Here we are in the "City of Joy" and we were determined to find out our joys for the day. We were not planning any hectic outings and wanted to just chill and visit a few places without crowding the day too much.
So after a late breakfast, we went out for a swim and warmed ourselves up with a few laps. Akshaye was starting to get more confident in the water and was trying out laps. It was a good thing for us because he had not yet mastered the art of swimming and was not willing to be tutored in it. So to see him actually do a lap without holding on to the sides was a big triumph.
The places we had decided on visiting today were, Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, Howrah Bridge 1 and 2 and Birla's Planetarium. We were lucky to get an ac cab outside our hotel who was willing to take us to all these places for a reasonable sum. So our travel was far more comfortable in spite of the heat.
The driver took us first to the new Howrah Bridge called the Vidyasagar Sethu. (Vidyasagar Setu (Second Hooghly Bridge): Commissioned in 1992, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the longest in Asia connecting Kolkata with Howrah) Vidyasagar Sethu is a majestic structure that towers over this part of the city and can be seen from many kms away.
After a drive through this beautiful bridge we drove through Howrah and were treated to a good look at the Hooghly River. At one point there were bathing ghats and we asked the driver to stop here since we wanted to get closer to the waters and dip our feet there if possible. Luckily he obliged and parked in a no parking zone to allow us to rush down
This place was so well organised for people to come down and have a dip in the Ganga with changing and wash facilities. Radhika and I got to tip our toes in the waters and drank in the beautiful views.
We returned from the Hooghly River to drive through Howrah. We passed the iconic Howrah Station and this foto captures the building with a yellow cab in the foreground another iconic symbol of Kolkata
We moved away from this old lady and went towards the city and passed through the Maidan before coming to our next destination, the Victoria Memorial.
This is such a beautiful building that it's no wonder many young couples are dotted around the campus, drinking in its beauty and enjoying the peace and tranquility of this wonderful place.
This place deserves a much longer stay than what we gave it that day. It took us one hour to go through the art gallery and the museum carrying snippets and artefacts of Kolkatta and British India's history at a rapid pace. We had no time to linger in the beautiful gardens since we were on a schedule to finish a few more visits for the day. I hope I'll be able to spend a full day here some day.
Right outside this monument there is a circle which is heavily guarded by riot police who had water cannons and a very military looking combat vehicle. Wonder why so much security for this place. The cops in Kolkata seem to be well kitted and equipped compared to our men in khaki
And on the opposite end of that circle, there was this beautifully done up horse-drawn carriages. A quirky mix of images in the same place
Cars were not allowed to be parked here and it took our cab 15 mins to reach this place after we called him in. So we had good time to look around and capture these images. After Victoria Memorial we went to Birla's Planetarium and found that we just missed the English session and had to wait 4 more hours for the next English session. We decided to give it a skip this time around and went next door to St Paul's Cathedral.
This Church is the head of The Church of North India and is a beautiful edifice both outside and inside. Photography is not allowed inside so I could not take any snaps there. There were pews which had the insignia and the flag of every regiment and province of British India. It seemed to be oozing history and was such a magnificent church.
This was the last stop for our outing today and we returned to our hotel by 4.30 pm and decided to call it a day.
Tomorrow is a day of rest and we will be travelling to Gangtok tomorrow night by train.
So after a late breakfast, we went out for a swim and warmed ourselves up with a few laps. Akshaye was starting to get more confident in the water and was trying out laps. It was a good thing for us because he had not yet mastered the art of swimming and was not willing to be tutored in it. So to see him actually do a lap without holding on to the sides was a big triumph.
The places we had decided on visiting today were, Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, Howrah Bridge 1 and 2 and Birla's Planetarium. We were lucky to get an ac cab outside our hotel who was willing to take us to all these places for a reasonable sum. So our travel was far more comfortable in spite of the heat.
The driver took us first to the new Howrah Bridge called the Vidyasagar Sethu. (Vidyasagar Setu (Second Hooghly Bridge): Commissioned in 1992, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the longest in Asia connecting Kolkata with Howrah) Vidyasagar Sethu is a majestic structure that towers over this part of the city and can be seen from many kms away.
This place was so well organised for people to come down and have a dip in the Ganga with changing and wash facilities. Radhika and I got to tip our toes in the waters and drank in the beautiful views.
After that we passed through the 2nd planned attraction of the day - the Howrah Bridge. This one was really crowded and OLD.... It's called the Rabindra Sethu and ia a suspension bridge about which we would have all learned in school. It's a famous symbol of Kolkata and West Bengal and was commissioned in 1943.
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| The Howrah Bridge |
This is such a beautiful building that it's no wonder many young couples are dotted around the campus, drinking in its beauty and enjoying the peace and tranquility of this wonderful place.
This place deserves a much longer stay than what we gave it that day. It took us one hour to go through the art gallery and the museum carrying snippets and artefacts of Kolkatta and British India's history at a rapid pace. We had no time to linger in the beautiful gardens since we were on a schedule to finish a few more visits for the day. I hope I'll be able to spend a full day here some day.
Right outside this monument there is a circle which is heavily guarded by riot police who had water cannons and a very military looking combat vehicle. Wonder why so much security for this place. The cops in Kolkata seem to be well kitted and equipped compared to our men in khaki
And on the opposite end of that circle, there was this beautifully done up horse-drawn carriages. A quirky mix of images in the same place
Cars were not allowed to be parked here and it took our cab 15 mins to reach this place after we called him in. So we had good time to look around and capture these images. After Victoria Memorial we went to Birla's Planetarium and found that we just missed the English session and had to wait 4 more hours for the next English session. We decided to give it a skip this time around and went next door to St Paul's Cathedral.
This Church is the head of The Church of North India and is a beautiful edifice both outside and inside. Photography is not allowed inside so I could not take any snaps there. There were pews which had the insignia and the flag of every regiment and province of British India. It seemed to be oozing history and was such a magnificent church.
This was the last stop for our outing today and we returned to our hotel by 4.30 pm and decided to call it a day.
Tomorrow is a day of rest and we will be travelling to Gangtok tomorrow night by train.
Iggy, I'm re-living my Kolkata days thanks to your post. We were there for close to 20 years and Kolkata runs in our blood. Your posts are taking me back by 20 years. Thanks!
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