Siem Reap, Cambodia Travel: Part 1 – Visiting Angkor

May 23, 2019 3 Comments

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

This post was actually supposed to come out nearly two months back, after my return from Siem Reap. However, life happened and I got really busy with work, more travel and I just did not get the time to write down about my experience. Anyway, here we are and I am repeating what has become my mantra for blog posts now. “Better late than never”. 🙂

Also, since there is a lot that I want to write about, I am splitting the post into two parts. The first one, which is this, will focus only on the sightseeing bit and the places where I went to. Part 2 will be about food and shopping in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap Travel

Planning for the Trip

So, how did the planning start? Randomly actually. I desperately wanted a holiday but did not have a lot of time so one day just decided, how about visiting Angkor and ticking that off my bucket list? Siem Reap is not too far away from Kolkata and can be managed within 3 days. I started checking up on flight fares, hotels etc and then in a conversation with a very old school friend, I brought up the topic. Kasturi, my friend, said that she would arrange for everything because she just started her own travel outfit, The Travelling Life (her IG handle is @the_travelinglife), and I could not have been more relieved. From air fares to hotel and transportation to visa, she took care of everything. And the best thing was that she had free time as well and so we agreed to travel together.

Getting to Siem Reap from Kolkata was not really a breeze. We checked out all affordable options and finally settled on the Air Asia flight to Bangkok and then a connecting flight to Siem Reap. The return flight was via Kuala Lumpur. Since we booked quite late, the fares came to around 25k in total but we also did include 20 kgs luggage. The price goes down a lot if you do away with the checked-in baggage option and can manage only with the cabin baggage allowance of 7 kgs.

Visa is available on arrival but we just found it easier to get an evisa. All you need to do is submit an online application, pay the fee of 36$ and you get the evisa emailed to your ID within a few minutes. In terms of hotel, we selected Saem Siem Reap, a considerably new hotel in the city, located not too far from the city centre.

: Siem Reap, Cambodia

: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Visiting Angkor

Well, if you are going to Siem Reap, then the no 1 reason for your travel should of course be the Angkor temple complex. We visited at the end of March and I can tell you that the place was already as hot as a furnace. But I can also tell you that if you want to see the temples relatively in peace without having a bunch of tourists pushing and shoving, Jan to April is actually the best time to visit. Once the rains start and tourist season begins, it just gets crazy. Our guide said that all you can see are heads inside the temple complexes. So, brave the heat and go earlier in the year.

To gain entrance to the Angkor Archaeological Park, you need an admission pass, called the Angkor Pass. That pass is also valid for other monuments in the Siem Reap area, like Phnom Krom and Wat Athvea. The Pass can only be purchased at the official ticket counter which is around 4 kms away from Siem Reap town and open from 4.30 a.m to 5.30 p.m. We bought a 1 day pass for 37$ but if you are staying in Siem Reap for more days, it actually makes sense to get a 3-day pass for 62$ or a 7-day pass for 72$. That way, you don’t have to rush into seeing all the temples in one day and can space out your visits. Most of the temples are open from 7.30 a.m to 5.30 p.m. Angkor Wat is open from 5 a.m to 5.30 p.m making it possible for tourists to witness the sunrise and sunset. We did not go for either because those times are the most crowded and as much as we would have loved to see the sun rise or set against the backdrop of the gorgeous temple façade, standing in a queue for hours just did not make much sense.

The Most Important Temples in the Angkor Complex

Siem Reap is full of temples and if you are staying there for a few days, you can see all of them but if you have only a day or two, then I would suggest you absolutely see the following which is what we did.

