Travel by Edna St. Vincent Millay

This is a poem about travel that I had really liked and saved in my inbox. Today I discovered it again while going through old e-mails.

Travel 

Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1892-1950

The railroad track is miles away,

    And the day is loud with voices speaking,

Yet there isn’t a train goes by all day

    But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn’t a train goes by,

    Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming,

But I see its cinders red on the sky,

    And hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with friends I make,

    And better friends I’ll not be knowing;

Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take,

    No matter where it’s going.

Germany: A welcome break in Rugen

As I keep repeating on the blog, I have been meaning to share my travel experience for the past few years but never got down to doing so. Since this is the first travel post on my blog I'm going to start with a place I've visited in the recent past which has left a lasting impression on my mind. So let me begin with Binz  in the island of Rugen in Germany.

I love beaches. Last year when I was planning our trip to Germany and Austria, apart from the popular touristy places I was looking for a nice beach resort. Generally while planning our trips I always start by looking at the map as that gives me an idea about the proximity between places. Since our time and money are limited, we try not to waste too much of either travelling in-between destinations.

While looking for beach resorts on the Baltic Sea I stumbled upon the island of Rügen. The island is a popular tourist destination for Germans. But it is still not very popular among foreigners. The reason for this may be that till 1990 the Island was part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)and therefore access to it was limited for foreigners.

Rugen is Germany's largest island. The towns in Rugen are: Bergen, Sassnitz, Putbus and Garz. In addition, seaside resorts of Binz, Baabe, Gohren, Sellin and Thiessow are frequented by tourists.

The easiest way to travel to Binz is from Berlin by train which takes about five hours. The train station at Binz is called Ostseebad Binz. Buying tickets on the Deutsche Bahn [DB] website is very easy and although the journey involves changing two trains, it is hassle free. Since we had planned the trip 90 days in advance we managed to get hold of cheap tickets for 29 € each. So around  3:30 in the afternoon our train chugged into the station of Ostseebad Binz which looked like it had popped right out of a storybook.

We had to get to our hotel which was on the Standtpromenade so we decided to ask at the enquiry desk. The lady at the enquiry, though not conversant in English gave us directions on the map. Interestingly, during our stay we realized that very few people in Binz speak English. But that never turned out to be a difficulty since the people were so warm and helpful.

It was quite cold (around  10°C)so we stuck our hands into our pockets and turned up our collars. Within minutes we had reached the cobbled promenade and we could hear the gushing sea and see its blue waters lapping on to the white sand. The sky was grey and there was no sun,  but it was such a beautiful sight.

Our hotel was right at the end of the promenade and we were really happy to see that it was so cute!!! The rooms were big and warm, the furniture so quaint and we had a partial view of the sea from our balcony. What more could we ask for?  See my review of our hotel here

We kept our luggage in the room, freshened up and went for a walk along the promenade which is lined with restaurants and cafes and was buzzing with life. We decided to indulge ourselves that evening and walked into a nice looking bar by the sea. We enjoyed our evening, me sipping cosmopolitans while Abby sat with his JDs. After a hearty meal we walked back to our hotel and retired early since we were pretty tired.

Day 2: Cape Arkona
The next day we had planned a trip to Cape Arkona which is a 45-metre-high cape on the island. We had read that the view from the lighthouse at the Cape was worth dying for. To reach the  cape, we had to take the bus to Sassnitz, then change buses and reach Altenkirchen and then take another bus to Putgarten and walk up. From the tourist information centre we picked up a bus timetable in English and it was really easy to figure out how to get there.

It takes two and half hours to reach Cape Arkona from Binz. But the journey is part of the fun. One travels through absolutely beautiful sleepy seaside villages  with no  other tourists for miles. On our way we stopped at the town of Altenkirchen and just walked around and explored for some time. It is a beautiful town with cute houses, well-tended gardens and trees full of apples! 

Altenkirchen

Apples!

We visited the parish church of Altenkirchen which is the oldest church on the island, built in 1168. From Altenkirchen it is a short bus ride to Putgarten from where we decided to walk to the cape, although one can also take the road train. On the cape there are two lighthouses, a navigation tower, two military bunker complexes, the Slavic temple fortress of Jaromarsburg and several tourist buildings (restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops). Because of its geology and the weathering that occurs here, there are frequent coastal collapses, especially in winter. One can walk to the top of the lighthouse at a nominal fee and the view is really breathtaking. We spent some time there and set off on our way back. 

