Wanderings

Kashmir

adl1995 — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 24:00:00 GMT

We start our journey through Muzaffarabad, the capital of Kashmir. After spending the night there, we drive to the Neelum Valley. The route is very scenic, as one can see villages and rivers from the mountain cliffs.

Neelum is famous for its glacial lakes and rivers, so we head towards Dowarian village. The Neelum river flows besides the main road. In the afternoon, we rent a Jeep to visit the Ratti Gali Lake, which is located at ~12,000 feet. The lake is only 18 KMs from Dowarian village, however, due to a high gain in altitude (~6,000 feet) and the rocky terrain, the journey takes around 2 hours.

The base camp is surrounded by tents. It rained almost all night, but the weather cleared for a few hours around midnight. Even though its remoteness, there is still Wi-Fi up there. The locals also generate electricity through water turbines. As there wasn’t much lighting in this area, stars, planets, and the Milky Way were easily visible during the night. Due to the high altitude, it takes a long time to cook food, and often pressure cookers are used, even for boiling eggs.

At around 8:00 AM, we head towards the Ratti Gali Lake, which is a ~40 minutes hike from the base camp. As it was raining in the morning, the mud was slippery, so it took us nearly an hour to reach the top. Our our way, we were greeted by a baby goat. He followed us all the way to the top, and was quite helpful in navigating us towards the dry land.

Ratti Gali translates to “Red Alley”. The name probably comes from the unusual flowers that surround the valley. After some time the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. The sun made for a pleasant experience. Herds of cows were grazing the grass.

Ratti Gali was as serene and breathtaking as ever. The locals welcomed us with warm tea and hard-boiled eggs.

Clouds started to surround the mountains on our way back.

Flight to Geneva

adl1995 — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 24:00:00 GMT

My flight departed from the new Islamabad Airport on 31^st September around 9:30 AM. The new airport is located just outside the city, so it is much bigger and has a better design overall.

As I was flying through Emirates, I had a connecting flight through the Dubai International Airport for 3 hours. The plane landed at the Dubai airport around 11:40 AM.

The airport was well organized, with all the shops located on a straight line. There were a diverse set of people working at the airport, all conversing in their local languages.

The next flight was to the Geneva International Airport with a flight time of 6 hours. When departing from Dubai airport, the runway was very congested, so the take off was delayed by ~20 minutes.

The in-flight entertainment system on Emirates is impeccable. It shows the plane’s current location, its altitude, outside temperature, and other neat stuff. There are also two external cameras on the bottom and front of the plane, which give a really nice view when landing and taking off.

Departing from Dubai at 3:20 PM.

For lunch, we had lemon and oregano chicken, with some salad and a chocolate mousse. The airline also provided a turkey sandwich before landing.

The plane flew over ten countries (in order): Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, and finally Switzerland. After crossing the Adriatic Sea and entering Europe, the weather was mostly cloudy.

We landed at Geneva airport around 7:50 PM. I was expecting it to be really cold at that time, but the temperature was around ~18° C. After the collection of luggage, the airport provides passengers a free public transport ticket, which is valid for 3 hours.

Foyer Résidence Schumann

adl1995 — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 24:00:00 GMT

The Foyer Résidence Schumann is located in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, a commune in France with ~9000 population. It is located just 3 KMs away from Switzerland’s second most populous city, Geneva. Due to its close proximity to Geneva, many working class people choose to live here and commute to Switzerland everyday.

Officially referred to as the “CERN Hostel”, Schumann residence is a good temporary solution whilst looking for an apartment.

All rooms are equipped with a single bed, a refrigerator, a study table, a cupboard, and a bathroom.

During my time here, I have collected a huge amount of coins. For now, they just sit there…

Each floor has 10 rooms, attached with a kitchen and a laundry room. The stoves use induction for heating, which can reduce the cooking time by a significant margin.

There’s also a TV lounge, a bicycle shed, and several benches for sitting outside.

