@Night: Cayucos, California

These @Night:  photos were taken during the Thanksgiving Holidays trip to Cayucos,California (previous post on Cayucos: link).

Here is the reference picture of the constellation Grus which is in the photos below.

Constellation Grus

Constellation Grus is right above the water in the middle of the photo.
The star Fomalhaut is the white star almost at the top edge of the photo between the tree leaves.
It is just 25 light years away :))

This photo was taken from the condo balcony we were staying. There was a Pier on the left side with bright
lights. Almost full moon was shining above on the right side. Cayucos city lights were behind me. With all these lights, the stars were clearly visible. This photo has many firsts for me:
      1) First constellation photo taken over the sea (Pacific).
      2) First time I am seeing the constellation Grus
      3) The southern most constellation I have photographed (since I had a clear view of the southern horizon)

Reference figure for constellations Piscus Austrinus and Sculptor which are in the next photo.

Constellation Piscus Austrinus

Constellation Sculptor

Constellation Grus is on the right side just above the water. 
Right on top of Grus is the constellation Piscus Austrinus with Fomalhaut as the bright star.
To the left of Fomalhaut is the constellation Sculptor.

Saptha Swarangal!

Couple of weeks ago, watched one of my favorite movies - "Apoorva Raagangal". K. Balachander has always directed movies with very unique and controversial story lines but in my opinion, this one tops all of them. One song from the movie is constantly playing back in my mind and I find myself singing the song again and again and again :)

ஏழு ஸ்வரங்களுக்குள் எத்தனை பாடல்
இதய சுரங்கத்துள் எத்தனை கேள்வி
காணும் மனிதருக்குள் எத்தனை சலனம் - வெறும்
கற்பனை சந்தோஷத்தில் அவனது  கவனம்

காலை எழுந்தவுடன் நாளைய கேள்வி
அது கையில் கிடைத்த பின்னும் துடிக்குது ஆவி
ஏனென்ற கேள்வி ஒன்றே என்றைக்கும் தங்கும் - மனித
இன்ப துன்பம் எதிலும் கேள்விதான் மிஞ்சும்

எனக்காக நீ அழுதால் இயற்கையில் நடக்கும்
நீ எனக்காக உணவு உண்ண எப்படி நடக்கும்
நமக்கென்று  பூமியிலே கடமைகள் உண்டு - அதை
நமக்காக நம் கையால் செய்வது நன்று 

ஆரம்பத்தில் பிறப்பும் உன் கையில் இல்லை
இதில் அடுத்தடுத்து நடப்பும்  உன் கையில் இல்லை
பாதை வகுத்த பின்பு பயந்தென்ன லாபம் - அதில்
பயணம் நடத்திவிடு மறைந்திடும் பாவம்

நாளைப் பொழுது என்றும் நமக்கென வாழ்க
அதை நடத்த ஒருவனுண்டு கோயிலில் காண்க
வேலை பிறக்கும் என்று நம்பிக்கை கொள்க
எந்த வேதனயும் மாறும் மேகத்தை போல

Kannadasan excels in this philosophical gem of a song and M.S. Viswanathan has set the perfect carnatic, classical music. Sri Vidhya's beautiful eyes and Vani Jayaram's magical, melodious and melting voice adds additional dimensions to Kannadasan's words and MSV's music.

And those of you, Thalaivar fans, Apoorva Raagnagal is Thalai's first movie :))

Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) !!!

Pacific Coast Highway

Pacific Coast Highway (aka PCH), runs along the entire west coast of the USA. Starting at San Diego, almost at the Mexican border,  it traverses the coastal towns of California, Oregon and Washington states and ends closer to the Canadian border. Featured in the National Geographic book, "Drives of  a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Spectacular Trips", PCH truly lived up to the expectation!

We spent a day driving on the PCH from  Cayucos to the north. This segment of the PCH offers an exhilarating drive through the narrow, 2-lane highway hugging the steep cliffs of the Santa Lucia mountains.

In many places, the PCH seems to slide in to the Pacific

Big Creek Bridge - built in 1934.

Big Creek Bridge

At one of the many scenic view points with a Professional photographer :))

Looks like this bird likes to be photographed!

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

In San Diego, one of the Torrey Pines hiking trails descends from a cliff to the beach. I used to think that is a very unique place. In the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, the McWay waterfalls plunges right to the beach, mixing with the Pacific in a scenic cove! From the park parking lot, we did a short hike to view the McWay waterfalls.

McWay Falls

As we continued further down the hiking trail away from the McWay falls, we ran in to a breathtaking and colorful view of the Pacific. There are 100s of view points like this all along the PCH.

