2011 has just gone by and it has been one of the most memorable years of my life. So much has happened and it seems it took just this year for all my dreams to come true ; make me realize the blessings I have been showered upon and to make me grow up in many ways. A lot of my good friends moved on with their lives with big decisions like getting engaged, getting married or those that have done the above already headed into motherhood. I am yet to thread this path yet this year has been soo special and ask me why ?

T-R-A-V-E-L

The year started in style in Cairo  where I spent the new years eve as well and went on to discover a whole new world which transported me to the land of the Arab merchants filled with magical smells of perfumes, spices , fine silks and what not from Arabian nights which I cherished as a child. Egypt and particularly Cairo was like the Baghdad that I had imagined with its old and charming Islamic architecture and a rich culture with a lot of variety right from the Pharaohs to the Coptics (The Egyptian christians) to the Arab invasion bringing in their share of diversity to the beautiful land of the Nile.

The Egyptians are generally kind to foreigners and welcoming though many people mistook me to be an Egyptian as well spoke to me in arab till I would look completely puzzled while some of them finding me to be Indian would express their love for bollywood and Sharukh Khan immediately. I was amazed at his popularity there. Of course there were at times intrusive queries from some male merchants who would be very curious to know if I was from India or Pakistan and if I was from India if I was a muslim to which I would just smile and ignore the question. Cairo ´s best part is Giza and the pyramids (ignoring the stalking hawkers)  — I will not forget how scared to death I felt on the horses that took us to the pyramids they threatened to put me down at times and at times just stopped yet the view of the majestic pyramids mystified me it is a sight that will be remain in my memory for long. Moving on from Cairo with the over night express we reached Aswan which is like a beautiful fishing village with the blue Nile and the faluccas (a sailing boat that moves with the blowing wind with tradiational oars to steer them). It is one of the most relaxing places I have been in after Kerala in India. The temple of Philae on an island was so beautiful which was enveloped in messages of peace. Further we went to Luxor with the majestic temples in the valley of the Kings and the Queens also the majestic graves. The Egyptian monarchy like any other loved to do things in grandeur and jaws drop looking at the awe inspiring structures built centuries ago. They have like HUGGGE pillars every where. The final stop was Hurghada were we went on a desert safari on a Quad bike which is four wheeled with lot of power and I drove one where we had to go in a line as the desert has no real path ways we had to make ours. I will never forget this desert safari to the Bedouin village and how they lived such simple nomadic lives moving on in search of water in the dessert.

I took with me lot of wonderful memories from my 3 weeks in Egypt and headed to Istanbul next which was one of the most beautiful places I have seen in life of which I shall describe in another post. From Istanbul I headed back to Europe and soon enough headed to Nice, France for a 2 week long workshop called HYDRO EUROPE

http://www.hydroeurope.org/

in the end of February. This was a conglomeration of all the budding scientific minds in the field of water research and had around 100 participants between 23-35 years from 40 different countries and boy what fun we had.Being the carnival time in Nice it was all the more exciting while we lived just opposite the beautiful beach in the Cote d´ Azur. Did some amazing travels there to the perfume town Grass, to Cannes and Antibes. All these new people we met and the memories make this trip so special. Of course the added bonus was being on the French TV on prime time news for a short talk .

In early March I landed in Delhi , India welcomed warmly by my parents who came all the way from the south to spend time with me . I was here for 3 months to do a part of my thesis and it was fun working in my country and discovering it all over again. Finally to be living with family again brought me immense joy and relief after all the travels and the exposure in the last months. The realisation that I had been in 3 continents in 3 months amazed me and I recovered back from the familiarity I felt in India. Work took me to small villages in Rajasthan – the driest state in the country. Their simple lives humbled me and once again I realised the importance of my work to society and how I must keep them in mind always when my going gets tough at work and life. Friends and family gave me comfort and I was pampered at our farmhouse in Kerala to head back to finish the rest of my studies.

So I came back in June to Zurich where I completed the rest of my semester and slowly started my discovery of Switzerland with small trips to Luzern , Mt. Pilatus untill work made me so busy that I spent most time working in the woods by the river with my laptop lost in thoughts (only about my thesis of course ) Made some wonderful friends in this short time there and developed a deep affection for the country which made me want to live there for more time. Luck cornered me again with 2 dream jobs offered to me at the end of my studies and I took the one which also gave me the chance to continue studies. And my story shall continue in Zurich but for a short break to Spain where I shall graduate.

