3 days in Salzburg

We recently spent 3 days in Salzburg, Austria. With so many tourism websites online, it usually becomes an information overload and it is difficult to shortlist what to visit and what not to. So I thought of putting together a real experienced itinerary.

Please note these 3 days were spent in winter season towards the end of December. Someone visiting in summer might need to modify a bit due to increased day light timings.

Before moving on to sightseeing, I would recommend purchasing a Salzburg card. Salzburg card costs 30 euros for 48 hours (or 35 euros for 72 hours). We purchased it at the Salzburg station. However I believe it’s available at almost all major tourist information centers / hotels. The card validity starts from the time of its first usage. (more information on: http://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/salzburg_card)

Day 1

Start your trip with Hohensalzburg Fortress at the Festungsberg mountain: There is a cable car from the “festungsbahn” stop right behind the Dom. Salzburg card covers the cable car and the entry inside the fortress. There are two ways to explore the castle – A & B. Both are covered by the card and both are worth doing. While B covers the interiors and you get to see the state room and museum; A is a walking guide tour of the exteriors and the highest point on the fortress. From that point, you get a very good view of the city. Keep approximately 3 hours for this attraction. Some side information: The fortress is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. Look out for the evolution of castle in Walking trip A as each Archbishop developed the castle during its reign. Also don’t miss the Golden Room where the entire hall was decorated by either gold tapestries or had gold buttons in the ceiling.

Come down and see the Dom: Once you come back (again by the cable car), you can go inside the Dom. The Salzburg Cathedral is a 17th century baroque cathedral and is grand and beautiful. Don’t miss the cathedral excavations in the basement which sometimes have an art exhibition going on. Keep approximately 1 hr for this. Entry is free.  Some side information: Mozart was baptized in the cathedral. Also the cathedral was destroyed by s single bomb in second world war and took almost 15 years to restore.

Visit the Residenz in front of the Dom: Alongside with the Hohensalzburg Fortress and the Dom, the Residenz Palace is probably the most important historic building of Salzburg. Within Residenz place, you can see the rooms in all its original glory and also visit the paintings in the Gallery section. Depending upon how much time you want to spend in the galleries, you can keep around 2 hours for the Palace. (Ticket price is covered in Salzburg card).

In between for lunch, you can either eat at the numerous stalls at the Altermarkt area or there is a nice cosy place called MyIndigo at the river near Rathaus bus stop. This place serves quick lunch and I would highly recommend it. There are also some 2-3 vegetarian options.

Move onto Mozart’s Geburthaus. Visit the rooms and the museum inside the house. The place shows the early years of Mozart and the room where he was born. Also covered are the stage models of his performances. (Ticket price is covered in Salzburg card). Side information: The Mozart family lived on the third floor of the "Hagenauer House" at Getreidegasse 9 for twenty-six years, from 1747 to 1773.

With this, you have covered the 4 most important and visited places in Salzburg. If you still have some energy left, you can close your day by a visit to either the Salzburg museum or the Panorama museum just alongside the Dom next to Mozart’s statue. While I didn’t get to visit either, I understand the Salzburg Museum offers interesting insight into the city's history, offering changing exhibitions. Panorama Museum offers wonderful views of the landscaping of Salzburg. As per their official site: You can stand on the visitors’ platform and marvel at the gigantic round painting (26-meter circumference) of the historic city of Salzburg and its environs. Telescopes allow visitors to take a closer look at the attractions and details from the everyday life of Salzburg's residents 200 years ago. Please keep in mind in winters, almost all attractions close at 5pm. Hence not much can be covered in a day. In summers, you have the luxury of time and light by your side

In the night just stroll along the many streets in old market and enjoy the lights and touristy atmosphere. There is usually an ice skating rink (very reasonable) right next to Mozart’s statue and alongside are many Glühwein stalls. So either you can have your dinner there or at one of the many interesting restaurants in the vicinity.

Day 2

Start your day early as today you would be visiting the mountains and experience some snow. If you fancy skiing, then this is your day.

