My Visual Travel Experience: The French Riviera - Nice, Cannes and Antibes

In the summer of 2011, I spent a week in the French Riviera with my then fiance and soon to be wife. We traveled there shortly after our engagement. We spent three days in Monaco, two days in Nice, and a day each in Cannes and Antibes. We were very impressed by the magnificent blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the pretty but crowded beaches, and the buzz of some of the pretty towns dotting the coastline.

The French Riviera is one of the most luxurious travel destinations in the world. Known locally as Cote d’Azur, it is the Mediterranean coastline of France. The principality of Monaco is an independent principality within this region. Its place as a popular seaside destination comes from the fact that it gets almost 330 days of sunshine in a year. The region has a population of close to 2 million. 

The region saw Greek sailors coming and settling in as far back as the 7th century BC. Later, there was Roman colonization. Over time, the coastline became one of the earliest modern resort areas. It started off as a winter health resort for wealthy British travelers in the late 18th century. In the mid 19th century, with the advent of the railways, it became a favourite vacation spot for the rich and famous, including royalty like Tsar Alexander II and Queen Victoria. In the first half of the 20th century, it became a favourite for artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. In recent decades, celebrities like Elton John and Brigitte Bardot bought homes in the region.

Nice, with a population of 340,000, is the largest resort on the Mediterranean coast and France’s 5th largest town. Nice was founded by the Greeks and later colonized by the Romans. It has long been a favourite with celebrities, including Tsar Nicholas I’s widow in 1856 and Queen Victoria in 1894. Nice is famous for its waterside promenade, its beaches, its museums and its festivals.

Le Negresco is a luxury hotel on Promenade des Anglais, Nice’s popular waterfront avenue. It was built in 1912 by Henri Negresco. The hotel has an iconic dome, a 16,000 crystal chandelier commissioned by Czar Nicholas II, and luxurious decorations. The hotel was sold to the Augier family in 1957. The hotel’s gourmet restaurants include Le Chantecler.

Le Negresco

The Great Hall, Le Negresco

Chandelier inside the Great Hall, Le Negresco

Le Rotunde, a cafeteria at Le Negresco

Bust of Tsar Alexander III and the Tsarina, Le Negresco

Musee National Marc Chagall has the world’s largest collection of works by the artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985), with paintings, drawings, sculptures, stained glass and mosaics. The museum’s main attraction is the set of 17 colourful canvases depicting scenes from the Bible.

Chagall's Abraham and the Angels,
Musee National Marc Chagall

Chagall's Adam and Eve Expelled From Paradise,
Musee National Marc Chagall

Chagall's Jacob's Dream,
Musee National Marc Chagall

Chagall's Moses and the Bush,
Musee National Marc Chagall

Chagall's Adam and Eve,
Musee National Marc Chagall

Musee Massena is located next to Le Negresco. The museum has exhibits showcasing the history of Nice, and it also has memorabilia pertaining to Napoleon. The museum opened in 1921, at the Villa Massena, residence of Prince Essling, grandson of one of Napoleon’s generals.

Musee Massena

Bust of Napoleon, Musee Massena

The Cathedral is dedicated to Ste Reparate. The Baroque church dates back to the 17th century.

Cathedral

The Russian Church was completed in 1912 in memory of a member of the Russian royal family who died in Nice in 1965. The exterior has pink brick and grey marble. Inside, there is an impressive collection of icons.

Russian Church

Notre Dame du Port was completed in 1853. It has a facade with classical colonnades added in 1896.

Notre Dame du Port

Interior, Notre Dame du Port

Monastere de Cimiez is situated on a hill overlooking the town. It is surrounded by a cemetery, Lower down the hill is a place called Les Arenes, remains of a Roman colony, with an old amphitheatre.

Monastere de Cimiez

Death of Christ, Monastere de Cimiez

Death of the Virgin, Monastere de Cimiez

Place Massena is the town’s main square. The large square is a place for public gatherings and concerts.

Place Massena

Cannes, a town with a population of about 75,000, is known for its association with the rich and famous, its beaches, its iconic luxury hotels, and its annual Cannes Film Festival and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The town started off as a Greek settlement in the 2nd century BC.

Hotels like Hotel Carlton and Grand Hotel lie along Promenade de la Croisette, a waterfront avenue lined with palm trees, and full of hotels, restaurants, cafes and boutiques.  Hotel Carlton was completed in 1913 for Henry Ruhl, a Swiss hotelier. The hotel has over 300 rooms. It is part of the Intercontinental Group of hotels. Many celebrities and movie stars regularly stay at the hotel, and several movies have been shot there.

Hotel Carlton

Grand Hotel

Cannes Cinema Mural is a well known mural on the facade of a cinema at Place Cornut-Gentille. The mural features famous names from the world of cinema, like Charlie Chaplin and Mickey Mouse.

Cannes Cinema

Musee de la Castre has objects from the Pacific, Peruvian relics and Mayan pottery.

Musee de la Castre

War Memorial is a memorial built to commemorate French soldiers who died in World War I.

War Memorial

Notre Dame de Bon Voyage started as a small chapel and fisherman’s shelter in the 15th century. The current structure dates back to the 19th century. The church has some exquisite stain glass windows. In 1815, the church was the first stop of Napoleon when he returned from Elba.

Notre Dame de Bon Voyage

Stain Glass, Notre Dame de Bon Voyage

Notre Dame de l’Esperance was completed in 1627. It is a Gothic style church with a Romanesque bell tower. Above the main altar, there is a statue of Our Lady Of Hope in gilded wood.

Bell Tower, Notre Dame de l'Esperance

Virgin and Child Statue, Notre Dame de l'Esperance

View of Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame de l'Esperance

Antibes has a population of around 75,000, and is a prosperous town, with many wealthy people having their luxurious villas there. Antibes was formed in the 4th century BC as a Greek colony and was originally called Antipolis. The town is known for its large yachting harbour, its Cathedral, several interesting museums (including a Picasso Museum) and Marine Land (a water park with regular shows).

Port Vauban is the largest yachting harbour in Europe, with over 2,000 yachts. It's a testament to the great wealth of the town.

Port Vauban

Fort Carre is a 16th century star shaped fort on the outskirts of Antibes. The fort’s fortifications are supposed to have been built by the Romans but Henry III built the fort in the mid 16th century. The fort was strengthened by Vauban in the 1680s. In 1794, Napoleon was briefly imprisoned in the fort.  

Fort Carre

Antibes Cathedral dates back to 1747, though there was a church at the site of the present cathedral as far back as the 6th century.

Antibes Cathedral

High Altar, Antibes Cathedral

Pieta, Antibes Cathedral

Marche Provincial is the local market that has stalls selling vegetables, fruits and other necessities.

Marche Provincial

Hotel de Ville is the Town Hall of Antibes.

Hotel de Ville

Marineland was founded in 1970. It has a marine zoological park, where one can see polar bears, penguins, seals , sharks, turtles and other  marine animals. The park is also famous for its dolphin and killer whale shows.