Off I flew to Spain for my graduation in September after a short weekend stay in Berlin where I defended my thesis and spent a good amount of time with friends in the city which I identify myself a lot with. This was followed by a road trip in Catalonia along the beautiful Costa Brava this ended with a memorable graduation ceremony in Barcelona and spending quality time with all my classmates one last time with whom I shared laughs, lots of memories, discovered new things and studied together.

As that chapter closed my new life as a scientist began in Zurich in October shortly after was my 25th birthday with trips to Lugano and a birthday bash thrown from close friends on a terrace with the most delicious home made chocloate walnut cake I have ever had. Piano with birthday song in many languages and games with wonderful friends and what more can I ask for ? The Indian festival of Lights– Diwali was celebrated in great style by the Indian students in Zurich and I contributed with a Bollywood Musical .

Novemeber and December as I settled into my new work life also gave me opportunities to travel from work to our collaborators in Sheffield , England while I took this opportunity to also visit my  Erasmus friend from Budapest in Leeds on a weekend. On another trip we also did a team retreat to the Peak district in Yorkshire in England which was fun although we got stormed into a Pub . Going back to England is always fun with all the shopping and the discussions over ‘ a cup of tea ‘ .

It was not just Diwali that we celebrated but also Halloween where we did pumpkin carving . We lit our pumpkins later and walked with them to the river by a forest sat around a bridge and shared horror stories. I will not forget the terrorized look on my Swiss friend’s face after we played a practical  joke on her. Quite mean I guess but she loved the thrill .

Parties were also on these two months while the Polyball in ETH is the biggest ball in Europe :

http://www.polyball.ethz.ch/polyball2011/

with students, scientists, professors , parents all dressed to the T with ball gowns and tuxedos the whole place looked festive with decor , live bands and multicultural food. I danced all night with friends and what fun it was. The christmas party at work was a grand event as well with party games, great 3 course meal, skits , short films and dance of course and this time with colleagues . Boss had a party at home from xmas as well and games we played again and had a special meal prepared by him while his wife was the santa claus (the coolest I have seen so far with ski sunglassess and hiking boots) with presents for all of us. I am now on a short holiday in Germany went on a hiking trip to the Bavarian forest and did sledding in the snow slopes. I am heading in an hour to the new years party at friends place with cheese fondue et al……..

WHAT FUN THIS YEAR HAS BEEN?

And I wonder how , I wonder why I am so blessed and I get the answer because I chose to live life my way giving as much love and taking as much as I can. This is what I have learnt that life gives you as much as you give others. From the girl who was a confused teen to a young woman with dreams I have now reached the stage of realizing dreams and creating more while having me feet firmly on the ground !

Finally I was free and set out to Germany once again to enjoy my holidays and not worry about working, finding a new flat, visa etc…. NOTHING. Just to be at peace and enjoy my time to the fullest. The last days have almost disappeared. Meeting friends and their family over dinners in the garden,  with barbeques sometimes ,  or in balconies with a great view &  summer breeze .. with lot of wonderful food from pizza, to home made pesto. Swinging in a garden during a thunder storm is an adventure sport I discovered yesterday and it was thrilling to see the lightening while being up in the air — childlike enthusiasm felt again.

Reading a lot too.. with paper backs that I am devouring one every few days. Apart from this I have uploaded whole lot of books on my kindle .. thanks to brother dear who loves sharing his collection. My guitar which I finally got in tune and got playing some chord progressions to get my fingers nimble again. Discovered my love for house keeping as well, cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, watering the plants just the simple things in every day life that I enjoy which is so rare ; between the travelling and studying.. ah what joy when I know my life is not just about doing this in and out !

Looking forward to the first European wedding I would witness this weekend ) . Met the bride and the groom yesterday just after their appointment with the priest.. they looked nervous but all set for the challenge ! I would blog about it once its over.. for now I have to think about my hair style and accessories.. ..

I truly believe I would not enjoy my holidays so much if I had not worked so hard earlier.. so all of you craving for holidays ..keep at your work ..you will be rewarded !

