The solitary Mansion

On a tortuous path,
Oddly filled with filth,
At your hand's reach,
A facade seems above breach.

The steel more than credible,
Protecting the incredible,
Solitary mansion,
Brimmed beyond expansion.

A pair of dove,
Like angels from above,
Merge in the scope,
forming the beholder's dope.

Noise of the merry,
Is like the topping cherry,
And the want of the leeway,
Cannot be subdued midway.

Promise of the greener side,
Lets the time abide,
With a great hope,
The great hope of the warmth.

Travelogue - Italy

Day 0: Amsterdam -> Milan -> Verona -> Trento

Meeting a school friend after a long gap is always quite  enjoyable. Add to that the sight of southern Alps, some beautiful old castles, Milan and Verona, a delicious recipe for an extended weekend is effortlessly concocted. The journey started on a rainy Thursday evening from the Schipol airport, final destination being Trento, a beautiful small town located near the southern Alps. Travelling with Aswin, it was a gentle reminder of the day we landed in Amsterdam three years ago. The first part was to Milan. We reached Milan airport with minimal fuss (mainly because we were sleeping throughout the journey). The plan initially was to spend the night at a bed and breakfast place and travel to Trento the next day.

But as we checked in at the gargantuan Milan central station, we surprisingly found a train to Verona.  And thus, started our first unplanned detour and was the norm throughout the journey. We reached Verona by 2 30 in the morning and the train to Trento was a good 3 hours away, which was spent exploring an empty Verona in the cold and catching up some sleep in the train station.  We were yet to open our cameras.

Trento Welcoming us, far better than kamali I should say.

Day 1: Trento

Trento welcomed us with a brilliant cappuccino and croissant. Located midst a valley, the huge mountains were staring with an inherent awe, making the beholders elated with a faulty sense of satisfaction that a monstrous structure is out there to protect him. As we came some 4 hours earlier than anticipated, we were greeted with mixed emotions, by a rather grumpy kamali. Waking up some one 6 30 when they are not expecting you is

First and only castle we visited

not pleasant. After catching up a bit and having our second breakfast at a hostel canteen, we set out for our first destination, Buonconsiglio Castle, a 13^th  century Gothic structure of Trento. 2 hours well spent on learning about the medieval history.  After numerous photos, a sumptuous meal followed in the university Trento canteen. 

Next we stopped at the picturesque Trento University of Engineering. Think of  a place of study, on the top of a hill, majestically looking

Yours faithfully enjoying a view

down on a green canopy. Its so much entangled into nature that all the cutting edge technology in the midst look so petty and trivial.  Kamali, I pity you. You can never concentrate fully on studies living in such a beautiful place. 

Our next stop was at a park in front of the central station. Completely tired from the day’s travels, we

A view from the top.

postponed our planned trek and simply feel asleep on lush green turf. Recharged, we went up a nearby hill. Next 2 hours , we trekked, pleaded the lord, learnt nitau from kamali and last but not the least posed for pictures. I wish we had spent more time there. Predinner followed at a restaurant in the centre of the city. We watched the closing ceremony of international cycling championship and had a delicious pizza for dinner.  And finally to sign off an awesome day, we had a 3 hour long nostalgic chat discussing almost everything, literally killing off our chance to wake up early and leave for Venice. It was quite a philosophical talk (read gossip), contents of which are too profound for mere mortals to understand.

Day 2 - Trento -> Verona and Verona. Verona -> Milan

We managed to wake up and get ready by 9 30 am, and had the initial plan of visiting Venice. After a rather low profile breakfast, we zeroed in on a couple of nightclubs that we would want to visit in Milan, in case we decide against Venice. The train ride from trento to Verona is an absolute joy to behold.  The journey through the valley is filled with brilliant peaks and  motley of gothic and post gothic architecture. This train ride is one of the must from people visiting southern alps. After lot of deliberation, we decided against going to Venice, as 7 hrs is hardly the right amount of time to appreciate the beauty of Venice. Sometime in the future maybe.

By noon we reached Verona, the city of Shakespeare's great epic Romeo and Juliet. We were lucky that we visited the city on the festival of games. Some really unique games. More on

Our Photographer taking a break at the opera house.

that if I remember later. Visiting the same place where we spent the night two days back in the light of a sunny warm afternoon was a welcome relief. It was around 25 C. In Euopean terms this is the scorching heat.  A sumptuous lunch followed at a local restaurant. The brilliant Italian city center, its vibrancy and beauty is a joy to behold.

The first stop in Verona was the famous opera house, size of which is comparable to the eden gardens or the san siro. We spent a good hour or two there. Next we set on foot to a hill top that aswin had visited in his previous trip. Delicious Italian Gelato added a wonderful flavor to the quest. Since it was he day of games, every street housed a competition of its own. Another enjoyable trek followed, less picturesque than the Trento trek, but more

One of the many games

flamboyant.   Another characteristic of the trip was the short but effective photography lessons that Aswin regularly gave me. 

After coming down, we made full full use of the day ticket travelling far off to have an espresso, just for the heck of it. And traditional wine and food followed in a local festive setting, that night part of the day's celebration in Verona. If that

Another view from the top

wasnt sufficient, we had a brilliant cello concert happening in the background. One could clearly see that people were enjoying the food and wine more than music. Eventually we left the place to catch the last train from Verona to Milan. Another enlightening talk followed, once again too profound for mere mortals to understand.

Day 3: Milan and Milan -> Eindhovan -> Delft

We reached Milan around midnight and with great expectations, tried to enter some of the biggest night clubs there. The bright flare of expectations was subdued in its infancy at the entrances of not one but three night clubs.  So here is the message, never try to enter a Milan night

Duomo at Milan

club if you are not wearing an Armani, without a girl and worse -unshaven. And in truth, I have personally never felt more out of place ever. The unreal extravagance that surrounded that place somehow felt alien to the middle class semi-conservative pseudo-intellectual mind. So we were forced to spend another night aimlessly wandering, this time in Milan. And sadly for us we had the rain station completely closed, forcing us to sleep outside the station.  

Recharged with an hours sleep, we set on foot to the last destination - the humongous Duamo of Milan, on foot. We had the opulent Armani street decorating our path to the Duamo. Another gargantuan Gothic structure that blows you off your feet. We spent some time exploring it and another photo session followed.  Ironically we had good Italian pastry and coffee in Mcdy for breakfast.  Completely drained, sumptuous foods were no more

A journey to remember

recharging and sleep was the ultimate prize we yearned for.  All good things do come to an end and so did our Italian safari.  If the trip was not real enough, I returned home to the news that Arsenal bet Stoke City via three set piece goals. I truly must have been dreaming.