The Official Blog Of Ritam Saha

Istanbul, a universal beauty where poet and archaeologist, diplomat and merchant, princess and sailor, northerner and westerner screams with same admiration. The whole world thinks that this city is the most beautiful place on earth.   – Edmondo De Amicis Istanbul. A city that is built from the bedtime fairy tales that children learn as they fall asleep - a city of dreams and sky-high minarets indicating its significance as the seat of flourishing empires. Here, one notices the brilliance of the past, coexisting with the optimism of the future. From the heights of the Galata Tower to the seemingly calm, but fierce currents of the Bosphorus, Istanbul is one city which has two sides to everything. Two continents, two speeds - one slow and one fast and two cultures. Napoleon observed that if "the world was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital". The seat of romantic beauty, Istanbul attracts the world's attention to itself every day. Getting to Istan...

The town is located in the Canton of Valais Zermatt is a small, but popular village on the southern border of Switzerland with Italy, and an access point for travellers and mountaineers to visit Switzerland's signature mountain - the Matterhorn. It is nestled in a valley, surrounded by the highest peaks in all of Switzerland, like the Monte Rosa. It is commonly known as the Zermatt ski village and a little way up the Monte Rosa, one may find the Zermatt ski area, one of the most popular of its kind in the country. The village is a car free area, and the only transportation methods within the town are bikes, battery operated vans and buggies. The concern for air pollution in Zermatt and the effective methods to prevent it have termed this village "The World's First Pollution Free Town".     A view from Trockener Steg Zermatt is served by the railway station Zermatt Bahnhof, from towns up in the valley, like Visp and Brig. A Zermatt shuttle is operated by c...

Spiez is located on the banks of Lake Thun The town of Spiez is lesser known among tourists. I visited Spiez for the first time on my third trip, completely unaware of its existence before. To many of those who access the Swiss Railway near Interlaken, Spiez is a major stop and a busy interchange. Many travel to the southern towns of Visp and Zermatt through Spiez, using its station, but never leaving it to visit the town that lies beyond. The reason I find Spiez worthy of an entirely separate article is its peacefulness, its wonderful riverfront and of course, because it forms the perfect image of a typical Swiss town. Tourism may be one of the most popular reasons to visit Switzerland, but here in Spiez, one can explore how rural Swiss life actually is, away from the large cities, like Basel or Bern - tucked away in the quiet countryside. Spiez seen from Lake Thun Getting to Spiez is no difficult task. The town is served by one station - Spiez Bahnhof, located on the h...

Interlaken is located in the Canton of Bern The town of Interlaken developed its reputation as a tourist destination. Located in a narrow stretch of valley between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, Interlaken serves as a popular base for tourists visiting the mountains in the Jungfrau region. The peaceful little town is served by two stations, Interlaken Ost and Interlaken West, the Ost (German for east) being the main station. Trains continously serve the Lauterbrunnen valley station from here, carrying large crowds of tourists who then ascend the mountains towards Grindelwald, Schilthorn or the Jungfraujoch. The Interlaken West station is calm and peaceful Interlaken, as a town, is strikingly pretty, with its several short, neat buildings making up the bulk of the settlement. Ferries operate on both lakes, sailing down to Brienz and Thun, stopping at occasional villages like Merligen, Gottigen and towns like Spiez. If you're spending more than two days at Interlaken, as...

Basel's City Hall is as colourful as the events held in it The city of Basel is on the northern frontier of Switzerland, and very near to the tri-junction of international borders of Switzerland with France and Germany, its northern neighbours. The city is significant due to its massive historical past, preserved in its old city. Its very presence serves to remind the traveller of the wonderful cultural heritage that inhibits the country. When I visited, Basel offered me its wonderful crêpes, its stunning 17th century European appeal and a marvellously cold weather that ensured I did not remove my windcheater. We used a Eurocity Express train bound for Frankfurt HBF to travel from Bern to Basel. This was right after a city tour of the Swiss capital itself - an experience that I have shared here . This high speed rail pulled in on Track 4 in Bern, and we boarded. Sitting right opposite to us in the coach was a Swiss couple, who, after a few minutes of silence began to in...

Zürich is Switzerland's gateway to the world The city of Zürich is probably the most famous in all of Switzerland. It stands on the northern banks of the Zürichsee, or Lake Zürich , in north central Switzerland. It claims its place as the largest city in the Swiss Confederation and as the capital of the Canton of  Zürich. The city is home to Switzerland's largest airport, Flughafen Zürich (ZRH)  and is therefore Switzerland's gateway to the rest of the world. The airport is situated at the north of the residential areas, in an area called Kloten. Apart from the massive air connectivity that the city boasts about, there is much to its credit that allows it a separate place on a trip to Zurich HB is the largest and busiest station in Switzerland Switzerland. It is the commerce capital of the country, far more modern and swift than ancient Bern, which is more engaged in its regal past than in the swiftness of the twenty first century.  Zürich is se...

Bern is a glimpse into Switzerland's peaceful past The city of Bern is located in central Switzerland. The capital of the Swiss Confederation, this city has seen Switzerland grow through the years. As a result, it is both historic and modern. Here, the offices of the Swiss Confederation stand before the world and so do all of the diplomatic missions from countries all around the globe. Being the capital, Bern is also a major railway station, which sees traffic from arriving and departing trains all day. Most of these are operated by the SBB CFF FFS or Swiss Federal Railway, but some come in from international destinations such as Paris and Frankfurt, connecting Swiss towns to other cities in Europe. An Inter - Regio train brought us to Bern from Interlaken. The sky was overcast, grey and dull, and everything around looked dreamy with the raindrops on the large glass panels over the beautiful spring grass and pretty towns of the country. Swiss trains are extremely fast, punc...