Happy Anniversary, here's an Emerald

15/12/2016, 9:00 pm UAE.

R: We still haven’t booked our tickets to Sri Lanka. 

V: Let’s do it! Come on! Check Sky Scanner! Wooohooo! Who’s paying? *I raise my hand* Credit Card!

(I am not kidding, this dialogue is verbatim. My husband is generally excited about life, one of the things I love about him)

V: Done! VR going on the 23rd of Feb and back on the 3rd of March. Apply for leave.

Fast Forward 

03/03/2017, 6:45 pm Sri Lanka.

V (on the phone *cough cough*): We have missed our flight due to a medical emergency, can you book us on the same flight for tomorrow?

Sri Lankan Airways representative: We have just one seat available.

V (off the phone to me): Do you want to take that and proceed?

Suspense!!!!!

Disclaimer:

This blog is all about the fact that you MUST always listen to your wife.

Nawwwwwwww. I am kidding!

Well, I could be serious.

Read on and figure out for yourselves.

The real disclaimer: If you are from India, you may find Sri Lanka a tad bit expensive, although the currency is about half the value of the Indian Rupee. If you are from any other part of the world, you’re ok, you’ll find US Dollars to be accepted at most places.

Alright, here we go. We landed at 6:00 am local time in Colombo and were received by our ever smiling and super friendly driver Sushantha. We head straight to Kandy from the airport with a stop over for breakfast.

Up and up and up

We reached Kandy in about 2 hours, then we started finding our way to the hotel. We went swirling uphill, through narrow alleys, muddy tracks, and a trillion prayers to get to ‘The Kandyan Villa’. The approach was extremely scary. Frankly, there were times I thought we wouldn’t make it, but once we got there, it was worth it!

After a quick shower and a power nap, we got ready to explore the city. What a relaxing town. Centered around a beautiful and clean(ish) lake, Kandy is a mix of the modern hustle bustle with old heritage. The central religious attraction is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Legend says that the sacred tooth of the Buddha was snatched from his funeral pyre in India in 483 BC. It changed hands a few times before it landed here in Sri Lanka. We joined the throngs of people to witness a small golden urn that is revered by all. 

Next up, the Kandy Lake. The Kandy Lake is a dominating part of the city, you can't miss it even if you wish to. As we walked by, we saw some locals putting up a show with monkeys and snakes and even fishes. We didn't spend a lot of time there, there wasn't much to do. We went straight to a Ganesha and Shiva temple to celebrate the occasion of Maha Shiva Ratri. It almost felt like I was celebrating the festival back home in Mumbai.

After that, we loaded up on some supplies for the next couple of days and set off on our adventure ride back up.

Footnotes by V: R loves to take photos of anything but herself. I pose and preen like a Vogue cover model but getting her to stand in the frame, stoic and composed, without a pout or pointing or waving or doing the chicken dance is next to impossible. To that end, it works out perfectly for us. There are photos of almost every microbe we saw in Kandy that day but hardly one of two of R. 

The day we fell in love with elephants

I can safely call Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage my favorite part of the holiday because I couldn’t stop grinning! V and I sat at a small bar amongst the gift shops and other facilities and watched the herd trundle down to the river at the sound of a giant bell. For almost 2 hours we simply sat and watched as elephants of all shapes and sizes danced around in the water. We picked a favorite, a baby elephant, and watched his adorable quirks as he enjoyed his bath.

On our way back to the orphanage we picked up some “Poo Paper”, I am not kidding, it really was paper made from elephant poo. In the orphanage, herds of elephants were being looked after by no less than a dozen caretakers. Some were being fed, while others were enjoying a romp out on a flat plain and they were all unchained and uncaged. And watching beautiful creatures live their lives without any restrictions is an easy way to bring a day-long smile to my face.

We had idiyappam and stew for lunch at a local restaurant and set off to our next destination, the botanical garden. 

Covering 150 acres, Peradeniya Gardens are the largest in Sri Lanka and include a massive collection of more than 4000 species of plants. We rented a golf cart to go around the gardens. In addition to the well-manicured lawns and flower beds dotted with lakes and pagodas, the orchid house is a highlight. Peradeniya is well known for its extensive collection of orchids, and the colorful selection is well worth a look. The local wildlife includes a huge number of fruit bats hanging from tree branches, deep in slumber, and carloads of monkeys generally running amok.

