The Old World Charm of Fort Kochi

Fort Kochi with its mixture of Kerala, Portuguese, Dutch and British traditions, and flavoured by an enchanting sea coast, is one of the most charming places in South India. Staying in Fort Kochi is pleasantly disorienting - a traditional mix of Indian culture, colours and spices is transplanted against the backdrop of colonial architecture.

This first part of a post on Fort Kochi focuses on general information, seaside and religious places to visit. The second part of this post will look at art, culture and day-trips opportunities in Fort Kochi.

Brief History of Kochi

The Malabar coast in the western side of south India was a famous maritime centre even before the Roman empire. Artifacts from 2500 BCE found in what was ancient Sumer, mention the famous port of Muziris on the Malabar coast. Kochi (Cochin) is a part of that maritime tradition. In its culture and in its people, it carries the signs of intermingling of people from distant lands over thousands of years.

Kochi was the site of the first European settlement in India when the Portuguese arrived here in 1503 and were given permission to establish their trading post. Gradually, over the next decades, the Portuguese became very powerful and came to control even the king of Kochi.

In 1663 Kochi came under the Dutch rule. The Dutch were defeated by the Mysore king Hyder Ali in 1773. In 1814 Kochi came under the British and remained under them till India's independence in 1947.

Sea trade of spices was an important part of activities of the Europeans. They all created their trading warehouses in Fort Kochi and in the neighbouring Mattancherry, small seaside areas in the city of Kochi.

Staying in Fort Kochi

Fort Kochi with its colonial architecture, old houses and quaint streets is a fascinating place for holidays. It is full of small and big hotels as well as home-stays.

Restaurants here offer a wide variety of eating choices. And, the seaside promenade offers leisurely walks along the sea. My favourite places for eating out in Fort Kochi included Annapurna near the bus stand for vegetarian food, Rossetta Wood Castle on Rose street for north Indian and Tandoori cooking, and the Tibetan restaurant near Santa Cruz Basilica for their momos (dumplings), noodles and soups.

However, if you like a beer with your food, the choices are rather limited outside the big hotels. The only place for a beer that I discovered was the XL restaurant on Rose Street near the sea. There is a wine and liquor store behind the XL restaurant, but it is a seedy looking place.

Kochi international airport is about 50 km from For Kochi while the main railway station is in the twin city of Ernakulam. The most convenient way to reach Fort Kochi from the airport is to take the orange-coloured AC bus of KSRTC starting from the airport.

Seaside Walk and Monuments

The huge cantilevered Chinese fishing nets along the sea coast are a symbol of Fort Kochi. These were introduced in Kochi around the end of 14th century. I have also seen similar home-made systems of fishing nets in Assam in the north-east of India. With seagulls and other birds hoping to get some of the fish caught by the fishermen, this area is usually full of persons clicking pictures.

Close to the Chinese fishing nets starts a promenade along the sea-coast, where you can admire the sea waves breaking against the boulders, beautiful sunsets and a refreshing breeze for most of the day. At the same time, you can also admire the seaside colonial houses, many of which have been restored beautifully.

Along the seaside promenade, you can see some remains of the old Fort Emanuel built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. An old canon marks this place (in the image below).

A little further down from the ruins of Fort Emanuel, there is the Dutch cemetery. The place looks abandoned and the cemetery gate is locked. However, along the cemetery wall, some persons have placed some stones, from where you can still see inside the cemetery (in the image below).

Along the seaside promenade, there are a couple of small beaches, usually very crowded on the weekends. However, the sea is often very rough and swimming here is not advised. Though some persons do take bath here but they usually stick close to the beach.

Along the seaside promenade, there is a beautiful art installation called Fish Cemetery to create awareness about the environment and pollution (in the image below).

Along the promenade, in the evenings, the local families come out for a walk. Roadside stalls along the promenade sell ice creams and trinkets, as well as, pineapples and mangoes dipped in spicey sauces.

Churches, Temples, Synagogues and Mosques of Fort Kochi

Christianity in Kerala dates back to Roman times. The old Christians have their own traditions rooted in the local culture and include groups like Syrian-Malabar, Jacobites and Orthodox Syrians. For example, the image below shows a traditional Christian shrine at Mattancherry, not far from Fort Kochi, that shares some symbols and rituals with other Indic religions.

