DocDivaTraveller: June 2017

Whenever we visit a place, we make sure we touch its coastline (if its there). Now Italy has such a long coastline that it was impossible to visit all its beaches. Since we were short of time we tried to cover as much as possible, quickly. Though it was the longest trip of our lives till date (14 days) but still short as per other international travellers or for exploring Italy fully. Italy has a nice number of islands like Sardinia, Capri etc with picturesque beaches. So inserting a beach destination without compromising on the other spots was our target.

The Amalfi Coast of Italy is a very touristy destination. I have seen it numerous times on Television. Moreover, my favourite show Dolce Vita by David Rocco had one entire season shot in the Amalfi Coast. However I preferred to choose Cinque Terre instead of Amalfi. It took a lot of convincing to make my husband agree to it but I believe it was worth in the end!

Cinque Terre is a group of five villages on the hills along the Ligurian Sea. Cinque means five. Now each of the village being absolutely quaint and pretty, it was very difficult to decide in which one to stay. So my travel planner (read Hubs) chose the common point of Cinque Terre, La Spezia. But along with the Five Terre, there are two more very beautiful towns just like the other five villages: Levanto and PortoVenere. The culture there is absolutely similar to those of the five sisters. Porto Venere is the farthest tip in the chain followed by Levanto, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Riomaggiore and Manarola ..in that order. The Cinque Terre Express connects all these towns from La Spezia.

Levanto is itself a very beautiful town, as I stated earlier. On the second and last day of our trip, we left early to explore it before heading off to Cinque Terre. I was initially sceptical of losing a couple of precious hours. We walked to the tiny town from the station and it was the best decision ever. Would have surely missed it. The Ligurian Sea with the coloured town in background and a really wide beach.

Did I mention that I had one of the best gelatos there? A yummy gelato after a swim! Heaven! Ciao!!

Shorts: Zara

Sunnies: Forever 21

Crop Top: DIY by Mom

Purse: Jabong.com

Bracelet: Kazo

June 27, 2017 8 comments

Ah I just turned a year older! I can't believe I am almost 30! I have to change my blog description now. Maybe something less age specific :D

Well I may not be much wiser than before but there are things that I have learnt in the past years.

1. The most important relationship is the one with yourself. We try to please everyone around us. At least I do. But we should keep our own happiness as the top priority. If we are not happy, then how can we expect to make our loved ones content? P.S I am so done with pleasing others.

2. A person's innate nature never changes. I have heard enough that everyone deserves a second chance, he changed for good, blah blah. Rubbish! What I have experienced myself is that no matter how 'improved' the concerned person may present to you, his innate nature remains the same. After my share of selfish friendships, I have learnt a cardinal lesson: If your friend deceives you, don't give him/her a second chance and save those tears.

3. You become what you think. I am quoting Lord Buddha here as I find this phrase extremely effective. When I am feeling too low or nihilistic, this phrase helps me to throw away my negativity within a jiffy.

4. Smile at the mirror: We all have been there. Lying low, depressed, feeling worthless. Only we can help ourselves to come out of phases like these. Get up, get dressed. Put on make up and smile at yourself in the mirror. You would definitely feel better.

5. Exercise. This is one thing which I cannot make myself do. I mean exercise is an integral part of life but its missing from mine. Its not about losing or gaining weight. Its very important to stay fit and active. Otherwise we have to live with clogged arteries and weak knees when older. Exercise is also important for mental health. Those endorphins: They are the best mood elevators!

I think I have babbled enough. Once again, Happy Birthday to me!

Coming to my birthday outfit, this LBD is from Sammydress.com. I am IN LOVE with Bell Sleeves right now and this is my dream dress! Also the faux pearl necklace set is from Sammydress. The pearls are really big which is something I adore. I have always been a statement piece wearer. I mean if something is not noticeable enough, then why wear it?

Since I have become a mom, I have started wearing wedges all the more. Once a 'Stilettos' girl, I have ditched them forever. These apricot colour woven wedges are from Zaful.com.

