Cable car ride to Titlis from Engelberg

Cable car ride to Stand

Located at an altitude of 10,600 ft in the Uri Alps, Mount Titlis is one of the major attractions in Central Switzerland, and rightly so. The vast slopes are painted green during the summer, and take up a white blanket during the winter months. Dense patches of pine trees, which dominate these slopes, sprinkled with snow. At some distance, dots for the houses are visible. Salt and pepper mountains complete the panorama of the perennial winter scene: the azure sky gives the dramatic background for a sight to behold. 

Swiss holidays in March can be a tricky affair. The weather is very unpredictable with a lot of drizzles every now and then.

Getting to Mount Titlis from Engelberg:

The journey to mount Titlis starts from Engelberg. The cable car station is a few minutes' walk from the train station. The route to the top of Titlis has two parts.

From the base, cable cars take you to the middle station, Stand (7965 ft), cutting their way through thick pine forest along a steep incline.

From Stand you can board the rotair to the mount summit. The rotair is the world’s first revolving cable car – a big, transparent gondola, where you can stand and enjoy the 360 degree view of the snow valley all the way to the top.

Once atop, you take the stairs to the 5th floor which opens up to the glacier.

Near Engelberg cable car station for Titlis

Winter Experience in Mount Titlis, Engelberg:

The skiers swoosh past us to the undulating grounds, as you walk to the ice flyer ticketing counter. Sweeping over the glacier in the ice flyer, you enjoy fascinating views of the snowfield. Once back, it's now time for the Cliff walk, where you can only gasp at the jaw dropping views of the valley, while walking the highest suspension bridge in Europe.

Time flies by and the clouds begin to roll back in, signalling the time for descent. On the way back in, you might spot a movie poster. It belongs to a 1995 Bollywood cult movie: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The movie featured some beautiful and pristine scenery of Switzerland and the poster still stands out in the glacier atop Titlis.

Recommended activities:

• Ride the Ice Flyer
• Enjoy the Cliff walk
• Visit glacier cave
• Go Skiing (winter)
• Kayaking (summer)

Happy Panda Notes:

Outside the cable car station, hit the small bar in front. Sitting by the fire, enjoying the drink, with the surrounding snow mountain and lively music in the background, the sunset scene is almost surreal, marking the perfect ending for the beautiful day.

Ideal Time Commitment: A long weekend in Engelberg

Pocket pinch: $$

The Rainforest World Music Festival

The Rainforest World Music Festival

A three days action packed event, nestled in the heart of the fabled rainforests of Borneo: since the last two decades (current year: 2017), the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) has been pulling together talents from all over the world as well as promoting the indigenous musicians from the interiors of Borneo. Music enthusiasts across the globe gather every year to witness this music carnival. And, they have not been disappointed, thus making RWMF a must attend event for anyone who loves variety in music!

When and where is it held:

Every year, during the month of July, RWMF is held in Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching.

Sarawak Cultural Village

Getting there:

• Nearest airport: Kuching
• From Kuching, selected locations in the town centre, event shuttle vans and buses operate to bring you to the venue. Alternatively, you can opt for a taxi to the Sarawak Cultural village.
• Alternatively, you can buy the whole package from their official website.

Accommodation:

The accommodation options nearby the venue are limited and tend to get booked up well in advance. There are camping options also available to be booked in advance as well. Alternatively, there are a lot of options available in the town centre.

Experience it:

Daytime is packed with various arts, music and dance workshops by various participating groups from different countries. From swaying your hips to the rhythm of the music to wooing your partner with some sassy dance steps, you have a lot of new skills to pick up from these workshops.

Tahitian Musicians during workshop

Indigenous band hosting music and dance workshop

Various foods and drinks stalls are setup with a wide range of local delicacies: you are never going to run out of options to keep you fueled.

Fish BBQ

Local herbs and rice dish

Then, as the azure skies start turning violet, get yourself a spot on the ground as the crowds start pulling. The evening kicks off with the first performance for the night, as the crowd burst in roars of applause.

Happy Panda Notes:

Rainfall is not uncommon during this time, but fret not! To get the most out of it during the rain, carry a waterproof bag to protect your stuffs. Grab some beer or local wine and get drenched while dancing the night away to the beats of the music. Most of the crowd move to the shades. So, you can have all the ground by yourself. Best experience ever!

