HALLOWEEN @ WARWICK CASTLE

Halloween could never have been better for me, than celebrating it in one of the oldest castles of the UK. My celebrations took me on an unforgettable journey to the Warwick Castle. The Castle is situated at a distance of around 2.5 hours by road from Manchester. All throughout the early morning journey to the Castle I saw people around me take a nice nap as sleep was compromised on as they had to wake -up early in order to reach the pick-up point. Let me very honest, I too occasionally drifted off to sleep when I was not trying to get some good photographs evading the high reflection from the bus windows or when I was not listening to music and chatting with a friend from home.

 We reached Warwick after crossing Stratford, Keele and Birmingham at about 10:45 in the morning. With the cold wind brushing against our bodies, the moment we got out of the bus, all acts of sleepiness left us in an instant. We proceeded to get the tickets. The ticket counter is situated in a beautiful arena hosting a restaurant/café with indoor /outdoor seating and a gift shop in the same complex.

The Castle grounds are vastly spread and had various different activities taking place in it. The Hollow Haunted was a very interesting concept of walking though a trail with props and people dressed up as fairy-tale characters. While the Wolf of the Little Red Riding Hood seemed a bit too scary, the evil Step-Mother of Snow White obliged in being a part of the photographs people wanted with her. Going through the trail would once again transport you back to your childhood where you listened to fairy tales which are lost today in your busy world of academics and work.

Up next was a beautiful rose garden with seating arrangements. This place had nothing much to see except the myriad hues in the form of full bloomed roses.

Going further you would see archery and fencing grounds where mostly children come to play and learn the tactics of a medieval knight or an archer. These are paid trainings and one would have to pay a small amount (usually between £3 -£5) which is not included in the ticket.

 Moving forward from the fighting arena is when you actually enter the fortress. There is a beautiful light and sound display of the culture, occupation, military, art and craft of the medieval age which sheds light on the life and times of people who had resided in the grounds years ago.

Next is the Time Tower for which one has to climb some steep steps to enter a room which takes around 15 to 25 people at a time for a 15 minutes movie. This video makes you relive the castle grounds in its glorious days.

Right after the Time Tower, you can climb steeper steps and alleyways to reach the peak of the castle from where you get a bird’s eye- view of the entire castle grounds and off course of the Warwick County itself. The tower of the county church clearly stands out amidst rows of houses.

 Further in the lawn there were many different attractions like the bird show where a 4kg eagle named Archie was performing with his trainer. At some distance were the Halloween attractions, complete with a cauldron, a graveyard, a spell- maker, and some freaky friends. There was also a story –telling corner for the children.

People here came from all over the country to celebrate Halloween. They were dressed up as witches, wizards, banshees with all sorts of costumes and hair and face make-up. In fact, there were specialised make- up artists who were painting faces for a minimum fee.

The ghoulish music which played all over the fort through speakers could be heard right till the parking lot gate where a man holding a lantern was accompanied by a headless chap on a horse.

 The atmosphere created by the Warwick Castle clearly complemented the purpose of doing so. The people were warm and friendly and even when they were dressed up as Halloween spookers they never forgot to smile during each of the photographs taken with them.

Warwick Castle is a must visit for those who are planning a holiday in the UK or are planning a weekend trip while residing here. It is bound to mesmerize you. And yes, do not forget to pick up a souvenir for yourself!

Asansol- E- Hoi Choi- Part 1

Short weekend trips are a blessed luxury in the busy schedule of our lives. That is why, to avail the luxurious opportunity I agreed to a three day trip to Asansol and the nearby areas. Thus we left Kolkata on a very chilly and smoggy day at seven thirty (which in my opinion corresponds to dawn) so that we could reach Asansol, our destination as soon as possible and without wasting time get on with our sight -seeing. 

A VERY FOGGY ROADSIDE

TRUCKS AND CARS ON THE HIGHWAY

The almost five hour long road trip from Kolkata to my destination is a story in itself. Having had to wake up at five to be able to get ready and leave by seven thirty I had to compromise on my sleep. However, I made it up by sleeping in the car for an hour (and yes blissfully without being disturbed.) .Then started the regular war –of-the- music -sessions which included demands of old songs from our parents and the new hip hop ones from the younger lot (which included only two poor souls). We came to an understanding of having both types for an hour each!

Soon time flew by and we came to Shaktigarh. For me, I would call it the Land of Langchas- a traditional Bengali sweet. What was funny was that the whole stretch of land had small roadside sweet shops and hotels all named after Langchas- Langcha More, Langcha Sweets, Langcha Sagar, Langcha Junctions and many more Langchas with a variety of prefixes and suffixes.

SHOP IN SHAKTIGARH

HOT FRESHLY MADE LANGCHA

After a tiring nearly five hour journey witnessing two very morose and disastrous truck accidents and a huge traffic jam caused due to repairing work on a certain road and yes not to forget my first time usage of the GPS system that my mobile has, so as to locate our hotel, we reached our destination.

After a sumptuous meal and a photo session, we left for Maithon. Apart from being the dam that it is for an endless list of uses, it has become a very prominent tourist destination. With its clear blue waters where one can occasionally spot fishes and its boat rides to two nearby islands ; it has started attracting people from all over Bengal, Durgapur, Jharkhand, Asansol and the likes. It has become a weekend hub for many families living nearby.