Dolphin, Marine Land

Killer Whale, Marine Land

Penguins, Marine Land

 A week in the region was enough to give us a good flavour of the French Riviera, but it certainly wasn't enough for us to do full justice. Traveling around was easy because of the great train service in the region, and the fact that towns are very close to one another. I was very keen on seeing Musee Renoir, the house of the impressionist painter Auguste Renoir, in Cagnes-sur-Mer. We caught a train and went there, but unfortunately the museum was shut that day, so it was a wasted trip. It would have been great fun to explore other towns like Saint Tropez too, but time didn't permit. All in all, it was an exciting, fun packed week for us! 

My Visual Travel Experience: Graz

I visited Graz in the mid 1980s with my parents. I remember being fascinated by the charming Uhrturm (the Clock Tower), situated up on a hill overlooking the town. When I pronounced Uhrturm the German way, my mother laughed and said "Earthworm?". In 2008, I spent a week in Austria. I did a morning-evening trip from Vienna to Graz. The town is compact enough to cover on foot in one day, and I managed to see most of the town's sites. The old town is absolutely splendid and very well preserved, and I really enjoyed my day in Graz.

The Uhrturm

Graz is the capital of the Austrian province of Steirmark (or Styria), and it is the country’s second largest city after Vienna, with a population of 290,000. Dukes under the Babenberg rule made Graz an important commercial centre in the 12th century. Shortly afterwards, Graz came under the rule of the Habsburg Empire. In the 14th century, the Inner Austrian line of the Habsburg Empire started living in Graz, and from the city, they controlled Styria, Carinthia, Slovenia and parts of Northern Italy. Graz is an important educational hub. The University of Graz was established in 1585 by Karl II. It was closed in 1782 by Joseph II, in an attempt to tighten state control. In 1827, it was re-established as a university by Franz I. Today, it has over 30,000 students. In 1797, Napoleon’s army occupied Graz. The Austrian forces were defeated by Napoleon’s army in 1809 and following this defeat, the fortifications at Schlossberg in Graz were destroyed, leaving just the Uhrturm and the Glockenturm after the citizens paid money for their preservation.

The Uhrturm is Graz’s most recognizable structure. The clock-tower stands on  a hill called the Schlossberg, at a height of 473 meters. The hill has a public park, restaurants and cafes. There used to be a castle fortification on Schlossberg as far back as the 10th century. In the 16th century, a big fortress was built. The fortress was never conquered but it was demolished in the 19th century.  The Uhrturm (the clock-tower) and the Glockenturm (the bell-tower) were spared. The remains of the fortress were converted into a public park in 1839. The top of the hill is connected to the city by a funicular railway, and by steep paths and staircases.

The Uhrturm and the public park around it

The Glockenturm

One has splendid views of the town from the Uhrturm, and most of the old town's landmarks can be seen clearly.

View from the Uhrturm: The Dom and the Mausoleum

View from the Uhrturm: The Rathaus

View from the Uhrturm: The Landhaus

View from the Uhrturm: Mariahilferkirche

The Hauptplatz or main square lies in the heart of the old town and is its focal point. The Rathaus, or Town Hall, lies at one end of the Hauptplatz. It was completed in 1893. 

The Rathaus at Hauptplatz

In the centre of Hauptplatz, there’s the Statue of Erzherzog Johann (Archduke John), who was the grandson of Empress Maria Theresia. The statue is surrounded by allegorical statues of the rivers that flow through the region – the Mur, the Enns, the Drava and the Sann. 

Statue of Erzherzog Johann at Hauptplatz

Allegorical Statue of the River Enns

Allegorical Statue of the River Mur

Allegorical Statue of the River Sann

The Haus Am Luegg is another landmark on Hauptplatz, with its splendid architecture and Baroque façade. The building dates back to the 17th century.

Haus Am Luegg at Hauptplatz

The Landhaus houses the Styrian Parliament. It was built in the 16th century by an Italian architect. It has a renaissance style arcaded courtyard. The building has an ornate baroque interior and also has a chapel.

Landhaus

The Landeszeughaus houses the impressive collection of Styrian Armoury, with over 32,000 objects on display. The Landeszeughaus was built in the 17th century. Weapons were constantly required to fight off the Ottomans. During World War II, all the weapons were moved to three castles across Styria for safety, and they were moved back at the end of the war.

Weapons on display at Landeszeughaus

The Dom (the Cathedral) is dedicated to St Giles. It was built in the 15th century for Emperor Ferdinand III. The cathedral has Gothic frescoes depicting life after the plague. 

Dom

Statue of the Patron Saint of Graz, Dom

Next to the Dom lies the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II (1578 – 1637), built by him as a tomb for himself and his family.

Mausoleum

St Catherine's Altar, Mausoleum

Mariahilferkirche is another one of Graz's main churches. The church was built in 1611, but the two towers were added in 1742 and 1744. Right next to the church lies the cloister of the Minorite monastery. The monastery still has minority brothers residing in it. The complex also has the treasury chapel, which was built to keep offerings from pilgrims.

Mariahilferkirche

Austria offers a lot to travelers, and is one of my favourite countries in the world to visit. A lot of visitors to Austria end up going to just Vienna, Salzburg and perhaps Innsbruck, but if you have time on your hands, don't miss out on Graz. The whole experience of the old town, with the Hauptplatz and the Uhrturm, certainly make it worth the effort.

Music Charts Records And Trivia: UK No.1 Hits

I have been following the weekly UK Top 10 singles charts since 1987. First, it was through the weekly German magazine, Bravo. Then I started listening to Tim Smith's UK Top 20 on BBC - Tuesday 5:45 pm meant I was glued to the TV and couldn't be disturbed under practically any circumstances! I then got my hands on a book that had a comprehensive listing of  the UK Top 40 singles since the inception of the charts. I now get the UK singles charts on the internet. In this blog, I'm sharing records and trivia pertaining to the UK singles charts.

Elvis Presley
Image Courtesy: Google Images

Longest Running No.1 Singles In The UK:
I Believe - Frankie Lane, 1953 (18 weeks)
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams, 1991 (16 weeks)
Love Is All Around - Wet Wet Wet, 1994 (15 weeks)
One Dance - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla, 2016 (15 weeks)
Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran, 2017 (14 weeks)
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen, 1975 and 1991 (14 weeks - 9 weeks and 5 weeks)
Rose Marie - Slim Whitman, 1955 (11 weeks)
Dance Monkey - Tones And I, 2019 (11 weeks)
Despacito - Luis Figo featuring Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber (11 weeks)
Cara Mia - David Whitfield, 1954 (10 weeks)
I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston, 1992 (10 weeks)
Umbrella - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, 2007 (10 weeks)
God's Plan - Drake, 2018 (10 weeks)
Here In My Heart - Al Martino, 1952 (9 weeks)
Oh Mein Papa - Eddie Calvert, 1954 (9 weeks)
Secret Love - Doris Day (9 weeks)
Diana, Paul Anka, 1955 (9 weeks)
Mull Of Kintyre - Wings, 1977 (9 weeks)
You're The One That I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, 1978 (9 weeks)
Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood, 1984 (9 weeks)
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley, 2006 (9 weeks)
Rockabye - Clean Bandit, 2016 (9 weeks)

Longest Running No.1 Singles Of Each Year In The UK:

