51 countries in Europe and its Capitals

The continent of Europe has always been my fascination.
There are total of 48 countries in Europe and I would love to go visit their capital cities.
I have visited some of them already in 2012 and would love to visit again.

Here is the grand list below :

Countries in Europe and its Capitals I want to visit. 

1. Iceland - Reykjavik
2. Norway - Oslo
3. Sweden - Stockholm
4. Finland - Helsinki
5. Denmark - Copenhagen
6. Latvia - Riga
7. Estonia - Talinn
8. Lithuania - Vilnius
9. Russian Federation - Moscow
10. Belarus - Minsk
11. Poland - Warsaw
12. Serbia - Belgrade
13. Ukraine - Kiev
14. Moldova - Chisinau
15. Hungary - Budapest
16. Slovakia - Bratislava
17. Czech Rep - Prague
18. Romania - Bucharest
19. Croatia - Zagreb
20. Bosnia & Herzegovina - Sarajevo
21. Bulgaria - Sofia
22. Macedonia - Skopja
23. Albania - Tirane
24. Greece - Athens
25. Turkey - Ankara
26. Cyprus - Nikosia
27. Armenia - Yerevan
28. Georgia - Tbilisi
29. Azerbaijan - Baku
30. Malta - Valletta
31. Italy - Rome
32. Vatican - Vatican city
33. San Marino - San Marino
34. Slovenia - Ljubljana
35. Austria - Vienna
36. Liechtenstein - Vaduz
37. Germany - Berlin
38. Luxembourg - Luxembourg
39. Belgium - Brussels
40. Netherlands - Amsterdam
41. Switzerland - Bern
42. Monaco - Monaco
43. France - Paris
44. Andorra - Andorra
45. Spain - Madrid
46. Portugal - Lisbon
47. United Kingdom - London
48. Ireland - Dublin
49. Montenegro - Podgorica
50. Kazakkstan - Astana
51. Kosovo - Pristina

Feel free to comment the cities you have been or your most favourite European city.

MY TRAVEL MAP !!

Today my friend Laurent Floch shared his travel map in Facebook. I was very curious to see how my travel map looks like. So I immediately started ticking boxes against the countries to get my travel map.

Now I have a travel map and the count of countries I have been is 30.
Oh yes, it is beautiful.

SHARING IS CARING # 4

Hot air balloon.

It is becoming a major tourist thing now a days.  I see it everywhere Turkey, Myanmar, Egypt etc. So India is also trying to woe its tourists with the views of its cities from the sky.

I came across this article in www.holidayiq.com. It talks about :

6 places in India that offer Hot Air Balloon. 

1. Darjeeling

source: njh.com

Local operators here offer hot air balloon rides. They require a minimum of 15 people to fly the balloon. A good time to fly in a hot air balloon in Darjeeling is between October to May. This is when the sky remains clear and visibility is great.

2. Pushkar

source: amazonaws.com

If you’re looking to explore one of India’s oldest cities from a panoramic perspective, hop aboard a hot air balloon. It offers a range of exciting aeronautical experiences. Hover above the scenic Pushkar Lake, looking out over endless sand dunes and the Ajmer Road, with the ride giving you a kaleidoscopic view of the region.

3. Kamshet

source:cntraveller.com

Take to the skies outside Lonavala in a hot air balloon. Travelling anywhere between 12 and 15 km depending on wind conditions, the hot air balloon reaches a maximum height of 4,000 ft and soars over the Mumbai-Pune expressway and surrounding Sahyadri Hills.

4. Taj Mahal

source: deltoagra.com 

View the white masterpiece and gawk at the Mughal architectural brilliance with the glistening Yamuna river flowing by, from the hot air balloon. It is operated from the Kalakriti ground, Fatehabad Road which is around 2 km from Taj Mahal. The balloon is a little different here. It is a suspended helium balloon, which rises to about 500 m from the ground giving a spectacular view of the Taj Mahal and Yamuna River.

5. Bhopal

source:flickr

Get your adrenaline pumping on a hot air balloon in Bhopal. The ride lasts for approximately two hours but the whole experience lasts for six hours – from pick up to drop. The ballooning site is near to the Jeet Stadium. As hot air ballooning is seasonal and dependent on the movement of wind, research before you go.

6. Manali

source:wp-content.com

Hot air balloons in Manali are organised safely near wide open spaces and balloons are tied with thick solid ropes to maintain stability and safety of riders.

 “Manali is a perfect place for adventure enthusiasts. You have enthralling options from paragliding to flying the hot air balloon.”

My first Hot air balloon experience happened in Cappadocia, Turkey. It was wonderful to see the pink, yellow and white valleys from the sky. That moment was full of emotions and I went quiet for sometime.

I am sure it would be super to see India from a Hot air balloon.

WOW!! IT's 30!!

Today is the day of making lists.

Its a big coincidence as my count of countries to travel is 30 and the countries I have been is 30. So the immediate wish was to make a list of countries I have visited.

1. India
2. South Africa
3. Qatar
4. Thailand
5. Vietnam
6. Cambodia
7. Indonesia
8. Sri Lanka
9. Malaysia
10. Laos
11. France
12. Switzerland
13. Italy
14. Germany
15. Portugal
16. Spain
17. Turkey
18. Jordan
19. UAE
20. Brazil
21. Argentina
22. Chile
23. Uruguay
24. Bolivia
25. Peru
26. Equador
27. Colombia
28. Singapore
29. Philippines
30. Myanmar

So,  Wow!! Its 30!!

1 PICTURE STORY #1

Mama Baba, I am too little to be a tourist. I want to be break free and explore the world. 

Ephesus, Turkey

26.06.2012

This little naughty one got bored of the huge tour group and escaped from the hands of his parents to run in another direction. Ofcourse he does not care about the Roman empire and its grandeur. In the beginning they were confident that he would not go too far. But for him there was no stop and he ran like break-free. His folks got worried. His mummy daddy were running after him towards us and was looking at us with an anticipation of help. Some of us did while I was capturing the beautiful moment. 

Sometimes, this little kid is within all of us. 

20 + 12 = 2012

I like numbers. Numbers are magical and there is a meaning to each and every one. We just have to make the connection.

2012, for example. A year full of travels, experiences and so many stories.

During the 12th year of the new century, I stepped into 12 new countries:

01 | Sri Lanka
02 | Malaysia
03 | Laos
04 | France
05 | Switzerland
06 | Italy
07 | Germany
08 | Portugal
09 | Spain
10 | Turkey
11 | Jordan
12 | UAE

Beside the above, I found another fun fact with numbers and countries: if I add everytime I crossed a non-indian border, no matter if its a new country or not... let's see what happens.

1 time into Sri Lanka;
4 times into Malaysia;
1 time into Laos;
1 time into Indonesia;
1 time into France;
3 times into Switzerland;
1 time into Italy;
1 time into Germany;
2 times into Portugal;
1 time into Spain;
1 time into Turkey;
1 time into Jordan;
1 time into UAE;
1 time into Thailand.

Adding all these entries... the number of times I visited another country outside India was 20, this last year.

Hence the title:

20 + 12 = 2012