Go&See Trip: Part 2 - City Stroll

Whilst on day one we mainly checked properties, day two was more about understanding how life in Bangalore would be.  This includes the botanical garden, a local market and the city palace. 

We visit the Kingfisher Mall with all its luxury brands. Kingfisher is an (or rather the best-selling) Indian beer brand. The Kingfisher owner had the necessary budget and built an office tower, a mall and a residential tower. He then put his house on top of the latter. We have never seen anything like it. However, he no longer lives in India.

After that we make our way to the Botanical Gardens, which are located in the center of Bangalore. We stroll around and discover a small temple, a bonsai garden and lots of large, old trees. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city with all the traffic, this green oasis is a blessing. Squirrels flit about, butterflies buzz around and we enjoy the peace and quiet in the shade of the trees.

After the botanical garden, we go to a local market where you can buy seemingly anything. There are plastic boxes for lunch, fruit and vegetables, clothes, cleaning products, sponges and brooms - all at fair prices.

We also have lunch here, Karnataka style. This means traditional food from the region, served on a banana leaf. We eat with our fingers.

There are various cold salads, chutneys and hot curries, accompanied by rooti (bread) and rice. There is also a warm bread filled with a sweet cream. Usually eaten at the beginning, we prefer it as a dessert. It is a delicious but heavy lunch.

After lunch, we drive to Vidhana Soudha, the seat of government of the Karnataka region. The building is impressive and beautiful, with more than a thousand people working here. It is from here that policy is made for the entire Karnataka region - which is like a federal state, so to speak.

In front of the building is a statue of a social hero and politician. He realized that the poorer people were not represented in the government and pushed for a thirty percent representation quota in the government. In doing so, he really made the start of a change in people's lives.

After the government building, we went on to the palace. To be honest, we don't particularly liked it. It's very western, kind of kitschy and there are lots of remnants of dead elephants, such as stools made from elephant feet or a table leg made from an elephant's trunk. We just rush through and are finished after 20 minutes.

From here, we just pass another shopping center and then head back to the hotel. In the evening, we meet Stephanie's new boss for dinner.

The day was long and exhausting, the traffic sapped our last bit of energy. Nevertheless, we were once again able to gain many wonderful impressions. We will certainly feel at home in Bengaluru.

We spent our first week together in India. Stephanie will be traveling to Bangalore again at the end of the year for business and also will view a final apartment for us. Then it's time: Apartment 1093, here we come.