I love visiting food markets when I travel, and Kolkata is a treat for the senses.
We start off with Indian desserts, most of the Indian desserts I had were made from a condensed milk bass, a little like shortbread, but much richer.
A blessing in one of the many small restaurants
Pani Puri, you can full them with just about anything
Although the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, built in honour of Queen Victoria is a relic of the colonial British era, it’s still lovely to visit. It’s a quiet oasis from the busy and noisy city, and you will see plenty of locals and tourists walking the gardens, or visiting the cool interior.
In India, you constantly see a mixture of colonial heritage, Hindu tradition and the modern city. It’s confusing yet somehow seems to work. I suspect that no matter how often you travel to India, you’ll never fully understand India.
Mother’s House, (the full name is “Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata), is a humble yet profound place. It’s where Mother Teresa lived and worked, dedicating her life to the poor. The building itself is modest, with simple rooms and a peaceful atmosphere, reflecting the simplicity and compassion that defined her mission. It’s a very quiet and peaceful break from the noise of the city.
You can visit Mother Teresa’s tomb and bedroom, and there is a small museum about her life. We had a wonderful conversation with this lovely sister at Mother’s house, and she graciously allowed us to take a photo with her.
The Howrah Bridge spans the Hooghly River in Kolkata, a familiar sight for commuters and locals. Its cantilever structure, built in 1943, supports daily traffic without using any nuts or bolts, an astonishing engineering accomplishment. This somewhat cliched angle is from the Mullick Ghat Flower Market, which I’ll post about later.
If you’ve watched “Band of Brothers”, you know of Major Dick Winters. He was known for his leadership of Easy-Company, part of 101st Airborne Division, throughout the Normandy campaign. And if you have not watched “Band of Brothers”, I highly recommend it as a very accurate telling of the story of Easy-Company. Better yet, read the book.
I don’t know what is about cemetery’s that fascinate me, I guess it’s a reminder of our mortality. The Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris (along with the Central Cemetery in Vienna is one of the most interesting cemeteries that I’ve explored. This was my second visit to PPère Lachaise.
Established in 1804, it is the largest cemetery in Paris and a notable resting place for many prominent figures.
Oscar Wilde (Irish playwright and poet)
Frédéric Chopin (Polish composer and pianist)
Édith Piaf (French singer)
Jim Morrison (lead singer of The Doors)
Marcel Proust (French novelist)
Honoré de Balzac (French writer)
Chopin is high on my list, since I am such a huge fan of his. His heart is interned in Warsaw, and here lies the rest of him, so now I am happy to have paid my respects to the whole of him.
Arman was an an artist that did unusual things with musical instruments, among other things.
Édith Piaf, and tragically her daughter Marcelle
An unusual grave, I would love to know the backstory
The Bayeux War Cemetery is one of many solemn reminders of the sacrifices made during World War II. Rows of white headstones stretch across the well-kept grounds, each marking a life lost too soon, giving everything for freedom.
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Pointe du Hoc is a prominent cliff on the Normandy coast in France, famous for its role in World War II during the D-Day invasion. It’s roughly 30m tall (about 5 stories to add context), and the US Army Rangers scaled it under heavy German fire. It was strategic, because it could fire on both Obama and Utah beaches, which were the two American landing beaches, so disabling it was critical to the Normandy invasion. Today, Pointe du Hoc stands as a reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought there, with a preserved battlefield, memorials, and breathtaking views of the English Channel.
A mildly interesting side-node: some of the ladders they used to scale the cliff were on loan from the London fire brigade!
One of the many reinforced gun emplacements
Lookout point over the channel
Gun emplacement that was never completed.
I love seeing street art when I travel, and on this particular occasion it was purely by chance that I saw it. Lois and I got lost (ok, I did the “getting lost” bit), and we found this fun street on some pillars alongside the Seine. I love the expressions on their faces.
One thing I love to find when I travel is good street art, and Paris is no exception. There are some fantastic artworks by exceptional artists. I don’t know if these works have real names, so I just made them up.
Zebra man and Onyx (one of my dogs is also Onyx)
Water-colour lady
Man on wall
Pixelated Daffy-duck
Retro detective
Pen-art girl with pram
Little shop of horrors
Aimé Césaire (former président of Martinique)
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