the shortest possible route to the popular attraction. Only two flights of almost hundred stairs each , few lefts and rights and at last he added three to four walk straights and, follow the signboards. While everybody else was still figuring out directions, I was transported back to the time when the Romans began living closer to the baths. This initiated the foundation of the city of Bath. This picturesque town was the home to natural hot water springs and was now the only drawcard of Roman ruins in the whole of England. History has it that the Romans built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the river Avon around hot springs. Quickly recollecting all my knowledge of this city from the Anglo-Saxon literature classes while in college, my thoughts were diverted by the public gardens along the way. They were spectacular and the well maintained Georgian houses complimented their beauty. To me, I felt that I was flipping through Austen's books and living her stories set in Bath. The golden coloured bath stone gave the city that Roman touch. After walking for about 20 mins, I finally arrived at the royal crescent. It was actually a colony of almost thirty houses built closely interwoven with each other and when seen at a glance resembled a crescent moon, thus the name. Surrounded by a lush green park, it was a perfect spot to sit on a sunny day out. About 500 feet down the lane was the royal circus, which was actually three long, curved terraces together  actually designed keeping the Roman colosseum in mind. The architect must have tried to create a theatre or space for community activities like that in Rome, I thought. Along the way, I was amazed at the rich cultural heritage  which I witnessed. This city had a Fashion musuem, a postal musuem, a musuem for East Asian Art, a musuem of Bath at work, the Jane Austen musuem and finally a musuem of Astronomy to its credit.My next stop, infact the most awaited one was the thermae spa . Bath other than being a world heritage site, is also popularly known as the spa city since the Roman times and for the record has the best spa centre in the country. Short on time, all I could do was visit the reception, pick up a leaflet and simply swoon over all the enticing packages. The top of this building, on whose ground floor I was standing with my eyes and gap wide open was actually a terrace converted into a hot water bath spa. Snapping back into reality, I took to my heels and steered through the colourful town bustling with people and musicians playing on the street. On the way to the Bath abbey, I picked up free samples of hand-made caramel white chocolate. It was blissful. The abbey was the only standing gothic church in England and located right next to it was the Bath musuem which housed the natural water springs. After a quick brief with the springs and the history revolving around it, I made one final halt at the Pulteny bridge which rests on it the local shops and bistros. Travellers staying longer can also go for a boat ride down the river from the Pulteny bridge to experience the just perfect sunset. A day was well spent and I was already picturing the following day in the beautiful University city of Cambridge. And yes, my discovery for this trip was a much smaller version of the Egyptian pharaoh on the gates in front of the victory memorial. Remnant of the Egyption architecture in the dominance of Georgian style, insignificant but interesting to the bug's eye.

The Travel Bug

I remember telling my mother enthusiastically last year, ' All I am going to do in the UK is travel, travel and travel'. True to my words, I did travel and that too extensively. Although, Leeds was not centrally located in England, the comfortable and magnificent train journeys and bus rides through the beautiful scenery seemed to shorten the distances. From the tiny village of Selby to the feel good Brighton sea front, I have travelled in the real sense. I felt the need to write about my journeys, while narrating one of my trips to my friends. When international students like me, visit England their most awaited destinations remain London (for what is known to us as the  London bridge but is the Tower bridge of London and The London Eye ofcourse) or Manchester (obviously for the Manchester United Stadium). What we really need is to embark on a destinationless voyage and simply discover. This is exactly how I came across Newquay. On planning a road trip for five to the south of England, I came across this tiny geographic entity on the google maps which was located right on the Atlantic coast , was a mere 45 minutes away from St Ives, which I assummed manufactured the St Ives beauty products and ofcourse sounded like a good stop to rest at the night while on our way from Bath and Stonehenge. All I had allocated to Newquay was a total of 15 hours to have dinner, rest and to drive off to Bournemouth after breakfast next day. Read on to discover Newquay through the bug's eye.