Some performances and workshops from RWMF 2017: https://youtu.be/Fd3zuHy4xhg

Ideal Time Commitment: A long weekend

Pocket pinch: $$

Belgian Beer Chronicles

Bourgogne des Flanders, a fruity blend from the Belgian town of Bruges

After water and tea, beer is said to be the most consumed beverage around the world. And Belgians, over the years, have mastered the skills of beer crafting and blended it into their social practices so well that it has become an integral part of their cultural heritage. The beer culture of Belgium even managed to earn itself a place in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2016. From pale ale, to red hues, to the black shades: Belgian beers cover a wide range, with around 180 breweries around the country. Raising a toast to their craftsmanship, today we are going to discuss the journey of a few Belgian beers here.

Trappist Beers:

Westmalle, the first golden pale ale to introduce the Tripel beer type

Mostly top fermented, these are the beers brewed by the monks of the Trappist order inside the monastery. They are available for sale outside the monasteries or in the brew house shops. They can be found across the Flanders region including Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, and also in the capital city Brussles.

The Trappist order originated in the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe in France in 1664, when the then Abbot introduced the Strict Observance, where a fundamental rule was that he monasteries should be self sufficient. Monastery brew houses have already existed across Europe since the middle ages. Thus, following the Strict Observance, the Trappist monks started brewing beer inside the monastery itself, to feed the community. Nowadays, however, beer is also brewed to fund the monastery works and charitable causes. Monastery breweries later came into existence in other countries as the Trappist monks spread across Europe.

Many of the Trappist monasteries and brew houses were destroyed during the French revolution and the world war. Currently, around the world, there are 11 such monasteries, and 6 of them in Belgium itself.

Happy Panda Notes:

• Lookout for the Authentic Trappist Product mark on the bottle.
• Westvleteren 12, from the Westvleteren brewery in the Saint Sixtus Trappist Abbey, Belgium, has been debated to be one of the best beers in the world.

Abbey Beers:

Leffe, a brand of Stella Artois, brewed under license of an existing monastery

Originally, any monastic style beer was referred to as Abbey beer. However, that changed with the introduction of the Trappist beer official designation by the International Trappist Association in 1997. Now, abbey beer refers to beers brewed by a non-Trappist monastery or produced by any commercial brewery with commercial arrangement with a monastery. Some abbey beers are also produced by commercial breweries without any monastery connection but only assuming an abbey name. The beer brewed under the license to an abbey bear the Abbey Beer logo.

Although Abbey beers do not conform to rigid brewing styles, most of them almost include the distinctive Trappist styles of dubbel, tripel and blond.


Wheat beers:

Hoegarden, witbier

Originating in the Flemish part of Belgium in the middle ages, wheat beer or witbier is traditionally made with a mixture of wheat and barley, flavored with a mixture of herbs called gruit. Later on, after the availability of hops in Europe increased, they started getting be added to the gruit.

One such beer, the famous Hoegarden, has an interesting back story to it. During the 1950's, white beer production almost ended in Belgium. In the town of Hoegarden, the last wheat beer brewery closed its doors in 1955. After 10 years, a young farmer from the same town started reviving the beer. Result was the birth of a widely successful and popular beer that took its name after the village.

Lambic:

A notable variety of wheat beer is the Lambic, which is produced in Pajjotenland region of Belgium, southwest of Brussels. The specialty of this beer is that, instead of the regular fermentation by cultivated brewer's yeast, lambic it is brewed by the process of spontaneous fermentation by exposing it to wild yeast and bacteria said to be native to Senne valley. Then, the beer undergoes a long aging period ranging from three to six months (for young) to two to three years (for mature). This unusual process gives the beer its distinctive flavor: a dry, fruity taste, similar to wine, with a slightly sour sensation lingering in the mouth.

From Lambic, four kinds of beers are produced. Of these, the Lambic is the unblended basic brew or the refermented basic brew. It is a draught beer rarely bottled, hence available only around the area of production and a few cafes in Brussels. Faro is the lambic just after the first fermentation and is sometimes served with sugar or caramel to make it taste pleasant. Gueuze is the commercialized finished product, which blends young and old brews to stimulate the final fermentation. Fruit lambic is made by blending fruit concentrates to lambic brews before the final refermenting stage.

Timmermans brewery near Brussels is the world's oldest lambic brewery.

Flanders red ale:

Bourgogne des Flanders, a Flemish red ale

This is a style of sour ale brewed in West Flanders, Belgium. The beer is aged over a long period, typically a year or more and often in oak barrels, to give it a lactic acid character. Lactobacillus is specially used for the fermentation. It is a bacteria similar to the one producing yogurt. This results in the sour taste of the ale. Red malt contributes to its color. The matured beer is often blended with a younger batch before bottling to create a balance of taste.

Rodenbach started this type of ale more than a century ago.

Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres in Bruges follow this typical flemish beer blending tradition. Their house ale is a blend of the mild Den Bruinen Os, which is brewed on site with an aged lambic, brewed in Timmermans near Brussels. The resulting blend is a deep reddish brown colored rich and creamy ale with a tingling sour aftertaste.

Flanders red ales have a strong fruity taste, similar to its flavor. It is often considered the most vinous of all beers.

Hope you enjoyed the beer stories, and I hope you enjoy the beers even more. Cheers!!

Nine things to do in Bruges

Introduction:

Bruges

About an hour's train ride away from Brussels is the beautiful town of Bruges, the capital of the west Flanders in the north west Belgium. Cobbled roads, colourful buildings of medieval architecture, canals, narrow lanes and back alleys characterise this quintessential Belgian town.

Getting Here:

Trains and buses from Brussels depart for Bruges. It's about an hour's ride.

Getting around:

Horse cart ride

Take a walk down the cobbled road, or bike through the lanes and alleys and let the medieval charm of Bruges cast it's spell on you. When your legs feel tired, take the canal ride: sit back and relax as your driver guides you through the history of the buildings on your either sides. If you wish to, ride down the pathways in a horse carriage and get transported back in time.

Things to do:

1. Take the Bruges Boat Tour

The one hour canal tour costs around 8 Euros (year: 2017). Enjoy the architecture and history of the buildings on your sides as you make your way through the canals.

Boat Tour

2. Go chocolate tasting (and buying.. a lot)

Belgian chocolates need no introduction. But it is said that Bruges is home to some of the creamiest of the lot. I surely felt so at the Dumon Chocolatiers. Other famous chocolatiers would include The Chocolate Line, Chocoholic and Chocolaterie Jan De Clerck

Dumon Chocolatier

3. Visit The Beer Wall

A wall decorated with different beer bottles and the glasses in which they are to be served: The Beer Wall is just next to the 2be, where you can enjoy some drinks and chill a while.

4. Take a brewery tour

Not far from the 2be is Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres. Their house ale has alcohol content of 5% and has a very rich and creamy finish. It is a blend of the mild Den Bruinen Os, which is brewed on site with an aged lambic - following a typical Flemish beer blending tradition of blending old and new beer. The lambic is brewed in the world's oldest lambic brewery, Timmermans near Brussels.

A complimentary glass of house ale comes with the brewery tour

5. Bike through the narrow lanes and bylanes

Biking is a classic way of exploring this lovely town.

Bikes and bikers characterise the roads

6. Ride a horse cart

Wish to get into rhythm with the medieval charm of Bruges? Ride a horse cart and feel the time rewind itself.

Ride a horse cart

7. Walk across the bridge of love by the Minnewater

They tell the story of a young and pretty girl named Minna, who was deeply in love with Stromberg, a warrior from the neighbouring tribe. When her father forced her to marry a groom of his choice, Minna escaped and ran into the forest. When Stromberg came back from the war, he searched for Minna. When he finally found her, she died in his arms of exhaustion. The lake was named after her: Minnewater. The bridge by its side became the bridge of love, in her honour. It is said that if you walk over the bridge and kiss your loved one, it will become eternal love.

Minnewater

8. Enjoy trappist beer

Silent monks of Trappist Order brew some of the best beers in the world. There are eleven such monasteries around the world, with six in Belgium itself. Although you cannot access the breweries, but you can enjoy the beer in different places in Belgium, the best ones being Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and the capital, Brussels. Chimay, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Achel, Orval, Rochefort are the Belgian trappist beers.

Chimay - A Belgian Trappist beer

9. Take a walking tour

There are many free walking tours available in Bruges, departing in morning and afternoon batches. Join one, or you can even explore the town by yourself on foot.

Ideal Time Commitment:

Although a day's trip to Bruges is doable, it is better to make it a weekend trip to enjoy the essence of the town to its fullest.

Bruges

10 unforgettable experiences in Paris

Introduction:

Hello, Paris!

Paris is the fashion capital of the world and home to some of the world's most beautiful works of art and architectures. But we won't talk about the grandeur today and save it for some other time. Instead, we will talk about the small packets of happy experiences that make Paris the city of love and a city to fall in love with.

1. Experiencing the pub culture of Paris around Quartier Pigalle:

Quartier Pigalle is known for being home to some of the famous cabarets in Paris, including Moulin Rouge. However, if you are not in for a cabaret show and only looking for a place to sit back and chill, this up and coming neighbourhood won't be disappointing you either. Get yourself a table, order your drink and enjoy the Paris night.

I personally liked the On The Road Pub, which was situated next to my hostel Le Village. Although this is not exactly in the Pigalle neighbourhood, it is in close proximity, a few minutes' walk from Anvers metro station. In spite of being lively, this area is not very loud and rather chilled.