1. It increases one’s TOLERENCE

Picture of the day in the NEWS all over the world:

NEWS FEED on my wall :

Miss. XXX  posts on my wall:

Help Save my farm by donating a bag of fertilizer

My natural reaction         :    To yell on top of my voice at her:

— YOU IGNORANT SELFISH B****H —-

My facebook reaction     :  Never show farmville posts + Block posts from user.

2. It increases one’s PATIENCE

Back ground Situation (Year 2009)

 On Facebook chat:     < Mr. GD from high school ‘pings’ me > 

Hi V !! Remember me ?

My reaction : <Happy,  woah cool !! <I know this guy, remember him vaguely> 

Hello. Yes I do. How are you?

The rest is as follows :

Him : Where are you now girl? Not in India va?

Me : No in Germany now doing my masters in water management , will be in Europe for 2 years till 2011.

Him : Oh you are and all soo rich . I can never do all that girl. So am doing MBA paying 10 lakhs here in India in a B school.

Me : Thats great. But err.. I am not paying for my education. I am on a scholarship.

Him : Oh okay. Your dad gave ah?

Me : (irritated) er.. no its European commission .Never mind hope you are fine .Take care. Gotto go.

Back ground information ( Year 2010) < Been avoiding him for a year… untill I forgot what I avoided him for>

Him : Heyy… what girl you and all wont talk to me if I ping you. You will take pictures only with foreigners and all.

Me : <ignoring his comments and being nice>Hey whatssup? How are you doing? Hows your MBA coming along?

Him : MBA and all good only. What are you doing in Germany girl?

Me : I think I told you am doing my masters  and right now am in England.Last year I was in Germany.

Him : What girl one day one country ? You will not remember us and all. Do you want to come to India or not?

Me: <very irritated now> I was in India for my brother’s wedding  and I am busy studying now so will talk to you later.

Him : Studying a? What are you studying ? I want to know…MBA va ?

Me.: arghhhh.. (and sign out of facebook)

Back ground information 2011 < I am in the university working on my thesis. Nostalgic suddenly want to see some pictures on fb >

Him : Hai girl.. Remember me? Your old friend from high school. I always think about our school days girl so nice!

Me  : < hmm.. I miss school too , not bad he is talking some sense today> Hi yes school was awesome fun. How are  u doing?              Done with MBA?

Him : Where are you girl? I heard you were in India . Did not come to see me and all .Why girl angryaaa?

Me : Yea was there to collect data for my thesis. Was very busy meeting close friends and relatives. Now in Swizz.

Him : Swizzzzaaaa?? WOW lucky girl. All mountains and running wonly. I want to know girl are you studying MBA or working   there ? What are you doing in Europe ?

Me : <recalling all the times I had told him about my masters..and almost fainting with irritation> @#$%@%^%^

Normal reaction : I will KILL THIS GUY!

Face book reaction : Never show in chat.

3. It makes you realise who your REAL FRIENDS are.

This is how they think and operate

Merely  FB friends     :
I hate you but I will like your status updates no mattr what

(so you dont suspect its me bitching about you)
Real Friends :

Hey saw you are not well ..please tell me if I can help.

(Gosh how can some people like all status msgs.)

Merely fb friends :

Will wish you on your birthday so you will wish me back on mine

Real Friends :

Will mail her to make it more personal.. or call her to make her feel special today.

Merely fb friends :

You think only you can travel.. here see MY TRAVEL PICS AS WELL ..I will tag her.

Real Friends :            

Will send her a post card from travel..I miss her.

4. It helps you know you have BLOOD RELATIONS still who are made of flesh and blood.

•  There are just so many relatives whom you just see during weddings and funerals in your whole life time. Fb.. finally brings you closer to them. You can now see they exist somewhere in the world and are not appearing out of thin air during family occasions.
• Bonus is to finally being able to pally with your favorite cousin and bitch about the rest of the family. (Not that I do this just the problem of where to START IT )

5. Because Zuckerberg is cute

If you have been agreeing with me till now.. then this one is not for you !

Disclaimer : The characters mentioned here are from imagination. No tension

Happy facebooking !

I have been surrounded by Indians and Sri lankans (recognize them from their distinct Tamil accent). It is amazing how many Indian movies are shot in Swizz..they all come here . We just love the alps while people from here dream of a Himalayan trek .What can I say grass is greener on the other side? Or should it be rephrased as mountains are more attractive on the other side?

