Journey

By Meera

I stood there watching the fastness of the crowd passing by. It felt alien to me, no more I could connect to the pace of this vibrant and lively city. At start, I was thrilled, to soak in the madness, but soon, I couldn't keep up to the unstoppable. I felt weary and with time, I lost the excitement of traveling overseas alone. The endless itenaries of the last two days and the sleepless nights, early wake-up calls with half filled stomach, was nothing close to the vacation, I had dreamt along my way, to this part of the world. The rush and the vastness of the people zipping ahead, with unsmiled nods, felt strange and I walked by the lane to my hotel afar and soon found, many outlets to drop in, to eat. The varied foods were splendid to plunge in, but the places were often queued up, to have a quick grab on. It so felt like, this one big giant city, could gulp anyone into its unending madness.

I woke up at the late afternoon, and was sipping my hot tea, at the balcony nook, of my Airbnb apartment. From the top floor, I could have a good view of the skyscrapers afar and the nearby structures. Within trices, I was stunned to observe the intricate details of the building, at the sides and on the other side of the road. I looked carefully to the buildings quite far from mine, soon to find so much of architecture richness in it and I was taken aback. Curious, I dressed up quickly and ran downstairs to the entrance and looked above. I wasn't surprised to find, beautiful fine and minutely hidden architectural styles. On my way down the lane, I had mapped out the nearby libraries to visit, before winding my day at the majestic bridge, above the river, connecting the two cities.

Whoa!! What a way to end my day!. I was gobsmacked by the knowledge of the histories, behind the architectural evolution around this huge city and the detailed documentations of it. I recalled the time I spent in the library, as I perched on the bench along the sides of the bridge, on the pedestrian lane. A while later, the inky blue sky elevated the sparkles of the high raises and I was gravitated towards the beautiful skyline that lightened up, on the other end of the bridge. As I walked out of the bridge, I was drawn to the night life brewing up, at the nooks and junctions of the streets. Vibing to the rhythm of the street jammers and food corners, I ambled on my way further and reached a place, the locals call it, the secret gem of the city. I couldn't have agreed more, after viewing the panoramic view of the night lights with a hidden garden in it, in the midst of the never - ending streets.

The green forest like vast garden, covered the four sides of the liveliest city and It shone, in the middle of the busy streets. The cycle, joggers and walking lanes, were well laid out, with charming tiny bridges and gates to connect all sides, to the park. I viewed it one last time, as I drove back to the airport, to catch my flight to home. On my way to the terminal, I cherished the last three pleasent days I spent on this amazing city, with my days spent on the not so concealed, yet, a hidden tranquil path, of centuries-old residential lane, with lined up beautifully carved houses with striking stairs and ancient built apartments across the streets, filled with, lots of trees for the warm sun to seep in. I was awed by the varied styles of architectural design, in the structures. Consumed by the beauty of it, I spent my whole mornings sketching them, followed by the midday exploration of the wonderful hues of colored painted walls, by the expressive local artists, to the big park at the centre and the beautiful cathedrals near by. I was awestruck by the unmistakable paintings of the artist to the mild warmth, the whole park had engulfed in and lastly the bold contrast structure of the church in the midst of the high rise buildings across the streets was salient.

The most part of my afternoons were spent on the muesums of etheral arts, histories and memorials enclosing the city. I was much more beholden to absorb, the place of memorial honouring the deaths of the innocent and the strong silence it creates in the ambience. I was enthralled to view, the ancient old central train station and the astounding architecture it possessed over the years. The evenings and at early nights, I walked along with the tourists, to the rivers surrounding the city, on one side of the bridge. I loved tredding alone on the magnificent big brown bridge, overlooking the river, with the fast pace cars running at the adjacent lanes. It was such a surreal experience to view, the river shine, to the asthetically lit bridge, as the night sky would wraparound, the slowly lit skylines and the dinner night - outs with my apartment friends, were fun filled, to wind my day.

As I settled on my seat, I felt wholesome inside. What an unparalleled vacation experience, I had. Travelling throughout the city, I had now realised, that, it's a city that could cater to anyone's wishes on every other corner and it had the most beautiful and unique vibe to it, apart from the fast pace facade it's known for. I felt contended within, watching the sketches of the architectures I had drawn and I reminised the morning sun and the shaded roads of the calm neighbourhood streets, as I smiled sleepily, once I snuggled up to coze on my space.

Author's note:

Go and make your own journey. Am sure each city has something more beautiful to offer, than it's attractions. Each city has hidden gems in it, if we make a chance to find them. With those secret treasures, It does, creates it's own vibe.

By Meera