Travel Archives - Pout Pretty

5 Offbeat Tourist Destinations in Switzerland That You Must Visit

August 23, 2017 Leave a Comment

Most people on their first visit to Switzerland focus on the more popular destinations like Interlaken, Lucerne, Mt Titlis. Jungfrau etc. Nearly 90% of the travel agents atleast those in India also concentrate on these places but Switzerland has a lot more to offer. Every place that you go to in that country is so beautiful that it is difficult to come out with a list of must visit destinations. Since I have family staying there, I was lucky enough to explore some of the more offbeat ‘Swiss Treasures’ and I have put together a list of five such places in this post. Read on to know about them. I also have another travel post on Switzerland and that one is entirely on chocolate. Click this link to read 🙂

View from Castelgrande, Bellinzona

5 Offbeat Tourist Destinations in Switzerland

Stein am Rhein – I’ve left my heart in this charming and beautiful old town. Stein am Rhein is located in the canton of Schaffhausen and situated on the river Rhine. It is less than an hour’s drive from the Rhine Falls and about 55 kms from Zurich. Originally a small fishing village, Stein am Rhein developed in the 11th Century when Emperor Henry The II transferred the Benedictine St. George’s Abbey to the hamlet because of its strategic location. Soon, the small village grew to a prosperous commercial center.

Stein am Rhein

Stein am Rhein Rathausplatz

Stein am Rhein is straight out of a Swiss fairy tale. You can take a stroll by the beautiful river promenade, eat a delicious meal at one of the many cafes lining up the promenade and once done, you must take a walk around the town and then go to the Rathausplatz – the square of the City Hall. The entire perimeter of Rathausplatz is lined by half-timbered houses with magnificent painted façades. Most of these houses are nearly 400 years old and you will be amazed at how well these medieval buildings have been preserved. There are quite a few cafes and shops inside the square as well and I will recommend you to try out La P’tite Creperie. I had a chocolate crepe there that was absolutely delicious and there was an Indian dal and spinach option too!

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The Grand Tour – A Walk Through The Bylanes Of The Oberoi Grand

August 12, 2017 3 Comments

“It is all this that makes The Grand Hotel a great one. And more than all this, the fact that it is embedded in the memories of six generations. That it shared the momentous events of modern India. That it bore witness to two world wars; the heyday and passing of an empire; famine, flood, fire and riot; a bloodied Independence and a comparitively bloodless revolution. That it has watched both triumph and disaster and, taking the poet’s advice, treated “these two imposters just the same”. – Bachi J Karkaria, To a Grand Design.

The Oberoi Grand Lobby

Like many refugees who came to Calcutta from Bangladesh in the 1940’s, my paternal grandfather had a tough life. On a very meagre salary as a government official, he had to support a family of more than 20. This included his brothers, sisters, their families, cousins and even friends who crossed the border looking for food and shelter. It was a life far far removed from any luxury hence one day, when my grandfather, courtesy his job stepped into The Grand Hotel, it was nothing short of paradise for him. The white marble, the sparkling crystal chandelier in the lobby, the grand piano, the well-dressed ‘shahebs’ and ‘mem-shahebs’, it was a new world. And I remember how many years later when we were crossing The Oberoi Grand one day, his eyes were gleaming when he recounted that experience to me. The charm of the Grande Dame of Chowringhee has always been magical.

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Experiencing Old World Elegance At Cochrane Place, Kurseong

May 11, 2017

The first time I walked into Cochrane Place a year back, I felt like I was transported back into the 1900’s. This heritage resort situated on the outskirts of Kurseong was the residence of Percy John Cochrane, the magistrate and barrister of Kurseong town from 1866 – 1944. Back then it was known as The Hermitage because it was actually a nunnery before Percy Cochrane made it his residence. The building was later acquired by the Arora’s who own the resort now and they remodelled The Hermitage to the present day Cochrane Place. Thankfully, the remodelling did not discard the past and the stately British colonial home still looks pretty much like what it was nearly a century back.

Cochrane Place

The Cochrane Place management was very kind to invite a few of us Kolkata bloggers to the resort last week and as always, it was a wonderful experience staying there. We took a flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra airport and from there, it was a two hour journey uphill to Kurseong. Definitely take the Pankhabari road to go up. Yes, you have to bear the sharp turns and hairpin bends but the view more than compensates. The Teesta river, the misty mountains, the tea gardens will be your companions throughout the journey and companions do not get better than them!

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Destination France – An Atout France Interactive Session + Glimpses of my France Trip

November 11, 2014

: Be There! Do That! – Rendez-vous in France

Some days back , I was invited to participate in an interactive session on France at the Park Hotel with a few fellow Kolkata bloggers. The event was attended by Fabrice Etienne, the Consul General of France in Kolkata and Catherine Oden, Director Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency.

France has always been a traveler ‘s dream destination and the session was aimed at making people more aware of the places to visit, the various kinds of activities one can indulge in and share information about visa processing and other important details. Do you know that it now takes only 48 hours to get your visa approved and that you no longer need to submit details of your hotel bookings and vouchers for a visa? The bio metric screening has also been put on hold for some time and the embassy is looking at more opportunities to make the visa process a smooth and simple one for travelers.

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