Naveen's Journal » Fun

Bryan Adams Live in Berlin

Naveen — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:43:03 +0000

I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that I’ll be able to go to a Bryan Adams concert when I came to Germany! In fact, I didn’t even know about it till a week before the conert. Thanks to Shah Rukh Khan, and his later-got-cancelled-concert in Germany (Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt) Temptations Reloaded, I had gone to buy tickets for which at Hugendubel – that I came to know that BA was performing in Berlin the next week, which was too much a temptation to resist. And tickets for the main standing hall being available for Euro 50 (Rs 3500 approx), it was still saving me a hell lot from the SRK concert (Euro 80!).

As I posted earlier, this concert was the main reason for my Berlin trip, and after checkin in the U-Inn Berlin hostel at Frankfurter Allee at around 6PM, I was off for the Velodrom, which was only 2 S-Bahn stops away from there. The excitement was clearly visible in the air, and all BA fans were busy shopping merchandise up for sale. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not many people were in there by that time (around 7 PM), which gave me the opportunity to base my ass very close to the stage (around 20 feet away ).

BA arrived at 9, leaving us to be tormented by some band for about 40 minutes before, but boy, wasn’t it worth the wait! The 2 giant screens on either side of the centerstage showed him coming out of the dark, flanked by a battery of bodyguards and files of screaming fans!

I think the pictures below and the videos of his performance in my following posts can speak a lot more than what i can write here.

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An exciting weekend in Berlin

Naveen — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:21:08 +0000

I can’t thank myself enough for not coming back to Leipzig straight after the BA concert on Friday, and rather staying in Berlin for the weekend – to witness this great city soaked in history and culture, and also the famous famous Berlin Marathon 2008! Although I could not witness the legendary Haile Gebrselassie crossing the finish line and setting yet another world record (I was on the roof of the German Parliament when he was doing it), like he did in 2007, also at Berlin, it was quite an experience to be at the Brandenburg gate watching more than 40,000 runners start off, and then follow them around the city along famous Berlin landmarks.

The day before, I took a city tour conducted by the New Berlin Tours which I think is one of the best things this city has to offer! New Berlin Tours is a part of the Sandeman’s New Europe which conduct free and paid tours in many famous European cities, apart from providing accommodation booking and other travel related services. They have great guides who come from various parts of the world and walks of life and are actually volunteering there, they know the history of the places they show inside out and and do a great job in keeping the tourists engrossed throught the 4 hours of the tour.

Starting in front of the Starbucks cafe at Brandenburg Gate, which itself is the postcard of Berlin, we saw the Holocaust Memorial right beside it, followed by all major attractions in the vicinity, including Hitler’s bunker, the former headquarters of the Stasi, Berlin Wall, Topography of Terror, and then reaching Checkpoint Charlie. The latter is a really interesting and vibrant tourist spot which was 1 of the 3 checkpoints in the erstwhile divided Berlin.

Walking along the brickmarks of the Berlin Wall, we met hundreds of enthusiastic tourists and atheletes who had come to participate in the marathon the next day. Bebelplatz, the French and German Cathedrals, The Humboldt University (home to 29 Nobel winners!!), Unter din Linden and finally the imposing Berliner Dome brought to end a small but exhaustive trip of the great places to visit while in Berlin.

I was lucky enough to find accommodation in two of the many super-inexpensive but ultra comfortable hostels of Berlin for my 2 nights of stay, as Sunday being the Marathon day, there were hundreds of thousands of non Berliners in the city for the marathon, who had already booked most of them.

The characterists of Berlin which made me a fan of this city are its great cosmopolitan and international culture (for a change in Germany, I did not see raised eyebrows on talking in English!) and the balance which it has maintained between the new world sophistication and old world charm. The Fernsehturm (TV Tower) standing 350+ metres over the swanky Alexanderplatz makes for a great click when you stand in front of the Berliner Dome! The magnificent concept of the Reichstag (Deutsch Parliament) complex which allows ANYONE to walk in the German Parliament and go up to the top dome, which is an architecural masterpiece, astounded me completely. They not only talk of having transparency in the administration, they actually have it! The transport system of Berlin is as extensive as it can get with the S-Bahn (overhead rail/metro), U-Bahn (underground metro), trams, buses and every possible kind of transport networking the huge city that Berlin is. Not to mention costwise it is one of the cheapest capital cities in Europe offering unlimited party options as well as great historical and cultural insights of Germany.

Thanks to my dear friend Giovanni Dicesare from Milano, with whom I spent the 3rd day and enjoyed the sunny weather

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Leipzig Town Race

Naveen — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:37:39 +0000

Last to last Sunday, I had the chance to be at Clara Zetkin Park to enjoy the carnival atmosphere for the 5 and 10 KM races sponsored by Sportscheck. Actually it was Ronny’s participation which excited me even more to go and see. He finished a commendable 15th with a time of around 39 mintes for the 10 KM, with winner clocking around 32 minutes. It has already pumped me enough to decide that I’ll be aprticipating in the Leipzig Marathon next year

Few pictures from the event -

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Looking forward to Berlin

Naveen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:20:57 +0000

So much has been happening here in Leipzig that I bareky get any time to think over the experiences and manifest them. Investment banks, consultancies , projects, exams.. huh! In the meantime I even got the chance to go to a 10 KM race event (details later) here at the Clara Zetkin Park which was a unique experience in itself!

And after my Financial Accounting exam tomorrow, I’m leaving for Berlin to see Bryan Adams perform live at the Velodrom !! Hope to have a great time at the concert and then Berlin tour with friends coming the next morning.