Take bus 25 or 28 to Untersbergbahn. The bus can be taken either from Mirabell platz or Rathaus. (by the way the local transport is covered in Salzburg card). Mt. Untersberg is the nearest mountain from the Salzburg city. The journey time is approx 25 mins. From the bus stop, there is a cable car to the top of the range. The cable journey takes you up by around 1.3kms and takes approx 10-12 minutes. If you are visiting in winters, then this is the closest place to see snow and ski. Although it is not a professional ski resort but lot of people bring their gear and ski here. Alternately, you can just enjoy walking on the snow. You can trek on the snow up towards some interesting sights. Look for the large crosses and follow the path laid out for you. Beyond a certain point, the actual path stops and people take their own risk to venture further. There are also supposed to be some ice caves for the more adventure trekkers. You can keep easily 4 hours for Untersberg.

On the way back, stop at Schloss Hellbrunn / Anif Zoo. Depending upon your interest, you can visit the Schloss Hellbrunn or the zoo. In winters, the palace is closed. But in summers, the biggest attraction here are the trick fountains which are surely to make you wet. Both attractions are a part of your card. (in case of shortage of time, these both can be skipped).

We didn’t visit the zoo but around 1200 animals of 140 different  species live there including lions, white rhinoceros, and vultures.

Then take the same bus and stop at Mirabell gardens. Spend some time in the beautiful gardens. Look out for the view to the fortress from one end of the garden. It is spectacular. The Palace of Mirabell is also a popular location for weddings. (again if you are short of time, you can skip it).

Just in front of Mirabell Place, is the Mozart wohnhaus which was the living quarters of Mozart. If you have covered Mozart’s geburthaus, then you can skip this although the information here is equally enticing.

Alternately, take the elevators at Mönchsberg, Gstättengasse 13. There are 3 elevators that take you to the top of Mönchsberg hill. From there, you get another view of the Salzburg city and the Hohensalzburg fortress. There is also a museum up there (Museum der Moderne) however we didn’t get time to see this. There is a restaurant at the top where you can sit down and have a coffee / drink while enjoying the panoramic views of the city.

In the night, once again see the beautiful criss crossing lanes and the lit city by the river. You can also visit the Franziskanerkirche which is another beautiful church near the Dom.

Day 3

Once again you will need to start the day early as today we will see some natural wonders, the mountains, valleys, lakes and the salt mines.

Take bus 840 from Rathaus or Mirabell platz or Hauptabahnhof towards Berchtesgaden. The place is in Germany but closer to Salzburg. The day ticket will cost you 9.5 euros but it is still worth it. Unfortunately the Salzburg card doesn’t work. Please keep in mind that the frequency of this bus is very low (on weekends once in an hr; so plan accordingly).

Get down at “Salzbergwerk” bus stop which is 2 stops before Berchtesgaden. (overall journey time around 30-35mins) In winters, the salt mines open at 11am however a big queue starts forming an hr before that. So its best to reach early. Prior to entering, you are given miners’ clothing which increases the experience quotient. The tour underground takes approx. 1 hour. You are first taken through a train deep inside the mountains. From there, a light show is shown and then you slide down to the lower levels (which for some is the most thrilling part in the overall tour). You are guided on how salt was extracted and hydrated. In the end, is a wonderful experience of moving in a wooden boat in pitch darkness from one end to another deep inside the mountains. I would strongly recommend this tour if you have never been inside a mine before. The audio guide is available in English. Salzburg card gives 20% discount.

From there, either take a bus or walk to Berchtesgaden hauptbahnhof (around 15 mins walk). Take bus 841 to Lake Königssee. Alternately in summers, you can visit Obersalzwerg for Eagle’s nest however in winters its closed. Lake Königssee is located amidst the steep rock faces of the Watzmann mountain range. A boat trip on Lake Königssee is the highlight here. St. Batholomä church is also located by Lake Königssee and is at one end of the boating trip.

Depending upon how much time you have, you may decide to extend / decrease your stay at Berchtesgaden. This is an area that alone can be sufficient for a 3 day tour.

Take bus 840 back to close a memorable trip to wonderful holidays in Salzburg.

There are lot of other attractions that are worth visiting like the Museum of Natural History which has a really nice aquarium. Depending upon how compact you want your schedule to be, you may decide to increase or decrease the attractions. The above listed are some of the places that I could cover and found worth visiting. Salzburg is a small city and most of it can be covered on foot.