View from the lighthouse

The trip to Cape Arkona took the most part of the day so we decided to chill at the beach after we came back. We spent some time at the pier and walked around on the beach. As we were walking down the pier it started raining heavily so we decided to come back to the hotel.

Once the rain stopped we decided to take a bus ride to the nearby town of Sellin to see the Sellin Pier all lit up. The same buses ply up an down the length and breadth of the island. In fact, by the second day of our stay some of the bus drivers even began recognizing us since we kept on meeting them over and over again! And they were so friendly! Anyway, our trip to Sellin was not a very great idea. Although we did get to see the  pier which looked beautiful but there were not many activities to do there and it is quite far from Binz.

The shops and cafés in the island generally shut down by 8PM so after 8 it is best to retire to the hotel. We didn't mind that since we had had a hectic day.

Day 3: Jasmund National Park
Our third day in Binz began early in the morning with a trip to the Jasmund National Park to see the chalk cliffs. Check out the beloved chalk cliff 'Königsstuhl' or 'Kings Chair' that is the tallest cliff at about 118m high. We took a bus to Sassnitz again, said hello to our beloved bus driver and took another bus to the national park. Pictures of Rügen often feature these iconic white cliffs. If one visits Rugen one should definitely make time to visit the cliffs. 

Koningsstahl

The area also has a primeval beech forest that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011. We went inside the National Park and took picture of the cliffs but it is possible to see the cliffs without going inside the park. The ranger at the park advised us not to take the path down to the beach because of the weather but instead suggested that we explore the woods, which we did.
There are more things to see on the island but we decided to spend the rest of the day on the beach since our train was at 4:30 PM. We returned to Binz and lunched on fish and chips (yum!) at one of  the restaurants overlooking the beach and then spent the rest of our time at one of the beach shacks drinking beers and watching the seagulls. It was such a fulfilling end to our beach holiday.

Our friend the seagull

Relaxing by the beach

Spain: Experiencing the Guernica in Madrid

This is the story of the moment when  I first stood before the Guernica by Picasso at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. 

This painting, in fact, keeps flitting in and out of the labyrinth of my fond childhood memories. Memories of our home in Calcutta where a framed print of the Guernica hung on the wall of my bedroom since I can remember.  Memories of lazy summer afternoons, my father sitting on the bed and telling me stories about the painting: little details, about the artist, the history. Naturally, a visit to Madrid had to include a look at the epitome of many of my childhood memories.

One section of the Museum has been constructed solely for the display of the painting. I stepped into the huge hall which housed the painting. There it was, the whole of one wall, standing at 11ft tall and 25 ft wide in shades of grey, black and white. I could not take my eyes off it. I looked, wide-eyed. And then, it spoke to me. 

It spoke to me of a war which has left the world in despair. It spoke to me about sorrow, hope. It spoke in a beautiful but mysterious language, in shades of known and unknown. Some of it was lucid and clear and some difficult and incomprehensible. I understood some of it and didn't understand the rest. But I responded instinctively. And in that room full of people I could sense that each one of us was weaving a story around it.
I am not an art connoisseur. I have never tried to fathom abstract art. But Guernica called out to me, it moved me. It was a novel and unique experience. No work of art had given me goosebumps or moved me to tears before. But then again, no other work of art is the Guernica.
I walked around the room, breathing in the experience. The other wall of the room had a series of photographs by Dora Marr (Picasso's one-time lover and friend) chronicling the making of the Guernica. It was  like a storyboard with photos of the piece at different stages of completion. There were audio guides, books, pamphlets on the painting. I browsed through them. It was such a wonderful beginning to our European holiday. The Guernica had overwhelmed me and won me over.
And like my father, I am definitely going to tell the story of the Guernica to my children.

That's the painting above but it barely captures the true spirit of the work.
If you are in Madrid do not miss the Guernica at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

She opened her eyes. The soft misty sunlight was flooding the room through the parted curtains. It had rained heavily the night before; there was still a nip in the air. She shifted inside the quilt. The room began to look brighter. Her hand touched something warm next to her. She could hear his soft breathing. She turned her face to his and felt the happiness surging through her body. She had never been so at peace before. She didn’t know who to thank or whether she deserved this. She didn’t know whether this would last. She didn’t care. She smiled and closed her eyes to the sun. It’s too early to wake up, she thought.