The first time we visited Portugal we rented a car from Portugal Airport. We rented from Hertz for 12 days . We made the reservation ahead of time and the rental counter is connected to the airport terminal. Just follow the signs . Insurance We paid for insurance as part of rental cost . Mainly for piece of mind . Requirements To Rent In Portugal We were able to rent using our Canadian drivers license and credit card . No…
We stayed in Madurai for 3 days – mainly to visit the temples in Madurai. I grew up watching Tamil movies and Madurai was a city that served as a location for a few . Hotel In Madurai We stayed at the Courtyard By Marriott Madurai. It is a very decent hotel and a good option in Madurai . The buffet at the hotel was also good for food . Temples In Madurai We visited three temples in Madurai including…
Svatma Thanjavur is a Relais & Chateaux luxury boutique hotel located in Thanjavur . What does Relais & Chateaux Brand Signify ? From their website: “Imagine Relais & Châteaux as a very fine French-style library of top-quality books each entitled In Honour of the Joys of Living.” “Established in 1954, Relais & Châteaux is an association of more than 580 landmark hotels and restaurants operated by independent innkeepers, chefs, and owners who share a passion for their businesses and a…
We had a chance to visit the Toronto Smorgasburg Food Festival On Aug 27 th . The festival is taking place in Toronto downtown . We parked our car near St. Lawrence Market . Parking was $5 on a Saturday. The walk to the festival was not too long . Entrance The entrance to the festival is free . We were there around 12.30 pm on a Saturday and it wasn’t overly crowded . There were a descent number of…
A Little Bit About The City We had someone drive us to Rameswaram from Madurai to visit the Rameswaram Temple . My husband had hired various drivers in the different cities we visited . This made the trips super convenient . As a person of Tamil origin from Sri Lanka, I have always been fascinated about Rameswaram. I learned about Rameswaram from watching Tamil movies . This town is about 40 kms from Mannar ( a Tamil town in Sri…
Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple The Palani Temple also known as the Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple is one of the 6 Murugan temples in South India . My Husband has been here before and wanted to take me . The Drive To Palani Temple At this temple there is a practice of worshippers shaving their head to obtain Murugan’s blessing . My husband had one of the barbers shave his head. Make sure to agree on a price before getting your head shaved…
We stayed in four cities during our South India trip . Chennai , Pondicherry, Rameswaram and Madurai . By staying in these four cities we were able to visit a lot more cities and towns to see different temples . The last city we visited was Madurai . There were three temples we visited in Madurai . Thiruparankundram Temple – Murgan Temple We visited this temple because this is one of the 6 peak temple dedicated to Murugan . My…
Uchi Pillaiyar Temple The Uchi Pillaiyar Temple was the first temple we visited in Trichy . It is a very unique temple . It’s located on top of a rock fort ! The rock fort is known as Malaikottai in Tamil ! This temple was built by the Pallavas in the 7 th century. We went early morning ( between 6 to 7 am ) and it was very peaceful ! It is a lot of steps but you get…
We visited the Thanjavur Periya Kovil during sunset time . We didn’t plan it – we were staying at Svatma and this temple was near by . It was easy to visit in the evening. This temple was beautiful! We visited over 25 temples on our South India Tour and this was one of my favourite temples to visit . I don’t know if it was because we went during sunset the temple just looked stunning . It also looked…
During our South India Trip my husband also had plans to visit the Navagraha Temples ( 9 of them ) . Navagrahas correspond to the nine planets . In Hinduism the planets are believed to influence the horoscope computed based on time of one’s birth and subsequently influence the course of life . Each of the planets are believed to move from a star to another during a predefined period and this sway over an individual’s fortunes. Depending on where…