After a quick trip to a herbal garden nearby, we made our way to a mini auditorium to witness the culture show. Dancers dressed in colorful outfits sang and danced to the quintessential Sri Lankan folk beat. Some of them managed to pull off some epic moves and some very good story-telling.

It was quite a tiresome day, we had a quick bite at the City Centre and called it a night by 10 pm.

Footnotes by V: Pinnawala was where it all started, R's absolutely epic pose for every solo picture she will ever take in her life. She holds up her hand, pointing behind or above or beyond to some corner of space; pointing at something just to ensure that the picture pose is anything but normal. She is awesome. I only appear relatively insane in comparison. Match made in heaven! 

Out of sight, out of breath

The next morning, we visited Sigiriya. While it is not as famous as the pyramids, it is most definitely a sight to behold. The ancient city surrounding a rock-topped palace is today a World Heritage Site.

Sigiriya was founded in the fifth century by King Kassapa I. It was the regional capital and a major stronghold. In its time, Sigiriya was one of the most important urban centers in the region. The crowning jewel was the fortified palace, said to be impregnable and perched atop the giant rock, its smooth sides denying access to invaders.

Most of the city has been destroyed and only the stone parts, the “bones” of the city remain. V decided to climb it. I didn't, he dragged me. At the start of the climb, a monkey stole my only pack of chocolate milk, that I had saved for later. All the way up I kept dissing at V. I dreaded the climb. As we walked up a little, I came across children sprinting up effortlessly, I saw senior citizens struggling their way up determined to make it. And I was out of breath even before the actual climb even began.

At first, we walked up a set of wide, stone stairs, I took breaks, but I was fine. Eventually, the stone stairway ended and gave way to narrow rusted ones that seemed like they would unhinge any minute. I somehow, pushed on up against my will, my face gradually turning red and my legs trembling. At times, when it got too bad, I pretended to stop and nonchalantly pull out my camera and clicked some pictures.

Halfway up the rock is a cave filled with frescoes of 21 women. They call them “The Maidens of the Clouds.” Not sure exactly who these women are, but with their carefully constructed features, it’s fair to suspect that these were modeled on actual women — perhaps Kassapa’s concubines.

We climbed a little longer and then reached the base of the rock. The Lion's Rock, as they call it, looks as magnanimous as its name. This was it. I wasn't going any further. And the humid afternoon sun didn't help. Five minutes of rest and a drink of water magically changed my mind. I made it!

And here's what was waiting for me at the top.

It was worth all that climbing and more. With burning lungs and sweat-drenched hair, I sat on the edge with a sense of achievement unlike anything I have felt before.

Footnotes by V: For all the jumping jacks out there, Sigiriya is a painful reminder of when and where you should display your youth and exuberance. Your needless excitement will be met with cold and icy death stares, curses under the breath and some of the choicest abuses when your wife is not exactly fond of climbing 267,546 needlessly high steps which were probably built for giants and not two sub 5 foot 6-inch hobbits.

Walking on Cloud 9 

We then drove further up north to Nuwara Eliya. 

Does the word “Ceylon” remind you of something? Tea? Yes, right! The rainy, humid and cool temperatures of Sri Lanka make the perfect conditions for high-quality tea. And Nuwara Eliya is the heart of this tea making hill country. 

Nuwara Eliya was the destination for the British colonialists to spend their summer and practice their hobbies such as hunting, polo, golf, and cricket. The British influences are quite visible in the architecture which is why Nuwara Eliya is also called “Little England”.

On our way up, we visited a Tea plantation called Storefield Tea Factory. We saw all the traditional equipment and learnt the process of manufacturing tea. The best part of the visit was their little tea shop where we could try all kinds of tea. This was the second highlight of our trip. It was sublime. We stocked on six different varieties of tea and continued our way up. I recommend stopping by this tea factory for their hospitality and their amazing teas and tastings, which by the way were completely free of cost.

Just before we reached the top, we stopped for lunch at the Ramboda Falls restaurant. We went very close to the falls and clicked gazillion pictures and then ate lunch at a table with a refreshing view of the falls.

