An end to the hiatus - Part I

After mulling over silently, chewing on it anxiously, and coming close to exasperation about not being able to find time to blog, I’m finally back. (Yes, yes, stop rubbing your eyes in amazement ;))

Whew!!! It’s been a looong time - and more importantly, one hell of a ride, these past few months.

Not one to keep you nibbling your finger nails - here is part one, of trying to reconstruct the highlights:

Germany to India

My Germany adventure turned out to be much more than I’d bargained for. All I knew when I went from Bangalore, that fateful day on 3rd February 2007, was that I was going for a 2 month work stint, in Erlangen, Germany, with the additional hope of visiting the city of my dreams - Paris.

After reaching Germany, I spent 2 weeks battling the confusion of whether to like or dislike the place I was in. Soon after, liking won hands down, and I was firmly and happily ensconced in the chill of the European winter, basking in the warmth of the friendly people, and the comfort of exciting things to do - at work, and at play.

Till I knew better, I spent the first two weekends in office, doing what I enjoyed so much - hearing the steady drum of my fingers on the keyboard, churning out, what I call works of art, in code :). And then, I discovered my newfound love - (before you start conjuring up visions of Prince Charming) - Travel.

Ah… (*contented sigh follows*)…Travelling in Europe - has got to be the most wonderful thing to do!

  

  

Be it the dynamism of Munich, the quaintness of Chiemsee, the storybook-romantic paths of Rothenburg, the youth-filled-freshness of Wurzburg, the stunning Rhine and Moselle valleys, on the side of which you would find Koblenz, Rüdesheim (famous for its wine gardens), and other tiny little hamlets, or going, on two consecutive days, to drastically different places like Nuremburg, a city peppered with everything you would ever want, and the Bavarian Forest, where you could walk miles in the chill of the woods, only to find at the end of it, a cafe filled with happy people, waiting to welcome you into their lives with a cup of freshly brewed cappucino. 

I saw a different facet of Germany each weekend and picked up little souvenirs from each place visited. And even then, it’s the memories of drinking hot soup after a tiring walk, yummy ice-cream eaten on cold winter mornings, a cable-car ride over acres of wine gardens, and sweet strains of an lonely saxophone heard in a train station, that keep coming back in my reminiscences. Even though I began my travels with treks in the winter, soon, it was to be in the glory of the sun shining fully and splendidly on me, while flowers of every imaginable color decked even the loneliest of paths. The only thing I ever regretted was not having the fortune of seeing the full extent of spring, and the onset of summer, in Europe. Well, those are reserved then for later ;-).

Apart from Germany, my travels took me to the Paris and to the Netherlands.

Paris fulfilled a life-long dream of mine. Just to be in the sheer romance of Paris - a city I’d read so much and imagined even more about - was SO worth the wait! J’aime Paris!!

  

I went up the Eiffel Tower and discovered that it made my heart skip a beat each time I looked up its complete glory - night or day. Stand anywhere on the landscape of Paris, and see it emerging - a beacon on the cityscape. At night, the tower is sheer brilliance, with millions of lights and a breathtaking view of the city.

I was totally enamoured with Paris - I ate hot waffles dripping with cream and sugar, and heavenly crepes with bananas and chocolate, visited the Notre Dame cathedral and felt its sanctity touch my soul, marvelled at the opulence of that which is Louvre - a maze of hallways filled with all kinds of art - that would take you 3 months to look at, even if you were to devote only a minute per artifact! Walked across the Champs-Élysées (pronounced as Shaanz-Eleezay) twice to experience just being in the centre of Parisian haute couture, prayed for the soldier’s souls at the Arc De Triomphe, and topped it all with an incredibly romantic (sans a romantic partner ;)) river cruise on the Seine, music playing in the background, a slight drizzle decorating the city, and falling in love with Paris’ sights. At the end of it all, I said: I’ll be back :).

Netherlands was yet another experience to cherish - going to Amsterdam, The Hague (or Den Haag), to a windmill village (Zaanse Schans) and to Keukenhof over the Easter weekend.

Amsterdam is a city for poets (if we ignore their fame for not-so-soulful exploits ;)). The below-sea-level city is built with an intricate network of waterways to prevent the water from flooding it, and these canals are nestled between the streets lined with the quaintly designed houses. Canal buses are an alternative mode of transport (other than trams/buses) and give you a view of the bustling crowd, canal-side cafes, boat houses, the city square, the parks and the museums (some are frightfully expensive) of Amsterdam. From there, off to Den Haag, a strikingly different place - all glass, metal, high rise buildings and a completely commercial setup. Madurodam is the miniature of an entire city in Den Haag, showcasing Holland’s premier sights and is therefore, a very popular tourist destination. I felt the inner child in me awaken :), as I gleefully peered through the windows of tiny chateaus and clock towers, saw minature trams on Madurodam’s roads, and was lucky enough to visit the Magic Ice Zoo, which is a May attraction in Madurodam - a zoo containing ice sculptures of all kinds of animals - sculpted to perfection, and maintained in -11 degrees temperature.

And finally I and my friends were extremely lucky to catch the yearly tulip extravaganza in Keukenhof, which is an hour away from Amsterdam. If you wish to see God’s creativity and man’s ability to nurture that creativity, on full display, a visit to Keukenhof is a good idea. Acres and acres of gardens, showcasing flowers so exotic and unbelievably beautiful, that your breath would surely be on hold all the time. A paradise for flower lovers and almost all women :), including me.

  

And so, that was a glimpse of my travels earlier this year. Returning to India in May, armed with pictures, and curios, I knew that the trip had warped me for life - it had discovered in me a newfound passion for travel and given me enough picturesque settings to have all my romantic dreams in.

Wait; the story is not over yet. There’s been much more happening in my life, and I’ll keep you posted with the follow ups, so don’t go anywhere ;-). Be right back!!

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