I hope you find the travelogue useful.

Don 2 - A big disappointment

The trailer of Don2 was one of the most promising trailers we have seen in recent times. It was slick and stylish. But unfortunately the movie is not even 50% of what the trailer promised.

I was not a huge fan of Don 1 but there were lot of things in the previous version that had impressed me including the direction, performances and overall styling. Overall the movie was decent and worth once a watch.

However, not much can be said about Don 2.

First, the movie lacks a story line. A famous gangster like Don has been brought down to a simple conman who wants to commit one of the biggest bank robberies in Europe. Movies on bank robberies have been created so many times that I wonder if there will be a new and original idea to rob a bank this time. And Alas there was nothing new. In fact the robbery shown in Don 2 is pale in comparison to many others seen even in Hindi movies earlier. It lacks credibility. Its a band of crooks stealing with guns, grenades and hostages. Lot of technicalities discussed but nothing used in execution.

It’s also a wonder that such a dreaded gangster will have such poor skilled enemies. That they can hope to kill him with a local hitman.

The story and direction has so many flaws that you really wonder this is the same director who gave us Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya and even Don 1 (Guess Farhan didn’t have to worry about story in Don 1 as it was a remake with a simple twist in the end).

Coming to performances: Shahrukh Khan though acted well looks similar to so many of his previous performances. He has his trademark smirk through out the movie which I believe he should now patent it. The smirk and the laugh was considered overacting in the past but I think now its part of his persona.

Boman Irani and Om Puri such acting stalwarts reduced to paupers is a major disappointment. Priyanka Chopra has so much potential to be a true “Junglee billi” but the director decided to tame her to be a domestic cat. Its beyond me that a girl can still love someone who was responsible for killing her brother and had deceived her so many times. The romantic plot was poor and absolutely unnecessary. It makes her character extremely weak. Lara Dutta has no role whatsoever. You can take her out and nothing will change.

All the rest have been intentionally chosen as weak characters to make Don look strong.

There are hardly any songs to talk about. The background score is a continuation of Don 1 and hence mixes well with the scenes. Some of the dialogues are very good but the issue is you have heard almost all of them in the trailers in the previous few weeks that the novelty factor is totally lost. The only plus point was the stylised locations and the cinematography. The starting scene in Thailand has been shot very well.

Overall, I will rate the movie between 2 and 2.5 stars depending upon how much expectation you go with. Unfortunately, for me this was one of the most anticipated movies of this year and disappointingly falls flat.

A note: If the price for 3D is substantially higher than 2D version, you can safely opt for 2D as there are not many 3D effects in the movie.

The Dirty Picture – More Dirty than Picture

Since the time the first trailer of TDP went live, there has been an enormous amount of curiosity surrounding this movie. Milan Luthria’s next venture after the very successful and brilliant movie “Once upon a Time in Mumbai” coupled with Vidya Balan’s probably first time bold and sexy avatar was something that I was definitely looking forward to.

As there were so much expectations riding on the movie, the movie disappoints in many ways.

The Dirty Picture probably focuses more on shocking the audience with its bold images and double meaning sentences than the story itself. The story is confusing and convoluted many times. It revolves around a young plain village girl (played by Vidya Balan) who runs to Madras city to become a heroine. She is ready to do “anything” to grab a role. One accidental role and she transforms into SILK (very clearly laid out on SILK Smitha’s character from South India film industry).

There are three male protagonists in the movie. Naseeruddin Shah is playing a typical South Indian actor who can shoot Rs 100 note and break into 100 coins of Re 1. Tushar plays Naseer’s shy brother by profession a writer but most of the time either in awe of his brother or in awe of Silk. The last but the main Emran Hashmi who never gets his role clear but for a change doesn’t play the Dirty character.

The story revolves around Silk, these three characters and then again Silk. What makes it confusing is are we supposed to sympathize with her or accept her as a popular item girl. She is initially shown to be a clever, opportunist, who gets ready to drop anything that she wears for a break and subsequent roles. Later she gets affected by stardom and bias in the industry which subsequently leads to her downfall.