After lunch, we went further up, driving by gorgeously lush tea estates. We stayed at this charming property called Villa Tea Fields, a little off Gregory Lake, one of the most prominent tourist spots in Eliya. V booked the attic room, and I believe that was the best decision he ever made, other than marrying me, of course! We spent the eve of our anniversary mostly tucked in our bed because of awful weather conditions and a sweeping laziness that was inevitable considering that the room was a supersized version of Harry Potter's first chapter, 'The Boy in the Attic!'. 

A little later, when it stopped raining we stepped out for a walk and stopped by a strawberry farm, which was a little dingy and unclean. We went there specifically because V had looked it up and thought it was a great idea to go in freezing weather to have crepes, which weren't that great by the way. And as we were about to step out of there, the weather gods reminded us why laziness is often the best recourse. We should not have stepped out of the Attic room that day. Sushanta came to our rescue and took us to a South Indian restaurant, Sri Ambaal's, for dinner! 

We ate Neyi Roast. It was such a relief to have food that I was familiar with. Nothing fancy, just a quaint little restaurant/canteen with amazing vegetarian food, filter coffee and chitter-chatter in Tamil (pandering to my homies here!).

We spent the rest of the night watching a new TV show called 'Cosimo' on Netflix. On a side note, I would recommend the show if you're into history.

Footnotes by V:  "You had me at Neyi roast!" is what the final dialogue of Sleepless in Salem would have been. For those who did not get this reference, "Neyi Roast" is basically a crispy Dosa made with Ghee (clarified butter). It is what a warm hug from a pug feels like. It is what stealing your friend's pencil in school feels like. It is what it feels like to wear a lungi/veshti after wearing skinny jeans all day. If you haven't eaten it already, then Neyi roast is what you should demand from God, your parents or spouse as your immediate next meal. It will set you on the path to Nirvana!

Happy Anniversary 

Sri Lanka screams hospitality. No one exemplifies this more than our driver Susantha and the caretakers of our accommodation at Villa Tea fields. While we trotted down for breakfast on our anniversary morning, there they were with a bouquet, cake, sweets, and breakfast spread out on the table, smiling at us wishing us a happy anniversary. One of the sweetest memories of the trip no doubt!

We wore about four layers of clothing and began our first anniversary with a visit to the Seetha Amman temple, formerly a part of Ravana's Ashoka Vatika. I haven't seen a setting better than this one for a temple. Nestled in the arms of meandering hills, right at the end of a small waterfall, inside a thick forest sat this gorgeous temple of Goddess Seetha. The interesting thing though were the monkeys that surrounded the entire temple premises, not one of them strayed an inch outside. Legend has it that Lord Hanuman left a part of his army there to take care of the Goddess. And as much as I don't believe in myths, this setting was so surreal, it made me believe for once.

Our next stop was the New Zealand cow farm. The rain had picked up by then and we could barely see anything. And frankly, I was not very keen on visiting this place anyway. Although the cows are left free to graze and wander a little, it's a pitiable sight to see them being forcefully milked and separated from their calves. Not my best memory of the trip.

We were back at Sri Ambaal's for lunch. Yes, we had Neyi roast again! Fully satiated, we went back to our attic room for a nap.

Our anniversary dinner was at a fine dine restaurant called the Indian Summer, a few minutes away from our hotel. The food there was divine. I will take the liberty to be punny here and say that we thoroughly enjoyed the Indian Summer in the biting cold of Nuwara Eliya.

Footnotes by V: 

Excerpts from an important conversation - Part I

R: Hey, maybe we should book the spa for tomorrow evening, we may not have enough time on 3rd. We have to pack up and leave.

V: 3rd? We are leaving on the 4th.

R: Are you sure?

V: Yes, yes. I booked the hotels and the tickets. We have all of the 3rd to chill.

R: Ok

Warning 1: The wife is always right. Drill this into your skulls all you husbands out there!

In nature's lap 

Feeling rejuvenated by our quiet trips in the hills and valleys of the Emerald Isle, we headed towards the Southern coast of the island. The scenery changed from the greens and browns to the sparkling shades of blues as we drove by coastal towns.

We reached Ahungala late afternoon. The moment we entered our resort, The Roman Lake Ayurvedic Resort, it seemed like we were in a parallel universe; that of peace, happiness and yoga! I haven't stayed in a property better than this one. Not even in Matera, Italy, which I thought was straight out of a fairytale (refer to my blog here). For God's sake, this property had a hot tub on the patio! ON THE PATIO!

