Composed Volcano

a blog on travel, food and living…

Category Archives: Travelogue..my Travel Diary

Holidays in Andorra

October 4, 2010 08:47 ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅
Andorra Pic Credit: Priya Q

Andorra Pic Credit: Priya Q

Tour de France 2009 took me to a small country bordered by Spain and France in the south west of Europe.  Located at an elevation of 1023 meters Andorra with a population of 85,000 people (approx) is a beautifully scenic country having a unique charm of its own.

Andorra is known for its thriving tourism industry with a fair number of visitors coming in every year. Though the place was bustling with activity and people due to cycling event (TdF) that I was following, I could still manage to enjoy the calm the country offers through walks into the mountains and even picnicking with my companions. There are electrical trolleys one can take if walking is not a cup of tea!  Read more...

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Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising, Notting Hill, London – Part 2

June 21, 2010 08:42 ⋅ 7 Comments ⋅

Hope you enjoyed my last post on Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising, Notting Hill, London…

A brand can play an important role in creating social awareness. And a well established brand finds it easier to do so as somewhere through its advertising it had connected with its customers on an emotional level. Here are few interesting advertisements and branding exercises from the World War II time that I saw at the Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising in London.

Lifebuoy

Lux

Vim

Bovril

 Read more...

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Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising, Notting Hill, London

June 11, 2010 09:13 ⋅ 8 Comments ⋅
nds

Ponds

In my travels through Europe, almost every other day I would visit a museum as it is one of the easiest way to bring oneself upto date with the history of the place I was in. Some of these museums had some unique exhibits & almost every city that I had been to did have a local flavor to their museum.

Harpic

But it was in London city that I came upon this unique museum dedicated totally to “BRANDS”. Did you know that Vim is a brand that was launched in 1904?  And Harpic in 1924?  Did you know there was an Indian tonic water by the name Hunts?  Read more...

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Acropolis – To meet the Gods!!

March 26, 2010 13:08 ⋅ 4 Comments ⋅

Parthenon - Acropolis (Athens, Greece) Image: Priya Q

After visiting UNESCO Heritage sites like Skocjanske James in Slovenia and Meteora in Metsovo (Greece) I had the opportunity to visit another archaeological marvel at Athens – The Acropolis.

The capital city of Greece, Athens, is one of the world’s oldest cities with a strong role in the Greek history. One walk around this ancient city of Greece and you will get a feeling as of being on heavenly soil. While in Athens one has the options to do very many things. One can spend hours visiting the several beaches, the National Garden, Byzantine church, the many theatrical concerts, the House of Parliament and the monument of Unknown Soldier standing opposite to it or shop away to glory on the streets, but your visit to Athens will be incomplete without visiting the stupendous Acropolis.  Read more...

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Alice in Wonderland @ Zagora, Greece

March 11, 2010 08:06 ⋅ 3 Comments ⋅

Zagorin Apples Image: Priya Q

Continuing from my last post – As we drove into the hills, we were welcomed by arrays of apple trees spread over vast orchards on either side of the road intermittently interrupted by huge chestnut trees. If you haven’t had chestnuts so far, then you must! Both roasted and boiled chestnuts are delectable. Talking about apples, the apple produce from Zagora is distributed all over the world and is a unique much wanted brand. They are called Zagorin. I was quite lucky to be in Zagora during the picking season which was in September.  Read more...

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Enchanting Greece

March 9, 2010 11:41 ⋅ 15 Comments ⋅

Ionnina, Greece Image: Priya Q

My trip to Greece last year was full of cheery surprises. All I had in mind was to visit my friend in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece and a trip to Athens to dine with the Gods; I didn’t know my fate had many lucky bonuses on cards.  Read more...

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Ljubljana – The Dragon City!!

February 24, 2010 12:50 ⋅ 6 Comments ⋅

This article is in continuation to Holiday Haven – Slovenia…

Dragon Bridge - Ljubljana

The largest city in Slovenia, Ljubljana is about 2 hours of drive from Koper (if I count the repair time it took to get our car on road then our trip was of 5 hours! :) ). The Ljubljana Dragon is the symbol of the city and is prominently depicted in the coat of arms on the country flag also. There is a bridge called the Dragon Bridge crossing Ljubljanica River right in the heart of the city. The whole of this area can be explored on foot.  Read more...

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Holiday haven – Slovenia

February 23, 2010 08:56 ⋅ 3 Comments ⋅

Beautiful Koper... Image: Priya Q

2-3 days was all that I had planned to spend in Slovenia, but I ended up staying for a full 5 days traveling and exploring various places across Slovenia, such is the charm of this country located in the Central Europe.  Read more...

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Amsterdam City

January 9, 2010 13:21 ⋅ 52 Comments ⋅
image: Priya Q

image: Priya Q

I was thinking whether ‘Amsterdam – Sex and the city’ would have been more apt a title for this post. Will tell you why this thought crossed my mind as I progress :) . To begin with, let me take you around the city through the same route I took a few months back.

Amsterdam – a city 2 meters above the sea level derives its name from Amstellardam meaning a dam on river Amstel. The largest city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is not only the capital city but also the financial and cultural capital.  Read more...

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Vienna Attractions

December 23, 2009 12:21 ⋅ 6 Comments ⋅
DSC_0152

image : Priya Q

One city I fell in love with during my first visit albeit short one in the year 2006 is Vienna the capital city of Austria. I consider myself lucky, for 2009 gave me one more opportunity to visit and see Vienna up close and that too leisurely.

So what is it that attracts one to Vienna? Plush green gardens, larger than life architectural buildings, markets, music and culture? The answer is each one of these things, yes everything!

 Read more...

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