1952: Here In My Heart - Al Martino (9 weeks)
1953: I Believe - Frankie Lane (18 weeks), Answer Me - Frankie Lane (8 weeks), Look At That Girl - Guy Mitchell (6 weeks), Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes - Perry Como (5 weeks)
1954: Cara Maria - David Whitfield (10 weeks), Oh Mein Papa - Eddie Calvert (9 weeks), Secret Love - Doris Day (9 weeks)
1955: Rose Marie - Slim Whitman (11 weeks), Give Me Your Word - Tennessee Ernie Ford (7 weeks), Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets (5 weeks)
1956: Just Walking In The Rain - Johnnie Ray (7 weeks), No Other Love - Ronnie Hilton (6 weeks), Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera) - Doris Day (6 weeks), I'll Be Home - Pat Boone (5 weeks)
1957: Diana - Paul Anka (9 weeks), Young Love - Tab Hunter (7 weeks), All Shook Up - Elvis Presley (7 weeks), Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte (7 weeks), Cumberland Gap - Lonnie Donigan (5 weeks)
1958: Magic Moments - Perry Como (8 weeks), All I Have To Do Is Dream - Everly Brothers (7 weeks), Who's Sorry Now - Connie Francis (6 weeks), Carolina Moon / Stupid Cupid - Connie Francis (6 weeks), When - Kalin Twins (5 weeks), It's Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty (5 weeks)
1959: Living Doll - Cliff Richard and the Shadows (6 weeks), What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For - Emile Ford and the Checkmates (6 weeks), A Fool Such As I / I Need Your Love Tonight - Elvis Presley (5 weeks), Travellin' Light - Cliff Richard and the Shadows (5 weeks)
1960: It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley (8 weeks), Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers (7 weeks), Apache - Shadows (5 weeks),
1961: Wooden Heart - Elvis Presley (6 weeks)
1962: Wonderful Land - Shadows (8 weeks), I Remember You - Frank Ifield (7 weeks), The Young Ones - Cliff Richard and the Shadows (6 weeks), Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley (5 weeks), Telstar - Tornados (5 weeks), Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield (5 weeks)
1963: From Me To You - The Beatles (7 weeks), She Loves You - The Beatles (6 weeks), I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (5 weeks)
1964: I Feel Fine - The Beatles (5 weeks), You're My World - Cilia Black (4 weeks)
1965: Tears - Ken Dodd (5 weeks), Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out - The Beatles (5 weeks)
1966: Green Green Grass Of Home - Tom Jones (7 weeks), Distant Drums - Jim Reeves (5 weeks)
1967: Hello Goodbye - The Beatles (7 weeks), Release Me - Engelbert Humperdink (6 weeks), A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Procol Harum (6 weeks), The Last Waltz - Engelbert Humperdink (5 weeks)
1968: Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkins (6 weeks)
1969: Sugar Sugar - The Archies (8 weeks), Get Back - The Beatles (6 weeks), Two Little Boys - Rolf Harries (6 weeks), Honky Tonk Women - Rolling Stones (5 weeks)
1970: In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry (7 weeks), The Wonder Of You - Elvis Presley (6 weeks), Band Of Gold - Freda Payne (6 weeks), I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds (6 weeks), Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse (5 weeks)
1971: Hot Love - T Rex (6 weeks), My Sweet Lord - George Harrison (5 weeks), Knock Three Times - Dawn (5 weeks), Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap - Middle Of The Road (5 weeks), Maggie May - Rod Stewart (5 weeks)
1972: Without You - Nilsson (5 weeks), Amazing Grace - Pipes and Drums and Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (5 weeks), Puppy Love - Donny Osmond (5 weeks), Long Haired Lover From Liverpool - Little Jimmy Osmond (5 weeks)
1973: Sweet - Blockbuster (5 weeks), Merry XMas Everybody - Slade (5 weeks)
1974: Tiger Feet - Mud (4 weeks), Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks (4 weeks), Sugar Baby Love - Rubettes (4 weeks), She - Charles Aznavour (4 weeks), Lonely This Christmas - Slade (4 weeks)
1975: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (9 weeks), Bye Bye Baby - Bay City Rollers (6 weeks)
1976: Save Your Kisses For Me - Brotherhood Of Man (6 weeks), Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and Kiki Dee (6 weeks), Dancing Queen - Abba (6 weeks)
1977: Mull Of Kintyre - Wings (9 weeks), Knowing Me Knowing You - Abba (5 weeks), Way Down - Elvis Presley (5 weeks)
1978: You're The One That I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John (9 weeks), Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John (7 weeks), Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring - Boney M (5 weeks), Three Times A Lady - Commodores (5 weeks)
1979: Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel (6 weeks), Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd (5 weeks)
1980: Don't Stand So Close To Me - Police (4 weeks)
1981: Stand And Deliver - Adam and the Ants (5 weeks), Don't You Want Me? - Human League (5 weeks)
1982: Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners (4 weeks), Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor (4 weeks), Save Your Love - Renee and Renato (4 weeks)
1983: Karma Chameleon - Culture Club (6 weeks), Uptown Girl - Billy Joel (5 weeks), Only You - Flying Pickets (5 weeks)
1984: Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (9 weeks), Hello - Lionel Richie (6 weeks), I Just Called To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder (6 weeks), Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (5 weeks), Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid (5 weeks)
1985: 19 - Paul Hardcastle (5 weeks), The Power Of Love - Jennifer Rush (5 weeks)
1986: When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean (4 weeks), Don't Leave Me This Way - Communards (4 weeks), Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson (4 weeks)
1987: Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley (5 weeks), China In Your Hand - T'Pau (5 weeks)
1988: I Should Be So Lucky - Kylie Minogue (5 weeks), The Only Way Is Up - Yazz and the Plastic Population (5 weeks)
1989: Ride On Time - Black Box (6 weeks), Swing The Mood - Jive Bunny and the Master Mixers (5 weeks)
1990: Sacrifice / Healing Hand - Elton John (5 weeks)
1991: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (16 weeks), The One And Only - Chesney Hawkes (5 weeks), Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) - Cher (5 weeks), Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (5 weeks)
1992: I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (10 weeks), Stay - Shakespeare Sisters (8 weeks), Rhythm Is A Dancer - Snap (6 weeks), Please Don't Go - KWS (5 weeks), Abba-esque EP - Erasure (5 weeks)
1993: I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meat Loaf (7 weeks), No Limit - 2 Unlimited (5 weeks)
1994: Love Is All Around - Wet Wet Wet (15 weeks), Stay Another Day - East 17 (5 weeks)
1995: Think Twice - Celine Dion (7 weeks), Unchained Melody - Robson Green and Jerome Flynn (7 weeks), Earth Song - Michael Jackson (6 weeks)
1996: Wannabe - Spice Girls (7 weeks), Babylon Zoo - Spaceman (5 weeks)
1997: Candle In The Wind '97 / Something About The Way You Look Tonight - Elton john (5 weeks)
1998: Believe - Cher (7 weeks), It's Like That - Run DMC featuring Jason Nevins (6 weeks)
1999: I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun - Westlife (4 weeks)
2000: It Feels So Good - Sonique (3 weeks), Can We Fix It - Bob The Builder (3 weeks)
2001: Whole Again - Atomic Kitten (4 weeks), Can't Get You Ot Of My Head - Kylie Minogue (4 weeks)
2002: Hero - Enrique Iglesias 94 weeks), Unchained Melody - Gareth Gates (4 weeks), A Little Less Conversation - Elvis vs JXL (4 weeks), Sound Of The Underground - Girls Aloud (4 weeks)
2003: Where Is The Love? - Black Eyed Peas
2004: F**k It (I Don't Want You Back) - Eamon (4 weeks), Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid 20 (4 weeks)
2005: (Is This The Way To) Amarillo - Tony Christie featuring Peter Cay (7 weeks), You're Beautiful - James Blunt (5 weeks)
2006: Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (9 weeks)
2007: Umbrella - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z (10 weeks), Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis (6 weeks), Grace Kelly - Mika (5 weeks), When You Believe - Leon Jackson (5 weeks)
2008: Now You're Gone - Basshunters (5 weeks), Mercy - Duffy (5 weeks), I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry (5 weeks)
2009: The Fear - Lily Allen (4 weeks)
2010: When We Collide - Matt Cardle (3 weeks)
2011: Someone Like You - Adele (5 weeks)
2012: Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye featuring Kimbra (5 weeks)
2013: Get Lucky - Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams (4 weeks), Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke featuring TI and Pharrell (4 weeks)
2014: Rather Be - Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (7 weeks), Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne (4 weeks), All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor (4 weeks)
2015: Love Yourself - Justin Bieber (6 weeks), Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding (4 weeks), OMI - Cheerleader (4 weeks), Want To Want Me - Jason De Rulo (4 weeks)
2016: One Dance - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (15 weeks), Rockabye - Clean Bandit (9 weeks), 7 Years - Lukas Graham (5 weeks)
2017: Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran (14 weeks), Despacito - Luis Figo featuring Daddy Yankee and Juston Bieber (11 weeks), Perfect - Ed Sheeran (6 weeks), Havana - Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (5 weeks)
2018: God's Plan - Drake (10 weeks), One Kiss - Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa (8 weeks), Thank You Next - Ariana Grande (6 weeks), Promises - Calvin Harris and Sam Smith (5 weeks)
2019: Dance Monkey - Tones and I (11 weeks), I Don't Care - Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber (8 weeks), Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi (7 weeks), Senorita - Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello (6 weeks)