Will post back with media

Cheers

Taxi ride at Porsche

Naveen — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:58:21 +0000

Well, if the beginning to my European sojourn is something to go by, then definitely it’ll be fun to be here for the next year. Before I could post some pictures of the beautiful city Leipzig is, and about other things here, I am compelled to write the experience we had yesterday. As part of our Welcoming event at HHL, Porsche organised a grand reception for HHL students, and it was a pretty long day having the great mix of business, strategy, fun and adventure! Starting the day with case studies and presentations on the Global warming issue, which is forcing the EU to bring CO2 emmission norms which’ll put cars like Porsche off the streets for sure, we had a gala lunch at the sophisticated Porsche facility in Leipzig which is the production center for all Cayene models. And after brainstorming during the afternoon on the CO2 issues and devicing strategies for Porsche, we were pleasantly surprised to know that the powerful beast Porsche Cayene Turbo was waiting for us at the Porsche Testing tracks, to give us the rides of our lifetime!

And what a ride it turned out to be! It’s impossible to explain the feeling that you get while bumping on those chicanes at almost 200 miles per hour! I was fortunate to be beside the driver, Manuel, and toook the following video. Also enjoy few pictures of the Porsche museum having all cars in its line – from the Carera GT2 to the Cayene to vintage sports cars!

Rajinikanth – The king of Style!

Naveen — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:43:08 +0000

Rajinikanth – the King of Style!

Back from Kafni Glacier Trek

Naveen — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:03:08 +0000

Finally the dream is over and I have to land in civilization! After 2 weeks in Utopian territories, as far as possible from any signs of so-called modern advancements and technology, and as near as possible to the nature, the mighty Kumaon Himalayas and myself, I come back back with memories of definitely the most exhilarating experience of my life. The journey was as rewarding as, or even more than, the destination and the tranquil days I spent with my friends, cannot be manifested in words.

Yet, I’ll be posting a travelogue covering our journey to Pindari-Kafni Glacier, Nainital, Delhi and places in between. Also I’m busy now sprucing up my Ajax Picture Gallery so that I can post the hundreds of beautiful pictures which we took while on the trip.

Keep watching

Durga Puja Pandals and Idols in Kolkata- Day 3

Naveen — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 07:56:06 +0000

KOLKATA DURGA PUJA IMAGES – DAY 1

KOLKATA DURGA PUJA IMAGES – DAY 2

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE FULL SIZE

A SMALL BUT BEAUTIFUL PUJA ON C.I.T. ROAD

A traditional Santhal dance being performed in front of pandal

Decorative lanterns on trees

A 12 storey Vodafone banner at Ekdalia!

DESHAPRIYA PARK (Google Maps)

A replica of he famous TIRUPATHI Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India

The idol at Deshapriya Park

PARK CIRCUS

Replica of the famous Golden Temple, Amritsar, India

The Goddess at Park Circus

Durga Puja Pandals and Idols in Kolkata- Day 2

Naveen — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:33:05 +0000

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE IMAGES OF DURGA PUJA IN KOLKATA

As I had promised, I’m back with more pictures of the breathtaking Durga Puja scene in Kolkata right now. The fervour is electrifying and the craftsmanship simply scintillating. It seems as if the whole of Kolkata is out on the streets (it actually is!) during Pujas, and the sights throughout the night remain the same, forcing you to believe that the clock has stopped! Anyways, I’ll cut the crap and below are the snaps of Golpark, Ekdalia Evergreen in Gariahat, Singhi Park opposite the former

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE FULL SIZE

GOLPARK (Google Maps)

THE EKDALIA ENTRANCE -GARIAHAT (Google Maps)

Awesome illumination work

The huge pandal from a distance

Must have been thousands out there!

The traditional Durga idol at Ekdalia

Chandelier!!

RELATIVELY SMALL PUJA OF PHALGUNI SANGHA, BESIDE EKDALIA

SINGHI PARK, BANG OPPOSITE EKDALIA

Its Halloween time!!

Is it Durga Puja or Vodafone Puja!!

The magnificent Singhi Park deity

Intricate artistry inside the pandal

HINDUSTAN CLUB PUJA, BEHIND SINGHI PARK

Durga Puja Pandals and Idols – Day 1

Naveen — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:35:33 +0000

CLICK HERE TO SEE LATEST PICTURES OF DURGA PUJA IN KOLKATA

It was Mahasasthi, 1st day of the famous Durga Puja and I ventured out in the evening for some pandal hopping. Didn’t cover much, but saw 3 famous Pujas of South Kolkata. Below are some of the pictures I took with my cellphone. Will be posting more and soon, better quality pictures taken from digicam.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE FULL SIZE

PANDAL IN ANANDA PALIT (in my locality – Google Maps)

IDOL AND PANDAL NEAR LAKE TEMPLE ROAD, SOUTHERN AVENUE (Google Maps)

SHIV MANDIR PUJA COMMITTE – LAKE TEMPLE ROAD (Google Maps)

Brilliant Lighting arrangements!

The Puja theme is awesome – intricate artistry

It is Rotating!

The Main Pandal

On the walls

The Idol

LAKE YOUTH CORNER – BESIDE SHIV MANDIR

The pandal has been designed like a Banyan Tree!

And its all earth! Clay cups used for construction!

The Best Idol I saw yet

MUDIALI (Google Maps)

A PUJA IN A LAKE GARDENS PARK

LAKE SOUTH CLUB – LAKE GARDENS

THE FAMOUS JODHPUR PARK PUJA (Google Maps)

MY LOCALITY PUJA C.I.T ROAD (Google Maps)