Aeroflot plane from Bangkok to Moscow makes emergency landing in Delhi
Aeroflot, a Russian carrier, said that in accordance with flight safety regulations, the captain of the flight SU273 from Bangkok to Moscow made the decision to perform an unscheduled landing at Delhi airport due to a brief odour of melted plastic.
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Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
Travel: A walk around Karlovy Vary, a Czech spa town
"You must have a sip," the guide insists, in a gentle but persuasive tone. The sip in question is from a thin shooting geyser around which is built a wide, shallow basin, enveloped in warm steam. In the bright afternoon sun, falling droplets and steam from the geyser catch the light rays and convert them into rainbows that vanish as quickly as they appear. Any lingering doubt about the nature of the spring is swiftly dispelled by the distinct sulphurous smell that hangs in the air. A changing tableau of people approach the spring, fill tiny, fist-sized juglets from the geyser, chug it and move on. How bad can it be, I think to myself and follow suit—and promptly gag. The water is metallic, acrid and vile. Yet, in the Czech town of Karlovy Vary, about two hours west of Prague, more than a dozen hot springs (as well as 300 smaller ones), are revered as the springs of health, wellness and longevity. Known locally as Karlsbad/Carlsbad, Karlovy Vary (literally Charles' spring) was a European spa town for centuries before Czechia got swept behind the Iron Curtain. It is named after Charles IV, the 14th century Roman Emperor and king of Bohemia. During and after Charles' rule, the thermal springs gained a massive reputation for having incredible medicinal properties, ranging from relieving muscular and gastrointestinal problems to curing gout and obesity. So much so that the fashionable to fawning and everyone in between flocked to the town—Russian Tsar Peter the Great, Kemal Ataturk, Goethe, Marx, Beethoven, Wagner... What the fashionable set also did was inspire wedding-cake like architecture: a blend of ornate neo-Baroque, neo-Renaissance and art nouveau with pastel facades and frothy embellishments that invoke luxury and grandeur. As if all this fame was not enough, the town has also hosted an annual film festival since 1946, considered eastern Europe's biggest. The town suffered a period of ignominy during the Cold War but as the Iron Curtain crumbled, its popularity soared again. To the extent that Unesco named it one among 11 great spa towns of Europe in 2021. Also read: Head to Lisse for tulips without the crowds Spread over both banks of the river Tepla, Karlovy Vary is situated in the pristine Sokolov basin surrounded Slavkov forest full of bogs, lush green meadows and pine woods. Just outside the historic centre of town, an ornate 19th century building is the first indication of the town's celebrity status. Called Kaiserbad locally, it is better known as the famous Casino Royale in the eponymous James Bond movie. A cobble-stoned pathway from here along the river leads to the town centre. Inserted between the cobble-stones are metallic plaques with globally-recognised names: Marx, Kafka, Beethoven, Wagner, but also movie celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Gregory Peck, Antonio Banderas, Scarlett Johansson and many more, as a tribute to its famous visitors. The cobbled path follows a bend in the river and opens into Stara Louka, the main street, which is also dubbed the Hot Spring Street for obvious reasons. Located along this path are nearly a dozen thermal springs ranging between 30 and 73 degree Celsius, housed in elegant colonnades. These are interspersed with stacked 18th and 19th century buildings in beautiful pastel shades housing swanky boutiques, swish showrooms, restaurants, bars, cafes and souvenir stores. It is from one of these that my guide Natalie buys me a pretty white and blue ceramic juglet, called a spa cup, for tasting the spring water. During peak season, the street swirls with tourists but on a pleasant weekday afternoon at the end of April, it isn't crowded at all. The river bends once more and in the crook is the first of the colonnades, Vridelni Kolonada (Hot Spring Colonnade), my first encounter with the spring water. Made of glass and concrete, the colonnade is relatively new and is dedicated to Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. And for good reason: it houses the most spectacular of Karlovy Vary's geysers, the Pramen Vřídlo, which shoots up 10m. At over 73 degrees Celsius, it is also one of the hottest of the springs. Inside the structure, the vapours are denser and tickle the nose and I hastily exit the building. Further ahead are two of the town's most beautiful and iconic buildings built around the springs. Mlynska Kolonada (Mill Colonnade) is a neo-Renaissance building from the late 19th century; it is a longish structure stretching for more 120m and held up by over a hundred Corinthian columns. The ornate architecture encases five springs that spurt water at temperatures ranging from 53 degrees Celsius to 65 degrees Celsius. 'They are not as bad as the first one," Natalie says. Having done it once, I decide I may as well try the others. Each one is a different: pungent, salty, tingling, bitter. 'That's because of the different minerals the water encounters when rising to the top. Each is also known to have its own medicinal properties," she says. Round the corner is the Trzni Kolonada (Market Colonnade), also from the 19th century. But where the previous one is ornate and solid, Trzni feels pretty and delicate with an intricate white lattice-work facade. Inside are three springs gushing out of hydrant-style contraptions. I taste some more of the warm waters, by now having becoming inured to the strong flavours. Once or twice I am surprised by a mildly fizzy taste. 