Chur, Switzerland

Chur, Switzerland, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

Chur, the Alpine city is the starting point of mountain trips and train travel through the Alps. One of the oldest cities in Switzerland, it has a population of 35,000 inhabitants. Chur is almost completely surrounded by the Alps

Brig

Brig, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

Views of Brig, Switzerland

Brig

Brig1929s, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

The front of the Stockalper has a large green lawn sloping downwards which has the palace on one side and more gardens and swiss homes on the other sides.
This pole with a face stands on one side overlooking the lawns and has the Swiss alps as a backdrop.

Brig at Night

Street at Night, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

Main shopping street in Brig at night ater closing hours

Brig at Night

Brig at Night, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

The cobbled square in Brig is equally lively at night with vacationers relaxing with a glass of wine at the various restaurants . The weather in July is perfect with a slight nip in the air.

Brig House

Swiss House, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

One of the beautiful buildings of Brig, Switzerland. Note the lovely flowers on each window sill

Stockalper Palace, Brig

Stockalper Palace, Brig, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

Took a break this July and visited Brig. The Stockalper Palace in Brig is one of the most important baroque palaces in Switzerland . The palace was built in 1678 by Kaspar Stockalpar, a silk merchant of Brig.

Swiss Town Square

Swiss Town Square, originally uploaded by PRAVINECHESTER.

Brig , a graceful town is an ideal place to start your holiday in Switzerland. Just an hour from Zermatt, one can board the Glacier Express from here for an 8 hour journey through the beautiful Alps.
This shot is of the main town square where you can sit at any of numerous restaurants and enjoy your glass of wind and some great Swiss cheese.

Lake Orta, Italy

West of Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) in Northern Italy lies a beautiful lake named Lake Orta or Lago di Orta. This picturesque lake is a favourite holiday destination for Italians and is an inspiration for poets since ages. It is without doubt the most romantic lake in Italy.

Lake Orta, known by the Romans as Lake Cusius, lies to the west of Lake Maggiore enclosed in a circle of hills and mountains. It is the highest of the large pre-Alpine lakes

Within the lake is the San Giulio Island ( Isolo di San Giullio). The ancient basilica of San Giulio (4th Century) stands on the small island and is it's most prominent building. Legend has it that the island was the home of dragons and serpents . In 390, St Julius visited the island and defeated the serpents. The Basilica was built in his memory.

View of the hills from the lake
http://www.pravinechester.com/1_20_Borgomanero.html

Italian Town of Borgomanero

40 Kms Northwest of Milan's Malpensa Airport is the Italian town of Borgomanero. The town is located amidst low hills and surrounded by lakes where Italians love to spend a lazy weekend.

View of the Town from the nearby hills

14th Century Building

15th Century Church

This picture of the chapel and village on a nearby hill was taken from my hotel window.

http://www.pravinechester.com/1_20_Borgomanero.html

The Western Ghats

The Western Ghats in Maharashtra

Some views of the foothills in areas surrounding Nashik in Maharashtra. The hot summer turns the hills an interesting brown.

Rural India

Haryana Countryside

I have spent the last 4 days driving through the countryside of Haryana. This is probably the hottest time of the year with temperatures easily reaching levels of 46 to 50 degrees. The earlier crop ( rabi season which is from October to February) has already been harvested and the soil is prepared for sowing of the Kharif Crop. Miles of brown ploughed fields are visible as far as the eye can see.

Farm ready for sowing

A very common sight in fields of Haryana is the Blue Bull or the Nilgai Antelope. These animals have a life span of 20 to 30 years and live around scrubby grass lands and open jungles. Many Hindus consider the Nilgai a sacred and holy animal which has made the government ban the hunting of these animals. This has resulted in a overpopulation of these animals which is a major cause of damage done to crops in this region. Controlled hunting of these animals could probably solve this problem of overpopulation.
Herd of Blue Bulls in the fields of Hissar District

Countryside Views

Aravali Hills Saved

Supreme Court to the rescue of the Aravalis

The Supreme Court of India came to the rescue of the Aravali Hills by banning all mining and other commercial activities on these ranges. This blanket ban effects all mining activities of both major and minor minerals including mining of stones and earth for construction. The ban applies to the hills in the Gurgaon and Faridabad region spread over 450 sq mtrs and is applicable till action plan is put into place by the Haryana Government to restore these hills to health. Due to the heavy mining and deforestation that has taken place in these hills over years , huge craters have been left in places where hills stood and the entire ecosystem has been disturbed. So far no action has been taken by the Government for restoration and reclamation of these hills.

This timely action of the courts will go a long way in preserving the ecosystem and restoration of these hills.

Aravalli Hills

Driving out of Delhi into Haryana through Gurgaon or Faridabad and onwards into Rajasthan one comes across a series of broken rocky hills. These are the Aravalli Ranges that extend to almost 800 Kilometres. The northern end of the range begins from Delhi and extends upto Palanpur in Gujarat near Ahmedabad.

The portion of the Aravallis in Delhi and Haryana are a series of isolated hills and rocky ridges.

These are shots of the hills near Alwar.

The range has vegetation as it extends westward and is at its highest at Mount Abu.

Views of Taj Mahal

The Finial

The most striking feature of the Taj is the marble dome that surmounts the tomb. About 35 metres in height, the dome is about the same size of the building. The top is of a lotus design. The top of the dome has a gilded finial which mixes traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements.

Shot of the Taj from the right of the main building

Calligraphy on the Walls along with the intricate work

Close-up of the minarets at each corner also topped with a finial with intricate work on the marble

The Taj Mahal Mosque
The Great Gate - gateway to the Taj