My itinerary - vacation trip

A fourteen day whirlwind trip.

Home > Milan (Italy) > Brig (Switzerland) > Milan > Rome > Paris(France) > back Home

29 Mar 12 Milano Malpensa Aeroporto > Malpensa Express > Milano Centrale > Brig

30-31 Brig - a ride on the Glacier Express - Matterhorn

1 Apr 12-4 Apr 12 Millan, Lake Camo, Venice

5 -7 Rome

8 -11 Paris

12 Back to the pavilion

I am already lost and worried about my food, my coffee with milk (akin to cappuccino) and the cold weather. ( I think coffee shouldn't be a problem in Italy. I make my coffee here on a moka pot but do not drink black coffee. Always with milk.)

Not carrying my laptop and do not intend to scrounge on the free internet at the hotels. Complete abstinence. So no SevenForums.

Any food for thought?

Wow! You are going to be busy.

Embrace change, live life and enjoy the unexpected!

You will have lots of wonderful stories to tell us when you return!

Go explore!

Just go with the flow, talk to as many people as you can, takes loads of photgraphs, but above all, enjoy the trip.

It's surprising how a friendly smile can open doors for you.

Have a wonderful time and enjoy the adventure, take as many photos as you can and indulge in the local culture as much as possible. You'll find you wont miss the Internet as you'll be too busy so make the most of it we'll all be here waiting to hear all about you adventures when you get back.

Have a good time.

Embrace change, live life and enjoy the unexpected! - Baroness

It's surprising how a friendly smile can open doors for you. - seavixen

....indulge in the local culture as much as possible. - Joan Archer.

Good food and tonic. Much appreciated. Thanks to all.

Thanks to Dinesh, mumbaikar for his

Less than 10 hours to the early morning flight ( no sleep tnight ) all set to shoot out.

Closing down my workstation in another half-an-hour.

See you all on 12th April. Bye.

Order something you've never had before. Most of all, follow Joan's advice. Bring us lots of tales when you get back.

seavixen32 said:

It's surprising how a friendly smile can open doors for you.

Click to expand...

The last time I was in front of a door and smiled, I was slapped ====

Have a great trip,

Around Brig in Switzerland - 1

1. Arriving at Milan and on to Brig by train.



2. Belalp map



As we hiked in snow, the sun was hot and we were sweating inside the heavy winter clothing worn!

3. And the famous Aletsch glacier.



When we reached Belalps by a cablecar from the foothill, we were enthusiastically hugged by an English lady who said " Oh! I am so pleased to find an English- speaking family here" ( Well, we are by no means English, but since different family members do know different Indian regional languages with each generation migrating to a different region, English becomes the common language for communication and we normally converse in English.)

4. Our instant friend at Belalp who gave us a lift to Brig in her Benz car



When we reached the foothill again after the trek, we were again greeted by a young lady who offered us a lift to Brig in her car." Is it a Taxi" we asked and she said " No, No you need not pay anything. I had been in India - Mumbai and Jaipur - for many months and so happy to see you Indians here"

5. And the graveyard-turned church she took us to.



The wall is embedded with skulls and our friend translated the inscription on the wall. " We were like you oneday and you will be like us someday"

6. The most photographed Matterhorn



7. An old house at Zermatt



Would you like to live in it?

8. Oh! We liked this. Cafe au lait no problemo.



9. And we liked this too. My favourite McChicken.



Chicken and eggs is very hard to find in Switzerland and we do not eat beef, pork or ham. So McDonalds was a great relief.

10. A view of the alps from the cablecar carrying us up to Belalps.

Very nice jumanji, thanks for sharing

A Guy

Wonderful photo's thank you jumanji for posting them. It looks as if you had a good time and met some very nice people along the way, so glad you enjoyed yourself.

Those were just great pictures. The one with the sculls is.......well, I can't quite find a word for it. If you get more, post them.

Around Brig in Switzerland - 2

bigmck said:

Those were just great pictures. The one with the sculls is.......well, I can't quite find a word for it. If you get more, post them.

Click to expand...

Yep, thanks to our instafriend, we cherish that picture and the inscription. In fact I could say that was the highlight of our trip in Switzerland.

Brig was a nice little town, with neat and clean streets and life at a leisurley pace. The trains were appealing and less crowded compared to Milan and Paris.

Now on to more photographs.

