Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, India

Puducherry, Pondicherry, or Pondy, is a Union Territory of India, south of Chennai.  The French ruled this territory for 300 years, and today it stands as a living monument of the French culture in India !  A remarkable amount of French influence in Pondicherry exists to this date.  Pondicherry is divided into Tamil and French parts,  where you can find typical 18th century French mansions and Tamil houses, very unique and charming to picturesque.  Pondicherry is a place blessed with a little bit of everything, and a tradition of welcoming all.

Pleasant and charming, Pondicherry has a beautiful beach that is always warm and welcoming.  Pondicherry has been made world famous by the Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville.  You can find more information about Auroville on my recent post from June.  French influenced, and it’s uniqueness sets it apart from the rest of India.  I love this place and am overdue for another visit.

One of Pondicherry’s most popular temples is the Managula Vinayagar Temple, located in the French quarters.  Pictures of me receiving my blessings from Lakshmi, the temple elephant.  Just give Lakshmi some rupees, she will take the coins from your hand with her trunk and then will gently touch the top of your head with her trunk to give you your blessings.  Just make sure Lakshmi doesn’t knock you out, and you get what you paid  for :-)))

Another main attraction to see in Pondicherry is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.  The ashram is located within the French quarters you will have to remove your shoes, switch off  your cell phones and maintain complete silence inside the complex.  Starting with a memorial to Sri Aurobindo, where many just sit and meditate.  From there you walk into a hall that has displays about the ashram and its founders, and another hall had a small bookshop where books related to the ashram and its teachings were available. Thousands of visitors all over the world come for the Ashram.

The Sacred Heart Church, is another wonderful site in Pondicherry.  Constructed in Gothic style, is a highly revered religious destination in Pondicherry.  Lot of visitors and believers are thronging to this church to offer prayers.  One can be blessed by seeing the wonderful stained glass windows highlighting the life of Jesus and the soaring ceilings.  Every year this church has thousands of devotees from different places visiting. This church is one of the most attractive churches in Pondicherry.

If coming to Pondicherry then don’t forget seeing Auroville is a must.  On the outskirts of Pondicherry this place has a truly unique concept, remember to check my blog back in June for more info on this one of kind place.  If you’re a wine connoisseur like me, then no worries getting some really nice wines here.  Also know for its variety of cuisines, South Indian delicacies, to some really delicious seafood, and the good French restaurants around the French part of town.  One can eat, drink and be "Merry in Pondicherry".  Until the next blog, Bon Appétit :-)))

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Ocho Rios, Jamaica is the essence of every thing Caribbean, and more.  Things like blue skies, warm weather, beautiful waters, and sun-drenched beaches.  The mountains, magnificent waterfalls, and endless list of attractions.  Add to that scrumptious dining, spirited reggae, and moonlit nights and lots of sporting activities like golf, tennis, and scuba diving.

My journey to Ocho Rios was an interesting one.  I went to Ocho Rios back in September of 1997.  A two hour journey from the Kingston Airport to my resort was a crazy ride along the cliffs with a crazy driver that seem to have no worries of falling over the cliff.  Hugging that rail, and a bus full of people screaming their heads off, including me, I thought I was not going to make it to the resort.  With all that said, Ocho Rios is a good escape from your typical Montego Bay.

The first and foremost attraction in Ocho Rios is its wide white sand beach.  There are also more nice beaches east of Ocho Rios, but they are mainly private hotel beaches. Nearby beautiful Reggae and James Bond Beaches are open to the public.  The town itself has some nice colonial buildings to see, including old churches.

Dunn’s River Falls is a popular attraction near Ocho Rios, featuring stunning waterfalls that cascade into the sea.  Eden Falls is another beautiful waterfall in Ocho Rios area. More natural attractions near Ocho Rios include Fern Gully, a forested gorge with over 500 species of ferns.  From horseback riding to jeep safaris to plantation visits to pottery tours are well available.  Rated on Trip Advisor as one of the top attractions in Ocho Rios, is the bobsled ride down Mystic Mountain.  Also noted as one of the most famous Jamaica tourist destinations and one of the coolest destinations in the Caribbean.