Sunrise in Choully, Satigny

adl1995 — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Satigny is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva. Located just across the French commune, Saint-Genis-Pouilly, this municipality inhabits around 4,000 people. More than half of its area is used for agricultural purposes, and it is the largest wine-producing municipality in Switzerland.

The municipality consists of several small villages. Among these, the village of Choully provides an excellent view of Geneva and the surrounding mountains. Since Geneva Airport is located at the heart of the city, planes can be seen landing and taking off almost every 5 minutes.

Watching the Sun emerge from the mountains is a delightful experience.

Besides grapes, numerous vegetables and plants are cultivated here, such as tomatoes, cabbages, and pumpkins.

French villages can be seen on the side opposite to Geneva.

Hike to Chalet de Narderan

adl1995 — Sat, 22 Sep 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Crêt de la Neige is the highest mountain peak in the French territory around Geneva. It is located in the commune of Lélex, and provides a good vantage point for viewing the Mont Blanc, the Alps, and the Geneva river.

The uphill hike begins from the commune of Thoiry, through its dense forest.

Farmers bring their cattle in this area for grazing. It is advised to keep distance from the animals, as the dogs kept for the protection of cattle can be hostile.

After a ~50 minutes hike, the first stopping point is called Objectif Gaïa. On the way to the peak there are several resting points from which the scenic views can be observed. One of them is Chalet de Narderan.

Marché de Plainpalais, Geneva

adl1995 — Sat, 29 Sep 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Geneva’s largest Sunday market, also known as Marché de Plainpalais, is located in Plaine de Plainpalais, a public square in Geneva, just about 500 meters from river Arve.

All shops are located on the public square, just beside a skatepark, which sell items including clothes, electric appliances, and crockeries.

Numerous cuisines can be found in this area, from regions of France, India, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, and Turkey.

Some shops also sell specialty items including spices, mushrooms, and decor.

And, as with most places in Geneva, there is drinkable water just around the corner.

Visit to La Cathédrale de Lausanne and shore of Lake Geneva

adl1995 — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Lausanne is the fourth-largest city of Switzerland, and is located on a hillside facing Lake Geneva. It is labeled as the “Olympic Capital” as it hosts the International Olympic Committee.

It is about 62 kilometers away from Geneva, and it takes around 50 minutes get there by train. Agricultural land surrounds most of the route.

The streets in Lausanne are very steep, with an elevation gain of about 80 meters per kilometer.

Shoreside along Lake Geneva is filled with ferries and sailing boats, and also houses the Olympic Museum.

On the opposite side of the city lies the Lausanne Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1275.

It also provides a good vantage point for viewing the city.

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Jardin botanique, and the city of Lyon

adl1995 — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Located in the east-central part of France, Lyon is the country’s third largest city. It is known for its architectural landmarks and is titled the Capital of Lights because of the light festival “Fête des Lumières” that is held each year in December.

One prominent landmark of the city is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. It is located on top of the Fourvière hill and overlooks the entire city.

There are narrow alleyways that lead of the church.

Just 500 meters from the church there is an ancient Roman theater, known as Théâtre Gallo Romain.

This theater was built around the 2nd century and can seat around 10,000 people.

Lyon has a comprehensive bike rental system called Vélo’v. The docking stations can be seen every few blocks.

The Lyon Botanical Garden (or “Jardin botanique de Lyon”) is another prominent landmark of the city.

Established in 1857, this is France’s largest municipal botanical garden.

The city of Lyon is very lively and there are numerous events organized throughout the year.

This month, the “Run in Lyon” marathon was held, which aimed to donate money to a medical cause.

Les Ateliers de Marinette vintage shop in Lyon

adl1995 — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Les Ateliers de Marinette is a vintage shop located in the city of Lyon. The road besides the shop leads to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière and overlooks the Saône river.

Vintage items include posters, light bulbs, bottles, matchboxes, buttons, jars, etc. Some of the items date back to the early 1900’s.

Among other items, the shops also sells vintage polaroid cameras and films.

