A photo essay of coastal Massachusetts

The coastal towns of New England are incredibly pretty. I guess there is something about the enormous vastness of the frigid Atlantic waters or it was just that the skies were grey and dark! In any case, I wandered along the coastal towns of Rockport, Gloucester and Manchester and had some incredible time to myself.

Personas, Thereafter

The idea of the world as a figment of imagination of an unhealthy mind has been portrayed in cinema a few times and many a director has chosen to deal with the subject in pretty straightforward ways in movies such as Shutter Island, Mulholland Drive etc, where the audience is clearly able to dissect the fiction from reality. Yet there are only a few that are able to portray the viewpoints in such a way that the viewer is asked to pick the version that suits his perspective – to dissect and analyze a movie, not in a very complicated fashion where dissecting the movie becomes an exercise in vanity – my biggest grouse with movies of Nolan, but in a straightforward way, while providing an allowance for the intelligence of the viewer.

The lure of Letters

Aah the art of letters. I always believed that the best part about letters which is lost in all forms of electronic messaging is that tiny colourful piece of paper that’s glued to the envelope in the corner – yep stamps, and why you may ask. Why, simply because it teaches us so much about the origins of the letter. As a child I loved collecting stamps and its a habit that I still try to keep although its getting to be increasingly difficult to find stamps in this electronic age. To discover that some of the countries whose stamps I have, no longer exist, is quite thrilling indeed. Over time though, the stamps gave way to the persons behind the letters. I began developing a passion for the people who wrote heartfelt letters – baring their soul to the reader; their desires, their anger, their faults, their desperation, their joys…

Zen adventures in medieval France

Enough has been said about the charms of travel by trains and many a traveller has waxed eloquently about the delights of journey through Europe by trains. Of course the imaginative mind immediately conjures up images of chance encounters, thrilling adventures and the like, well portrayed in several books and films. Mountain trains add an all new dimension to the experience of a traveller, one that seeks solitude and probably little adventure than to immerse oneself in the journey than the destination. In one such journey over destination preference, I planned on taking the little known “Train des Merveilles” from Nice to a mountain village called Tende in France.

Revisiting Italy – a trip to a medieval village

As soon as I stepped out of the station I saw a car braking its speed all of a sudden for an elderly lady to cross the road. The result was some abuses from both ends, vigorous gesticulations and a traffic jam for a good 15 minutes. Ah how I loved it! I was back in Italy after a good two years and I had almost forgotten how different the feeling is, stepping into one culture from another. Entering Italy from France is quite convenient and easy, especially when vacationing along the French riviera. One gets to experience a different culture on a day’s jaunt from another. How could I let the opportunity pass?