The European colonizers brought their own churches to Kochi. St. Francis church is very close to the seaside in Fort Kochi. On this place, the first church was built by St Xavier in the 16th century. The Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama was buried here for a few years, before his body was exhumed and taken to Portugal. This is one of the most important pilgrimage centres for Christians (in the image below).

Santa Cruz Cathedral, about 250 metres inland from St Francis church, is a beautiful building in neo-gothic style (in the image below). Its old 15th century building was destroyed and the present building is from late 19th century. The paintings behind the altar of the present building are by Br Antonio Moscheni from Bergamo (Italy).

The Santa Cruz Cathedral includes an outer chapel painted in Turkish-blue colour.

Fort Kochi also has some traditional Syrian-Malabar and Orthodox churches like the St. Paul church shown below.

The most important Hindu temples are at Mattancherry along the sea, a few kilometres from Fort Kochi. Till the 1930s, entry to the traditional Kerala temples was restricted to Brahmins. Now, all Hindus are allowed inside the temples, though there are areas where non-Brahmins can not visit.

All visitors have to remove their shoes and sandals to enter the temple. Men have to enter bare-chested in the traditional temples, thus they are also asked to remove their shirts. Inside these temples, no photography is allowed. Non-Hindus are also not allowed inside the old temples.

The image below shows the Bhagwathi temple in Mattancherry (the image below was clicked from outside the temple)

Malabar Jews are the oldest groups of Jews in India. Some say that they came here during the time of king Solomon. There are 12th century documents confirming the presence of Jews in this area. Another big group of Jews arrived here in 16th century after their expulsion from Spain. Now most of the Jews of Fort Kochi have migrated to Israel. However, Mattancherry near Fort Kochi still has the Jewish Synagogue surrounded by the old houses of the Jews.

The clock-tower of the Jewish Synagogue has four clocks - each with the numbers written on it in different styles (in the image below).

Fort Kochi also has a number of beautiful Muslim mosques.

If you look out of the window of the Dutch Palace in Mattancherry you can see a Hindu temple, a Jewish Synagogue and a Muslim mosque, all located close together.

Conclusions

I loved my holidays in Fort Kochi. In a way, with its ambiance, it reminded me of my visits to different seaside towns across the world. I loved taking long slow walks on the seaside promenade, sitting near the sea and talking to strangers or reading or simply soaking in the lovely breeze. I am looking forward to going back there.

This first part of the post on Fort Kochi focused on general information, seaside and religious places to visit. The second part of this post will look at art, culture and day-trips opportunities in Fort Kochi.

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A Castle by the Sea

Miramare Castle is a tiny but beautiful castle on the cliffs overlooking the bay of Trieste in the north-east of Italy. Just a short distance away is the Italian border with Slovenia and Austria. This post presents the castle and its wonderful gardens that are full of sculptures.

History of Miramare Castle

The castle was built in 1857 by Archduke Maximilian, the younger brother of the king of Austria. Maximilian was married to Charlotte, the only daughter of Leopold I, the king of Belgium. The castle was built as one of their family homes.

Shortly after the completion of the Miramare castle, Archduke Maximilian became the emperor of Mexico, for Napoleon III of France. Maximilian was killed in 1867 while Charlotte lost her mental balance and became paranoid. She spent the remaining years of her life in Miramare castle and in Meise in Belgium.

Thus, the castle of Miramare is seen as a symbol of the tragic love story between Archduke Maximilian and Charlotte.

Reaching Miramare

Trieste is well connected to the rest of Italy by trains and the highway. The Miramare castle is located on the cliffs of Grignano, just outside the city to the south. It is close to the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICPT), a renowned research centre on astronomy and cosmology.

If you are coming to Trieste by train, you can get a city bus to reach the castle (bus n. 6 or 36 going towards "Miramare-Grignano"). You can also take a local train to Miramare railway station, from where the castle is a 15 minutes walk.

Inside the Castle of Miramare

Inside the castle, the rooms, the furnishings and the furniture of the royal family have been maintained.

