Dreams do come true!!

When your excitement levels are at an all time high, when all that you're waiting for is to board

that first flight, when everyone you meet asks you about your packing and planning.. You know you're about to embark on a great journey, albeit, for me, this journey was about fulfilling a long cherished dream, to visit the beautiful continent of Europe!!! Having made my bookings a whole 6 months prior, I hardly could wait for the D day!! When it actually arrived, I found myself with a set of mixed feelings. Happy because I could finally visit my dream destination, a little apprehensive because we'd be travelling with a group of 40 strangers. Considering the fact that getting vegetarian food would be a major problem, we decided to go with a reputed tour company. Eventually it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that we did a group tour!! And we boarded the flight on 12th, that would take us to our first destination, Paris!

Day 1: Paris,the city of love; a lovely hub of art, culture and fashion welcomed us with open arms as we made our way to her most famous monument, the Eiffel Tower. Standing majestically at a height of 300 meters, the tower offers wonderful views of the city. Having seen the views to our heart's content, we then went on a city tour passing by the Arc de Triomphe; an arch built in memory of the wars fought and won by Napolean, the Invalides; which was used as a retirement home for war veterans and Champs Élysées - probably the most popular avenue in Paris with showrooms of several high flying fashion brands. We also had the opportunity to visit a French perfumery by name Fragonard, and learnt a little about their art of making classic perfumes. The day ended with the famous Lido show, prior to which we caught a glimpse of the stunning Eiffel Tower against the night skyline.

Day 2: Welcome aboard the magical land of Walt Disney. Today we had an option to choose between Disneyland, the amusement park and Walt Disney studios. And me being me, chose the studios. But for someone who has witnessed the magnificence of Universal Studios, Singapore, this one turned out a tad disappointing. We did manage to watch some exciting shows, and I had a chance to meet my beloved Mickey Mouse. And Yeah, I can't forget that feeling of Alice in Wonderland as I stepped in to the Disney store to buy some gifts for my munchkins back home. Disneyland, the amusement park is a fantastic offering, says the best friend. Next time, perhaps.

Day 3: With bags packed, saying goodbye to France, we set out on a 7 hour journey by our coach to

Switzerland. Right up to this point, anyone who asked me what was my dream destination would only get to hear Switzerland!! And so we were off, on a scenic and comfortable road trip. Music and some active undertaking of the famous Indian travel pastime, Antakshari by a few members in our bus, made sure we didn't have a boring journey. We reached Zurich by around 6.30 and after enjoying a scrumptious Indian dinner, headed out to our hotel.

Day 4: Exploration of scenic Switzerland begins. First we headed to a tiny place named Interlaken, literally meaning the place between two lakes. It seemed to me that when God was creating Switzerland, he must've thought "Oh! Why not offer a piece of heaven to these earthlings ?". It's beauty is something worth cherishing, because no words will ever do justice. Throughout the drive we got the opportunity to see some of the prettiest houses, with flowers adorning them, lush green meadows, alpine forests and meandering brooks and streams. It looked so picture perfect and just out of illustrations in the fairytale books I've read. That DDLJ is a famous movie shot here is no secret, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Yash Chopra's statue at Interlaken. Our tour manager, being the knowledgeable man he is, told us about the Cultural Ambassador title bestowed upon Mr. Yash Chopra for showcasing Switzerland in all its pristine beauty.

Three imposing mountains, Jungfrau, Eiger and Monch form one of the most distinct regions in the Swiss Alps. And one hundred years ago, some brave men gathered the courage to cut through the mountains and built a railway station at Jungfraujoch, passing through Eiger and Monch. Today, this railway station, built at a height of 3571 meters above sea level, stands as a marvellous example of human capability and is one of the most visited sights in Switzerland. And what an amazing sight it offered. One look at the majestic Alps surrounding you all over, and you realise your place in the world. Apart from offering picturesque views of the Alps, this place also has several attractions like the Ice palace and the snow park. We had our share of fun as we went Ziplining in the snow park and got a 360* view of the snow capped mountains around us. Wow! What a wonderful combination of natural beauty and human brilliance that place was!!

Day 5: Highlight of the day was the visit to Mt. Titlis which lies at 10,000 feet above sea level. Another day, another opportunity to marvel at the snow capped peaks of the Alps. Can't ask for more, you say? What if you're offered a ride in cable cars and the worlds first rotating cable car takes you to the peak of Titlis!! A lovely experience, it is, to make a steady climb uphill, with lush greenery, spotting emerald green lakes and clear white water streams, and to listen to the ringing of cowbells beneath. Mother Nature, I bow down to thee!!

Day 6: Bidding a sad goodbye to Switzerland, we drove into Italy and our first day in the country

included a visit to the Ferrari museum in Maranello, Modena. This was a little one as compared to the Ferrari museum I've had a chance to visit at Abu Dhabi. Nonetheless a must visit for moto lovers, why not, when you're in the hub of moto racing games. Having clicked our share of pictures with the blazing red mean machines of all shapes we went further ahead towards the Leaning tower of Pisa. Well known as one of the wonders of the world, the leaning tower lies in a place called The Square of Miracles. This square has a Baptistry, a Cathedral, the most famous bell tower, Leaning Tower itself and a cemetery, the four main buildings signifying the stages of life. I consider myself too small a person to be talking about the magnificent Italian architecture; you have to see them for yourself.

Day 7: Today we headed to the smallest country in the world, Vatican City. Again, I'm a nobody to write about how spectacular the St. Peter's Basilica is. The names of Michael Angelo and Bernini immediately pop up in your head when you think of ancient Roman architecture. Kneeling down in one of the chapels there, I managed to find my moment of peace in the crowded basilica. After spending sometime here, we then went to the wish granting Trevi fountain. It is said that every street corner is an architectural wonder in Rome and there are thousands of years of history lying beneath what meets the eye. A short drive later we were facing the most famous monument at Rome, the Colosseum.

Day 8: Bye bye Rome, onto Venice. A collection of 117 islands in the Adriatic Sea, all of them connected by canals form the ancient city of Venice in Northern Italy. A short boat ride from the mainland takes us to the St. Marks square or Piazza San Marco, where in we can spot influences of Renaissance and Gothic architecture. The Murano glass showroom showcases the art of making exquisite glass artefacts. A Gondola ride in the heart of the city was a good way to get a glimpse of life there. Some brisk shopping and a yummy Gelato ice cream later, we boarded the boat again. This particular journey, I enjoyed watching the sky kiss the sea, as the horizon never seemed to end.

Day 9: Perhaps the most scenic drives I've been on lately, the road connecting Italy and Austria was indeed a delightful one. A long stretch of mountain ranges on either sides, lush green meadows, and a pleasant weather made it a drive to remember. We stopped over at Innsbruck for a short while, and visited the Swarovski museum there. Also one could spot the Golden Roof, a roof of a royal balcony made up of golden tiles. After spending a short duration shopping in Innsbruck, we were on our way to Munich. By the end of the day, we had got glimpses of German engineering and architectural marvels, the BMW showroom at Munich and a view of Gothic architecture of a museum at the city
centre.

Day 10: The last day of our trip was mostly about shopping in the city centre. For those interested in history and can withstand a visit to a concentration camp, there's one near Munich. The Dachau Concentration camp memorial site will indeed be an interesting visit, although we couldn't make it this time around. There's always a next time, I keep telling myself.