Fly spot

Today we will do something completely crazy. I will take you to a fly spot. It looks like some kind of weird chimney.

Inside, the chimney has glass walls. And yes, someone is flying inside.

How is it possible? The floor is made of a metal net, through which the air is blown upwards.

The speed of the fan is managed by a professional operator so you should be safe.

But to be even safer, remember the ground rule - no loose ends, nothing that could fly on its own and hit you or break the glass.

Remember to put on your helmet!

Now you can get inside and wait for your turn.

The instructor will teach you how to take off.

Then you will go up.

And up.

And up to the ceiling!

I hope that you will not mind that I will stay with my four horseshoes strongly on the ground. I am not a Pegasus after all.

Bangalore

Over the last weeks we have enjoyed the snow and cold of Europe. I propose that we change the climate today and look for a place that is warm and sunny irrespective of the season. I have the pleasure to take you to yet another trip to Asia - welcome to Incredible India!

Let's jump on a plane - the flight will take us a few hours.

Finally, we arrive. Have you noticed that the Indian alphabet is nothing close to the Latin one?

Let's go to the city center. We could use one of those cute moto-taxis.

But be careful, the traffic is really bad in Bangalore.

You do not believe me? Well, turn up the volume.

I propose we take a short stop in one of the shops with local handcraft. You can buy here figurines of Hindi gods ...

... or a shawl, both beautiful and practical.

Are we done with shopping? Then I propose that we go directly to the hotel now. We will be welcomed with necklaces of flowers.

In the main lobby, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, is welcoming the guests. 

On the floor we can admire a beautiful and delicate mandala made out of flowers.

We will stay in the Taj West End hotel, the oldest of Bangalore.

It remembers the times when English ladies and gentlemen walked in the gardens.

It was built in so-called colonial style.

In the garden you can see trees that are hundreds years old. 

The buildings themselves are covered with tropical plants.

And in th courtyards, turkeys enjoy the sunlight.

There have even have here a little pond. I have seen next to it people doing yoga. Hard to imagine a better and more serene place.

I hope that you have enjoyed this wonderful place. Before we return to the gloomy Europe, why don't we enjoy one more aspect of the vibrant and colourful India. The spices.

But be careful, the Indians add spices even to ice cream!

I let you enjoy the dessert and I run to send a few postcards to my Postcrossing friends.

Transport Museum in Lucerne

I know, I know, many of you think probably that museums are boring. But today I will take you to a truly amazing museum, I am sure you will like it. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Transport Museum in Lucerne.

The main entrance is guarded by a snow groomer. He is called Peter.

The museum is divided in several sections. The first one is dedicated to railroad vehicles. You can see there various trains.

It is even possible to look inside a locomotive.

And go below to see the chassis.

I enjoyed in particular the possibility to discover how steam locomotives worked.

A fascinating adventure of pistons and pipes.

Railroad is of course not only about trains but also trams.

You can even sit inside and pretend to be a tram driver.

Did you know that first trams were actually horse-powered?

That was a tough job. So travellers were encouraged to weigh themselves before they jumped on.

The next section of the museum is devoted to road transport. Next to the entrance you can see a special bus. In the old days, when few people had cars,  inhabitants of remote Swiss villages had difficulties to shop for fresh groceries. The local retailer Migros has launched special shop-buses.

Inside you can see old cars ...

... and futuristic racing cars.

And some motorbikes on top!

On the central square you can test yourself what it feels like to expand the network of roads.

You can sit in a road roller ...

... or in a tipper truck.

The third section of the museum is devoted to sea transport. Inside you can see all types of vessels. Starting with fisherman boats.

Next to it comes an exploration vessel, called bathyscaphe.

It can go deep inside oceans. The pressure there is huge so to go out you would need a special scaphander.

Obviously ships are very large so the easiest to admire many types is by looking at models.

You can also get close to vital parts of ships, like a motor ...

... or a steering wheel. Captain Rick is on board - full speed ahead!

The last building is devoted, you surely guessed it, to travels made in the air.

Starting with paragliders ...

... and first airplanes.

Then come dirigibles (or airships).

It is possible to look inside an old-fashion passenger plane.

And compare some of the more modern models.

The flight attendants invite ...

... welcome and enjoy the business class experience.

I must say this interactive museum proved to be even better than I thought. Travelling is a great experience, no matter the means of transport.