India: Delhi

I came to India for Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and decided to make a larger trip out of it. India has been on my travel list for a long time, and seeing the country during one of its biggest celebrations seemed like the perfect excuse to finally go.

I will admit, though, that this was one trip I was a little nervous about.

I have traveled solo plenty of times, but India felt different. It is huge, busy, unfamiliar, and everything I read before coming seemed to fall somewhere between “You’ll love it!” and “What are you thinking?”

So, for the first part of my trip, I decided to hire a driver and a guide. Sanjay was great!

After three days in Delhi, I can confidently say this was one of my better life decisions.

Because Delhi is a lot.

The traffic alone is an experience. I’m not entirely convinced there are actual traffic rules here. There appear to be lanes, but they seem more like suggestions. Cars, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, buses, bicycles, pedestrians, and occasionally a cow all somehow move together in what looks like complete chaos.

And yet…it works.

I have decided the most important part of driving in India is apparently the horn.

Honk if you are passing someone.

Honk if someone might pass you.

Honk if you are turning.

Honk if you are not turning.

Possibly honk just to let everyone know you are still there.

I was very happy to be sitting in the passenger seat.

Another thing that surprised me almost immediately was how few women I saw out and about compared with men. There were women, of course, but in many places the streets, shops, restaurants, and traffic seemed overwhelmingly male. I also saw very few Western women traveling around on their own.

My sightseeing started at Akshardham, a massive Hindu temple complex filled with incredibly detailed stone carvings. It was also my first real introduction to just how important religion is to everyday life in India. Unfortunately, you can’t take photos but trust me, it is impressive.   

Over the next couple of days, I visited the Lotus Temple, Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate, Kartavya Path, and drove past Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India.

Red Fort

Raj Ghat, Ghandi’s Memorial

India Gate, Memorial for those fighting in wars

Qutb Minar, impressive tower built in 13th century

Lotus Temple, Bahá’í House of Worship

Memorial for Prime Minister Indira Ghandi

Humayun’s Tomb, Mughal Emperor

I also visited Qutub Minar, wandered through Old Delhi and Chandni Chowk, rode in a rickshaw, explored the spice market, saw Jama Masjid, visited Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, and saw the Red Fort.

What impressed me most about Delhi wasn’t any single monument. It was the religion.

India is predominantly Hindu, but Delhi gave me a chance to see several of the major religions practiced here almost side by side.

I visited Hindu temples. I went to Jama Masjid, one of Delhi’s great Muslim mosques. I visited the Sikh Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib. The Lotus Temple belongs to the Bahá’í faith and welcomes people of all religions. Christianity is here too, along with several other faiths.

Before coming to India, I knew academically that the country was religiously diverse.

Seeing it is completely different.

One minute you are looking at the architecture of a Hindu temple. A little later you hear the Muslim call to prayer. Then you walk into a Sikh gurudwara where people from all backgrounds are welcome.

There are complicated parts to India’s religious history, of course, but as a visitor it was fascinating to see so many traditions existing within the same city.

One of the ironic things about traveling in India is that Indian food is my favorite cuisine, and yet I still had to be careful about what I ate. I was trying to avoid the usual traveler problems—unsafe water, raw produce, or anything that looked like it had been sitting out a little too long. I was very grateful that my guide knew which restaurants were considered safe, because otherwise I’m pretty sure my Delhi diet would have consisted entirely of bottled water, potato chips, and the occasional Kit Kat (which I had one evening, but only cost $.80 total!). Thankfully, I got to actually enjoy the food I came all this way for—and so far, my stomach and I are still on speaking terms.

Butter Chicken, only $8.00 for two meals

Marsala Dosa. Yum!

Tomorrow I leave Delhi and head to Agra.

And then comes something I have wanted to see for years: the Taj Mahal.

At sunrise.

Which sounds beautiful.

The 6:00 a.m. departure required to see it at sunrise sounds slightly less beautiful.

But I have a feeling it will be worth it.

Croatia: Annelies

​After a month of Annelies traveling around Europe, we decided the final stop needed to be somewhere with one very important goal: do as little as possible.

Croatia seemed perfect.

I met Annelies in Split, and from there we headed to the island of Hvar for the week. Hvar is exactly what you picture when you think of Croatia — beautiful blue water, stone buildings, little boats in the harbor, and yachts that make you wonder what exactly you did wrong with your career choices.

We stayed right in Hvar and quickly settled into a very difficult routine.

Annelies rested after a month of traveling. I knitted by the water. We watched boats come and go. We ate. We wandered around. We sat some more.

It was exhausting.

One day we took a trip to Jelsa, another beautiful little town on the island, where we visited a local winery. Croatian wine tasting felt like an appropriately productive activity for a vacation that was specifically designed around being unproductive.

Another day we took a boat over to Palmižana Beach on the Pakleni Islands. Our itinerary there was even more demanding: find a spot, sit down, look at the water, eat something, and eventually return to Hvar.

We nailed it.

Most days, though, we didn’t have much of a plan. And that was really the best part.

I spent hours knitting along the shore while watching the yachts pull in and out of the harbor. Annelies had time to decompress after weeks of trains, buses, hostels, and sightseeing around Europe.

The weather cooperated, the scenery was gorgeous, and for once we didn’t feel like we needed to see every church, museum, monument or “must-see” attraction within a 50-mile radius.

Sometimes the best travel days are the ones where you don’t accomplish anything at all.

I know there is so much more of Croatia to explore, and I definitely plan to go back.

But for this trip, a week on Hvar doing almost nothing was exactly what we needed.

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Finland, Sweden & Norway

​Three Countries, Many Cinnamon Buns: Finland, Sweden & Norway

Annelies and I went on a Nordic adventure which took us through Finland, Sweden, and Norway—and somehow involved an impressive amount of cinnamon buns along the way.

 

Finland

We started in Helsinki, where we packed in a little bit of everything. We took a walking tour, visited Suomenlinna island, saw the famous church built into a rock, wandered through the Tram Museum, and, of course, experienced a Finnish sauna.

There were also knitting stores, salmon soup, reindeer, and plenty of cinnamon rolls. Our hostel turned out to be filled with fun people, which meant Annelies had a few later nights than expected. Helsinki was a great mix of history, food, and getting a taste of Finnish life.

Sweden

Next up was Stockholm, where we got to spend time with a friend and explore one of the prettiest cities of the trip.

We visited the Nobel Prize Museum and the Royal Armoury, took a trip out to one of Stockholm’s islands, and learned a little more about Swedish history along the way.

There were more cinnamon buns, naturally, and we even learned that the candy cane has Swedish roots. Annelies also had a bag embroidered at Uniqlo—an experience that probably deserves an entire post of its own.

Norway

Our final stop was Oslo, and the weather could not have been better.

We took a walking tour, explored the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, and visited Oslo City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. One evening we hopped on a ferry and cruised around the islands during golden hour, which was easily one of the prettiest moments of the trip.

We also tried a very Norwegian waffle topped with brown cheese, sour cream, and jam. It was definitely memorable.

And then there was the yarn. So. Much. Yarn. I bought enough that I immediately regretted not packing my vacuum bag.

And yes, there were more cinnamon buns.

Three Countries Later…

Finland, Sweden, and Norway each felt completely different, but they all gave us beautiful cities, interesting history, great experiences, and a lot of good food.

It was a whirlwind trip, but a wonderful one—and I think we can officially say we did our part to support the Nordic cinnamon bun industry.

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