Angkor Wat – the largest of the lot and easily takes about 2-3 hours if you want to see everything so go early in the morning. Don’t forget to click a picture of the façade at the water lily pond in front of Angkor Wat but just be prepared to jostle for space because a crowd of tourists will also be waiting at the exact spot to click that perfect shot.
South Gate Angkor Thom – Angkor Thom (big city) was once the Khmer capital and the south gate is a masterpiece. It is approached via a causeway and on each side of the causeway are railings fashioned with 54 stone figures that depict the Hindu mythological story of the Churning of the Ocean.
Bayon – This temple is at the heart of Angkor Thom and best known for the gigantic face sculptures that adorn its 37 surviving towers. The faces are thought to represent Avalokiteshvara, a Buddhist deity.
Baphuon – Located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon, this was the state temple once. It is shaped like a pyramid and is said to be a symbolic representation of Mount Meru.
Terrace of the Elephants – This is part of the Royal Terrace, a 360 meter long sandstone wall that is carved with life-size sculptures of elephants.
Terrace of the Leper King – Located to the north of the Elephant Terrace, this terrace is named after a statue of the ‘Leper king’ that originally stood at the centre. Now a replica stands with sculptures of royal dignitaries, priests, nagas and court ladies.
Ta Prohm – Dubbed the Tomb Raider temple because it provided the mystical backdrop for the 2001 Hollywood hit starring Angelina Jolie, the root-riddled Ta Prohm temple is an incredibly fascinating site. Go here early morning or slightly later in the day to get the entire feel of the place.

: Angkor Wat

: Angkor Wat

: Angkor Wat

: Angkor Thom South Gate

: Angkor Thom South Gate

: Bayon Temple

: Bayon Temple

: Bayon Temple

: Ta Prohm Temple

: Ta Prohm Temple

: Ta Prohm Temple

: Ta Prohm Temple

For first-time visitors, before exploring the Angkor temples, I would suggest you go to the Angkor National Museum that houses plenty of images, paintings and artefacts. There are 8 galleries and a film screening called Story Behind the Legend that tells the story of Angkor and the Khmer empire. Tickets are priced at 12$.

Koh Ker

On our second day in Siem Reap, we visited Koh Ker, the capital of the Angkorian empire from 928 AD to 944 AD. It takes about 2 hours to go to Koh Ker from Siem Reap and since the place is not as popular as Angkor yet, there are very few tourists so you can explore on your own.

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

: Koh Ker

The main structure of Koh Ker is the Prasat Thom, a seven-tiered temple very similar in appearance to the Mayan temples of South America but on the way there are plenty of temples that you must visit because they house some of the largest Shiva lingas in Cambodia. Unfortunately, no restoration work has been carried out in Koh Ker so the place is not as maintained as Angkor but I found the entire complex to be incredibly interesting. If you are fond of archaeology, history and old ruins, definitely add Koh Ker to your Siem Reap itinerary. You can also climb on top of the seven-tiered temple for great views of the countryside. Entrance is free.

Siem Reap is famous for Angkor Wat and Bayon but there are actually a lot more to see there. I did not know about the pink Banteay Srei or lady temple which I heard is exquisite or Phnom Bakheng, popular for sunrise and sunset viewing. Maybe next time.

That turned out to be a very long blog post but I just wanted to share all the details. Watch out for Part 2 where I will write about the food and shopping scene in Siem Reap.

If you want to visit Siem Reap or other places in Cambodia and want a relaxed, comfortable and hassle-free holiday, ask Kasturi of @the_travelinglife to do everything for you. The best tour planner ever!

Traditional Afternoon Tea Experience At Fortnum & Mason, London

December 20, 2018

Fortnum & Mason is an institution in London. This iconic department store was established way back in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason who had connections with the royal family and over the years, this store has become a London landmark. It also helps that the store sells some of the finest goods in the city or perhaps even the country but what is truly iconic about Fortnum & Mason is their Afternoon Tea.

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Fortnums Afternoon Tea again has a long history. It was started in 1926 at the elegant Tea Salon now named the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon in honour of the Queen’s visit in 2012, when she formally opened the room, in the company of the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge.

