Sunday, June 26, 2016

A Nice start!

This is the 3rd year in a row where Amruta and I are undertaking our Europe trip in the period of April to September. In 2014 it was for 62 days, in 2015 we upped it to 80 and this time it's a record breaking 89 days!
After the last two trips I had decided that I would write down articles about our experience. However, life is such that when one chapter closes the next one begins and there is no time to write about the past! So this time I have decided to write about our experiences on the go! Also with the start of ChessBase India this blog has been dormant for quite a while. 
So join me and Amruta as we take you on our journey from Mumbai-Nice-Amsterdam-Hamburg-Vienna-Trieste-Venice!

Of course in such a long trip there would be a lot of deviations, spur of the moment decisions and some highly intense games of chess. This is what we love and this is what we live for! :)

The obligatory selfie at the Mumbai airport on 21st of June 2016!

A Nice start!

This is the 3rd year in a row where Amruta and I are undertaking our Europe trip in the period of April to September. In 2014 it was for 62 days, in 2015 we upped it to 80 and this time it's a record breaking 89 days!
After the last two trips I had decided that I would write down articles about our experience. However, life is such that when one chapter closes the next one begins and there is no time to write about the past! So this time I have decided to write about our experiences on the go! Also with the start of ChessBase India this blog has been dormant for quite a while. 
So join me and Amruta as we take you on our journey from Mumbai-Nice-Amsterdam-Hamburg-Vienna-Trieste-Venice!
Of course in such a long trip there would be a lot of deviations, spur of the moment decisions and some highly intense games of chess. This is what we love and this is what we live for! :)

The obligatory selfie at the Mumbai airport on 21st of June 2016!

Somehow both of us were extremely hungry at 5.a.m in the morning. Pizza Hut!

Istanbul airport! One of the busiest airports in the world.

You can try as many of these Turkish delicacies as you like!

Amruta's skills of balancing things in life are quite commendable!

This meal from Indian express (Nan, mix veg and Falooda which was more like Rose milk) on the airport was for 34 Liras. They asked us to pay 12 Euros. Instead I went to the currency exchange, got 36 euros and saved two liras!

That's where I used those two remaining Liras! Automatic massage!

Good food is always important when you are on a long trip!

The city of Istanbul as seen from the airport

Our airbnb room in Nice

Nice is a simple city. Very easy to move around and you immediately can figure out how to reach from one place to another, unlike some complicated cities like Paris or Mumbai!

Here's the mediterranean sea!

No sand, only stones!

A nice place to sit and reflect

The best part about Europe are the ice creams!

Time for some chess practice!

A glimpse of the roads of the city

Absolutely nobody on the streets at 9.p.m in the night!

My healthy breakfast!

Specially made for Amruta: Gujrathi Theplas, Indian tea, French biscuits, croissant and toast

The kitchen in the airbnb apartment was well furnished and gave us freedom to cook whatever we wanted to

A huge thanks to our host Monique who came to drop us at the airport early in the morning for our 8.50 a.m. flight to Ajaccio.

On 24th of June we took a 45 minute flight from Nice to Ajaccio for the 3rd Porticcio Open which was going to begin from the 25th of June. Stay tuned for more updates!