I have become very sporty the last days..swizz inspired perhaps. There are lot of bikers, joggers , swimmers when I go for a jog along the river Limmat in the morning. Its amazing how the river skirts through the entire city and is in its natural setting. There are these tiny islands along the river where one can have a bon fire with some friends or just relax. I find it very cool that they have logs which people can use to make fires ! And yea you guessed it right.. they have dustbins installed in the woods as well ..;)

I could go on about how lovely Switzerland is ; the chapter about chocolate can just keep me going but I shall come to that later as I will soon make my trip to the Lindt chocolate factory yay! (Feeling like a kid again) Talking about which did you know Heidi was mostly shot in Austria and then in parts of Swizz so its not entirely a Swizz thing (atleast that is what my Austrian friend claims ! ) Talking about sports and adventure — I met a paraglider and he showed me home demo of how it works. I am totally fascinated , sure know its a risky business and perhaps would never venture out on my own. With a tandem flier– why not? When I was up the mount Pilatus the views were so splendid that I felt I could feel the clouds hovering above me. If standing up there could create this thrill– Imagine flying!!

I have been cooking a lot thanks to some Indian friends here who motivate me –some by cooking interesting stuff and some by not cooking at all. So while I try to do new stuff , I also want to make sure no one remains hungry. We have this huge common kitchen with a row of hot plates (which work super) its something like a restaurant’s kitchen and there we are the ‘chefs’ ! Germans get inspired from us to make naans and why not?

So there is my life — travels, cooking , shopping (did I talk about my new wok ? or the kindle? ) and working. That is another big chunky chapter of my life here and I love it. Makes me feel important when I am dealing with serious social crisis —scientifically. I work at ETH Science city and am getting an impression of the diverse research work happening there it is fabulous. Science rocks !

There you go ..that is a sneek preview into my life here. Will come up with more travel stories…

Backpack is sleeping now..itching to get back on the move.. )

I have so much to say about being back in India. But strangely I wanted to write  is about Europe rather. I used to think when I was growing up that it would be awesome to see the world and greater thing would be to be back home and talk about it. As I would always make big eyes and listen to my aunts and cousins coming from abroad and talking (bragging) about it. It fascinated me.

Now that I am here after a gap of a year. The last visit (a year back) being very brief .I feel like I just cannot talk about Europe so easily. I have lived in 4 different cities in 3 different countries with various flat mates. Travelled so much met so many wonderful people along the way. It seems to be injustice to just talk about it.

The journey has been rewarding and fulfilling but what can I say? where can I start ? and how can I put it? So if someone would ask me I would say its nice,  its great and name a few places, stutter and stammer ..then finish it saying something totally irrelevant. This happens because the place is so insignificant without the experiences which are too many to describe.

I just wanted to quickly write down the 10 most beautiful experiences in the amazing places I had been from September 2009- feb 2011

1. 23rd birthday spending 4 days in the historic city of Prague in October 2009. My first car trip in Europe and getting fined in the inter country highway for not having a lame sticker on our windshield . Best part was standing along the bridge overlooking the majestic castle with the october wind blowing across my face. It was totally worth it.

2. Getting lost in the narrowing streets of Barcelona lost in the beauty of the little shops  in April 2010 . Ramblas , The seaside walks , Park Guell, The awe inspiring Sagrada familia. Cooking up Thai cum  south indian dinner for my Catalonian friends at home . The touching moments were when I was standing on top of the Montjuic castle where I could see the entire city along with the splendid view of the coast , the harbour with the sea gulls soaring high above my head.

3. Strolling along  the cobble webbed streets of Salzburg the the birth city of the musical genius Mozart. This was a part of my winter holiday in December 2009. The snow covered Alps acting as wall around the city with the beautiful river Salzach cutting across the city making it all the more charming. The best part was waking along the bridges and along the river bank where umpteen number of musical artists perform with instruments from around the world. It is a audio visual treat like no other!

4. The drive along the coast of Spain starting from Gandia and stopping over at Alicante and Denia during easter holidays in April 2010. Ah can’t describe how beautiful it was to drive along the coast which is lined with orange trees that give a very nice citrus pinch to the sea breeze. Tasting the yummy Paella , Sangria (an alcoholic fruit punch beverage), the variety of Tapas, fresh olives served in restaurants of varied sizes and decor along the busy streets. Lying in the beautiful beaches, soaking up the sun along the calm mediterranean sea is an experience that can only be felt.