The thing with the Afternoon Tea is that it is so popular you need to book way in advance to secure a table. I tried going there once in summer with my friend on a weekend and we were politely refused because we did not have a reservation but most importantly, they did not have any place for the next one month. Yes, it is that busy. Also, you cannot sit there forever. There is a time limit of 1.5 hours which means that for 90 minutes that start from the time you are seated, you can order as much food and refills as you want to from your choice of the menu. If you want to go there, you better go with an empty tummy.

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea

— Henry James

So what is about Fortnums Afternoon Tea that makes it so popular? Well, firstly, the location is really fancy so you feel rather fancy yourself. The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is an extremely elegant and refined setting for the tea. As soon as the elevator door opens to the salon, it becomes clear that you are in for a delightful experience. Because of the festive season, the salon is now decorated beautifully. There is a big Christmas tree in the waiting area and a pianist playing a grand piano.

Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

There are two areas where you can be seated – the Drawing Room, lined with hand-painted silk wallpaper or the North and South Salons oozing charm and sophistication. The colours of Fortnum, pale green and white are everywhere, from the decor to the china and cutlery.

Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

The Afternoon Tea is not just limited to the afternoon. It is available the entire day from 11.30 a.m to 7.30 p.m on weekdays and 11.00 a.m to 7.00 pm on Saturdays and you can choose from four options – Afternoon Tea, Savoury Afternoon Tea, High Tea and Vegetarian Afternoon Tea.

We were a group of four who went for the Tea experience at 11 a.m on a Saturday morning and after much deliberation, two of us decided to go for the Afternoon Tea and the remaining two went for the Savoury Tea. In my opinion, go for the regular Afternoon Tea instead of the Savoury version because you get a good mix of both sweet and savoury items in the former. My friend I think regretted his choice a bit because he was constantly eating out of our share and asking me to order for more. This is perfectly acceptable because you can order as much as you want to for a duration of 1.5 hours.

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea Menu

What is in the menu? You get a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream (savoury scones in the Savoury Tea menu), strawberry preserve and lemon curd and a selection of tea cakes and cakes from the cake carriage (tea savouries in the Savoury version) along with your choice of tea. For an extra £13 per glass, you can also order champagne.

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea has always been a rather elaborate affair in England and I got to know that there are rules associated with it. I’ve never been one to care for rules but these are rather fascinating. For starters, milk is always supposed to be added last to the tea, the correct way to hold the fine china is by making your thumb and index finger meet in the handle, tea should be stirred only with a back and forth motion, finger sandwiches must always be eaten with the hands, not cutlery, scones are pronounced as ‘skon’ and never ‘skone’, scones are always broken, not cut and they are never to be sandwiched back together . I might not have followed all these rules to the T at Fortnums but who really cares? Right? 🙂

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Coming back to the menu, the star for me was definitely the sandwiches especially the Smoked Salmon with Tartare dressing and the Suffolf Ham with English Mustard. Incredibly soft and light, these were heavenly. The scones were undoubtedly the best I’ve ever had. I am not particularly fond of lemon curd but I do love my scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve and I might have had one too many. The good thing is that you can even take back the jars of preserve and lemon curd if you are unable to finish at the table. In fact you can take back anything from the menu that you are not able to finish. The servers will gladly pack the leftovers in a fancy F&M box and hand it over before you leave.

Savoury Afternoon Tea

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

From the tea cake selection, my favourite was definitely the Black Forest cake and a light as air cake with sugar rose petals on top. I was told that it is the Queen’s favourite as well. Not wanting to miss out on anything despite struggling to eat another morsel, I tried the Victorian Sponge cake, Battenberg cake and the Chocolate cake from the Cake Carriage. The Battenberg cake has been served with the Afternoon Tea since 1926 and is said to be created to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria to Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884. This colourful cake with iced marzipan was a bit too sweet for my taste but everyone else loved it. Throughout my 1.5 hrs, I made sure to try as many varieties of tea as I could and ended up drinking chocolate violet, peach, vanilla and strawberry with the latter being the best of them all.