The hot tub was put to good use. 
Chilling - Check
Whiling Time - Check
Catching up on Cosimo - Check
Weird Sri Lankan Hair dye commercials - Check

Now it is a holiday!

Footnotes by V: 
Excerpts from an important conversation - Part II

R: I remember us booking our tickets for the 3rd, are you sure we're leaving on 4th.

V: Yes.

Warning 2: A repeated question is a surefire sign that you have screwed up!

Moby Dick, Ninja Turtles, and Beach Bums

We started at 5 am the next morning and went straight to Mirissa for whale watching. The weather was not very conducive. We spent almost three hours mid-sea and we managed to see only two whales. It was still worth it.

We then went to the Galle Fort. In the 18th century, the Dutch built their headquarters on the Sri Lankan coast, surrounded by ocean views on three sides and a daily sunset. We stepped back in time to the most perfectly preserved colonial town in Sri Lanka, before heading off to a Turtle reserve. With its sandy beaches and warm climate, the Sri Lanka coast is a hotbed of sea turtle activity. Aman and Arun Turtle Conservatory and Research Center, like the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, became a favorite. 

At the reserve, they have what appear to be really large sandboxes. The sandboxes are surrounded by chain link fence and covered with netting. After eggs are procured, nests are dug in the sand, and the eggs are buried again. Then the spot is marked with the date. If everything works out you should have a horde of baby turtles in 50 – 70 days.

Our guide took us over to a  rectangular cement pool full of little baby sea turtles splashing around. Even though there were signs posted everywhere saying, “DO NOT TOUCH THE TURTLES” our guide seemed to have no qualms about scooping up the little wriggling critters and dropping them into peoples' outstretched hands. I have to admit that one of those outstretched hands was mine.

Most of the hatch-lings are released after 48 hours to make their way in the Indian Ocean. The hatchery holds on to a handful for research. These turtles are kept in bigger cement pools sprinkled throughout the hatchery. We saw a few older turtles and spent a lot of time clicking pictures with them.

After a quick stopover at the Moonstone mine, not worth it, by the way, we spent the evening sipping on cocktails and admiring the gorgeous sunset at the Shinagawa beach. What a way to call it a day.

Footnotes by V: 
Turtles are the coolest creatures ever! Touch them on their back or head and they pretend to play dead. Let them back into the water and give them a gentle push and they swim faster than Michael Phelps! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will become a reality some day and I will see turtles doing awesome things that I know they are capable of.

Excerpts from an important conversation - Part III

Susantha: Sir, what time is your return flight? It is tomorrow, right?
R: Check the tickets once, just in case.

V: Oh my God, STOP! CHILL! It is on the 4th! I will check it later just in case
V (in his mind): No I won't! Buhahahahaha! (Evil villain laughter.)
R: Why do you look like you are about to have an evil villain laugh?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 

After such an eventful day, we thought we deserved some pampering. Our resort had an attached spa and we spent the morning being treated to an Ayurvedic massage. 

We didn't just nap, we slept like logs and gave Sushanta the day off.

Excerpt from important conversation Part IV

2:30 pm local time

R: You know what, do the web check-in.

V: Sri Lankan Airways allow web check-in only 24 hours in advance.

At 6:30 pm local time, as I was making us some green tea.

R: Check-in now!

V: Arrghhhhh! Ok!

V takes out the carefully packed tickets and documents from his backpack.

V: Rach, we are about to miss our flight

R: Enough now! Don't have to be mean to me.

V: I am not kidding!

*glass shatters* *I hear thunder*

R: FIX THIS NOW!

03/03/2017, 6:45 pm Sri Lanka.

V (on the phone *cough cough*): We have missed our flight due to a medical emergency, can you book us on the same flight for tomorrow?

Sri Lankan Airways representative: We have just one seat available.

V (off the phone to me): Do you want to take that and proceed?

R: You dare to ask me that on our anniversary trip?

V (on the phone): Any other suggestions?

Sri Lankan Airways representative: Apply for a no-show, you may get 50% refund and rebook tickets for tomorrow.

V: Alright.