I believe Milan got obsessed with Vidya Balan’s first time bold image and decided to capitalize it to the maximum extent possible. In this endeavour, he misses the main story line. There are so many questions which are left to the audience to decipher. Why does Emran Hashmi hate her in the first half and then suddenly starts liking her? Is he a director, critic or an actor? Why does the journalist publicly write against her but keeps applauding and appreciating her in private? Why is Tusshar’s role required in the first place? Is being SILK good or bad? The second half probably is more puzzling than the first. At least in first there is a regular dose of “The Dirty Picture”.

All said above, the movie has its many plus points as well. The first is definitely Vidya. Vidya Balan puts in a towering performance and is clearly the highlight of the movie. She will not just amaze you with her sleazy costumes but will also win you with her acting. She is bold and bindaas. She does justice to both halves. The first one where she is naturally sexy and daring and the second one where she wants to continue with her image despite it not being working out. It is so obvious how much hard work and efforts she would have put in to live the image of SILK. Its only Vidya who could pull off such a role with such command. Any other actress, and there are chances the movie would have looked sleazy even bordering on soft porn. The movie will definitely hand over Vidya Balan the best actor award.

The make up man has also done a superb job in the second half including making her look overweight and then trying to conceal her fat.

All three male actors have put in a good job despite a lack of connect built into their roles.

The dialogues are another highlight. Despite being double meaning at many places, the dialogues have been written with so much power. This is in continuation with Once upon a time in Mumbai. Some of the one-liners were razor-sharp and witty at the same time.

Overall, The Dirty Picture is a one-time watch.

A note: Be prepared to whistles and loud roars from college students and others sitting next to you everytime Vidya Balan exposes herself or a double meaning punch is spoken. And I can assure both are there in generous quantities.

Rockstar – An intense musical piece

Going by the title, let me first talk about the music. Frankly speaking, I am not a big fan of AR Rahman. In last few years, there are many of his creations / albums that I didn’t like. The top among the list is his Oscar winning performance “Slumdog Millionnaire”. But I loved the music of Rockstar which I believe is one of his best creation in last few years. The music rocks. It brings the Rock genre back in vogue. Almost all songs are beautiful and touching at the same time. While some songs like “Katia Karun” and “Sadda Haq” are already a hit. I think its just a matter of time when the others pick up. Each song (and there are many) has the caliber to be on the charts.

Music is the soul of Rockstar whether its the background score or the songs. The movie progresses in songs. Each song sketches the emotional turmoil that the characters are going through. Whether it is the maturing of characters or the appreciation of romance, everything happens in songs. Each song has a significance. The biggest hit and the current rock anthem “Sadda Haq” is so intense that you can actually feel it in your nerves. This is a movie that it can easily be classified as a “musical”. The last movie of this kind which I liked was “Rock On”.

Moving back to the movie and its review. The story is simple. It is the story of a simpleton who dreams of being a Rockstar and wants to emulate Jim Morrison. The trouble is its just a dream for him. He is unable to impress anyone. And then one joke by his friend transforms his life. The joke is “Only those people are famous who have suffered tragedies and whose hearts are broken”. It seems a joke at that time but believe me the movie is just this one line.

The story has two contrasting halves. The first half which is entertaining might appeal more to the masses. It is a story that builds the chemistry between the lead characters. It is funny, witty and also prepares you for the emotive second half. However, the only flaws in the movie are in the first half. The editor has taken his job a bit too seriously here. There are scenes which are randomly cut to make it short as the director really wanted to reach the core of the movie which is the second half. The second half is much better. It is a high tension mix of emotional turbulence and commotion.

However, going by the response of people close to me in the theater, I can sense that not many people liked it as compared to the first half.

In the acting department, the movie revolves around Ranbir and Nargis Fakhri. I can safely say that this is Ranbir’s most matured performance. He is no doubt a great actor and has proved his talent time and again but this is a movie that will win him the greatest appreciation and may be many critic awards. He lives and breathes in his character. You could see how a simple Jat transitions slowly into an arrogant and painful character where success has lost its meaning for him. This is Nargis’s debut movie and for a debutant, her performance is commendable. She might not have given her best considering she was up against Ranbir but she has put in a lot of efforts. Needless to say, she is gorgeous in the movie with a very sensual appeal.