Fortnum & Mason Battenberg Cake

Fortnum & Mason Rose Cake

Fortnum & Mason Victoria Sponge Cake

Overall, I loved the experience and I cannot thank the person who invited me there enough. Savouring the famous Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea was on my wish list for a long time and it certainly did not disappoint. The service was impeccable, the food was beyond amazing and the staff, super friendly and helpful. I will certainly go back if I am in London again and I will click much better photographs 🙂

Fortnum’s Afternoon Tea

Have you been to Fortnum & Mason? What did you think of the Afternoon Tea?

Inside Chatsworth House – The Grand Home of The Dukes of Devonshire

June 22, 2018

It was back in February when I first got to know of Chatsworth House. I was watching a Netflix series on the Secrets of Royal Palaces and one of the episodes was on Chatsworth House, a grand estate, home to the Cavendish family since 1549. That episode really intrigued me. The history behind the house and its inhabitants, the opulence, all upped my interest level and I made it a point to visit the estate once I returned to the UK.

Chatsworth House

The opportunity came in April. I was going to Sheffield for two weeks and I got to know that Chatsworth was only a 40 minute bus ride away. And the best thing was that the House was now open to public. For nearly a decade, it was undergoing a restoration worth 32.7 million pounds with the aim of bringing the 500-year old House to its original glory and the doors opened again in March. It seemed as if the universe wanted me to visit. Plans were chalked out, bus tickets from Sheffield Interchange to Chatsworth House were bought and on a cold, Sunday morning, five of us set out to explore this stately home.

History of Chatsworth House

Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and has been passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family. It was built by Sir William Cavendish and then passed down to his son William, who rebuilt Chatsworth over a period of twenty years. During the Georgian period, Chatsworth was owned by five different Dukes of Devonshire, all named William. The 5^th Duke William in 1774 married the vivacious and fashionable Lady Georgina Spencer (Lady Diana’s ancestor) and that’s when the story becomes interesting. Georgina after her marriage learned that her husband already had a mistress, Charlotte, with whom he had a daughter and all that he wanted from Georgina was a male heir. Possibly frustrated with her marital life, she threw herself into the world of extravagance, throwing lavish parties and gambling away her riches. The story gets even more interesting when she traveled with her husband to Bath in 1782 and met Lady Elizabeth Foster or Bess. The two ladies became great friends and Bess came to Chatsworth to live with them. Unfortunately, her husband and Bess started an affair soon and strangely, Georgina accepted the “menage a trois” that resulted. After Georgina’s death, William married Bess and she became the new Duchess of Devonshire.

Chatsworth House

Many books have been written on Georgina’s life and the various scandals at Chatsworth as well as movies have been made. A recent one is The Duchess starring Kiera Knightley which was actually shot at Chatsworth House. Watch it if you are interested 🙂

The Chatsworth Estate

The estate is huge and is the size of nearly 20 football fields as told by our guide inside the house. It is located in the Peak District which is one of the most beautiful and picturesque locations in the UK. The estate includes the House, Farmyard and Playground and a 105 acre Garden. The price for tickets to see all of these is 23 pounds for adults and 14.50 pounds for children. If you don’t want to see everything together, prices are slightly lower. We did not go to the playground and only bought tickets for the House and Garden which was 21 pounds. If you are taking a car, it is better to book tickets online from www.chatsworth.org else you will need to pay a charge for parking. We took a bus that dropped us off right in front of the gates so we just got our entry tickets from the counter.

Chatsworth Estate

Chatsworth House

The Chatsworth Garden

I have honestly never seen a garden this big and this beautiful! The history of the garden is also an illustrious one. It was first started in 1555, then restored around 1811 on a grand scale and then changed again around 1858.