Needless to say, we booked the next flight and bolted out of there. Our savior, Sushanta cut short his time with his wife |(since Bentota was also his hometown) and came back all the way to our hotel to pick us up.

One long cab ride later we were at Colombo airport, running and making our way to the check-in counter. And four hours later we were back home in Dubai.

We might've made a sudden exit from the country, but here's a parting thought, the people, the place, the hospitality, the greenery, the heritage, the culture, the food, everything about India's tear drop, Sri Lanka is just so welcoming. If Kerala, India is called God's own country, Sri Lanka is probably HIS world.

P.S. You may not want to drive around Sri Lanka by yourselves or take their public transport. My recommendation is to book a cab for your entire holiday, it cost us about USD 300, which, considering the duration of our trip and the distance we traveled seemed worth it.

Final Footnotes by V:
1. Smile, pause and take in the magnificence of nature once in a while. It doesn't hurt to be nice to people. Sri Lanka just drove home that point every single day we were there.
2. Hire Susantha as your driver in Sri Lanka. If there was ever a more genial personality, someone who is helpful beyond his regular duties, this is the man. If you are planning a trip, let us know and we'll share his contact details with you.
3. White Tea is the iPhone of Teas. You will need to sell a kidney to buy a 100 gram tin of it.
4. Listen to your wife, always, every time, even if you know you are right because you won't be, ever!

So much history, so much beauty and such good food!

Life has an odd way of making things work. You know the universe is with you when your timing has been perfect all along. Right from finding the right guy to getting engaged at the right time, getting married at the right time and finally heading out on the much awaited honeymoon; at the right time. 

After a wedding that lasted 4 days and a quick trip to both our native places, we reached the airport in the middle of the night, jaded and in some desperate need for sleep. 

Starting point – Mumbai, India

Destination – Rome, Italy

When heading to Italy you may think of the Colosseum in Rome, the gondolas in Venice, the Leaning Tower of Piza… but we wanted to do something unconventional. After a random google search, we chanced upon a blog about the 10 most unconventional honeymoon destinations, Matera topped that list.

My husband (Venkateshwaran a.k.a Venky a.k.a. Kartik, and henceforth referred to as Keeda) and I landed at our first destination, Rome, Italy after a seemingly long flight, headed straight to our beautiful hotel in Fiumicino and got ready for our first guided tour.

Day 1

Rome

When in Rome, roam quickly!

We met our chirpy tour guide for the evening, Janet at Piazza del Popolo.

Walking around for 3 hours, we saw some of Rome’s most beautiful sights, got some very, very interesting trivia, saw the statue of Giordano Bruno at Campo de’ Fiori - famous for its night market, encountered the mad rush at Fontana Trevi, threw in one coin, just to be sure I made another trip to this beautiful place, made a hurried trip to the Pantheon and finally concluded our rendezvous at Piazza Navona, right next to Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the fountain by Bernini that brings rivers from every part of the world together. All on foot!

We then headed to a quaint little Italian restaurant, Casa Copelle, recommended by Janet and splurged on some of the best wine and food we’ve have ever had.

Day 2

Matera

Farmlands, olive trees and cherry blossoms

We took a flight to Bari, the next morning. While at Bari airport, Keeda and I took our luggage and started walking towards the railway station to catch our train to Matera. We walked past a series of ‘Rent a Car’ outlets and Keeda suddenly stopped short and had a wide grin on his face. 

Remember? Timing? He had an idea. A two hour drive on the highway, through a forest to fantasyland, Matera. 

BEST. IDEA. EVER!

We started our drive from Bari, Puglia (or Apulia), the southern Italian province referred to as “the heel of the boot”. We drove past some the most scenic sights of Southern Italy, through Forest Mercadente, which was dotted with olive trees and cherry blossoms. There was absolutely no one in sight. At one point, we even stopped, had a drink of water, ate some cookies and clicked pictures. Not a SINGLE car went by.

As we drove closer, the beautiful little town of Matera came in sight. It looked like any other small town in Italy. Tiny buildings, tiny cars. We followed the directions on Google Maps and suddenly, spun around a roundabout and went back in time by a few decades. That’s when we realised that on one side of the canyon was a modern city, on the other side of the canyon was old Matera, an area so ancient that it was used to portray Judea in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” Often called the Sassi (which means stone), or the City of Stone, this part of Matera is a maze of caves and churches dating back to Roman times with zigzagging steps and stone facades carved from a massive slope of yellowed tufa.