All other characters are good. The one worth mentioning is his friend “Kataria”. He has also put in a superb effort. (Sorry don’t know his name). It is also important to put in a word for great Shammi Kapoor. This is his last movie and he looks great in the short cameo appearance.

RockStar is Imtiaz’s 4^th movie. I have liked all his previous ones. In fact the one that I liked least was his biggest hit “Jab We Met”. A close look at all his movies “Socha Na Tha”, “Jab we met”, Love Aaj Kal” reveals that he loves doing unusual love stories. His movies are confined within the boundaries of only two characters. With such short scope and confinements, it is his genius only that can wove stories around it. He has directed the movie beautifully and just focussed on the passionate affair and the sensibilities around it. The movie is not a typical romcom and also doesn’t have a predictable ending. In fact the end is poignant and a bit abstract for the audience to understand.

Summing up, this is not your typical Friday blockbuster which will break opening collections or weekly records. This is not Ready, Bodyguard, Golmal or Ra. One. This is not even Love Aajkal. This is different. Not many people will like it but I am sure a lot will appreciate it.

Ra.One - The movie with good visual effects

If you were in India over the last few weeks, it would have been impossible to miss the high voltage promotion of Ra.One. Be it Hoardings, Brand tie-ups, TV ads, mall promotions, or serial inducts... he has been all over the place. Shahrukh has been promoting it to such an extent that there are jokes on twitter and facebook that he might even pop out of your salad and say “its raw one”.

The movie has generated so much hype that even if the movie was bad, it still would have recovered its cost and more through opening weekend collections which in India is a real long one. But fortunately (and thankfully), the movie is a decent watch.

Ra.One is a story of a geek father who is trying to win over his modern age son. In this effort to be a cool dad, he builds up a game where the villain is more powerful than the hero. Some error happens and the game transitions into the real world with the villain stepping out. To kill Ra.One (the evil guy), G.One (the good guy) is made to step out as well.

The first half of the movie is strong. The build up of the two lead gaming characters (Ra.One and G.One) is really nice. The fusion of real and gaming world and how each level in the gaming world would eventually progress was, I must say, creative. This is the same half where most of the visual effects are also there. Though some of them do resemble Terminator 2.

But the story starts losing out in second half which seems similar to Robot. The biggest problem with it is the genre movie wanted to focus on. Shahrukh being Shahrukh wanted to please everyone. So the movie has bits and pieces of fiction, emotions, drama, romance, comedy, action and more. There are unnecessary songs brought in. Because the leading lady is Kareena and she must be given some screen time, there are scenes stuffed in, which if edited out, will have absolutely no impact to the film. Might have even made the movie slicker and smarter.

The first half lays out the rules of the games and second half is supposed to be the playtime. But somehow the real gaming levels come across as weak. In fact the final gaming level (which in any video game is supposed to be the most challenging) is the weakest part in the movie. The third level where G.One kills Ra.One should have been more powerful and packed with more effects. There are also lot of inconsistencies but I guess such things are pardonable in Bollywood movies.

Coming back to the strengths; the visual effects are a major plus and its obvious lot of money has gone in it. Shahrukh has acted well and his energy at this age is infectious. The character who plays his son is also good (sorry don’t know the kids real name). Arjun Rampal though plays the title role, has a smaller role as most of the times, it’s the visual effect playing Ra.One. But in all scenes, where he appears, he does look menacing. Rajnikanth's cameo was unnecessary and definitely unimpressive. Kareena (as usual) doesn’t have a role except to look pretty and dance in songs like “Chhamak Chhalo”. The music is already a hit. Most songs have been and will be on the charts for some time. I especially like “Dildaara”.

Summing up, the audience in the theatre liked it yesterday. The kids loved it. Most critics might end up giving it 3 stars and more. Overall, the movie is good and I am sure the movie will be a hit. Lastly, the way the story ends, do expect a lot more from G.One. Shahrukh definitely has plans to turn it into a franchisee concept.

