Leg 1: Antigua and Pacaya It is day one. I am sitting on the terrace of the Casa Encantada (sipping orange juice, tucking into a hearty breakfast of eggs, black beans, salsa, cream and toast). The skies are clear and for miles, all I can see are bougainvillea lined streets and in the distance, Fuego, or fire, one of the two active volcanoes in Antigua’s neighbourhood. A hummingbird chirps in the background. Welcome to Antigua, the medieval capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America. Thanks to some very effective preservation tactics by the local government (pebbled streets, limited choice of wall colours, wooden grills), the city retains much of its old world, post-classical charm. An instant sense of relief, calm and contentment fills me - even after a gruelling 15 hr journey that took us ... read more

When we first thought of holidaying in Cologne, we were thinking of a 2 hour flight either way and a good two days in the city. Then we chanced upon a really great deal from Deutsche Bahn (www.bahn.co.uk) . £69 per person return from London - of course there was a catch - the travel was by train. Did we really want to do it? It would mean 6 hours of travel time either way, which would give us barely a day and a half in the city. However, if you really look at it, Europe does travel by train and, Cologne is a small city and it was worth a try. Now here is how the deal worked. The Eurostar from London Waterloo to Brussels Midi and ICE from Brussels Midi to Cologne. On the ... read more

With our passports at the Swedish embassy and vacations that we have to use up, last Saturday was ‘be an English tourist’ day. The options were many - Marlow, Oxford, Bath, York but we zeroed in on Cambridge. Often regarded as one of the most beautiful universities in the world, with an interesting history to boot, we took the train from Kings Cross (a la Harry Potter) down to Cambridge. London is well connected to Cambridge with trains from Kings Cross as well as Liverpool Street. The fast train will get you there in 45 minutes and the normal one in 90. A cheap day return ticket will cost £17. For train timings refer to http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/planmyjourney/time_table/journey_requirements.asp?&T2ID=3052_2005725173028. From the Cambridge railway station you can either hire a bike or hop onto the Sightseeing tour bus (£8 a ... read more

The Holiday: Day One Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn immortalised the city in the black & white romance of the 50s. Fifty-odd years later, my husband and I board an early morning Ryan Air flight to Ciampiano- Rome’s third airport and the hub for low cost carriers in Europe, for our very own ‘in colour’ version of a romantic and adventure filled 4 day break. It is also important to note that I have just finished reading Dan Brown’s ‘Angels and Demons’ which has only heightened my interest in the city. (For the benefit of those who are planning European holidays, there are great deals available through Ryan Air during this period). Stansted airport is well connected to London by Terravision as well as the National Express. For the latter, you can either book online or ... read more

It is admirable how after years of struggle, personal sacrifice and lots of arm chair strategy, the British Empire did succeed in becoming the strongest imperialist nation in the world. And when they did give up their claim over their ‘protectorates’ they left a mark in those countries forever - they left behind a judicial system, great infrastructure, tons of ideas for story -telling in years to come and they left behind - English. In no other nation, as in India has English succeeded to such an extent. Obviously it has - which is why half of the US is getting ‘Bangalored’ and Nat West goes out of its way to advertise ‘UK call centres’. But all Indians may well be living in a strange world of naiveté. For do we really know the language? Or ... read more