Bern, Fribourg, and Murten

adl1995 — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, is situated in the about 120 KMs to the west of Zürich, the largest city of Switzerland. The majority of the population speaks Bernese German.

The Aare river stretches along the entire city due to which there are many bridges. The city is built on an uneven ground. An elevation difference of several meters exists between the city center and its outskirts.

According to a local legend, the city is named after “bear”, as it was the first animal hunted by the city founder. The city center contains many museums, street art, and souvenir shops.

Fribourg is situated about 30 KMs to the west of Bern. It has a population of around 38,000 with mostly French speaking inhabitants. The University of Fribourg enrolls 10,000 students and contains five faculties which are based around socials sciences, humanities, and economics.

About 10 KMs from Fribourg there is a village called Barberêche.

The farm was called “Ferme du Petit-Vivy” and contained tipis and and a barn house for guests.

The host provided a nice homemade Swiss breakfast in the morning.

At an hours bike ride from the farm lies the city of Murten, which is part of the canton of Fribourg.

The lake Murten is famous for sailing, wind surfing, and other water sports.

Sion and Vex

adl1995 — Sat, 03 Nov 2018 24:00:00 GMT

Sion is famous for the Tourbillon Castle and Valère Basilica which are located on a hilltop in the city center. I went there on a sunny Saturday morning on the SBB train which passed through Laussane, Montreux, and Martigny. The journey takes about an hour and 45 minutes and goes around Lake Geneva.

Upon arriving I went straight to the Tourbillon Castle. After asking around how to reach the hilltop I found that the castle was closed (and would reopen later during the day) so I instead went to Valère Basilica, which was located on the opposite side of the hill.

The church was going through renovation work, and some parts were closed for tourists. It provided spectacular views of the city and the mountains.

Since the city is surrounded by mountains, there are numerous tourist attractions on the outskirts of the city. I decided to go to the Bisse Savièse Torrent-Neuf which is located in the commune of Savièse. It is located about 9 KMs away from Sion, however, it has an elevation of 1236 meters (with Sion having an elevation of only 520 meters).

I brought my folding bicycle with me but it proved to be futile against the steep elevation gain, so I had to drag it uphill which took around 2 hours (but the views were very pleasant). On my way to the bisse I passed through some villages and found a variety of cows with bells tied around their neck and a few rabbits.

Torrent-Neuf is a suspension bridge which was built during the mid-15th century for creating water channels to the city. The site is now restored and remains a popular tourist attraction.

I came back to the city before evening. From there I was to go to Vex, where I would be spending the night. This village is also located on a hilltop (on the opposite side of Savièse). Although its elevation is less (943 meters) compared to Savièse, it is about 7 KMs away from Sion, so the gain is much steeper. Again, it proved to be faster to walk rather than bike uphill. There was only one road which went to the village, but I found a small street which allowed me to cut through one turn. I reach to the hilltop during late evening, and went straight to the AirBnB I had booked. The room was very comforting after the long journey.

On the next morning, I went out to explore the village. The house tenants were taking their skis for waxing to prepare for the upcoming season. I first went to a Boulangerie and bought some croissants. There were numerous small farms in the village, and being on a hilltop it overlooked Sion and other surrounding places.

I found on Google Maps that there was a waterfall nearby, but I could not find it. I also found a castle, but there was no visible entrance.

The ride back to Sion was very fun, as can be imagined because of the abrupt elevation drop. To go down from the mountain took me no more than 15 minutes, which had taken me around 2 hours when going up. From there I caught my train back to Geneva.

Trip to Spain

adl1995 — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 24:00:00 GMT

During the Christmas holidays in December 2018, I visited Spain and spent two weeks travelling along the coastal cities.

I started my journey in Barcelona, where I spent two days which also included a day trip to Girona — a small town that recently gained traction for being a shooting location for the Game of Thrones series. From Barcelona I took a train along the coast to Valencia, and after soaking up its splendour I visited a small historical town called Cartagena, and then made my way to the beach town of Almería. I imagined the south of Spain to be warmer than the north, but was surprised to find snow on the mountain tops near Granada.