Ocho Rios is one of the safest destinations in Jamaica.  Unfortunately, petty crime and scamming of tourists do occur also here, so it is good to use common sense and to leave your valuables at the hotel safe.  Especially at Kingston Airport and Dunn's Falls.  Also you will experience the locals push you to buy ghanja and voodoo dolls, which is abundant in Jamaica.

Salzburg, Austria

If you ever get the chance to go to Salzburg, you will be smitten by it's old time charm.  I would definitely recommend it, even for a day as a transit.  It really is a quaint and and lovely city, I love the feel of this place, quite charming.  Even when I arrived to this beautiful city with the rain and cloudy skies, it did not even put a damper on my arrival.  I enjoyed walking through this remarkable city feeling I was transported back in time. I found a local to take a snap of me while I was admiring the horses.

Let’s explore some of the things to do in Salzburg, starting with its musical heritage. Salzburg has quite a history with music, starting with Mozart, and this city is totally Moazart inspired.  Everywhere you went and shopped they had everything you could possibly think of Mozart, everything down to even Mozart chocolates.  Even today, 250 plus years later, he is still the inspiration of this city, and for the spectacular music festival held here every year for 5 weeks, which normally begins somewhere at the end of July.  I was lucky to have arrived in August, to take part in the celebrations.  Musicians everywhere playing Mozart on the streets to pay tribute to the musical genius, his legend still rules today.  One of the area’s top tourist attractions found in the heart of town is Mozart’s Geburtshaus his birthplace. 

Take a ride on a horse carriage across the Old Town, it is a wonderful way to see, hear, smell, and feel this old town.  If you need to put your feet up after exploring all day, chill out on the riverbank, it is a treat after site seeing to just relax and enjoy the magnificent views.  A must on your to do list in Salzburg is to visit St. Peter's Cemetery, it is oldest cemetery in Salzburg, and Salzburg's most popular tourist attraction.  When at St. Peter's Cemetery check out the two church caves overlooking St. Peter's Cemetery.  Of the two church caves, Gertraudiskapelle and Maximushohle, Maximushohle is built right into the mountain and is more cave church then Gertraudiskapelle.  Maximushohle dates back to Roman times in the third century.  I found them absolutely fascinating. If you love the quaint old time feel, you will experience that in Salzburg.

Munich, Germany

Munich, Germany, I love this place, it is a fun city that draws folks just about any time of year, but it is crazy around Oktoberfest.  So if you plan on coming during that time you will want to reserve hotels well ahead in advance, the high season months are between May and September.

Munich is one of my favorite European cities.  The people are really so nice and helpful.  I was trying to figure out a location I wanted to go to,  and standing there with a map in my hand trying to figure out which way to go, strangers would come up to me and offer to help without me asking, odd in most places.  I also found Munich's railway station to be the best and easiest to get around, as I am one of those persons who gets lost in their own backyard, lol, but I manage comfortably and with great ease without getting lost.  They have the S-Bahn and U-Bahn around the city and I enjoyed riding on the rail, German engineering at it's best.

 A few top things to see is The Neuschwanstein Castle.  It is the world's most famous castle.  This Castle is nestled in the Bavarian Alps.  King Ludwig II designed his dream castle with the help of a theatrical set designer. Again, Oktoberfest is the best time to come to Munich, so I hear, I came in August, but Oktoberfest is the world's largest fair and one of the best festivals in Germany.  Every year, over 6 million visitors from all over the world come to Munich to drink beer, eat sausage and join together in song.  The festival is famous for its huge beers in heavy steins and a good helping of German hospitality.

The English Garden is one of the largest city parks in the world, the English Garden in Munich offers beer gardens, lakes, and recreational activities such as biking, horse back riding, and sun bathing. If you walk around and feel like having a drink, stop over at the Chinese Tower, one of the biggest Beer Gardens in Munich.  Another site, The Deutsches Museum, this is one of the largest and oldest science museums in the world, attracting more than 1.5 million visitors every year.  The museum itself is located on an island in the middle of the Isar River, and houses over 17,000 exhibits. You could easily spend a number of days wandering around this museum.

I love Munich and definitely plan on coming back again in the future.  The German hospitality,  the quaint and charming ambiance of the city, is not easily forgotten, neither was their bread, the best bread I have tasted.