We noticed some film equipment being moved around and some shooting being wrapped up. We only later realised that ‘Wonder Woman’ was being shot right next to our hotel. Nevertheless, I can always pretend I knew beforehand and that it was part of the reason we chose Matera.

We parked at a clearing and struggled our way up the stony stairs to our fairytale suite. We spent the rest of the day admiring our room and being lazy.

We planned our guided tour the next day.

Day 3

“The past always looks better than it was because it isn’t here.” - Finley Peter Dunne

We woke up to the mouth-watering whiff of coffee, croissants, cakes, pizza, cheese, fruits and so much more. We followed our noses to the restaurant and were met by the sight of a lavish spread that we had never seen or tasted before.  Oh the coffee! Coming from someone who swears by the typical, tambrahm filter coffee, the coffee here beat it, hands down! 

Our tour guide, Cosimo greeted us at our hotel restaurant right after. It was cold and rainy. He walked us to some unimaginably old, yet unbelievably beautiful chapels with elegant frescoes that were chipped off at some places and made way for new ones as Christianity evolved. We went around the labyrinthine stairs to some old wine cellars, ancient grottos that portrayed the Matera way of life almost centuries before us and visited some charming little kitchen gardens.

While on the move, I naively pointed out to Cosimo that he must have been really lucky to have grown up in a place as beautiful as Matera. And then he said something very interesting. He said that these limestone caves and houses were originally inhabited by slaves and the outcast. Without proper sanitation and drainage systems, Matera was actually a breeding ground for infections and diseases. At one point it had to be evacuated. It is today that these old, limestone houses have been transformed into gorgeous luxury hotels and residences. Thanks to the United Nations.

We ended our tour late afternoon, it started raining as we walked back to our room, oh my God, it was cold. The streets were empty, there was an eerie silence which was suddenly broken by the church bells; we saw a headless goose on a parapet wall and literally ran to our hotel room to save our lives.

Day 4

Trani

Over the horizon

We left for Trani early, next morning, to make it back in time for supper.

As we drove closer, we spotted the horizon.

Now, frankly, I wonder why we haven’t heard more of this place!

Trani has a captivating view of the shoreline and boats bobbing in the harbour, a beautiful chapel that looked like it was recently built and some of the best panoramas Italy has to offer.

We walked along a lonely ramp to a light house. Well, we were actually stalking a cat which led us to an amazing view. The photographers in both of us woke up with a jolt. The next few minutes were spent attempting panoramas from every angle.

We got tired and found our way to a quaint little restaurant for some pizza. We spent a little time walking around and then drove back to Matera only to be spooked by the headless goose and the empty, cobblestoned alley.

Day 5

Alberobello

“Green gold olive trees, red soil, blue sky and white houses. The world is beautiful, I love the world.” - Vito, our tour guide

We researched a little about Alberobello, and everything about it seemed very attractive, including the fact that a Bollywood song was shot there.

We met Vito, our tour guide at Bari station who drove us to Alberobello. Continuing our path around the perimeter of the forest from Vieste we enjoyed vistas of the Adriatic coastline with clear blue waters.

As we drove closer, we spotted the tiny white and grey hut like structures. If the Hobbits had to suddenly take up residence in southern Italy, they’d likely do so in the trulli dotting the countryside of Alberobello. Many of these stone hut structures, often dating to the 14th-15th centuries, were originally built to house agricultural workers or as storage buildings. Why this style of home became so popular is still a bit of a mystery. One appealing theory posited: people built trulli so they could easily dismantle them before the tax collector arrived. How’s that for a clever tax dodge?

While we went around the tiny little town, which also happens to be a busy tourist attraction in peak season, we saw many small shops selling souvenirs, but among them we found one appealing local shop, spoke to the owners there, and got introduced to some of the best wine from the region.

To say the least, we clicked a gazillion pictures.

We went back to Matera a little later that evening, and walked our way up the lonely streets, crossed the headless goose, who started to seem friendlier now and went straight to our room to get ready for our date night. 

