Kutná Hora is a small town situated about 60 kilometres from Prague. PID or Prague Integrated transport places it in zone 7 (the 11th zone from the centre). I had to get an 11 zone, 5 hour ticket that cost me 84 CZK. PID has an app that functions like an information and ticketing interface—just … [Read more…]
The Old Town Hall As soon as I got out of my hostel, my phone network went off. Only my GPS worked and I was able to locate and orient myself in the already-downloaded map while I made my way to the Old Town Hall. Christmas markets were all around and local people as well as … [Read more…]
Rupanjan had been a great host to Partho and me in the last four days. He not only gave us company but also saved us quite a bit of money. I got to know from him that Munich is very expensive. One can get a good idea of the standard of living from the cost of availing public … [Read more…]
Partho had proposed two options—either we go to Zugspitze or Salzburg. The weather at Zugspitze was sub-zero, which, in a way, made Salzburg a default choice. One of the cheapest ways to visit Salzburg is to go in a group of two to five people. The railway station comes under the “Bayarn Ticket” zone even though Salzburg … [Read more…]
Spielzeugmuseum (toy museum) Most of the interesting places to visit in Munich are in and around Marienplatz. The toy museum is located right beside the Rathaus of Munich. It’s a five-storey tower whose four floors are filled with various old toys and some replicas. A strange thing happened while we were visiting the museum. The fire … [Read more…]
Museum Fünf Kontinente (The Museum of Five Continents) The weather gods were not with us. It had been raining since early morning. By the time we were ready, it was almost 11:30 AM. We ventured out in the drizzle. Rupanjan, our host, had left to attend a group project discussion followed by a choir performance … [Read more…]
From Hamburg to Munich On 30th November, I was done with my work. I had one last meal with my colleagues, packed my bags went straight to the Central Bus Terminus (ZOB) to catch my bus to Munich at 10:00 PM. Partho had promised to join me for my trips. I have known him since my … [Read more…]
Guns, Germs and Steel is a seminal book by the ethnographer Jared Diamond. At its core, it is a multi-disciplinary study of why the west has overtaken the world. Jared Diamond starts off with a simple question—one that was posed to him by a Papua New Guinean politician, Yali—”Why is it that you white people … [Read more…]
The idea of playing a cover of “Arriving Somewhere but Not Here” by the venerable Porcupine Tree was by our very own Shounak Roy. Fresh off a college gig where he had played some of the introductory keyboards and most of the guitar parts for the same song, he suggested that we try it out … [Read more…]
Amongst all the books on Tibet (and Tibetan Buddhism), Tibet, Tibet holds a very unique position. It’s part travelogue, part history text and part socio-political analysis. Patrick French—in a very risky fashion—ventured into remote locations of Tibet. With all the security and the active efforts of the Chinese troops to veil their internal situations to the … [Read more…]