 

Nepenthe Restaurant

In Greek, Nepenthe means "something that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or eases pain"  This is an apt name for the restaurant located right on PCH, just a couple of miles south of the town of Big Sur.  Built in 1924 on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, this restaurant is a "must-stop" for anyone driving on the PCH.  While there is a small indoor dining area, everyone waits for getting seated on the outside terrace, where the views are fantastic.

Dining from Nepenthe's open terrace, viewing the Pacific

@Nepenthe

Bixby Bridge

One of the most photographed features of the West Coast, the Bixby Bridge, opened in 1932, spans the The Bixby Creek. It was our last stop on the PCH. 

PCH  captures the true spirit of California - wide open landscape, tall mountain cliffs, blue sky, turquoise blue Pacific, crashing waves on the rocks - the stunning diversity of nature.

Cayucos

The first time I heard about Cayucos was in 2009 and have been wanting to visit since then. Cayucos is a charming, little coastal town located in the central coast of California, nicely sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the rolling hills of the Santa Lucia mountain range. It hasn't been spoiled by over commercialization and is fondly referred to as "The Last of the California Beach Towns."

Cayucos is half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco; 5 hr drive from San Diego

When we decided do a 'California Road Trip' for the Thanksgiving holidays, we made Cayucos our base camp. From Cayucos we did short driving trips to Moro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Cambria and the famous Hearst Castle - all approximately within 30 to 45 minutes. We also drove to BigSur and the Bixby Bridge through the Pacific Coast Highway.

Sheila had booked an outstanding apartment right on the beach at Cayucos. The owners had tastefully  remodelled the apartment recently. It offered amazing views of the blue Pacific, the Cayucos Pier and the Cayucos town.

The apartment we stayed.

View of Cayucos town and the Pier  from the apartment balcony.

The weather was perfect, the beach was not crowded at all and we felt we own the beach :))

Sheila and I enjoyed the long morning walks at the beach.

What a place to have a bench on the beach. Would love to sit there all day, sip a tea/beer, read a book and watch the surf!

During the morning walks on the beach, we encountered so many marine organisms (don't ask me what these are)
living and growing on the rocks.

More colorful marine "thingies" on the beach rocks!

All we had to do was to step out of the apartment to watch the golden, yellow Sunsets.
பொன்மாலை நேரங்களே  என் இன்ப ராகங்களே
பூவான கோலங்களே !!!

The Brown Butter cookies made with Sea Salt, the Spice cookies and the Honey Cookies from the "Brown Butter Cookie Company" were super delicious and were melting in our months.On the last day, we stopped by the shop and picked up a batch of cookies to enjoy back at home. What is "Brown Butter"? - you may ask. Explore their website: http://brownbuttercookies.com/

Brown Butter Cookie Company

Shops and Restaurants at the North Ocean Ave., Cayucos

On the last day of the vacation, when we left Cayucos, I felt that we are going to come back to Cayucos many, many times :))

Kayak Attack :))

For the team outing event,  majority of us overwhelmingly voted to go "Kayaking" at the Pacific. Couple of  Fridays ago, we arrived at the "La Jolla Shores" beach by noon, had  a nice BBQ lunch at the beach and  played Cricket and Volleyball for some time.

It was a hot day with clear blue skies and the Pacific was inviting.

Soon, the Kayak guys arrived and gave us paddling practice at the beach

Teamed up with my friend and colleague Prasanna. Here we come Pacific :))

I have done "River Kayaking" at Boston which is almost the same as Canoeing. This is the first time I was about to venture in to the Ocean with a Kayak. What we were told is that crossing the waves while entering the ocean and returning to the shores is the most challenging part.

Climbing the waves!

The waves kept pushing us back and we had to paddle fast and furious to get past the waves.

There are seven sea caves that make up the  La Jolla Caves. One by one the guide took us inside the cave.
The famous La Jolla Seals were howling inside the caves :))

We spent almost 2 and 1/2 hours kayaking and playing around.
Just like swimming, I really enjoyed just floating with the Kayak in the Pacific Ocean.

Finally, it was time to return to the shores. We were told again to lean back all the way and keep the Kayak straight and perpendicular to the waves.

We rode up the big waves and almost made it to the shores.

We celebrated a tad second too early and lost our focus.
Our Kayak turned a little sideways, a big wave hit us on the side and spilled us over.

Another magnificent spill while coming back to the shores :))

If you are ever going to try Ocean Kayaking, call me for tips. I can definitely tell you what not to do :))

What Is Your Ithaca?

Journey to Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.

The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon - do not fear them.
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine emotion
touches your spirit and your body. 

The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,

the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your heart does not set them up before you. 

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
  that you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithaca means. 

 Constantine Cavafy ( 1863 - 1933 ),  a Greek Poet
Translated by Rae Dalven

This is a magnificent poem, a nice parable about Life, we all could relate to, in our own way. I had read it long time back but completely forgotten about it until I read it recently in the book, "The Zahir" by Paulo Coelho. 