Alternately, if you feel like socialising, join a pub crawl and make new friends while pub hopping.

Have a chilled evening with Rosé wine

2. Playing Pentaque/Boules in Canal de l'Ourcq:

Pentaque is a form of Boules. The first player throws the cochonnet (which translates to piglet), a small wooden ball. Next, the players take turns to throw the small steel balls standing behind a pre-defined line. The steel ball closest to the cochonnet wins the game.

Okay, so as it goes, I met these two fellow travellers during my last trip to Paris. One of them came up with the idea of doing something local and led us to this bar, BarOurcq, a few minutes' walk away from Laumière metro station. This bar, other than being cheaper than those in the tourist hotspots, offers its customers a chance to play Pentaque or Boules for free. We ordered a flask of Rosé wine. Upon finishing, we borrowed the game and headed to the sand stretches next to the canal for playing.

You must take a note, however, on this timings of the bar, which is only open in summer and spring:

• Wednesday and Thursday, 3pm to 12am
• Friday to Saturday, 3pm to 2am
• Sunday, 3pm to 10pm

Also, this bar does not take any advanced booking, hence try to go there early to avoid disappointment.

3. Snowfall in Paris:

To be fair, this is an exclusive winter experience, and no, I'm not talking about walking down the snow clad streets on a busy day, decked up in your favorite winter collection. The experience which I wish to share is about waking up early in the morning when the streets are still dark and quiet, and looking outside your hotel room to find tiny white flakes covering up the roofs; then rushing out of the hotel, excited and wrapped in whichever warm items came handy; standing in the middle of the street, hours past midnight, without a soul around: a snowfall experience to remember.

4. Pampering the sweet tooth inside with some savory desserts:

Among the first few things, which come to our minds talking about Paris, is patisserie. A trip to Paris is incomplete without patisserie hopping. Eclair, Creme Brulee, Madeleines, Macarons, Pastries and what not! The varieties and flavours are enough to give us the desire to indulge into those sinful extra calories and it really must not be resisted.

Time for some macarons

5. Eiffel tower lights after midnight:

Eiffel tower after sunset is one of the most sought after sights in Paris, especially the twinkling lights dancing along the four legs of the tower. The lights twinkle with an hourly interval and it continues for 5 minutes. However, the last show of the twinkling lights is just dreamy. The golden lights of the Eiffel tower go off at 12:55 am. It is then that the white lights twinkle one last time before the highly lit up area becomes completely dark. Bring a mat, grab yourself a place to sit on the grasses and enjoy the show.

Last show of twinkling nights

6. Enjoy a glass of Pastis at a local bar:

Pastis is an anise, or licorice flavoured French spirit or aperitif. Emerging 17 years after the ban on absinthe, it carries a similar taste but has a lot less alcohol content. It's a very popular drink in southern France, specially Provence and Marseilles.

A glass of Pastis

7. Try some fruits from the local fruit sellers:

As you explore the city, grab some fruits from the local fruit sellers and enjoy them on the go. Also, if you're on a budget trip, this could serve as an excellent, healthy and inexpensive meal as well.

A common fig

8. Visit the world's largest underground necropolis: Catacombs of Paris:

Remains of more than 6 million people rest in this huge ossuary built in a small part of the tunnel network built to consolidate Paris's ancient stone mines. This ossuary was created as part of the effort to eliminate the city's overflowing cemeteries. It extends south from the Barrière d’Enfer (literally, Gate of Hell) former city gate.

Please take a note here, do NOT play with, or vandalise the bones: they are real parts of deceased people and deserve the due respect.

Catacombs of Paris

9. Cruise the Seine river:

Many of us often wonder whether the Seine river cruise is worth it. Well, if you trust me, it is! Very much! I prefer the sunset or the post sunset cruise. Just board the boat, pick your glass of complimentary champagne, get to the open deck (or the closed cabin if you will) and enjoy the lit up cityscape.

You can get the tickets for the cruise from the counter at the bank of the river.

10. Bakery hopping:

Bakeries or boulangeries form a very crucial part of the French culture, thus making it an essential part of a trip to Paris. Croissants, Baguette, and all their different variants, with cheese, ham, chocolate, etc. are forever ready to treat your taste buds. In fact, so much is their significance in local culture, that if you're booking a hotel in Paris with breakfast option, chances are that you'll find some of these as a part of your breakfast.

Paris restaurants, morning croissants

11. Bonus experience: Hop on a public bus and enjoy the city views

I am always a fan of public buses wherever I go. They give you a lovely view around the city. Also, as chances are that you are surrounded by locals, you can get some insight into the local style of living.