With rich brocade covered walls, beautiful four poster beds, elaborate wood work and beautiful art objects from different parts of the world, it looks like any other royal house.

The building has many pictures and portraits of the royal couple, their family members and their important guests.

The objects displayed in the castle include a portable royal toilet that is made like a wooden chest with a round cover for the part where the royal highnesses sat down to do their daily needs. Probably this meant that at that time they did not have a proper toilet on the first floor.

The windows of the different rooms overlooking the bay showed wonderful panoramas. A beautiful corridor with neo-classical pillars runs along the side facing the sea on the ground floor of the castle, again giving opportunity for beautiful panoramas of the Bay of Trieste.

Terraced Gardens of Miramare

In front of the castle, there is an open square. On one side the stairs go down to terraced gardens and a boat-port.

There is another big garden of 22 hectares in front of the castle. Creating such a rich garden on the barren cliffs of Grignano was hard work. Tons of rich soil were brought here for creating these gardens. Plants were also brought here from different parts of Europe and from other parts of the world.

The eastern part of the garden has been designed like a forest with winding paths and open spaces with fountains.

On the south-west side, there are Italian gardens in rigorous geometric shapes, leading to a "Koffeehaus" (first image at the top).

There are different glass-houses for keeping the plants and trees from tropical countries and are used as plant nurseries. All the different parts of the gardens are embellished with beautiful sculptures made by the Berlin company Moritz Geiss.

Nature Around Miramare

There are scattered rocks rising out of the sea all around Miramare castle where you can admire different species of birds.

You can also see the city of Trieste spread over the surrounding hills and on a clear day, you can also see the Croatian coast to the north and east.

Conclusions

If you love nature, arts and culture, you will like visiting the Miramare castle. With beautiful trees, flowers and gardens on one side and the wonderful views of sea crashing on rocky cliffs on the other, the visit to the Miramare castle will require at least a couple of hours.

The gardens are at different levels and can be tiring in summer, so remember to carry some water and nourishment with you. The castle itself is not so big, but still it is also worth a visit to get a glimpse of the royal lives in mid-nineteenth century.

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The Green Lake of Braies

The lake of Braies is a beautiful place in the South Tyrol region in the Alps mountains, in the north-east of Italy. A recent Italian TV series featuring Terrence Hill was shot here, which has made it famous.

I had been to Braies for a brief visit more than ten years ago. Since then I had promised myself to go back and visit it properly. Finally I had the opportunity to be there during the early summer. This post is about this magical lake which mirrors the deep green of the surrounding pine trees.

Braies and the Dolomite Mountains in South Tyrol

Tyrol region in the south of Austria and the north-east of Italy is known for its beautiful Alpine villages, emerald green highland pastures, lovely spotted cows with the tinkling bells around their necks, typical wooden houses bursting with flowers and the yoodling guys.

Till the first world war (1914-1918), South Tyrol was a part of Austria. As the Austrian-Hungarian empire lost the war, this part became a part of Italy. Thus, though it is in Italy, many persons here speak German.

The Braies lake is surrounded by the Dolomite mountains. These mountains are made of carbonate rock and are also called the Pale Mountains. With their craggy skylines, the Dolomite mountains make a very striking frame encircling this lake.

It is not a natural lake. It was formed by a landslide which blocked the Braies river. The deepest part of the lake are almost 40 metres deep. The lake's water looks green because of the pine tree forests at the lower slopes of the mountains surrounding it.

Reaching Braies

A local train or the suburban buses starting from Bressanone (Brixen) can take you to Braies town. Bressanone is on the main train line and along the highway connecting Trento (Italy) and Innsbruck (Austria).

We started our journey by car from Rio di Pusterla (Mühlbach), a small town a few kilometres north-west of Bressanone (Brixen).

The road going towards Braies, initially along the river Rivenza, was full of incredible panoramas. Often we passed Alpine villages with silken green meadows resting against the tall mountains in shades of blue, grey and green.

There were a number of small quaint looking churches with long bell-towers in most villages, inviting us to stop there and to taste the local cheese, wines and other specialities.

Braies lake (Pragser Wildsee)

Though we visited Braies in early June while the peak tourist season is in July-August, still it was crowded and we could only find a parking place some distance away.