Chatsworth House Gardens

Highlights of the Garden include beautiful green houses to grow exotic plants, Fountains, a Cascade, a Vinery, a Maze, a Kitchen Garden, Summer House, Golden Grove etc. I went at a time when everything was grey and dull and I can only imagine how spectacular the garden will look in full bloom.

The garden is huge and if you want to see everything, it will take you approx 2 hours to walk around. If you are lazy like I am, you can also book a buggy ride for about 5 pounds to take you around. The person who was driving my buggy gave me a valuable piece of information – Bollywood has also explored Chatsworth House. Some parts of the horrible film Humshakals was also shot there!

Chatsworth Gardens

Trivia – Around 1834, William, 6th Duke of Devonshire received a shipment of bananas from Mauritius. He liked them so much, he ordered his gardener to cultivate them in the greenhouses of Chatsworth House. And those bananas were names as Cavendish Bananas.

The House

At first glance, the House reminds you of The Palace of Versailles and I got to know that the French Palace was actually an inspiration to the Dukes when they were building and remodeling the house. Inside, the opulence and grandeur is breath taking. Have you seen the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice? Remember the scene when Elizabeth Bennet goes exploring in the sculpture gallery of Mr. Darcy’s house? Well that house in the film is Chatsworth House and that sculpture gallery very much exists.

Chatsworth House Sculpture Gallery

As soon as you enter the House, you realize that you are in the midst of some remarkable and precious works of art collected by the Cavendish family over generations. You get to see centuries-old sketches by the Great masters, ancient Egyptian statues, and luxurious interior decorations interspersed with contemporary art pieces especially that of ceramic, something that the current Duke of Devonshire is very interested in.

The Painted Hall is one of the most stunning rooms with a grand staircase leading to the first floor and balconies on both sides. The Painted hall is striking because of the murals painted on the ceilings.

Chatsworth House Painted Hall

Ascend the stairs and you come to the State Apartments. The first Duke hoped that King William II and Queen Mary would visit him in Chatsworth and the rooms as they were prepared for the royal couple are there for us to see. The King and Queen never came down but if they did, they would have definitely liked those rooms!

Rooms prepared for royalty

The House is full of Sketch Galleries and one of the rooms is full of art from Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt and Guercino. One of the most striking pieces of art in the House for me was the Veiled Statue of the Vestal Virgin by Raffaele Monti.

A Veiled Vestal Virgin by Raffaelle Monti

In the South Sketch Gallery is a stunning portrait of Duchess Georgina made to look like Goddess Diana. Georgina was said to be very interested in collecting crystals, fossils and minerals and we can still see some of the pieces that she brought into the house.

Chatsworth House is not just a mecca for art enthusiasts but also for bibliophiles. There are nearly 30,000 books in the Library including some original manuscripts and works.

Inside Chatsworth House

There’s so much to see in Chatsworth that it is very difficult to condense everything in a blog post and I realize that I’ve already written a lot. It is a beautiful and fascinating place with a riveting history. If you are ever in the Derbyshire area, definitely make it a point to visit the estate. I am sure you will be as marveled by it as I was.

Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon : Walking in the Bard’s footsteps

June 21, 2018

“And now my dear, you will literally be walking in William Shakespeare’s footsteps”. That’s when it sunk in. I was in Stratford-upon-Avon and I was about to enter the house where the greatest English playwright was born in 1564 and spent his childhood years.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Visiting Stratford-upon-Avon

When I got to know that I’d be in Sheffield for two weeks in April, the first thing that I did was find out where I could go on the weekends. Everyone I knew said that there was nothing to see in Sheffield so I should make plans to visit some of the nearby places and one of the suggestions was Stratford-upon-Avon. I’ll write about the other two soon 🙂

William Shakespeare

Me and my colleague looked up Google, checked all information available, booked train tickets and tickets to see Shakespeare’s family homes and on a very cold, snowy Easter Monday morning, set out to discover the Bard’s birthplace.