Artists With The Most No.1 Singles In The UK:
Elvis Presley - 18
Beatles - 17
Cliff Richard - 14
Madonna - 13
Westlife - 13
Take That - 11
Abba - 9
Eminem - 9
Rolling Stones - 8
Oasis - 8
Michael Jackson - 7
George Michael -7
Ed Sheeran - 7
Kylie Minogue - 7
Rod Stewart - 6
Blondie - 6
Boyzone - 6
Robbie Williams - 6
Bee Gees - 5
Police - 5
David Guetta -5

Music Charts Records And Trivia: US No.1 Hits

I've been following the weekly Billboard US singles charts for well over three decades now. I used to first get my supply of the US Top 10 charts in a weekly German magazine, Bravo. Later, I used to listen to the weekly charts on radio, on Voice Of America, and all my friends knew that trying to reach me at 5 pm on a Thursday evening was futile, because I'd be glued to my radio jotting down the US Top 10 - the RJ was a man called Ray McDonald, and I was hooked to his weekly countdown. A few years later, I got my hands on a book that had a listing of the US Top 40 weekly charts from the time that they started - with this, I was able to learn about songs from the early years of the charts. I now get updates on the weekly US Billboard Hot 100 charts on Billboard Magazine's website.

The Beatles
Image Courtesy: Google Images

Across the world, the music charts that seem to matter most are the local music charts of that country, plus the US and UK music charts. I'm sharing some interesting chart records and trivia involving no.1 hits from the history of the US singles charts. It's fun going through some of these lists and getting nostalgic about songs and music bands that created chart records from a period spanning more than six decades.

Longest Running No.1 Singles In The US:
Old Town Road - Lil Nas X, 2019 (19 weeks)
One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey and Boys II Men, 1995 (16 weeks)
Despacito - Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, 2017 (16 weeks)
I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston, 1992 (14 weeks)
I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men, 1994 (14 weeks)
Macarena - Los Del Rio, 1996 (14 weeks)
Something About The Way You Look Tonight - Elton John, 1997 (14 weeks)
We Belong Together - Mariah Carey, 2005 (14 weeks)
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas, 2014 (14 weeks)
Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, 2015 (14 weeks)
End Of The Road - Boyz II Men, 1992 (13 weeks)
The Boy Is Mine - Brandy and Monica, 1998 (13 weeks)
Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas, 1999 (12 weeks)
Lose Yourself - Eminem, 2002 (12 weeks)
Yeah! - Usher, 2004 (12 weeks)
Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas, 2009 (12 weeks)
Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell and TI, 2013 (12 weeks)
See You Again - Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth (12 weeks)
Closer - Chainsmokers and Halsey, 2016 (12 weeks)
Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran, 2017 (11 weeks)
Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog - Elvis Presley, 1956 (11 weeks)
I Swear - All-4-One, 1994 (11 weeks)
Un-break My Heart - Tony Braxton, 1996 (11 weeks)
I'll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy and Faith Evans, 1997 (11 weeks)
Independent Women Part 1 - Destiny's Child, 2000 (11 weeks)
God's Plan - Drake, 2018 (11 weeks)
The Box - Roddy Ricch, 2020 (11 weeks)
Cherry Pink (And Apple Blossom White) - Perez Prado, 1955 (10 weeks)
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone, 1977 (10 weeks)
Physical - Olivia Newton John, 1981 (10 weeks)
Maria Maria - Santana featuring The Product G and B, 2000 (10 weeks)
Foolish - Ashanti, 2000 (10 weeks)
Dilemma - Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland, 2002 (10 weeks)
Gold Digger - Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx, 2005 (10 weeks)
Irreplaceable - Beyonce, 2006 (10 weeks)
Low - Flo Rida featuring T-Pain, 2008 (10 weeks)
Happy - Pharrell William, 2014 (10 weeks)
Hello - Adele, 2015 (10 weeks)
In My Feelings - Drake, 2018 (10 weeks)

Longest Running No.1 Singles Of Each Year In The US:
1955: Cherry Pink (And Apple Blossom White) - Perez Prado (10 weeks), Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets (8 weeks), Sincerely - The McGuire Sisters (6 weeks), Hearts Of Stone - The Fontane Sisters (5 weeks), The Ballad Of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes (5 weeks), The Yellow Roses Of Texas - Mitch Miller (5 weeks)

1956: Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog - Elvis Presley (11 weeks), Singing The Blues - Guy Mitchell (9 weeks), Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley (8 weeks), Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Emie (7 weeks), The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant (6 weeks), Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley (5 weeks)

1957: All Shook Up - Elvis Presley (7 weeks), (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley (7 weeks), Jail House Rock - Elvis Presley (7 weeks), Love Letters In The Sand - Pat Boone (6 weeks)

1958: At The Hop - Daniel And The Juniors (7 weeks), The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley (6 weeks), It's All In The Game - Tommy Edwards (6 weeks)

1959: Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin (9 weeks), The Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton (6 weeks)

1960: Theme From A Summer Place - Percy Sledge (9 weeks), Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley (6 weeks), Cathy's Clown - The Everly Brothers (5 weeks), It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley (5 weeks)