BOAT RIDES FROM THE RIVER BANK

CAPTURED WHILE BOATING IN THE RIVER

VIEW OF THE DAM GATES FROM THE BOAT

To be very honest, the dam itself did not spark any glow to my face. In fact all I could notice was a lot a gates, water flowing from various parts of the dam, levers, machines, turbine room, engine room and the likes. This would probably have interested engineers a lot and in fact it did to the two engineers we had with us in this trip. What interested me more was the scenic beauty of the place.

The boat ride along the river was a mesmerizing experience. Not only did it give me an opportunity to experience nature's beauty but also gave me varied  angles to capture photographs from (which was my main aim of getting onto the boat anyway). As we were short of time, we decided not to visit the islands and explore them.

RIVER BANK

MOTOR BOAT

ISLANDS ON THE RIVER

KIDS POSING ON THE RIVER BANK

SUNSET FROM THE BOAT

SUNSET FROM NEAR THE DAM 

While going back I could see many visitors who were awestruck by the beauty of the sunset on the river waters. On our way to the hotel, we did visit the sacred Kalyaneshwari Temple.  However, as  camera's are not allowed inside I was unable to capture any photographs. But what intrigued me the most was I saw a jackal for the first time in my life happily trotting along cars on the roadside.

It is suggested by everyone in the area that it is not very safe to wander out of hotels and houses after four thirty –five in the evening. Thus we went back to our hotel to an evening of well -deserved relaxation and to prepare for the adventure that lay in front of us the next day.

And truly so, the next day was filled with adventures and amusing tales!

 But more about that in the next  post!

Silent Expressions

Often many of us prefer taking a long drive. In such times it is obvious that one has to travel via National Highways or other expressways that would make us reach our destination faster. What does one usually do in such drives? Plug in  their earphones, sit back and relax. Some people go to sleep making themselves cozy in the small space that they get. Many prefer to chat with friends and spend the time.Personally for me this is my second highway drive from Delhi to Agra and for the first time probably I refrained from plugging in my earphones and actually noticed the surroundings.

I started my journey from the populated city of Delhi with tall buildings, massive government offices, roadside shops and off course the blazing sun. But after an hour so it was amazing to see the entire scenery change in front of you. After you leave Delhi proper you enter the Yamuna Expressway. It was told by my driver that the entire stretch of over 200 km long expressway was built by Jaypee in UP and in return the lands beside the expressway were given to UP . Nice barter system in contemporary times!

The massive buildings disappeared into yellow fields with occasional stretches of tall green trees. A beautiful sports stadium complete with a  golf course also stood by the expressway and so did a professional management institute.After a certain while the expressway started bifurcating into many lanes. This was for the toll booths that were made after a certain stretch. It is a rule that one has to pay for using the expressway in a particular area. In the sense, one has to pay for using the expressway in Delhi, Mathura, Agra and so on.

Throughout the whole journey what intrigued me the most was that after regular intervals there were small rest houses for the travelers complete with all good delicacies that one could lay their hands on. As I  entered in one of them I heard lots of noises. It was a splendid view inside the inn .There were people of all ages . One table had around six to seven friends sitting and sipping iced tea. They were probably making a small weekend trip . Where to, was unknown to me. Another table had a middle aged couple savoring idli and dosa. From what they were talking (They were loud and I was not eavesdropping) I made out that they were going to visit their daughter in Agra.A young couple who I think had just got married were making their way to see the Taj ( I hoped the girl would not ask him to make one for her though!). Another family was trying to calm their son down who was adamant about a certain food that he did not want to eat. A little girl sitting beside him (his sister maybe ) was silently watching the scene and finishing not only her own food but also her brothers.

 I was completely engrossed in the scene when my own food came. As we were in a hurry we quickly finished off our food and were about to leave. While waiting for our car I just happened to glance at the store attached to the inn. A young boy of about twenty was completely confused with the customers jumping all over him with their orders. He was baffled amidst so many customers yelling at the same time - Mujhe woh blue wallah chips do, Bhaiya mujhe orange juice chahiye, Mujhe chewing gum de do, bhaiya mera balance dijiye and the likes. Though I wanted to wait for some more time to see how he tackles the situation I was running late and so had to leave the guy and take to the roads again.

By the time we started our journey  the sun had almost gone down. The light had become dimmer and the series of inns and restaurants had disappeared to give way to the barren land with an occasional hut here and there.What was additional to this scenery was cows. There were cows everywhere. Looking past a sign board I understood we were crossing Mathura and there had to be cows .After all it is a sacred place as it was a birthplace of Lord Krishna. 

There were still miles to go in the journey and I started contemplating about the people who were in their cars on the expressway going to their own destinations. I saw a car with a man driving and a little child sitting beside him. Probably a father was taking his daughter home maybe from a hostel; another car had an elderly couple maybe going to their son or daughters place. Many trucks passed us. Some were carrying fragile items and some were carrying fruits and vegetables to be delivered to a vendor. A state transport corporation bus went passed us carrying around forty passengers. Some were probably going to their villages, some going for a vacation, some going to spend some time in a quite place away from the busy hustle and bustle of the city life- I would never actually know.

As I neared the end of my journey I thought that one can actually see and feel things around them if  they only looked at it. Every sight has a unique story to it. One just needs to discover that story and feel it.But what is sad in contemporary times is that people are so busy with their own lives that they do not have time to stop and think about what is going on around them. I have always been advised to stop the music in my car and watch the surroundings. That day I discovered exactly why I should do it. It gives a person a different feeling, a different pleasure that cannot be completely defined by words.

So, next time if you travel through a highway or an expressway take some time out and observe everything that you see, you can actually derive a story out of it. Every sight has a silent expression which would compel you to think about it in depth.