How to Get To Stratford-Upon-Avon

Since we did not have a car, we took a train from Sheffield to Birmingham New Street railway station. Got down at the station and walked for about ten minutes to the Birmingham Moor Street railway station from where we took a London Midland train to Stratford-upon-Avon. There are a number of websites from where you can book train tickets for travelling within UK. We used the website Go Euro and paid around 35 pounds for the return tickets from Sheffield.

If you are travelling from London, the train ride is around 2 hours long and you will need to get down at Stratford railway station. If you want to fly down, the nearest airport is Birmingham and from there you can either take a train to Stratford or rent a car to drive down.

Travel tip – Don’t wait to buy train tickets two days before your travel because prices can be really high. It is always a good idea to book them atleast a couple of weeks before your trip. Make sure to compare prices between a few websites to get the best rates. Go Euro, The Train Line, My Train Ticket are some of the websites that you can check for tickets at reasonable rates.

Tour or no Tour?

If you are staying in Stratford-upon-Avon, it does not make sense to book a tour because the town is quite small and on a grid, so it is easy to walk around. If you are visiting for a day and have only a few hours to explore, it makes sense to book a hop on-hop-off bus tour from Viator for about 14 pounds (peak season will be more). We reached Stratford-upon-Avon around 11.30 in the morning and had about 6 hours till we boarded our train back to Sheffield in the evening. The bus tour therefore came in really handy because we saved time in getting from one place to another.

We booked the bus tickets online and once we reached the town, from the railway station we took a cab to go to the tourist office to board the bus. Like all hop on-hop off buses, this one was also an open top bus so the ride was a very enjoyable one. The bus drops you off at the major tourist spots and picks up at a designated time.

What to see?

Shakespeare’s Birthplace – No visit to Stratford-upon-Avon is complete without visiting the birth house of William Shakespeare. This is the house where Shakespeare was born, grew up and spent his childhood years. The house is located in the center of the town and is surrounded by shops, cafes and restaurants making it the most popular tourist spot. I went when the weather was really cold and there were hardly any tourists around but if you go during the peak season, make sure to reach early to avoid the queues.

Outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace

The visit starts at the Shakespeare Centre which houses an array of artifacts that date back to Shakespeare’s time including one of the three First Folios owned by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. There are only 230 First Folios that have survived to this day thus making the artifact extremely rare.

Shakespeare Centre

From the exhibition, you go into the main house. Inside, you’ll find guides in medieval costume either performing or talking about the history of the house. It is remarkable how well the house has been maintained and credit for that goes to The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. There are various pieces of furniture that belonged to Shakespeare’s time. You can see the room where he was born, the crib where he slept, the kitchens, the bedrooms, desks, chairs etc.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Inside Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Travel tip – If you are a Harry Potter fan or intrigued by the world of witches and wizards, definitely go to Magic Alley and The Creaky Cauldron, a shop selling magic wands, wizardry games, spells and butterbeer made from an old Tudor recipe. The shop is located next to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and is quite easy to find.

Butterbeer

Shakespeare’s New Place – New Place is said to be the site of Shakespeare’s last home and the place where he died in 1616. The house no longer exists as it was demolished by Francis Gastrell in 1759. The story goes that Gastrell who bought the house after the death of Shakespeare’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Hall got irritated by the influx of visitors and destroyed a mulberry tree in the garden said to have been planted by Shakespeare. In retaliation, the townsfolk destroyed New Place’s windows. Gastrell applied for local permission to extend the garden. His application was rejected and his tax was increased so Gastrell retaliated by demolishing the house in 1759. This greatly outraged the inhabitants and Gastrell was eventually forced to leave town. In fact even till this day, anyone with the surname Gastrell is not given permission to live in Stratford-upon-Avon!

Shakespeare’s New Place

New Place reopened in 2016 and features an exhibition center with rare artefacts relating to Shakespeare’s life, as well as a beautiful garden with commissioned artworks.