1961: Tossin' And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis (7 weeks), Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean (5 weeks)

1962: I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles (5 weeks), Sherry - The Four Seasons (5 weeks), Big Girls Don't Cry - The Four Seasons (5 weeks)
1963: Sugar Shack - Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs (5 weeks)
1964: I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (7 weeks), Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles (5 weeks)
1965: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones (4 weeks), Yesterday - The Beatles (4 weeks)
1966: Ballad Of The Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler (5 weeks)
1967: I'm A Believer - The Monkees (7 weeks), To Sir With Love - Lulu (5 weeks)
1968: Hey Jude - The Beatles (9 weeks), I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye (7 weeks), Love Is Blue - Paul Mauriat (5 weeks), Honey - Bobby Goldsboro (5 weeks), People Got To Be Free - The Rascals (5 weeks)
1969: In The Year 2525 (Exordium And Terminus) - Zager and Evans (6 weeks), Get Back - The Beatles (6 weeks)
1970: Bridge Over Troubled Waters - Simon And Garfunkel (6 weeks), I'll Be There - The Jackson 5 (5 weeks)
1971: Joy To The World - Three Dog Night (6 weeks), One Bad Apple - The Osmonds (5 weeks), It's Too Late - I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King (5 weeks), Maggie May / Reason To Believe - Rod Stewart (5 weeks)
1972: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack (6 weeks)
1973: Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack (4 weeks), Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (4 weeks), My Love - Paul McCartney and the Wings (4 weeks)
1974: (You're) Having My Baby - Paul Anka and Odia Coates (3 weeks)
1975: He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando and Dawn (3 weeks), Bad Blood - Neil Sedaka (3 weeks), Island Girl - Elton John (3 weeks), Fly Robin Fly - Silver Convention (3 weeks)
1976: Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart (8 weeks)
1977: You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone (10 weeks)
1978: Night Fever - Bee Gees (8 weeks), Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb (7 weeks)
1979: My Sharona - The Knack (6 weeks), Bad Girls - Donna Summer (5 weeks)
1980: Call Me - Blondie (6 weeks), Lady - Kenny Rogers (6 weeks), (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon (5 weeks)
1981: Physical - Olivia Newton John (10 weeks), Endless Love - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (9 weeks), Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (5 weeks)
1982: I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (7 weeks), Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor (6 weeks), Centerfold - The J Geils Band (6 weeks)
1983: Every Breath You Take - The Police (8 weeks), Billie Jean - Michael Jackson (7 weeks), Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara (6 weeks), Say Say Say - Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (6 weeks)
1984: Like A Virgin - Madonna (6 weeks), Jump - Van Halen (5 weeks), When Doves Cry - Prince (5 weeks)
1985: We Are The World - US For Africa (4 weeks), Say You Say Me - Lionel Richie (4 weeks)
1986: That's What Friends Are For - Dionne and Friends (4 weeks), Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles (4 weeks)
1987: Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi, (4 weeks) Faith - George Michael (4 weeks)
1988: Roll With It - Steve Winwood (4 weeks)
1989: Miss You Much - Janet Jackson (4 weeks), Another Day In Paradise - Phil Collins (4 weeks)
1990: Nothing Compares To You - Sinead O' Connor (4 weeks), Vision Of Love - Mariah Carey (4 weeks), Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B (4 weeks)
1991: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (7 weeks), Black Or White - Michael Jackson (7 weeks), Rush Rush - Paula Abdul (5 weeks)
1992: I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (14 weeks), End Of The Road - Boyz II Men (13 weeks), Jump - Kris Kross (8 weeks), Save The Best For Last - Vanessa Williams (5 weeks), Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot (5 weeks)
1993: That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson (8 weeks), Dreamlover - Mariah Carey (8 weeks), Informer - Snow (7 weeks), Can't Help Falling In Love - UB40 (7 weeks), I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meat Loaf (5 weeks)
1994: I'll Make Love To You - Boys II Men (14 weeks), I Swear - All-4-One (11 weeks), The Sign - Ace Of Bass (6 weeks)
1995: One Sweet Day - Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey (16 weeks), Fantasy - Mariah Carey (8 weeks), Take A Bow - Madonna (7 weeks), This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan (7 weeks), Waterfalls - TLC (7 weeks), Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman - Bryan Adams (5 weeks)
1996: Macarena - Los Del Rio (14 weeks), Un-break My Heart - Toni Braxton (11 weeks), Tha Crossroads - Bone, Thugs-N-Harmony (8 weeks), Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion (6 weeks)
1997: Something About The Way You Look Tonight - Elton John (14 weeks), I'll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy and Faith Evans (11 weeks), Can't Nobody Hole Me Down - Puff Daddy featuring Mase (6 weeks)
1998: The Boy Is Mine - Brandy and Monica (13 weeks), I'm Your angel - R Kelly and Celine Dion (6 weeks), The First Night - Monica (5 weeks)
1999: Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas (12 weeks), Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin (5 weeks), If You Had My Love - Jennifer Lope (5 weeks), Genie In A Bottle - Christina Aguilera (5 weeks)
2000: Independent Women Part I - Destiny's Child (11 weeks), Maria Maria - Santana featuring the Product G and B (10 weeks)
2001: All For You - Janet Jackson (7 weeks), Family Affair - Mary J Blige (6 weeks), U Got It Bad - Usher (6 weeks), Lady Marmalade - Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya and Pink (5 weeks)
2002: Lose Yourself - Eminem (12 weeks), Dilemma - Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland (10 weeks), Hot In Herre - Nelly (7 weeks), Ain't It Funny - Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule (6 weeks)
2003: In Da Club - 50 Cent (9 weeks), Baby Boy - Beyonce featuring Sean Paul (9 weeks), Hey Ya - Outkast (9 weeks), Crazy In Love - Beyonce featuring Jay-Z (8 weeks)
2004: Yeah! - Usher (12 weeks), Burn - Usher (8 weeks), Goodies - Ciara featuring Petey Pablo (7 weeks), My Boo - Usher and Alicia Keys (6 weeks)
2005: We Belong Together - Mariah Carey (14 weeks), Gold Digger - Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx (10 weeks), Let Me Love You - Mario (9 weeks), Candy Shop - 50 Cent featuring Olivia (9 weeks), Run It - Chris Brown (5 weeks)
2006: Irreplaceable - Beyonce (10 weeks), Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake (7 weeks), Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland (6 weeks), Bad Day - Daniel Powter (5 weeks)
2007: Umbrella - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z (7 weeks), Check On It - Beyonce featuring Slim Thug (5 weeks), Crank That (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy Tell 'Em(5 weeks), No One - Alicia Keys (5 weeks)
2008: Low - Flo Rida featuring T-Pain (10 weeks), I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry (7 weeks)
2009: I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas (14 weeks), Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas (12 weeks), Right Round - Flo Rida (6 weeks), Empire State Of Mind - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys (5 weeks)
2010: Tik Tok - Kesha (9 weeks), Love The Way You Lie - Eminem featuring Rihanna (7 weeks), California Gurls - Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg (6 weeks), Rude Boy - Rihanna (5 weeks)
2011: We Found Love - Rihanna and Calvin Harris (10 weeks), Rolling In The Deep - Adele (7 weeks), Born This Way - Lady Gaga (6 weeks), Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and Goon Rock (6 weeks)
2012: Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (9 weeks), One More Night - Maroon 5 (9 weeks), Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye featuring Kimbra (8 weeks), We Are Young - Fun featuring Janette Monae (6 weeks), Locked Out Of Heaven - Bruno Mars (6 weeks)
2013: Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell and TI (12 weeks), Royals - Lorde (9 weeks), Thrift Shop - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz (6 weeks), Haarlem Shake - Bauer (5 weeks), Can't Hold Us - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton (5 weeks)
2014: Happy: Pharrell Williams (10 weeks), All About That Bass - Maghan Trainor (8 weeks), Fancy - Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX (7 weeks), Blank Space - Taylor Swift (7 weeks), Rude - MAGIC! (6 weeks)
2015: Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (14 weeks), See You Again - Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth (12 weeks), Hello - Adele (10 weeks), The Hills - The Weeknd (6 weeks)
2016: Closer - Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (12 weeks), Work - Rihanna featuring Drake (9 weeks), One Dance - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (9 weeks), Black Beatles - Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mani (6 weeks)
2017: Despacito - Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber (16 weeks), Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran (12 weeks), Rockstar - Post Malone featuring 21 Savage (8 weeks), Perfect - Ed Sheeran (5 weeks)
2018: God's Plan - Drake (11 weeks), In My Feelings - Drake (10 weeks), Girls Like You - Maroon 5 (7 weeks), Thank You Next - Ariana Grande (7 weeks)
2019: Old Town Road - Lil Nas X (19 weeks), 7 Rings - Ariana Grande (8 weeks)
2020: The Box - Roddy Ricch (11 weeks)