The mountains around the lake are criss-crossed by high altitude hiking trails, some of which may take up to a week to complete. Simple hotels and dormitories called Refugio (Refuge) are built along these trails where people can stop and rest. Going on these trails requires proper equipment, practice and preparation. One of the most famous Alpine mountain trails called Alta Via 1 starts from the Braies lake.

However, we were not planning to do serious hiking. We took an easier pathway, which goes all around the lake. The complete walk around the lake requires about 2-3 hours and if you often stop for clicking pictures (like I do), you will need even more time. It has many ups and downs and therefore requires a modest resistance.

Among the other things to see near the lake, there is a historical hotel called Hotel Pragser Wildsee and a lakeside chapel called Marienkappel.

At the beginning of the left bank of the lake there is a wooden boat-house, where you can rent a boat.

Fame of Braies Lake

The first series of the Italian TV fiction "Un passo dal cielo" (A step from heaven) with Terrence Hill was shot here in 2010. In the first three seasons of this serial, Hill played a forest guard while the Braies boathouse was shown as his home. This serial was a big hit. Due to this serial, the Braies lake has become very popular among visitors.

Braies Lake in the Second World War

Towards the end of the Second World War, Braies lake was witness to an important historical event. In 1945, fearing the defeat, Hitler asked his SS troupes to take important persons kept as prisoners in the concentration camp of Dachau and to shift them to South Tyrol. The soldiers had the orders to kill all these prisoners before the arrival of Allied forces. However, the German Wahrmacht decided to protect these civilian prisoners, who were lodged at the Pragser Wildsee hotel and liberated by the allied forces.

Among those prisoners at Braies, there were many famous persons including, the former chancellor of Austria Kurt Von Schuschenigg, the former prime minister of France Leon Blum, the former prime minister of Hungary Miklos Kallay, the chief commander of Greek military Alexandros Papagos and many others.

The Legends of Braies Lake

There are stories of a legendary group of people called Fanes who are supposed to be hiding in the depths of Braies lake. On the night of full moon, the secret door to the hidden world of Fanes opens and the Fanes queen along with her daughter Dolasilla come out to walk on the surface of the Braies lake.

Another legend is about some wild persons who lived in the mountains around Braies and who had found gold in these mountains. Then shepherds and farmers from outside arrived here and started to steal their gold. Thus the wild persons of Braies blocked the river and created this lake so that outsiders could not reach them to steal their gold.

Ponticello of Braies

Apart from the lake, the areas surrounding Braies are famous for their beautiful panoramas. We visited one of these places - it is called Ponticello (Small Bridge).

The craggy skyline of the mountains as seen from Ponticello was very impressive.

However, on that day, the road for going up in the mountains of Ponticello was closed due to a landslide, so we could go higher up.

The old town of Braies was once known for the thermal baths containing sulphur. These are now closed. However, we did not visit it and promised ourselves to return to Braies to discover more of its surroundings.

Conclusions

Braies lake is famous for its beauty. We found that its fame is worthwhile. The clear Turkish-blue and green waters, the snow-covered majestic Dolomite mountains reflected in the lake and the beautiful pathway around the lake, make it a magical place. If you are visiting this part of Italy, do not forget to visit the Braies lake!

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Exploring the beachside town of Bibione

Clear blue waters, beautiful nature and a large variety of seaside fun activities makes Bibione a wonderful holiday destination for persons who like the sea. At the same time, it also provides a lot of opportunities to explore art, culture and architecture in many of the historical small towns around Bibione.

Bibione is a holiday town along the Adriatic coast in the north-east of Italy, north of Venice. Thus if you are planning holidays in Bibione, this post is for you.

Bibione History

Bibione was a marshy area till 1960s. During 1970s, the marshes were filled and slowly Bibione started to develop as a holiday destination.

The first houses in Bibione had come up in the eastern part of the beach, around Corso del Sole and the area that is now known as "Lido dei Pini". Since those early days, the city grew, mainly towards the west in areas called Pineta and Lido del Sole, with hundreds of hotels and holiday homes and is now one of the biggest holiday centres in the north of Italy.