I sincerely made an effort to dress up and look pretty. We went to a Michelin Star restaurant, Baccanti, for dinner. The meal was, to say the least, divine! Goat cheese starters, pink sauce pasta and the best tiramisu either of us have ever had. Keeda even stole a wine cork for me, as a souvenir of this fairytale land and the fairytale dinner.

Day 6

Florence

Miracles happen upon special request.

This special request had been put in by my mother-in-law. How she raved about Florence, its beauty, and how she was mad at us for not visiting it.

Remember I spoke about timing. Here’s another instance when we miraculously decided to cut short our stay in Matera and headed to one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

We took a flight to Rome and drove to Florence, straight from the airport.

The sights of snow capped mountains, vast plains, clean cows, stuff I have seen only in Bollywood movies, were right in front of me. All through the drive, I only remember clicking pictures. Oh! And we stopped for some delicious Margherita on the way and carried on our way to Florence on the Auto Strada at 200 kmph.

We reached Florence and it was everything we’d imagined it to be and more. We followed the instructions on Google Maps and drove almost 70 degrees uphill in a street that was less than 8 feet wide. We did it. Finally, we reached our hotel, Villa Agape. And the views! Oh my God the views! They were breathtaking.

The property had a curious charm. The origins of Villa Agape are actually lost in history. 

It changed hands a few times, and in the process expanded to a beautiful estate. At one point it was owned by Galileo’s close friend and fellow academician. In fact, we learnt that Galileo spent a part of his house arrest in this villa. Until 2014 it was owned by the  Stabilite nella Carità Sisters, and was a place for spiritual exercises, conferences, meeting, studying days, short or long periods to rest in solitude for physical and spiritual relaxing. The nuns renamed the Villa to Villa Agape.  And in 2015 with a new management, it has become a wonderful hotel in the hills of Florence. 

We literally lived in a place of historic significance and I didn’t feel the weight of it until just now.

Day 7

“Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter.” - Ansel Adams

Much like Rome, you need several days to get even a glimpse of Florence. If you really want to see it properly, you should probably just move there. There is no way you can take it all in, in a day. We tried.

We started our day early in the morning, after a sumptuous breakfast. We got dropped off by the hotel cab in the city centre, which is where we began discovering the gorgeous city of Florence. We walked the entire city on foot, under the Tuscan sun.

We started at Palazzo Duomo which was gorgeous, to say the least. We walked a round for a bit and then decided to climb up to the tomb. Did I mention I am claustrophobic? The climb to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome at Palazzo Duomo was probably the scariest thing I have ever done. I was in tears because of the narrow stairway and dim lights. Keeda walked up with me, step by step and calmed me down. Once were up there, the view was worth all that effort and more. 

And as we made our way down to discover the Lindt cafe downstairs, the fear was gone in seconds.

My personal favourite, though was Ponte Vecchio. This bridge does get packed with tourists, but it really is a special place that you should experience once. Legend has it that if you and your loved one attach a padlock to any surface of the famous bridge and then throw away the key into the Arno River below, your love will last forever. Funny thing is, you can’t do that anymore, but people still do!

We went on to cover almost everything Palazzo Vecchio (Dante’s death mask), Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens, Uffizi, San Lorenzo, Piazzale Michenangelo. We tried to do more, but of course we couldn’t. It started getting dark and the entire city started shutting down, like I said earlier, by 7:00 pm.

After one very scary walk to Piazzale Michelangelo, imagining multiple situations of being mugged, killed, hurt and what not, we stared at David’s statue and his teeny weeny for a few seconds and got done for the day.

Day 8

For some desi khana in the heart of Rome.

We drove back to Rome from Florence. It was a very long drive. Keeda dropped me off at our hotel and went straight to the airport to return the car. We spent the rest of the day in our room, catching up on sleep. 

By night, I was desperate for some masaledaar khana. We found an Indian restaurant about 300 metres from our hotel. It was a happy meal.

Day 9

Vatican City

When in Rome again, do as the Romans do.

This was the day we chose to purge all our sins at the holiest place on earth, the Vatican City. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, for the things we saw there, 1,000 words wouldn’t begin to do it justice. It was the day we were part of history.

We first went to the Vatican Museum. We wandered for hours through galleries crammed with 15th and 16th-century Italian paintings, courtyards displaying Greek and Roman sculpture, and seemingly endless hallways lined with ancient maps and musty tapestries. Oh my God, the artistic treasure that lives within those walls. But, one of the most striking features, in a world full of renaissance art, was the Bramante staircase, spiralling down in a hypnotic spin.