Artists With The Most No.1 Singles In The US:
The Beatles - 20
Mariah Carey - 20
Elvis Presley - 18
Michael Jackson - 13
Rihanna - 12
Madonna - 12
Whitney Houston - 11
The Supremes - 10
Bee Gees - 9
The Rolling Stones - 8
George Michael - 8
Diana Ross - 7
Stevie Wonder - 7
Elton John - 7
Paul McCartney - 6
Paula Abdul - 6
Barbara Streisand - 5
Boyz II Men - 5
Beyonce - 5
Eminem - 5
Usher - 5

Keeping track of the weekly music charts was an interest I developed way back in 1987. It all started because those days, I was far removed from the world of pop music, and I used to feel rather left out in my school. To keep up with things, I started following the weekly US Top 10 and the UK Top 10 hits, and I got very interested in pop and rock music. Following the music charts has gone on to become a lifelong hobby!

Con Artists: The Bane Of Travelers

I've been a regular international traveler since 2001, because my biggest passion in life is travel. Being a diplomat's son, I spent a large part of my childhood abroad (in Bulgaria, Bhutan, Yugoslavia and Austria), and that's probably what gave me the travel bug. Every year excepting 2002, I have traveled internationally and have covered close to 200 locations in over 40 countries and I have had amazing experiences exploring cities, cathedrals, palaces, castles, city streets, central squares, art museums and places of natural beauty. I have developed a keen interest in photography during my various travels, and I also enjoy collecting books on travel as well as souvenirs from the places I visit. In short, travel has been something that has really enriched my life and given me a purpose.

Though I have covered most continents, Europe has been a favourite travel destination, and over the years, I have managed to cover most countries in Europe. Despite Europe being very tourist friendly, traveling there isn't always without its share of risks. Travelers tend to be a little vulnerable, often not knowing the local language or where to go during times of trouble, and con artists can take full advantage of this. Though it hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for travel, I have had my share of unfortunate experiences which have shaken me up, but still not come in the way of my passion.

In 2004, I spent 5 days in Madrid, Spain. I absolutely loved the city. Highlights of my visit included the Prado Museum (with its amazing collection of paintings by El Greco, Rubens, Velazquez and Goya), the Reina Sofia Museum (which features Picasso's famous Guernica, depicting the horrors of the Spanish Civil War), Plaza Mayor (the city's main square), the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral. One evening, I came out of Almudena Cathedral, right in the heart of the city, and a man came and banged into me. He apologized, and I politely said it was no problem at all. Then another man came up to him, slapped him, and turned to me and said "I am a police officer. This man is a drug dealer. I saw him talking to you. You must be a customer. I must search you." For a moment, I got into a total panic. What if the man had slipped drugs into my pockets when he banged into me? I put my hands into my pockets and luckily, there was nothing. I breathed a sigh of relief and told him I had no drugs on me. He said maybe I had put the drugs into my wallet, so he would have to search my wallet. I opened my wallet and showed him there were no drugs. He told me to hand over my wallet so he could search it properly. I got suspicious and asked for his identification. He took out an ID card, which was another police officer's ID card. I said "You're not from the police. I am going to the police." In a moment, both men ran as fast as the wind and disappeared into the crowd. What a narrow escape that was! Their idea had been simple - I would hand over my wallet, and they would run!

In 2012, my wife and I spent 6 days in Lisbon, Portugal. It was a beautiful trip, and for me, the sites that really stood out were Jeronimos Monastery, Santa Engracia (the National Pantheon), the National Museum Of Ancient Art, the Tower Of Belem and the Monument To The Discoveries. On our last day in Lisbon, we had a nightmare of an experience. We went to the Santa Apolonia Railway Station to board an overnight train. We boarded the train half an hour before the scheduled departure time. We kept our big suitcases in the luggage rack at the back of the train. We were settling into our seats along with our small bags, when I saw a man removing one of our big suitcases from the luggage rack. I rushed towards him. He said in broken English that there seemed to be a hole in our suitcase and money was falling out. He then showed me a large number of 1 Euro coins lying on the floor. I was puzzled because that suitcase didn't have any of our money in it. He signaled to my wife and asked her to rush to us. Not knowing what the chaos was about, my wife started walking towards us. I realised she shouldn't be coming because all our small bags were on our seats. We both dashed back to our seats to make sure everything was OK. All of this took just about 5 seconds, and in those 5 seconds, my pouch disappeared, and with it went our passports, about 1,500 Euros in cash, my mobile phone, all my credit cards, our Eurail passes and my expensive camera lens!! The man vanished in a jiffy, and so did his accomplices. We went to the police station and filed a complaint, but nothing came of it. We had to cut short our trip after that incident. We went to the Indian Embassy and got Emergency Travel Certificates which allowed us to travel back to India. My wife's mobile phone and one credit card were not there in that pouch of mine, and those two things were life savers for us, because we had to spend a full day in Lisbon before we could get our act together and return to India. We came back to India, badly rattled! Of course, the following year, we were on our travels again!

Santa Engacia,
one of my favourite sites in Lisbon

In 2019, my wife, my five year old son and I spent 3 days in Sofia, Bulgaria. I had lived there for 2 years as a small child, so it was an emotional trip for me as I was there after more than 4 decades. Sofia exceeded our expectations in every way, and I really enjoyed visiting Alexandur Nevski Memorial Church, Church Of Sveta Nedelya, Church Of Sveti Sofia, the Archaeological Museum and the National Art Gallery, to name just a few of the attractions. After visiting the Central Market Hall, we walked to Sofia Synagogue. There, our bags were frisked by a security officer. A moment later, when I opened my bag to buy our entrance tickets, I found that my wallet was missing. We searched everywhere, and returned to the Central Market Hall, where we went to the security office and even managed to see the CCTV recording, but my wallet was never found. We never discovered whether someone stole my wallet at the crowded Central Market Hall, or if my wallet fell out during one of the many occasions when I took my camera out of my bag, or if the security officer at Sofia Synagogue stole it. Having learned from past experience, I didn't have too much money in my wallet, bu I still lost about 200 Euros, a credit card and a debit card.

