Friday 30 December 2016

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai, India

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Hi,
As it's still the holiday season, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to talk to you about a church. So here is Saint Peter's Church in the suburb of Bandra West in Mumbai.

To be honest when I came to India, I did not expect to see as many churches and very beautiful ones to crown it all ! I was sure expecting to see a lot of temples, gurdwaras and mosques but I never thought I would see so many churches !

Not every states have a lot of churches but we can find a lot especially in Goa (I haven't been to Goa yet), Maharashtra and Kerala. Christianism is actually the third biggest religion in India.

Like France, India is a secular country, but we can say that for every indian no matter in which god(s) they believe, faith and religion are really important and a huge part of their life.

One day, I was taking a stroll in Bandra in Mumbai, I was actually taking pictures of street art on Chapel Road. Then I wanted to go back to the train station by walking and I came upon the massive Church of Saint Peter. I then decided to go inside.

The church is really huge and beautiful inside and outside. It's a Jesuit parish, you can visit the website of the church over here to have more informations about it. I am not really a religious person, but I have to say that I've never been in so many churches than during my time in India

So I just sat a little bit, I think any religious place is a good place to think, so that's what I did. A mass then started so I even stayed during the mass. It's a great experience to participate to a mass in India, I really enjoyed it !

If you have the time, you should also definitely visit Mount Mary Church which is not very far, and which is a very lovely church.

How to go to Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai :
- You can take the Mumbai local train till Bandra's stop, then go to the west side and take a rickshaw (5/10 minutes depending on traffic),
- You can also walk from the station to the church, it's a 20 minutes walk. I really like to walk so that's what I did.
- If you're in the south of Mumbai, you can also take a cab, an ola or an uber.
Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Saint Peter's Church in Mumbai

Sunday 25 December 2016

Christmas in Paris, France

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Hi Guys !!
First of all, let me wish you a very merry Christmas if you are celebrating ! Or awesome holidays if you are not celebrating Christmas. I am myself not really celebrating, but the holiday season is my favorite time of the year and I really enjoy the Christmas lights, ornaments, carols, food, etc... It's like being a kid again !!

So I thought today I'd share with you Christmas decorations of the department store the "Galeries Lafayette" in Paris. These decorations are not from this year but from 2014. Yes, I know, I am a bit late, but I didn't like that much the decorations of this year and I think it would be really stupid to let these pictures rot into my computer.

So I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do ! And I have an extra gift that I made for you at the end of the post !

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

Christmas Ornaments in Paris

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Wednesday 7 December 2016

One Day in Mumbai's Metro

Mumbai's metro

While I was staying in Mumbai, I joined the community "Mumbai Instagrammers", you can find them on Instagram over here, or on Facebook over there. It's a group of people which enjoy photography. Anybody can join : amateurs and professionals. They organize Photowalks and Instameets allover Mumbai.

I joined this group because first of all I am very fond of photography. Then I thought it would be a great opportunity to discover new places (probably places where I would have never been by myself) and meet new people !

The first Instameet I joined was this one. It was organised by the "Mumbai Instagrammers" group and the Metro itself, it was called "Majhi Metro Festival" and you can find more info by clicking here if you are interested. It was actually a contest, the theme of this year for Majhi Metro 2016 Festival was "My Metro. My Story" where artists were asked to share their version of the Metro story. I took more than 700 pictures that day and these ones are my submissions.

I didn't win but I am really happy that I had the opportunity to join this Instameet because it is usually not allowed to take pictures inside of the metro, platforms, etc... Besides it was a Sunday, so mostly families were travelling that day, it gave me the chance to take great portraits.

Enough talk now. I hope you'll like my pictures and please follow me on Instagram by clicking right here, so you won't miss any of my shots in the future.

Mumbai's metro
Ready, Steady, Go
Mumbai's metro
Sumit, the Train's Pilot
Mumbai's metro
Metro Journeys Are Exhausting
Mumbai's metro
Dreams
Mumbai's metro
A Very First Journey !
Mumbai's metro
The Wait
Mumbai's metro
Frozen
Mumbai's metro
Shadows
Mumbai's metro
Happy Family
Mumbai's metro
Colorful Outfits, Dark Look 
Mumbai's metro
Focus
Mumbai's metro
Smiles :)
Mumbai's metro
The Purple Lady
Mumbai's metro
Hey, What's Up ?
Mumbai's metro
Contrast
Mumbai's metro
Tiger, the Sniffing Dog

Thursday 1 December 2016

What to do in Munnar, Kerala ?

Hi everyone,
Welcome to my blog ! Here is my first post and I hope you'll enjoy it as well as my blog. I've decided to write my first article about the beautiful Munnar which is one of my favorite places in India.