1.The Glacier Express - World's slowest express train.



2. A view of the Alps from the train.



3. The church at Disentis.



4. The trek on Belalps.



5. On to Matterhorn by the cable car.



6. The transport at Brig - the rails, the pedestrian, the perambulator, the tyres



7. A street view in Brig with the towering alps to the fore.



8. A view of the Alps from Belalps



9. The castle at Brig



10 Another view of the castle.



Yet to come: In and around Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Pompeii and Paris. ( really difficult to choose from a thousand photos and a hundred HD videos. )

My itinerary 2013 - Vacation trip to Mauritius

04 Jun 2013 My birthday. The day will dawn as usual in my present location. Early morning flight to Mauritius. Breakfast on the 45 minutes flight to a technical stopover at Chennai, my birth province. Lunch mid-air on flight over the Indian Ocean. Dinner at Intercontinental Hotel at Barclava, about 9 miles from the capital Port Louis.

And that is day one of the 7 day/6 night trip to Mauriitus. My first daughter has already arrived from U.S.A. with her husband and my two grandboys. We two oldies plus my second daughter and our grandgirl and in all whole family of 5 adults and three grandchildren.

Day 2 Mauritius
After breakfast in the morning, a full day North Island tour. Visit to the capital city Port Louis , Place d' Armes with its French colonial buildings, the eventful Champ de Mars racecourse, and the exotic Caudan Waterfront . Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 3 Mauritius
After breakfast in the morning, a full day South Island tour. Visit the Trou aux Cerfs, the crater of an extinct volcano. Proceed to Grand Bassin, a natural lake at the base of volcanic crater and a pilgrimage place for Hindus. Later, visit Chamarel (Colored Earth), with its vibrant hues and waterfall. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 4 Mauritius
After breakfast in the morning, a full day Excursion To Ile Aux Cerfs. An emerald lagoon, accessible by speed boat. With clear waters and endless beaches, it is a heaven for lovers of the sea, sand and sun. Enjoy the abundant water sports offered here. In the evening, return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5 Mauritius
After breakfast in the morning, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Undersea walk, deep sea fishing dive on the beautiful beaches. In the evening, have dinner at the hotel. Stay overnight at the hotel.

Day 6 Mauritius
Day of leisure and laziness on the beach.

Day 7 Depart Mauritius
After breakfast in the morning, transfer to the airport for onward journey.


Last time around, I did not keep a track of all places visited in Switzerland, Italy and France. ( And that is the reason why I am still grappling with the innumerable photos and videos and present those in a coherent fashion plus I was busy winding up my investments and preparing for really lazy days. Anyway I shall start with Pompeii in this post.) This time around, I have decided to document all details in detail.


My daughters didn't plan a visit to Pompeii. When we reached Rome, I found out that Pompeii was not far off and it will be a sin not to visit it after travelling that close. So we cut off one day in Rome and took a one-day tour of Pompeii by bus. ( While in school, we had a non-detailed text of Last Days of Pompeii by baron Edward Bulwer-Lytton -1834, which inspired my curiosity just like a painting in Milan inspired Lytton to write that novel. To this day, I do not know why it was called a non-detailed text, when in fact it was a detailed text, though abridged.)


August 24,0079, the day on which Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii.


A man ruing his fate as molten ash and pumice buries him




A pregnant woman




An overview of Pompeii as it existed





A street in Pompeii




The bakery




A public fountain




Piped water supply to the public bath




The forum with Mount Vesuvius some 7 miles away at the background. It was cloudy and rainy and so only a misty view.




To be continued after 11th June 2013.

A lifetime is likely not enough time to physically visit the many places on this planet we all call home,
so thank you for sharing your family's journey's.

I remember (barely there was no internet when I was at skool) spending time in school History class learning about the Roman Empire, and somewhere in there about Pompeii and it's burial when Mount Vesuvius erupted.

Just one of the awesome things the internet has brought us, the ability to visit far off places ...

Oh I so love your adventures with your family.. sharing all the great stories in detail,
the photos are great, can hardly wait for more.

Fimsongs and Photos - Mauritius -1

Telugu - shot in Mauritius

Very nice jumanji. How about a picture with you in it

A Guy

A Guy said:

Very nice jumanji. How about a picture with you in it

A Guy

Click to expand...

The closest I could get. ( All eight of us are there.)

Wise guy!

A Guy