Wanderlust. I was badly afflicted with it and so were my friends — Meghali, Malobika and Srutimala. After months of brainstorming, the time had finally come for the fruition of our dreams of going on an all-girl trip to Europe. The four of us had travelled abroad before. So, we decided to do places on our own, without a guide, and not be bogged down by time constraints.

Our first stop was Vienna and we were greeted by the refreshing unpolluted air. Our first sightseeing outing was to the Schronnbrun Palace with beautiful gardens. The Mozart Memorial, with its lawn decorated with a floral treble clef, was another place where we decided to hang out for some time.

Prague was our next destination. The Eurail journey from the Sudbahnhof station in Vienna with the view of the Austrian countryside was breathtaking. Prague was different from Vienna in that the scars of Communist rule could still be seen and felt whereas Vienna was more upbeat. We spent a good deal of time around the historic Charles Bridge area from where Prague looked really beautiful.

Salzburg was something out of a fairytale. The Salzach river runs through it with nice parks on both banks. The city’s highlight is the Sound of Music tour, which was the only guided tour that we took in the entire trip. It acquainted us with the lore of Salzburg as well as the absolutely stunning Lake District of Austria. We also took a luge ride down the slopes.

Budapest was awesome! Our hotel overlooked the Danube which flows between the two cities of Buda and Pest which are connected by a number of bridges. Budapest successfully combines centuries-old architectural and cultural heritage with the latest features of modern life. We visited Margaret Island, the old city of Buda and its castle quarter, the Fisherman’s Bastion besides roaming around the place. On our second day in Budapest, we took a cruise on the Danube or Duna, as it is locally known. Post-cruise we went to the Chain Bridge that was choc-a-bloc with Saturday night revellers, and we too joined in dancing to the foot- tapping music of live bands.

Since ages much has been written about Venice, one of the most photographed cities. We did a lot of walking here, visiting the Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, The Doge’s Palace, weaving in and out of the narrow streets and even getting lost sometimes. We also saw Venice from another perspective — from the Vaporetti or water bus, which also took us to the island of Murano, famous for its blown glass, and to Burano island, famed for its intricate lace making.

Back in Venice, we browsed through the souvenir shops till midnight, after which we sat down on the benches in a square near our hotel, resting our tired feet, and singing Bihu songs, much to the amusement of a few other people who were also sitting there. They egged us on, clapping to the rhythm. I doubt anyone can ignore our Bihu beats.

We felt sad to leave Venice, but our next destination was high on our priority list — Sorrento. As we travelled by the local train from Naples, we got our first glimpse of the Mediterranean. Sorrento is a peninsula on the west coast of Italy, and the beauty of the place is breathtaking. It is built on a cliff with a sheer drop of several hundred feet.

From Sorrento we went to Rome. On our arrival we were told at the info desk that our hotel was “outside Roma”. There was a big mixup. We had chosen the hotel Le Petit in the heart of the city, but we were put in Le Petit, Monterondo on the outskirts. Inadvertently, we got the feel of staying in a village, which we had actually wanted to do. We did a full day tour of the city, taking a hop-on hop-off bus that gives one some degree of flexibility. The Sistine Chapel was an absolute masterpiece of art. We saw the Colloseum, the Spanish steps, The Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. But at the end of the day, I felt that Rome was just another big city.

The time had come for the last leg of our trip, which was Greece. I don’t know why, but Greece always held a great fascination for me. The blue Aegean, the dazzling white houses, the coloured bougainvilleas and jacarandas — I had been looking forward to this for ages and I must say Greece did live up to my expections.

Athens was, well, another big capital city, but more ‘happy’ looking than Rome. The sky was a startling bright blue — something I haven’t seen anywhere else. The icy fresh orange juice and pizza portions provided succour to our parched souls after having walked the sunbaked streets of Athens. Next day early morning we went to see the change of guards in the Parliament grounds. We also visited the botanical gardens and the Olympic stadium. When we reached Santorini I realized I was finally living my dream.

Santorini is a unique place. The whole island is one huge pile of hardened volcanic lava. It is almost oxymoronic — a chiaroscuro of bright and dark, harsh and beautiful at the same time. The sea around here is deep blue, though the sky couldn’t match that of Athens. We stayed there for five nights.

Santorini by daylight was something else. The all-white houses so dazzled in the sun that it hurt the eyes. It is almost like snow-blindness. The walk to the beach was a bare ten minutes away from our little hotel. Everything was very laidback and I did not see a single policeman in the island. It felt so safe that we didn’t think twice about going to the beach at midnight. Some of the best swimming is to be found in the Perissa beach where we were staying. A striking feature here is the enormous rock of Mesa Vuono which rises straight up from the sea. I learnt that this existed even before the volcano erupted and Santorini came into being.

We went to see the sunset from Oia, the highest part of the island. The drive was through the stark landscape of the island. The only vegetation I could see were the vineyards – very different from the ones one sees in France – and tomatoes. The last day dawned upon us. But before leaving, we went to have a meal at one of the beachfront tavernas, satisfying our gastronomical urge on Greek gyros, souvlaki and moussaka. Yes, these last four days were the best part of our holiday.

Anuradha Baruah Saikia