So yes, one has to be particularly careful while traveling. After all these incidents, if I am in a foreign land and I am accosted by a stranger who tries to strike up a conversation, I sometimes answer in Hindi and pretend I can't speak in English, because one never knows who may be a con artist. It's a pity that one has to be guarded like that, but it's better to be safe than sorry, especially when one has had one's share of travel misfortunes in the past! But like I said, the passion for travel remains, and once the Corona Virus scare is behind us, we hope to be on the move again, having had to cancel our Scandinavia summer plans because of this unforeseen pandemic!

Tennis: The Greatest Of All Time Debate

The sport of tennis has seen several great players over the past few decades. In men's tennis, this illustrious list includes icons of the sport like Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. However, just three players can lay a particularly strong claim to be contenders for the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT), and as it happens, all three players have been active during the same era and continue to be active players today - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. All three have achieved many records that have surpassed what their accomplished predecessors achieved. It's tough to say which one of these three can be called the GOAT, especially because all three are still active - it may be easier to pass this judgement once all three of these remarkable players hang up their boots and retire. It's a good time to sit back and look at some of the most significant achievements in the world of tennis (since the advent of the Open Era in 1968), as the ATP Tour takes an indefinite pause while the world reels from the Corona Virus.

The domination by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic has been so overwhelming that in the last 15 years, since the 2005 French Open, one of these three has gone on to win no fewer than 52 of the 60 Grand Slam tournaments that have taken place. The exceptions have been Andy Murray (3 titles), Stan Wawrinka (3 titles), Juan Martin Del Potro (1 title) and Marin Cilic (1 title). This level of domination for such an extended period has never been seen before. All three have kept up their winning ways well into their thirties. In the past, most players announced their retirement in their early thirties because they weren't able to deal with the extreme physical demands of the sport.

Federer, Djokovic and Nadal
Image Courtesy: Google Images

Number Of Grand Slam Titles:
Roger Federer - 20, Rafael Nadal - 19, Novak Djokovic - 17, Pete Sampras - 14, Bjorn Borg - 11, Jimmy Connors - 8, Ivan Lendl - 8, Andre Agassi - 8, John McEnroe - 7, Mats Wilander - 7

Number Of Grand Slam Finals:
Roger Federer - 31, Rafael Nadal - 27, Novak Djokovic - 26, Ivan Lendl - 19, Pete Sampras - 18, Bjorn Borg - 16, Jimmy Connors - 15, Andre Agassi 15, John McEnroe - 11, Mats Wilander - 11, Stefan Edberg - 11, Andy Murray - 11

Number Of Grand Slam Semi Finals:
Roger Federer - 46, Novak Djokovic - 37, Rafael Nadal - 33, Jimmy Connors - 31, Ivan Lendl - 28, Andre Agassi - 26, Pete Sampras - 23, Andy Murray - 21, John McEnroe - 19, Stefan Edberg - 19

Number Of Grand Slam Quarter Finals:
Roger Federer - 57, Novak Djokovic - 46, Jimmy Connors - 41, Rafael Nadal - 41, Andre Agassi - 36, Ivan Lendl - 34, Andy Murray - 30, Pete Sampras - 29, John McEnroe - 26, Stefan Edberg - 26

Number Of Years As Year End No.1:
Pete Sampras - 6, Jimmy Connors - 5, Roger Federer - 5, Novak Djokovic - 5, Rafael Nadal - 5, John McEnroe - 4, Ivan Lendl - 4, Bjorn Borg - 2, Stefan Edberg - 2, Lleyton Hewitt - 2

Number Of Weeks At No.1:
Roger Federer - 310, Pete Sampras - 286, Novak Djokovic - 282, Ivan Lendl - 270, Jimmy Connors - 268, Rafael Nadal - 209, John McEnroe - 170, Bjorn Borg - 109, Andre Agassi - 101, Lleyton Hewitt - 80

Number Of Years In The Year End Top 10:
Roger Federer - 17, Jimmy Connors - 16, Andre Agassi - 16, Rafael Nadal - 15, Ivan Lendl - 13, Pete Sampras - 12, Novak Djokovic - 12, Boris Becker - 11, Guillermo Vilas - 10, John McEnroe - 10

Number Of Tournaments Won:
Jimmy Connors - 109, Roger Federer - 103, Ivan Lendl - 94, Rafael Nadal - 85, Novak Djokovic - 79, John McEnroe - 77, Bjorn Borg - 64, Pete Sampras - 64, Guillermo Vilas - 62, Ilie Nastase - 60, Andre Agassi - 60

Number Of Masters 1000 Tournaments Won (Since 1990):
Rafael Nadal - 35, Novak Djokovic - 34, Roger Federer - 28, Andre Agassi - 17, Andy Murray - 14, Pete Sampras - 11, Thomas Muster - 8, Michael Chang - 7, Boris Becker - 5, Jim Courier - 5, Marcelo Rios - 5, Gustavo Kuerten - 5, Marat Safin - 5, Andy Roddick - 5

Number Of Year End Championship Titles:
Roger Federer - 6, Ivan Lendl - 5, Pete Sampras - 5, Novak Djokovic - 5, Ilie Nastase - 4, John McEnroe - 3, Boris Becker - 3, Bjorn Borg - 2, Lleyton Hewitt - 2

Total Number Of Match Wins:
Jimmy Connors - 1274, Roger Federer - 1242, Ivan Lendl - 1068, Rafael Nadal - 990, Guillermo Vilas - 949, Novak Djokovic - 911, John McEnroe - 881, Andre Agassi - 870, Ilie Nastase - 862, Stefan Edberg - 801

Total Match Win Percentages:
Rafael Nadal - 83.2%, Novak Djokovic - 83%, Bjorn Borg - 82.7%, Roger Federer - 82.1%, Jimmy Connors - 81.8%, John McEnroe - 81.6%, Ivan Lendl - 81.5%, Andy Murray - 77.5%, Pete Sampras - 77.4%, Boris Becker - 76.9%

Career Grand Slams:
Rod Laver (achieved in 1969 US Open), Andre Agassi (achieved in 1999 French Open), Roger Federer (achieved in 2009 French Open), Rafael Nadal (achieved in 2010 US Open), Novak Djokovic (achieved in 2016 French Open)

Calendar Year Grand Slam:
Rod Laver (in 1969, after achieving it in 1962 before the Open Era)

Number Of Tournaments Won In A Single Grand Slam:
Rafael Nadal: 12 (French Open), Roger Federer - 8 (Wimbledon), Novak Djokovic - 8 (Australian Open), Pete Sampras - 7 (Wimbledon), Bjorn Borg - 6 (French Open), Roger Federer - 6 (Australian Open), Bjorn Borg - 5 (Wimbledon), Jimmy Connors - 5 (US Open), Pete Sampras - 5 (US Open), Roger Federer - 5 (US Open), Novak Djokovic - 5 (Wimbledon)