Barcelona

I started my journey from this beautiful (but crowded) city. Soon after landing I rented a bike and spent the next 2 days exploring the old town and other historical buildings.

Girona

At just an hours' train ride from Barcelona is the scenic city of Girona. It's a small town whose cathedral was featured in the Game of Thrones series.

Valencia

A city with numerous promenades laden with Orange trees and graffiti drawings, Valencia had much to offer.

Cartagena

A port city with an iconic view of the sea. Cartagena was a laid-back and fascinating city. Some prominent destinations included the Roman Theatre and a university.

Almería

A quiet city with a colourful Christmas market, sandy beaches, and a spectacular fortress dating back to the Moorish rule of Spain.

Murree - Nathia Gali

adl1995 — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 24:00:00 GMT

This trip included a visit to the Lalazar / Ayubya National Park in Nathia Gali. It is located about 30 KMs away from the beautiful city of Murree. On our way to Nathia Gali it was very cloudy.

The park was very well-maintained and clean. I saw a variety of flowers, trees, and snails along the path. It took around 20 minutes to hike up to the park (an elevation of about 100 meters).

The water in this region is normally heated using wood. This was a water tank just outside a hotel with two large reservoirs.

Although the park was quite big, it only contained a single wild animal: a Guldar Cheetah. The board below say that this Cheetah is found in all fours provinces of Pakistan and is known to prefer solidarity. It also prefers walking on narrow paths due to which it gets hunted easily. It is known for attacking its preys swiftly.

Other than the spectacular view, this park also connected to the Mukeshpuri mountain through a trekking route which took 3 hours.

The park’s entrance was located just besides this hotel.

On our way back we ran into some monkeys; there are many of those in the mountains of Murree and the surrounding region.

Middle East from Above

adl1995 — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 24:00:00 GMT

I took these photos while travelling from Pakistan to Switzerland. I flew through Emirates and had to change my flight at Dubai (this allowed me to take some closeups of the metropolis).

The flight route included these countries:

Since we took off from Dubai, I could take some closeups of the metropolis.

These bizzare housing quarters caught my eye. Hundreds and hundreds of clone houses stacked besides each other. I really liked how they alternated the colours.

Since the airplane was almost empty, I could easily alternate between both sides to take pictures.

We flew above the Persian gulf on our first strand of the journey. I briefly saw the port of Qatar, before flying close to the seashore of Saudi Arabia. I tried hard to locate the seashore of Iran, but was only able to see a faint glimpse before it disappeared.

I saw quite a few of these on the shore of Saudi Arabia. They might have something to do with water desalination.

Shortly after we entered the airspace of Kuwait. The massive bridge below is called the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway which connects Kuwait city with the outer region. It is the fourth longest road bridge in the world with a length of 36.14 km.

The thin line below is the Kuwait-Iraq border. It was quite strange to see the contrast between a desert and a (somewhat) developed region.

We then flew above Iraq. Although this region was quite dry, I saw this beautiful oasis in the midst of the desert.

I was quite surprised by the road network of Iraq. For instance, this road ran for several miles in the midst of an unpopulated region.

This city was in the north of Baghdad and seemed very well-planned.

From the eastern side of the plane I could see the wondrous Zagros mountains which form Iraq’s natural border with Iran.

The flight above Turkey was fantastic, as the landscapes here were simply stunning.

And then we finally entered Europe. I could not take many photos here since it was very cloudy. The inflight entertainment system in Emirates provided some really useful information regarding the flight, including its current location, speed, altitude, etc. It even allowed displaying video from two outer cameras (although these are not helpful when it’s cloudy).

I did manage to take a nice picture of the amazing Alps before they were hidden beneath the clouds.

Some more pictures from the flight.

Ski Resorts in France

adl1995 — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 24:00:00 GMT

Over the winter of 2019 I learned to ski, visiting seven resorts across the French Alps. Each one had its own character — they are collected here in the order I visited them.