Dress: Sammydress.com

Necklace: Sammydress.com

Wedges: Zaful.com (sold out) More White Platform Shoes

Sunnies: Aldo

June 24, 2017 8 comments

The quaint village of Corniglia

Our second day in Cinque Terre practically started at 12 25 pm. The time at which we took the train was exactly similar to the previous day when we had come from Rome, checked into our apartment, caught up on social media and then finally left for exploring the Five Terre. The reason for such a late start? We had walked all the way to the La Spezia port and then had taken the train to Levanto and enjoyed the Ligurian Sea there. Since Levanto is ahead of Monterosso and not technically among the Five villages; our official Cinque Terre sightseeing began when we took the CT Express from Levanto to Corniglia.

The most beautiful station of my life till date...nestled between the hills and the Ligurian Sea

Corniglia is the middle town in the line up of the five hilly villages and is unlike the rest four. The rest four villages are quite near to the Railway station. Monterosso is the nearest as you literally walk out of the station into the Ligurian Sea. However the distance between the Corniglia station and the actual village was not only long but a tough one too! The railway station was very beautiful though. It was nestled between the hills and offered gorgeous views of the Ligurian Sea.

After a walk along the hills for about fifteen minutes from the station, the real ordeal began. There were 365 steps to the village. My oh my. I was already sore after so much walking not only from the previous day hiking but our morning had been pretty exhausting too. Many people skip Corniglia because of this fact. I , however was adamant. I wanted to explore all the Five villages even it was for a few minutes. So the climbing began.

365 steps to the village! Phew!

We did not have the time for lunch and were surviving on breakfast and a gelato from Levanto. My stomach was gnawing yet I kept on climbing. Hubs stopped at various spots to take pictures. The views all along were breathtaking. Finally we reached the village. Those 365 steps were conquered but in order to explore the village, every turn needed climbing. Phew!

Though the climb was thorny, it offered breathtaking views! Can you notice the railway tracks beneath?

I found Corniglia to be very religious. There were two big churches in such a tiny village and every quaint home had a picture of Jesus and candles and flowers around him. In fact all the villages were like this. It reminded me of the Bohol Island in Philippines which was very religious as compared to the modern cities like Manila and Cebu. Maybe small town people are more God fearing.

We thought of having lunch over there but it we had to catch the next train to Manarola. If we missed it, we would be late by more than an hour. We had the toughest hike left from Manarola and Riomaggiore. So we took pictures, tried to absorb the beauty all around as fast as possible and then climbed down all the steps back to the railway station.

I can never get enough of the Italian doors and windows!

There are more steps to climb...

The pretty little village of Corniglia

Finally made it to the village at the top

Cute alleys of the village

Every little shop was this beautiful

Blazer: CN Direct.com

Shorts: Zara

Hat: FRom Malaysia

Purse: Jabong.com

June 20, 2017 7 comments

I am a girl who totally loves to cook and clean. It comes as a surprise to many, but I really love to cook and entertain guests. However with elaborate cooking comes the huge pile of utensils. Kadai, pots and pans. And after every dinner party, my kitchen sink is toppling with expensive china as well as all the cookware. Even though I dust my home everyday, I simply cannot make myself do one thing: scrub utensils. Hence I have to depend on my house help to do so.

I bet everyone would agree with me that whenever we tend to have guests and have a lot of utensils, our maid magically happens to be absent. As a result, we have to do all the cleaning. Even if she comes, we are anxious about our expensive bone china and tend to wash them ourselves. The bottomline? I end up doing the dishes even though I hate it to the core!

Last dinner party only my maid broke one of my plates since I was too tired to wash them. It was high time that I took the matter in my hands and became determined to buy a dishwasher. For that I attended the Bosch Dishwasher Demo and could not be happier with my decision.