5. Living in Berlin for two months in summer– July and August 2010. It is a city for the young. One can feel a lot of energy be it in the busy and chirpy Alexanderplatz one of the many centers in the city where there are live performances with jugglers,musicians, magicians and so on entertaining the crowd and my favourite hangout after work before I could catch the next U bahn (subway) home.The beautiful lakes of Wannsee and Mueggelsee which is a paradise for bikers – It was always fun to bike up there finding new routes through the forests and have a refreshing swim to beat the heat. The numerous fascinating flea markets where I used to spend hours together on weekends transported to a different era. It used to fascinate me to think how it was to live decades before in the city that has so much history (good and bad). Best moments were catching the world cup football games on the giant screen in the city center with friends and celebrating German wins on the way back !

More memories coming up in the next post. I know I should add pictures to make it more lively..will do.. promise!

Recap

I had lost my passport (along with precious visa stampings ) a dear friend’s camera , a little money, traveller’s cheques and mainly my peace of mind.It was helluva time running around the immigration office and various embassies (German,Indian,Egyptian..). Several insomniac nights and crazy nightmares later, I somehow felt I came back a lot stronger through the whole ordeal. I also realized the value of true friends –who would be pillars of support through trying times.

Worst Blocks

1. Inability to communicate in Hungarian therefore not being able to convey initially to tram drivers and alert other locals.

2. Losing the traveller’s cheques and realising its loss only after a couple of days (after the initial shock period).

3. Totally nonco-operative Hungarian police who called me after 2 months after I had registered a complaint to ask the color and model of the phone I lost and my passport number @$%^! after I went through all the pain to take my Hungarian professor to write the complaint in Hungarian (as English won’t do! ) .

4. Some troubled classmates who simply took the opportunity to get ahead than offering some kindness and sympathy.

5. German bank refusing to post me a new debit card owing to security reasons (crap!).

Miracles and Angels

1. One of my professors (who is quite strict in class) who was so kind to accompany me to the police station to file a complaint in Hungarian. Was so sweet and got lunch for me and told me funny tales of his research activities and other stuff to cheer me up.

2. The entire department in my university rising up and helping me along by letting me off from attending many lectures when I had to run to the various embassies and Hungarian immigration office and my HOD who offered me a letter in support for an extended residence permit and so on.

3. 2 of my wonderful caring flat mates and some dearest friends like Fabri,Anna, Julia, Dori, Hugo, Sak and so on who were so kind to accompany my trips to different embassies at times as guides helping me to find connections, at times as a good ear to talk to and a warm hug to cheer me up.Those herbal teas when I fell ill , the money lent to me when I was in need and all the compassion and warmth showered on me.What can I say? There is lot of good in this world.

4. The fact that the robbers had not encashed my cheques therefore giving me time to recover them .

5. Indian Embassy that issued the passport promptly within a week .The insurance that covered up the expense for a new passport and the Egyptian commissioner personally staying up late to stamp my visa.

That is how I managed to get out of the whole mess unharmed , still sane and a lot more wise and fearless after all the worst nightmare had ended.

Soon Christmas brought with it lot of good spirits and all the tragedy was long forgotten. Meeting family and friends and exchanging gifts under a candle lit tree can make one forget all ills. My list of gifts were a beautiful elegant tea set, a German language kit, a chic purple leather wallet and a wonderful novel by Arvind Adiga.

Soon we were off to Egypt for a 3 week vacation including sylvester celebration in Cairo…

I had gone to Switzerland for my project meeting and my proposal was approved. I had a great trip everything was perfect and I fell in love with Zurich. My work place looks awesome it is a modern campus with excellent facilities and my supervisors seem very kind as well as very professional and efficient. I am super excited about the responsibility that I have to shoulder at this young age –it is indeed an opportunity of a life time to go back to your home country to collect data and use your knowledge to make things better there.. I am sponsored from Europe to get things done in my country. Proud and ecstatic ..