Le Grand-Bornand

On an early Saturday morning (around 6 AM), I mounted all my Ski equipment on my bike and biked towards CERN to catch the bus. This was my first time skiing and it proved to be…

Les Gets

Crozet

Man skiing with his dog (because why not?).

Saint Gervais

This resort was tremendously vast and beautiful.

Les Contamines

This open lift is a bit terrifying for beginners (most people fall down on their first try).

Avoriaz

This was yet another vast ski resort with an on-site hotel (the maze-like building below).

La Clusaz

This was perhaps the best resort I visited. The weather was superb and the pistes were wide open.

Georgia

adl1995 — Sun, 09 May 2021 24:00:00 GMT

I visited Georgia in December 2019 when I returning home to Pakistan. This trip took me around 2 months and I travelled all by road, passing through Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.

In Georgia I only stayed for 3 days. I spent the first night in Batumi, which is close to the border with Turkey.

I arrived in late afternoon and first bought a SIM card (name?) and then headed straight to my Airbnb.

The owner of the house was a very kind old lady who offered me tea and nice litte snacks. During the night there were lots of fireworks but I didn’t take any pictures.

The next day I visited two museums. The first was an archaeological museum which showcased numerous artifacts.

Afterwards I wanted to visited another cultural museum but it was very far off. Although there is public transport in Batumi it was difficult to understand which one to take, but I finally managed in the end.

I spent around an hour(?) exploring this place and then headed back into the city.

On my way back I was through some road-side market to see how the city outskirts looked like.

The city center of Batumi is very well-maintained and charming.

Right next to the seaside there is a monument call Eva and Abe(?).

Georgia has amazing and unique-looking breads! From what I noticed most breakmakers in the region were Jewish, so it could be a family-run business.

The day after I left for Kutaisi located X kilometers from Batumi. Since this was the first newyear day all trains were free, no matter the destination!

Although the train I took to Kutaisi was old, I saw this new modern looking train which was headed for Tbilisi.

Kutaisi is a historical city and I had planned to visit lots of museums there, but sadly they were all closed due to the new year.

Instead I walked around in the city, but there wasn’t a lot to see.

I found there was an old monastery atop a hill about X kms from the city, so I booked a taxi and went there.

This made my trip completely worth it. This monestary was build in X AD and was exremtely well preserved.

It overlooked the city from the top.

Visit to ICTP

adl1995 — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 24:00:00 GMT

I arrived in Trieste on a chilly Monday morning. I was in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the day before. I didn’t know how to get the bus ticket, so a friendly local shared his ticket with me to get to ICTP.

ICTP, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, is named after Dr. Abdus Salam who was a Pakistani physicist awarded the Nobel prize in 1961 for his contribution to Physics. For me this place was of great significance as the school’s founder, Abdus Salam, belonged to the same region in Pakistan where I grew up. His figure was an inspiration to everyone in our community.

Trieste is located in the Eastern part of Italy, close to the Slovenian border. Right next to the ICTP campus there is the famous Miramare castle, on the bank of the Mediterranean sea. The campus is lush green and full of wildlife.

ICTP campus from outside.

I had informed the library staff that I would be visiting so they could give me a tour of the place. Right at the entrace there were some plaques of Abdus Salam and his peers.

Paolo Budinich was one of his peers who had helped in the creation of this school.

I then did a tour of the entire building, going through classrooms, etc.

I couldn’t make sense of these two (probably a joke among physicists).

ICTP cafeteria where I had lunch.

Finally I visited the library. I spent most of my day here going through his old speeches and writings. These were only accessible from within the ICTP network.

The library staff had preserved his belongings with great care. It included a room with Abdus Salam’s personal collection of books, awards, publications, letters people sent after his death, etc.

Around 10 PM, as I was about to head out, I surprisingly ran into the school’s director, Dr. Fernando Quevedo. He was inspecting the main auditorium with his wife before heading out. I introduced myself and told him where I was from. He said Abdus Salam was a great man and we had a chat for few minutes. Before leaving he gave me one of his documentaries.

Some more pictures of the library…