First of all, the Bosch Dishwasher is available in two versions: The stand alone one and the built in. I witnessed the demo of the stand alone one. There are many myths which I (as well as others) used to have regarding dishwashers and they all were busted. The Bosch dishwasher is specially designed to handle the tough grease of Indian utensils like Kadhai and pressure cookers.

The working is pretty simple.

1. You clear the utensils of the leftovers and load the dishwasher. No pre rinsing required.

2. 60 minutes wash cycle. After 60 minutes, you get utensils absolutely clean and dry.

No need of any supervision!

Salient features of the Bosch Dishwasher:

12 place setting, Silver Inox colour
Its a speedier dishwasher that reduces 60% of the wash cycle time.
Additional Top Shower
Aqua sensor and Load sensor
There are 3 wash options: Half Load, Extra Dry, Vario Eco
6 programmes: Intensive Kadai 70 °C, Auto 45 to 65°C, Express Sparkle 65°C, Economy 50°C, Quick Wash 45° C and Pre Rinse.
Childproof Door Lock
Water consumption in Quick Wash Programme is just 10 ltrs
Noise production very low just 52dB
Energy Consumption in Quick Wash is 0.8kwH
Dishwasher works best with detergents especially formulated for them.

Pros of the Bosch Dishwasher:

It consumes way less water. Usually 60 ltrs of water is used during manual washing while the Bosch Dishwasher uses just 10 ltrs.
Its especially designed for Indian style of cooking: Kadhai, Pressure cookers and plates loaded with tough grease and masala
It washes utensils in hot water (70°C) and hence the utensils are 99.9% germ free. Given the cleanliness freak I am, its very important. Everyday after my house help washes the utensils, I give all of them a rinse once again and wipe them clean. So that is no more required.
There is a Half Load option for fewer utensils.
No pre rinse required, you get sparkly clean and dry utensils after 60 minutes.
No need to worry about expensive crockery as they are safe!
10 years warranty on rust through of inner tub; 2 years full warranty on Bosch Dishwashers.

Price: Stand Alone: Starting from 37,500 INR

Built In: starting from 50.000 INR

Its an one time investment that will change our lives for the better! No more rough hands or broken China!

The above video is the demo one which I witnessed.

'I am blogging about my #EasyLifeWithDishwashers experience at BlogAdda in association with Bosch.'

Top: Sammydress.com
Leggings: Globus

Accessories: H n M (Dubai)

June 15, 2017 5 comments

'Sugar' is the sweetest part of life. I know, nowadays health conscious people would defy this postulate of mine. I however beg to differ and so would all the people with sweet tooth. No matter how much you switch to 'no sugar zone' with artificial sweeteners or a totally 'unsweet world', life is difficult to imagine without those tiny white crystals.

UP is the largest producer of sugarcane in India. Therefore its imperative that its the largest manufacturer of sugar too! I had always wondered from where all this sugar comes from. Its my innate nature to hunt down the source of various things. Remember how I found out where the flowers come from? Well last Sunday was pretty epic that I got to see something I had been wondering from long...Mawana Sugar Mill.

I have heard of Mawana since I was very young. But it never occurred to me that it would be so nearby. Coincidentally, my husband had conducted an orthopedic camp in the township of Mawana. There he met the head doctor of the township and he happily invited us over to his place. I was really excited to visit there!

Mawana sugar industries has been operating from the last 60 years. Its the sixth largest producer of sugar in India. What I also learnt is that they are the sugar suppliers of biggies like Nestle, Coke Cola, Pepsi, Dabur, Hamdard, Britannia etc! Facts aside, the sad part is that the sugar industry is seasonal. So the mill was not working when we visited. However I got to roam around the township which was indeed very beautiful!

Coming to my outfit, this cold shoulder top is from Sammydress.com. Last Sunday was the hottest day of the season. So I needed something really comfortable and an easy breathable fabric. This full sleeve top is exactly what I needed. Sammydress has a huge range of apparels and accessories that will blow away your mind. The shipping is fast too! How is the bird pendant? Is not it very cute?