Head To Head Records Between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic:
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal 16:24, Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic 23:27, Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic 26:29

As things go now, going purely by the statistics, Federer is closest to being the GOAT, despite having a negative head to head record against both Nadal and Djokovic. There is no doubt about the fact that Nadal is the GOAT on clay. Djokovic has done remarkably well and staked his claim for being the GOAT, coming from the shadows of Federer and Nadal in 2011, and being the most dominant player in the world since then. Federer was born in 1981, Nadal in 1986 and Djokovic in 1987, so chances are that Nadal and Djokovic will be active for a few years after Federer retires. Hence there is a chance that Nadal and Djokovic could cross some of Federer's records. The most significant and prestigious record is perhaps the number of Grand Slam tournaments won, and that may very well eventually determine the GOAT. It will be interesting to do this analysis once these three greats retire, though fans around the world are in no hurry for that eventuality. We are fortunate to have lived through an era that has had three of the most accomplished players in the history of tennis! The decision on the GOAT will have to wait for now!!

My Relationship With Dogs

My relationship with dogs goes back a long time. Way back in 1977, when I was 4, I was very fond of animals and my dream was to grow up and become a zoo keeper. We were living in Bhutan back then. One day, we got a gift from Ashi Choki, the king's aunt. It was the most precious gift ever. We got 2 albino Lhasa Apso dogs, Karma and Karsang. They had long white hair, blue eyes and pink noses, and they were both very beautiful dogs. Karsang, the male dog, was the mischievous one, whereas Karma, the female dog, was the well behaved, calm one. They were small dogs, and I was very fond of them. They went on to have 10 pups, across three litters. Most of the pups didn't survive beyond a few days because they were tiny like white mice; the few that survived, were given away to family friends. The eldest one, Laika, was given away to my best friend, Akshay Mishra. Karsang would do stuff like running away from home and going to my sister's school! He would also love chasing any car that he saw. Whenever he was naughty, he knew it, and he would come and bury his face in my mother's sari, which was his way of saying sorry. Karsang lived for just three years, because his habit of chasing cars sadly resulted in his getting run over one day. It was a sad moment in our lives. Karma lived a long life and she went at the ripe old age of 16. She was a well traveled dog, and went with us from Thimpu to Delhi to Belgrade to Vienna to Delhi again. I was heartbroken when she went, because I had grown up with her. She lived a good life, but at the age of 12, she lost her eyesight to cataract; a couple of years later, her hearing went; and in the last few months of her life, she struggled to walk because her legs became weak.

When I was 31, my elder sister got a German Shepherd pup, Ashi. My sister moved from Bangalore to Delhi and started living with my parents and me. So we had a dog in the household again. Ashi was almost a couple of years old when she came to us, and my sister had done a great job of training her. So she was a well behaved dog. Ashi was just a few months younger than my middle sister's daughter, and the two of them were inseparable. Ashi would be very patient, tolerant and indulging with the little child as she pulled her tail, walked under her treating her like a bridge, and occasionally stuck her finger into Ashi's mouth and eyes! Yes, Ashi would do crazy things from time to time. She would lose her head whenever she saw cats, and would go chasing after them; on 2 occasions, the cats hid under parked cars while trying to escape from her; in an attempt to get to the cats, Ashi got stuck under the cars and we had to get car jacks to get her out! She once chased a kitten and cornered it; a moment later, we saw her coming with a bloody nose; we thought she had injured or even killed the kitten, but the gentle giant that she was, Ashi went and got her nose badly scratched by the tiny kitten, while the kitten pranced about merrily! On a couple of occasions, she ran out of the house when I came back from work late at night; it became a game for her to let me and my mother come close to her, and she would then run the moment we got too close; this went on for a while; my mother finally got the idea that to get Ashi back, we just had to start the car and open the door and she would jump in because she loved going for drives; sure enough, the strategy worked! Apart from these occasional acts of mischief, Ashi was a very well behaved, gentle and calm dog. Yes, she would get excitable when my wife, a crazy dog lover, was around. Ashi lived to be almost 15, and went in December 2018. She lived a healthy life till the last two years of her life, when her hind leg muscles atrophied and the poor thing had to drag herself to walk. Her going was another blow to the family.

Ashi in 2010

In between in 2013, my wife baby-sat a black Labrador called Bruno for 2 weeks. We were staying in a Gurgaon condominium. One day, my wife heard a dog barking incessantly on the floor above. She went up and saw this dog tied up in the corridor. She rang the bell. An elderly lady said the dog belonged to her daughter and the daughter had dropped him off for 2 weeks while she was out traveling, and the old lady didn't like dogs, and what's more, this dog was a handful! My wife's heart melted, and she offered to look after Bruno for 2 weeks. Now Bruno was 9 months old, but he hadn't been trained at all, so he was as wild as they came! Those 2 weeks were nothing short of an ordeal for me. Bruno would piddle all over the house, he would chew up slippers, he would rip apart books, he would jump on top of beds and sofas, he would give wet sloppy licks and get our clothes soaked in his saliva, and he would put his forelegs on the dining table and take food from bowls and plates! All these were not at all acceptable in my book. I found myself constantly being agitated and losing my cool, and if I had measured my blood pressure, I am sure it would have been sky-high! For my wife, Bruno could do no wrong, and everything was forgiven! When Bruno's owner came back, I was so relieved that I can't even begin to describe my sheer joy. My wife, however, was crest-fallen and walking around the house like a tragedy queen. For the next couple of months, once a week I would actually drive her 20 minutes away to Bruno's house, and wait patiently in the car while she spent half an hour playing with Bruno. I certainly wasn't going to enter the house, given how my blood pressure went up in Bruno's company. Eventually, Bruno's owner gave him away because she wasn't used to dogs, and Bruno certainly was a handful to manage.

Recently, in December 2019, my sister has got another German Shepherd pup, Zarina. She is a cute, playful little thing, but boy does she need training! So it has been piddle all over the house, constant biting of hands and leaving cut marks on hands because she is teething, holes in clothes made by her teeth, chewing up of slippers etc etc. My sister did a marvelous job of training Ashi, and she is working hard on Zarina, and results are coming, slowly but surely. We visit my sister regularly and my wife and 5 year old son don't mind all that the little dog does. Even though I am fond of Zarina (she is an integral part of the family!), for now I keep a bit of a distance from her and wait for her to turn into a mature, well behaved, 'propah' dog!

My son with little Zarina,
December 2019

I've realised that over time, I've moved from being a dog lover, to someone who likes well behaved, mature, calm dogs, but I just can't handle dogs who are wild. I find myself thinking twice before visiting people who have very boisterous dogs. I guess I've just got too many hygiene related OCDs to be OK with things like dog piddle around the house, or dog saliva on my hands and clothes, or chewed up objects around the house, or painful bite marks and torn clothes because the dog is teething, or dog fur on furniture. Oh well, that's just the way it is! I have nothing against dogs; it's just these things that set me off. As I tell my wife, I'd be equally upset if a human piddled in the house, or put saliva on my hands and clothes, or chewed up things in the house, or bit me playfully and tore my clothes, or left his or her hair all over my bed or on the furniture!!