We walked our way to St Peter's Square next, while trying to fend off guides on our way. And once we got there, wow! The panorama that it offers! It was breathtaking, words can't even describe the expansive, gorgeous structure that it is. And inside the Basilica, all of the amazing sculptures, the ceilings and artwork were just mind-blowing. So. Much. Gold. The whole interior of the church is so extravagant and opulent, but so beautiful. I still can't get over that all of this is nearly 500 years old. It's just really incredible to think that all of this has survived so much, and so many years, and is still in excellent condition.

We went to the Sistine Capel next. We walked the length and breadth of the chapel, heads tilted back and mouths open, enjoying every discovery of a new perspective to appreciate the frescoes that arched above us covering every wall. 

Whoever has endured a visit to the Sistine Chapel during the day would agree that there is something divine going on among the chaos. The shoulder-to-shoulder scrum of tour groups, the guards barking “no pictures, no pictures,” the fight for seats, the pressure to move on and make way for the crowd behind you, but one look at the frescos and you transgress into a parallel dimension, one full of wonder and awe.

We ended the evening at the Pantheon again, an awesome reminder of the great Roman Empire. Michelangelo famously described it as being built by angels and not by man. We both relived Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons all over again by following those multiple references to the Pantheon, the Oculus, Raphael’s tomb and what not!

We concluded the night with a cozy dinner at a restaurant right outside the Pantheon. Delicious food, amazing wine and my sexy husband, I couldn’t ask for more!

Day 10

The legend of the Trevi Fountain

This was the day we saw Rome in its truest spirits. We spent the day just enjoying the open air museum that is Rome; full of ruins, glorious fountains, and beautiful architecture, it was such a treat.

After wandering about for a while and spotting some amazing things like Gepetto’s wood shop, some very cool vespas, vintage cars and quirky looking artichokes, we reached the Trevi fountain again. So, the legend goes, the throwing of a coin from the right hand over the left shoulder will ensure that you will return to Rome in the future. Turns out, it is true! I did go back to Rome, the second time. So, this time, Keeda threw a coin in.

We walked to the Roman Forum next. Imagine stepping on the same soil that Romans stepped on, 2000 years ago. Nestled in a valley between Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Roman Forum still impresses, just as it must have centuries ago when it was the centre of Roman public life.

The play of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare was part of my curriculum in school and it was both fascinating and unnerving to be on the same ground that he was actually cremated in. After his assassination, he was granted the title Divine Julius and in 29 BC and Augustus had a temple dedicated in his honour. The temple was built on the site where Caesar’s body was cremated and Mark Antony read his famous speech, right there. Today, all that remains of the temple is the alter. And we were standing right there.

I was engrossed in its rich history and fascinated by the remaining structures. The Roman Forum used to be a city centre, not just a single museum or a building. An area so big you need hours to explore. Not only that, remember that Rome was not built in a day, and that the buildings are coming from different periods, all vying for space in this formerly densely populated city centre. It was brilliant!

Our next stop was the Colosseum. Built around 80AD, it once held over 50,000 spectators who came to watch the best in Roman entertainment. You could see gladiators fighting, wild animal hunts with exotic species like tigers and elephants, or plays being performed, and even a few sacrifices. Although it has been heavily damaged by earthquakes since then, it is still one of Rome’s most recognisable buildings. And as you walk around the galleries and look down into the arena you can still picture it as it was, filled with excitable – and slightly bloodthirsty – crowds. Needless to say, we clicked way too many pictures. It started raining. We walked out, grabbed a quick bite and took a bus back to our hotel.

Until next time!

We packed up as soon as we reached the hotel and took the Leonardo Da Vinci Express to the airport. The fatigue hit us almost as soon as we reached the airport. We unwillingly dragged ourselves away from the Eternal City and headed home to officially start our journey as husband and wife.

This blog barely justifies the extravagance of the most amazing holiday of my life and I have to thank Keeda for making it so. There is more, so much more, but right now, I'd like to end this blog by giving you one big tip, DO NOT miss the pizzas at Auto Grill; you'll find them at gas stations on the highways when you are driving across the country.