I am sure each one of us have our own Ithaca. What is yours ???
Whatever your Ithaca is, as the poet says, "Do not hurry the voyage at all"  :))
Enjoy "The Journey" !.

Beer, The Universal Language :))

The cab driver spoke only very little and broken English. We were on our way to our apartment from the train station in Vienna.  He was very quiet until I asked him to recommend the best local beer. As if a switch was turned on, he lit up and rattled off the names of all his favorite beers. He immediately opened up and started showing us the landmarks of Vienna describing them with sign language and his funny & broken English! The girls were laughing at me and the driver trying to communicate. Immediately it dawned upon me that "Beer is the universal language that brings together people instantly :))

Starting from the Nova Scotia trip we did in '95,  I have developed the habit of tasting the local beer wherever I visit. I can never drink more than 1 glass of beer but absolutely enjoy trying out the local beer flavors.

Here is a sample for your future visit to these cities:

Enjoyed RUGEN BRAU  @ Kleine-Scheidegg Train Station, Swiss- after the adventurous hike!
Best Beer at the Best Location :))

FELDSCHLOSSCHEN  @ Bern, Swiss.

OTTAKRINGER HELLES - on the train from Luzern to Salzburg

ZUM MONART @ Salzburg

OTTAKRINGER  @Vienna

PILSNER  URQUELL @Praha

When I was studying at the University of Oklahoma, Norman - I had been to an Ale House near the University. They used to claim they have more than 100 beers from all over the world.  I don't have any fotos from that time and they didn't have a website in 1989 :))  I searched online and found a similar one ( not the  same ) that has more than 200 beers. Checkout their Beer Guide @ the link: McNellie's @ Norman, Oklahoma!!!

Photo Credit: McNellie's @ Norman, OK.

Photo Credit: McNellie's @ Norman, OK.

Aaahaa in Praha :))

Prague, the capital of Czech Republic is locally called as Praha. I like Praha better than Prague since it rhymes with Sneha, Neha and Aaahaa :)) We spent 3 days in Prague and loved every bit of it.

Czech Republic being an "Eastern European" country, I expected some differences compared to other EU countries. While Praha is 100% like any other EU city, the real shock came during the train ride from Vienna to Praha.  Once we entered Czech, all the smaller, village train stations looked pretty bad with broken platforms and rusty roofs. These stations looked like they were hit during World War II and were never repaired afterwards.

The two places we really enjoyed in Praha are the Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square. Both these places are always throbbing with people and have plenty of action going on. From our apartment, we were able to walk to both these places within 10 minutes.

Charles Bridge:
The Charles Bridge, completed in 15th century spans the Vltava river and connects the Prague castle with the old town.  It is a very unique bridge with 2 towers on either end and series of religious statues adorning the sides of the bridge.What makes the bridge come alive is the vendors selling jewels, painters painting the scene, caricature artists, musicians playing live music and of course crazy tourists from all over the world taking fotos ;).

Charles Bridge

Vendors, artists, musicians and beautiful tourists :))   @Charles Bridge

Live Jazz  @ Charles Bridge

Old Town Square:
The Old Town Square dates back to the 12th century and definitely, the liveliest place in Praha. The massive square is surrounded by historic buildings and a maze of narrow lanes and side streets with a large number of restaurants. Wherever people go in Praha, I think they show up in Old Town Square for dinner. The square was always packed with people during our multiple evening visits.

Tyn Church @Old Town Square

Old Town Square

Old Town Square

Astronomical Clock:
With my interest in Astronomy, before we visit any place, I always do some research (aka Googling) and find out if any astronomy related buildings or paintings are there. Once we finalized Praha as one of the places, I was keen on checking out the Astronomy Clock in Praha's Old Town Square. This clock was installed in 1410 and displays amazing astronomical details.

A huge crowd of tourists waiting near the Astronomical Clock @ Old Town Square....why? Read below :))

Note the clock has a 24 hr. dial. The top greenish color represents the day and the bottom orange represents night.
Two arms show the position of Sun and the Moon in the current Zodiac sign (inner dial).
Other lines represent the Twilight time, Sun set time and Sun rise time.
Each one of the lines and colors mean something astronomically.
Time is shown by a golden hand (just under the Sun in this foto).

At the top of ever hour, the two trap doors above the dials open.
A huge crowd gathers near the clock to watch the procession of Jesus Christ and his 12 Apostles.
This is an experience definitely not to be missed :))

For all the astronomical details this clock displays, checkout: Praha Astronomical Clock

Praha Castle:

At the entrance of the Praha Castle.

Stained Glass Window @ St Vitus Cathedral inside Praha Castle