The city itself is not pretty at all, to not say ugly and has nothing special, you should not waste time there. But everywhere around is beautiful and magical. I stayed there for three days, I had just come out of the hospital after a terrible food poisoning, I was still a bit low, but I couldn't stop staring at the greenery and the landscapes and I really felt at peace surrounded by so much nature and tea fields as far as the eye can see. Let's not forget that the state of Kerala is also called "God Own's Country".

Letchmi Tea Estate, Munnar - Kerala

Munnar is located in the Idukki district of Kerala at an altitude of 6000 feet above the sea level. Munnar was a former british tea plantaion location since the end of the 19th century. The tea plantations were then bought by Tata, the famous indian group and finally bought by its farmer, they are now called after the name of the place : "Kanan Devan Hills Plantation". It is the largest and one of the highest tea-growing region in India. It is a honeymoon destination for Indians.

Letchmi Tea Estate, Munnar - Kerala

A hike in those pristine plantations is definitely worth doing. While walking across the tea fields I felt like I was in the Shire from the "Lord Of The Rings", and that I was going to bump into a hobbit anytime. Unfortunately, I never met Froddo or Bilbo but we were told that we might see some wild elephants. It also didn't happen, but I didn't care because I was already amazed by the landscape. Of course it would have been the icing on the cake but I am already happy that I had the opportunity to visit such a place. 

Letchmi Tea Estate, Munnar - Kerala

Before our stroll across the tea fields, we visited the "Tea Museum" located in city. It is small but interesting, you'll learn about the history of the area, how they produce tea, how beneficial it is for our health and body, and even bring back some tea or souvenirs from the shop. The museum is open from 09:00 to 17:00 and is closed on Mondays. The entrance fees are 125 rupees per person and 20 rupees for a camera pass. It was the perfect visit before exploring the tea plantations.

Selected proverbs from the Tea Museum in Munnar - Kerala

Not only tea is growing in the area, you'll surely be able to visit a spice farm and discover how grows : cocoa, cinnamon, cardamom, chilies, nutmeg, coffee, pepper, etc... Once again, you'll be able to buy some spices directly from the farmers which is kind of amazing, I got plenty for a song! Below, you can see some cocoa beans in an opened cocoa pod!


An opened cocoa pod, Munnar - Kerala

While I was in Munnar, I was staying at the stunning homestay "Mistletoe", it is a bit far from the city (19km) but it's definitely worth it. It's one of my favorite places where I stayed in India, I'll do a more detailed post about this homestay, because it really felt like a home and I fell in love with it. The two pics below are views on the valley from our balcony!

View of the valley from the Mistletoe Munnar Boutique Homestay, Munnar - Kerala

The best period to go to Munnar is between August and May, If you want to be sure to avoid the monsoon, you'd rather go from September only. I went in August, it didn't rain but as you can see on some pics, it was sometimes a bit cloudy, but sometimes it was the mist. I think the best months to go to Munnar are the months following the monsoon though, you'll then be able to admire the greenery of the place.

View of the valley from the Mistletoe Munnar Boutique Homestay, Munnar - Kerala

On our way to the city, we stopped to admire this beautiful waterfall, this one is the "Attukad Waterfall" but there are many more in the valley. Unfortunately when we were in Munnar, there was a major strike across the country, so for one day we were not able to do anything, we just chilled, enjoyed the property and visited the spice farm, but the good thing is that Munnar is the right place to do that.

Attukad Waterfall, Munnar - Kerala

The pic below is another sight on the way to Munnar, it's the "Pothamedu Viewpoint", it's in a small dhaba (roadside restaurant) where they'll charge you 10 rupees per head to admire the view. Not a big expanse but if you really want to admire the scenery you can go to "Echo Point" (15km away from Munnar) or "Top Station Viewpoint" (32km away from Munnar). Due to the strike I was not able to visit any of these places, so I can't really talk about them, but I'll try to go back for sure, they were and still are on my to-do-list. One can also visit the "Eravikulam National Park" to admire flora and fauna.

Pothamedu Viewpoint, Munnar - Kerala

We also stopped at the place below, our rickshaw driver was very enthusiastic about these water pipes, so we just stopped wherever he guided us. You can use rickshaws or buses to move around Munnar. To go to Munnar, you can take a plane from Kochin and then an AC bus (probably two buses if you're going straight from the airport, one from the Kochin airport to the city of Kochin, then another bus from Kochin to Munnar) which will take you to Munnar. The journey from Kochin to Munnar lasts about 5 hours and the fees are really cheap. Don't hesitate to tell the name of your stay to the driver, he will drop you next to it if it's on the way.

On the way to Munnar, Kerala

Here it is, I hope you liked this first post and that it was useful. Please let me know if you have any questions about Munnar, I'd be more than happy to help you if I can! See you very soon.