'That's because of carbon dioxide content," Natalie says. As the evening shadows lengthen, it calls for looking at the town from a different perspective: a hot air balloon ride over the spa town. From up above, Karlovy Vary feels like something out of a fairytale—lush green forests, meadows and hillocks framing houses and buildings topped by red gabled roofs with the Tepla winding through it. Back in Stara Louka, dusk has fallen and golden light spills from every establishment, their reflections shimmering on the Tepla's surface, turning the street into an enchanting place. It is the perfect setting to taste Karlovy Vary's other famous liquid, Becherovka. The first sip, out of a shot glass, is almost an assault on the senses, leaving me sputtering and teary-eyed, as the liquid burns a path as it goes down. It is sharp, with menthol being the overwhelming flavour but is laced with notes of ginger and cinnamon. Drunk as an aperitif or digestif, Becherovka was created over 200 years ago by pharmacist Josef Vitus Becher as an antidote for gastric problems, combining 20 or more ingredients. It is unclear why and when it made the transition from the medicine cabinet to the bar. Its ABV strength at upwards of 40% could be the overpowering reason. I sip some more and discover subtler flavours such as citrus, spices and herbs. With each sip, it tastes better and better. As I begin to enjoy it, I am amused that becherovka, much like the town's hot springs, has begun to grow on me. Also read: From Botswana to New Zealand, travel to the southern hemisphere this summer
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
A sky train, a death rail, a station with no staff: 200 years on, trains have come a long way
The fastest commuter train in the world, in Shanghai, China, has no wheels; it uses magnetic levitation for a smoother, faster ride. The longest route in the world sits within just one country: Russia. It spans nearly 9,300 km. The world's highest railway station, part of the Qinghai-Tibet railway line built by China, sits more than 4,000 metres above sea level. Tucked amid the Himalayas, one of its stations is so remote, it has no staff at all. The air is so thin, passengers cannot alight. (Read on for more on this). Where else do the railways create a little bit of history every day? Take a tour. Largest rail network: USA The railroad was so pivotal in the US that towns lived and died by its proximity (until the roads took over, hurling themselves across the vast expanses with greater ease, and taking over where the trains had once ruled). Between the 1830s and 1850s, the reach of these tracks expanded so rapidly, it birthed a generation of rail barons — people who had invested in these ventures, and were now raking it in. It also birthed the Panic of 1873, as overextended banks and companies now facing a dip, took a tumble together. The tracks laid down still serve the country, though. The US has the largest rail network in the world: over 250,000 km of track. Today, this vast network is used overwhelmingly for freight, in a country where cars, private transportation and cheap oil take precedence. The longest line: The Trans-Siberian link, Russia This is a single line that essentially spans a continent. It reaches from Moscow in western Russia all the way to Vladivostok in the far east. It was built as a power move, by the Russian tsar Alexander III and his son and successor Nicholas II. But really, it was built, between 1891 and 1916, by generations of prisoners. To keep costs down, convicts were put to work on the project. Parts of it came to be nicknamed the Death Road because of its high toll. The model would be so successful that it would live on as Russia turned communist and Joseph Stalin took over. Dissenters, resistant landowners and political prisoners were sent to camps scattered across this vast land, to work on roads, canals, railroads and in mines. The horrors of this punishment, with many labourers never heard from again, inspired Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's remarkable non-fiction work, The Gulag Archipelago, released in 1973, two decades after Stalin's death. The Trans-Siberian Railway remains the longest single rail link in the world, spanning nearly 9,300 km. The journey from Moscow to Vladivostok takes up to eight days (depending on the route and rake), and passes through eight time zones. The world's busiest station: Shinjuku, Japan Serving over 3.5 million passengers a day, the Shinjuku station sits in Tokyo's busy business and entertainment district, linking the densely populated city and its suburbs, and connecting commuters with major hubs of bus transit and the airport. In an indication of its scale, the station has more than 200 exits. World's highest railway station: Tanggula, Tibet This unstaffed station is also the highest in the world, sitting 5,068 metres above sea level. Built by China as part of the Qinghai-Tibet line, the 'sky train', as it has been nicknamed, halts here for a few minutes, so that passengers can take in the breathtaking views. They cannot alight; the air is too thin. The train itself has an internal air-pressure system, and supplemental oxygen piped through it. Busiest railway system: India (With input from Vandana Dubey)
News18
6 days ago
- News18
Russia to "Repair Damaged' Bombers, Vows Response As Trump "Admires Pretty Strong' Ukraine Strike
More from world "I Will Be Going To China" Trump Has 'Very Good' Call With Xi Jinping Amid Full Blown Trade War Trump Reinstates US Travel Ban, Bars Citizens Of 12 Nations To Protect Against 'Foreign Terrorists' Ukraine Strikes Russian Missile Systems in Bryansk