Shakespeare’s New Place

Guild Chapel – Standing across from New Place, Guild Chapel was built when in 1269 the Guild of the Holy Cross was given permission to build a hospital and chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1500, Hugh Clopton, Lord Mayor of London paid for the Chapel’s wall paintings. Conservators now believe that the Guild Chapel’s walls display one of the few surviving pre-Reformation medieval schemes painted at the same time, and painted as one piece.

Guild Chapel

Guild Chapel Wall Painting

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage – Located slightly outside the town, this 600 year old thatched roof cottage was the childhood home of Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway. Inside, there are guides narrating the story of the Hathaway family, how Shakespeare met Anne, how he came to the house to ask for her hand from Anne’s father, the scandal their marriage caused etc. You can see many rare family items of furniture that date back to Anne’s time, including the finely carved, oak “Second Best Bed” that William left in his will for Anne.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Garden

Inside Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Why Second Best Bed? Because in those days, having a bed at home was a rarity and a symbol of wealth. People rarely slept on the Best Bed and it was more of a showpiece. The Second Best Bed was used by a couple and therefore to give that to Anne was an expression of William’s love and affection for her.

Mary Arden’s farm – Want to experience life in a Tudor farm? Then you’ll perhaps also like to visit Mary Arden’s Farm, which is the childhood home of Shakespeare’s mother and is also a working Tudor farm. I did not have the time to go in and only saw the farm from outside and it looked fascinating. If you are going with kids it will be a great experience for them because there are lots of farm animals inside and interesting activities.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre – If you are planning on staying overnight then you must definitely complete your Shakespeare experience with a show at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre. I missed out on the experience because I was there for only a few hours but if I ever go back, I’m definitely booking a ticket for myself.

River Avon – A walk along the river Avon or even a river cruise is a must do here. Before going back we spent some time walking along the riverside, gazing at the beautiful swans, clicking pictures and also enjoying a snack of crepes and strawberries. The peaceful atmosphere and the beauty of the place is soul soothing!

River Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon

Bank of River Avon

Useful Resources

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Viator Sightseeing Stratford-upon-Avon Hop=on Hop-off Tour

Royal Shakespeare Company

I hope this guide was useful and you enjoyed reading about my travel story. If you have been to Stratford-upon-Avon, I would love to know your experience and your stories. Do share in the comments below.

The Tempest

Pics – Niladri Chakraborty

My Weekend Stay At The Park Hotel, Hyderabad

March 25, 2018

Since late last year, Hyderabad has pretty much become my second home thanks to work. However, like all business trips, my stay would start on a Monday and get over on a Friday evening so I could never really see much of the city. It was just hotel to office and back to the hotel at night and the same old routine for five days. This month, I spent nearly 2.5 weeks in the city and got a chance to explore. And also, thanks to The Park Hotel, Hyderabad, I spent a weekend in their beautiful property and felt like royalty.

The Park’s Chronicles of the Deccan

The Park Hotel, Hyderabad

Location:

One of the best features of The Park Hotel, Hyderabad is undoubtedly the location. It overlooks the Hussain Sagar Lake so the view from the rooms is incredible. Hussain Sagar is one of the most popular sights in Hyderabad and I was told not to miss out on watching the sunrise and sunset by the lake. I did not have to venture outside at all for the view because all I had to do for those two days was to just walk up to the window and see the beauty unfolding right in front of my eyes.

Traveller’s Tip – If you are staying at The Park, definitely opt for the Lake View rooms.

Another reason why The Park Hotel, Hyderabad can be a perfect choice for a tourist visiting the city is again the location. Major tourist spots like Charminar, Salar Jung Museum, Chowmahallah Palace, the old city is all within a distance of 30-45 mins. Considering Hyderabad’s traffic scene, it definitely makes sense to stay somewhere near these places if you are a tourist.

Read on to know more about the property, the rooms and the dining options.

Continue Reading . . .