Over the past three decades, for our family our annual summer holidays in Bibione are a lovable tradition.

Reaching Bibione

The nearest airport is Venice airport about 90 km away. Bibione is connected to Venice and the airport by taxis, boats and buses. The nearest railway station is in Latisana, about 25 km away. Latisana is connected to Bibione by taxis and buses. The bus from Latisana city centre will drop you near the Bibione city centre.

Just for staying in Bibione you do not need a car, you can walk every where, though with the expansion of the city, reaching the far end of the new areas in Pineta may need 15-20 minutes of walk. However, if you are interested in discovering the art, culture and history of the neighbouring medieval towns you will need a car.

For staying in Bibione, there are a lot of options - apartments, independent houses, residences and hotels.

Fun at the seaside

Personally I am not very fond of lazying around on the beach. I did it when our son was small and he used to love the beach, but now I usually go to the beach only for a swim or an early morning/evening walk. However, if you like to spend time on beach, in Bibione you can find opportunities for boat riding and paddle-boat riding.

Along the beach, there are also places where you can play a game of bowls or beach volley or badminton. There are also exercise and dance classes on the beach.

If you plan to spend lot of time on the beach, you may prefer to rent an umbrella and some reclining chairs. Beach is divided into areas, each with its own distinctive colours of umbrella, managed through a kiosk where you can rent per day, per week or for a month.

If you do not mind carrying your own umbrella and chairs, in between, there are many free areas. Apart from the free beaches, there are also areas with umbrellas and chairs where dogs are allowed. For example, dogs are allowed at the Pluto beach in Lido dei Pini.

Nature walks

However, Bibione is not just about soaking sun, seaside walks and swims. The surrounding countryside is also good for nature walks and bicycle rides. You will find farmers in the fields, country houses selling fresh vegetables, ducks walking across the path and many horse-rearing places where you can try horse-riding lessons.

For example, at Lido dei Pini, a new passage has been built along the sea, that passes through a protected forest, and takes you to the lighthouse and Tagliamento river. Similar passages close to the sea are also available near the Bibione Thermal Baths and in Pineta.

Adventure sports 

If you prefer something more adrenalin stimulating, you can try kiting, water-scooters, speed boats, or wind-surfing. Many schools for teaching and renting equipment for the adventure sports and boats are based along the seaside.

On the other hand you can also try playing Bocce (bowls) or handball or attending some beach-dance class. Evenings have concerts in the promenade in Piazza Zenith near the sea and some nights have the fireworks displays, usually at midnight.

Eating Out in Bibione

The city is full of restaurants, pizzerias and take-aways. However, most of the restaurants offer Italian cuisine and it is not easy to find places offering Chinese, Asian, African or South American cuisines. There are some really wonderful ice cream parlours in Bibione where you can try some special flavours of the famous Italian ice cream.

Bibione city Centre

If you do not wish to go out of the city, you can go for a walk in the city centre, full of shops and amusement arcades for children. Corso Europa, the main central street of Bibione is reserved for pedestrians and is the place to spend a couple of hours in the evening without getting bored.

Bibione Thermal Baths

Bibione has a famous thermal bath with qualified staff. You can go there for specific therapies as well as, for massages and rejuvenation therapies. Personally I have not been there, but my wife has been there many times and vouches for this place.

Day-trips from Bibione

Bibione provides some wonderful opportunities for discovering the art, culture and history of the neighbouring medieval towns such as Caorle, Portogruaro, Splimbergo, Redipuglia, Aquileia and Grado.

There are also some amusement parks such as Liliput land and the zoo near Lignano.

You can also visit Venice as a day trip. You can take a bus to Venice. There are also daily organised one-day tours to Venice from Bibione. Visiting towns like Trieste or going across the Italian border to visit Slovenia, Austria or Croatia, is also possible during a day-trip.

Conclusions

Over the past four decades, we have spent so many wonderful days in Bibione, swimming, going for walks and visiting nearby medieval towns during day-trips. In this period, the city has grown and today offers exciting opportunities for all kinds of entertainment and relaxation.

Writing this post has been a wonderful experience because it gave me an opportunity to look at a lot of old pictures and to remember the good times we have had there.

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