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan - Average flick... good in bits and pieces

“Mere Brother Ki Dulhan” or in short MBKD (this abbreviation trend must have started because of Yash Raj and Barjatyas because of their tendency to name films in sentences than words!!).

MBKD is the next from YRF banner. Well the problem is ... these days the production houses have stopped directing their own ventures and instead give a chance to younger directors thus diluting their own image. When was the last we saw a true YRF movie produced and importantly directed by Yash Raj Chopra? Well, I cant recollect... and that’s why this movie also doesn’t meet the class and standards that YRC had set in the past.

The movie is average and feels a half-hearted attempt. There are so many scenes, where you feel that the acting, the direction and the editing is a bit restrained. They just couldn’t make sure to go whole hog with the flow. There are many unwanted scenes and many unnecessary songs that have been put together in haste in order to complete the length of the movie. And man... the movie has length... It feels sooooo long. In fact at one point, I was wondering if I missed the interval.

I don’t need to tell the story because the name sums it up and there is nothing more, nothing less than what the title suggests.

Katrina Kaif was supposed to be projected as funky and sparky. In order to do that, the movie makers added so many scenes which just goes over the top. She also tries to overact in order to step outside her boundaries. On the contrary, Imran Khan is supposed to be the shy, reticent guy and he underacts to play the part. The last is the director himself (Ali Zafar from Tere Bin Laden fame). This is his first commercial Hindi venture. I don’t count “Tere Bin Laden” (which was a classic comedy) because that was a Pakistani movie. Here, he somehow tries to carry the same tone which might have worked in Pakistani comedies but somehow in a full-on Bollywood venture, it sometimes came across as over-acting. But there are scenes, where he outperforms Imran.

There are some good points in the movie as well. The music is already a hit. Songs like “Dhunki” and “Kaisa hai Ishq” are good and will continue to be chart busters. There are also many funny moments which will make you laugh. The unusual pair of Imran and Katrina appeals in many scenes especially because the two characters are so different both on and off screen.

The movie had scope for emotions but the director decided to focus on the comedy part. May be curtailing some over-the-top comical scenes with a bit emotions would have made the movie a full Bollywood drama.

In all, if there is nothing else to do this week, the movie can be watched. In any case, there hasn’t been a good movie since last 3 weeks (Please I still don’t count Bodyguard as a decent flick).

Ready - watch at your own risk

There are comedies, there are loud comedies and then there are “Anees” comedies. With every passing movie, Anees Bazmee tries to outdo himself (or should I say lower himself). “Ready” belongs to this genre. It takes Indian cinemas to the days when double entendres were considered cool. When theatres were not fitted with good quality dolby digital sound systems; hence every actor used to shout at the pitch of his voice so that he could be heard over others. Where comedies meant you keep your brains and minds and intelligence and so on along with the Rs 500 bucks that you just paid at the ticket counter. The brain might get refunded back but with a deduction of a 3hrs interest. Where the following things were considered comical: actors farting, actors peeing in the open to water the dry plants, kids peeing in their pants, kids peeing on the villains (on second thought I think there was a lot of peeing in the film, no wonder the interval says pee break), actors using “choo”, “maa ki”, “kamini” and so on in almost every alternate sentence, dances being choreographed where actors and even little kids are using actions that you might think twice before showing them to your own kids...or actors speaking garbled dialogues. Sample this: Salman speaking to Asin’s aunty and introducing himself "mein kutta hun or yeh meri kuttiya hai..."

Ready is a brainless, illogical, non-sensical comedy.. in short an Anees Bazmee movie. Needless to say it doesn’t have a story.

Having said that, I don’t want to be over critical (you must be wondering what my first para was all about in that case). The movie does have some witty moments. I could hear lots of laughter around me so I assume there are people who liked the movie as well. Salman Khan is “Salman”. Asin looks a bit better in this movie. Other talented actors like Paresh Rawal and Mahesh Manjrekar were totally wasted. The songs are ok. While most of the songs have become popular, I think the best is still “Character Dheela” though howsoever hard she tries, Zareen still looks fat.

The backdrop locations are fabulous especially in song sequences. Overall, watch the movie at your own risk.