On my way back from the airport to home in Budapest; it was raining and I had a trolley , a back pack and another handbag . I had checked in the trolley and the big backpack (along with my laptop) and took my important stuff on hand like my friend’s camera, phone, wallet and my passport. How wrong can things get? I thought I had things in control , I knew exactly where my belongings were and I was always double checking if I had everything. I got into the tram the last of my ride from the airport after a shuttle bus and a metro ride. It was a crowded evening tram and I was just standing out in the rain to get into it 5 mins back and therefore removed my coat to feel better and I felt I was being watched from 4 directions. I ignored my inner call and felt I was just being paranoid for nothing. Then I arrived at my stop (just one ahead from where I got in) and got down with ‘all’ my bags thankfull that I got home safe. My home is 2 mins from the tram stop and I doubled my steps so that I am not followed (was wearing my hood now to escape the heavy rain). I got in front of my house and stopped to check again if I was fine only to realise I was not — I had been robbed , I was lacking my hand bag–My worst fear had come true.

Panic, Grief, Searing pain everything struck me at once — I ran up to call my friends and asked them to take my other two bags and ran down again to the trams (as it was the last stop the trams stopped there and the driver changed sides) . I wanted to be optimistic and think I had dropped it in the tram instead of being robbed and tried searching the trams and checking with the drivers one after the other.. my friends joined me in the search and we did not know hungarian. It was a night mare. Finally one of them spoke english and spoke on the wireless to the rest of the drivers and told me its GONE. Somebody had stolen it obviously and drivers found nothing. It paralysed me I did not know what to do? Where to go? After a long journey to another country I was robbed right in front of my house?? How should I feel? The night was long; some meditation and self assurance helped. Jumping off the bridge to danube was surely not a good idea.. man the river is so cold. So the passport is the biggest loss.. the rest of it I estimated to be about 200 euros which is okay — I can deal with it..

How did I? Find out in my next post..

When a person is driven to that point of distress there arises something that he/she has never felt inside before. It is like a metal changing its shape after being exposed to extreme heat..I have become stronger.

It suddenly struck me that I have completed 2 landmarks that I had been looking forward to celebrate – I completed one year in Europe in 09-09-09 and turned a year older on oct 4 to 24 . So I guess with it comes additional perks like added wisdom of handling things with a pinch of salt as well as the patience to listen to others without rushing to judgements and a better understanding of cultural differences.

You are asking me for examples aren’t you?

Okay so I am living with an Italian girl who is studying to become a school teacher and a Finnish girl who is studying English to become a translator and my Egyptian class mate. We found differences in everything in the beginning but nobody would talk about it to the other. There would be subtle references thrown now and then like why do you cook rice like this ? or why have you coloured your hair? How can you go out every evening and stay up so late and still manage to wake up in the morning? How come you don’t eat meat why can’t you try it once ? These questions and more of this sort where transferred at free will to one another as we knew we had to live together and not hurt anybody yet could not resist the curiosity + contempt at times.

Why we do certain things is a part of our bringing up and part of the make up of the society we come from.Sometimes ignorance incites contempt and disregard to other cultures and traditions. Criticisms are often made with improper of complete misunderstandings. Yet the magic is the desire and inner attitude that all exchange students are equipped with. Everybody comes abroad with an open mind – a mind made like sponge to accept and adopt to the changes and to relish the chance of learning by knowing the differences. It is this trait that glues us together; we might have grown up differently : some shielded by parents, some pampered or protected , some neglected and some with independence yet when we are out here we are ourselves unarmed and there comes the chance to unleash the untapped WE in every one of us and this comes after lot of introspection , lot of backlashing and self imposed escapism.

After living in England with 5 more friends from 5 different countries and here in Budapest with 3 more flat mates from 3 different countries. I am proud to have acquired the maturity to live and let live and to be curious yet polite to be inquisitive without being curt and most of all to ACCEPT without EXPECTATIONS . My inherent insecurities are broken and I am proud of where I come from without feeling superior about it. Wish I could go back to semester one with this attitude and have fun with my flatmate than living on cold sheet of ice locked up in room and skyping friends across oceans.She wishes the same– we have changed for the better and we see it in each other.

I am greatful to have grown up faster than the years behind my age ;
Thanks to the concept of exchange!

So so.. How was Paris?

