The Castle; Taken on December 20, 2016 at Sümeg
Sümeg is a castle town north of Lake Balaton in Hungary. It was built in the late 13th century by King Bela IV. It was gifted to the Catholic church by King Stephen V. It’s been nicely remodeled, and is now the site of renaissance faire style events. Here are some pics from within:
In the dungeon (i.e. the várbörtön)
Medieval warfare, check out those pointy boots
The kitchen
The Bishop’s Quarters
Taken at the Jantar Mantar, Delhi on December 16, 2016
The Jantar Mantar are astronomical clocks / calendars. Five of them were built in early 18th century India by order of Maharaja Jai Singh II. The others are in Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Mathura. The one at Jaipur is said to be the most impressive, and I can attest that it’s more impressive than the complex in Delhi. However, I’ve only visited the two. What we read of the Varanasi one didn’t make it sound worth the trip, even though we were in the area of it. (It’s atop one of the buildings near the main ghat.) I haven’t been to the other two cities, but I’ve heard that not all of the Jantar Mantar remain intact, so they may just be ruins.
When we were visiting the location in Jaipur, a guide asked: “Do you believe in these things, astrology and astronomy?”
To which the natural response is: “That’s like asking whether I believe in ghosts and gravity.”
At any rate, if you are into science these sites are worth your time.
We visited half a dozen countries (not including India) and about a dozen locales within India in 2016.
Here’s my top 5.
5.) Old Goa: Goa is usually a beachy destination, but when one goes before the rainy season is over, one spends a lot of time touring old churches. And Old Goa (Velha Goa) has some impressive and historic churches.
4.) Amritsar: First of all, there’s the food. Punjabi cuisine is legendary–as is Sikh hospitality. However, there’s also some beautiful sights and a unique feel to the place.
3.) Bai Tu Long: Most of our trip to Vietnam took place in 2015, but we rang in the New Year on a junk boat on Ha Long Bay’s next door neighbor.
2.) Chaminuka Game Reserve, Zambia: Our first trip to Africa was far too short, but we did get a taste of the continent.
1.) Naranag to Sonamarg Trek: This may seem like an odd choice–particularly for the number one slot–given that Kashmir was under curfew when we visited. I think that may have made the trek all the more enjoyable. Not only is rural Kashmir gorgeous, but it was mostly normal–excepting the daily military checkpoints to remind us that Pakistan and /or China could invade at any moment. We certainly had our share of travails before and after the trek (e.g. only being able to drive through the middle of the night and all shops being closed on occasion) but the trek itself was outstanding. Besides, troubled travels make for good stories.
Taken in Vasco da Gama, Goa in October of 2016
Vasco da Gama
Panjim, Goa
Tiger Riding for Beginners 