This has been the most obvious question I have faced ever since I spent a great week there. It is a great city..no doubt. Amazing history and breath taking monuments that are dotted all over the city like nuts on a Cadbury crunch bar . The tourists are all over as well.. but luckily I never had to spend hours on queque anywhere. So the day I landed in Paris the metro I was taking to reach my friend’s home stopped mid way and I was shocked as it was hot and getting claustrophobic and I could not understand why we were not moving further. And it only made it worse when they announced (in french of course) that there is a problem in the track further no more information is available. Sighing, I was already missing the two friends who I had met at the airport who were travelling with me untill then and had just gotten away in the previous stops. One was a young Brazilian guy on his way to Eindhoven for a summer job and the other was a young ‘Municherin’ who was on her way to have a good party and shopping weekend in Paris. Both loved Paris however the former told me that he  never wanted to live there as it was too much of stress. They both agreed in unison that Paris is too vibrant and it can get to one’s psyche at times.. As I sat in the train pondering all this my Parisian friend who was waiting to pick me up at the metro station asked me to get out of the train and wait . Later I was told there were some demonstrations and burnings by some Algerian fans after their exit from FIFA on that day.

Adventure did not end there. I got more insight into the Parisian way of life the next day when there was a big strike –protest from the employee union demading for decreasing the retirement age in service. It was a huge strike (i heard the biggest in the year .. so there were no public transport and all the shops were closed. I should say it reminded me of Kerala and my childhood there when we could miss school for many days . So my friend and I took to the streets. I loved walking along the narrow charming rue’s of Paris. The graffiti on the walls, the charming Boulangerie and Pattisserie, the sauve French girls, the dense buildings and the perfect weather (28 degree) that made my first day. Of course the highlights were visiting the school were my friend had studied (it was really old and of excellent repute ) and was amazed to find secret passage ways underneath. I learnt Paris has a very huge underground network that has its own culture attached to it.I could imagine the history attached to these caves and tunnels.

We did go into one of these later during my stay when my friend’s friend invited us to view one of the oldest building in Paris where she as a masters student in architecture was working about restoration of the building. It had an interesting history to it and now when the state has acquired it from the owner and the power struggle was in the court some poor students had occupied it discreetly and another struggle was on again between them and the state. All in all it was a learning to be there in that ancient building which had a big centre courtyard just like old Indian houses and also had a breathtaking underground tunnel which was now used by the students to throw parties.. how enchanting!

I saw most of the elite parts of Paris including the  Grand E’cole on the first day and catching up with the strikers marching through the city happily chanting slogans against Sarcozy and the government, they rallied on the main roads old men, women and children all out on a sunny day with food stalls around them; all looking happy on a day out of work demanding to work less ..it was all soo French! I was routed to my spot munching French fries thinking of the French revolution days and the Guillotine. All in all it was exciting two days and I could not wait to catch up more about the city..

The next day started again with petit déjeûner which is typically of FRESH bread and cheese ; they need to get it right from the bakers in the morning. It is a great insult to the French if one stored bread from the previous day and they are sure to vouch supermarket breads are no good. It is the classic BAGUETTE that tasted so good– crusty outside and just the right softness inside. The traditional pain au chocolat was also something we had on one of the days. I loved the pasteries that I was pampered with especially the one with almonds on it.

You have to wait to find out what more adventure awaited for me in Paris the following days.. for now I will leave you with some picture

So it was all happening this summer. The Hohenleutners threw a vegetarian BBQ party inviting a lot of friends and it was great fun. This of course is my first barbeque  and it was yummy yummy food. Filled mushrooms with soft cheese, different varieties of cheese, marinated vegetables, tandoori potato all went to the grill and later to our stomachs .

Then we went on a 15 km bike trip along the river Danube on a very sunny nice day. It was so memorable and I regretted not having taken some swimming clothes to plunge in the picturesque river. Did you know there are no crocodiles in Europe ? Hmm I did not know ..

Reading Haruki Murakami and watching a whole bunch of movies have also been a good part of my vacation. I loved Hero, Spanglish, parts of  Ravanan. Didn’t like Vicky Christina Barcelona and Back up plan.

Now my brief trip to Nuremberg which I visited for a day. It is a beautiful historic city with small bridges strewn across the old town across the river Pegnitz. The lebkuchen which is a tree cake is famous in N’bg  during Christmas time but one can find it all over the place. The castle of N’bg was a beautiful sight too.. I will add more pictures when I switch to my Snow white..

Closing lines from the lyrics of the title song in Ravanan (tamil movie) which I liked a lot..

Oru pillai ezudhum kirukal than vazhkayo?

(Is life a child’s scribbling )

adhan artham thedi alaivadhe verkayo??

(Is understanding the meaning of that the whole mystery?)

Soon from La Paris..