9 days filled with making food, walks along the Rhine (including a small dip one day), roaming on the streets of Basel trying to understand what is happening around, looking at people and observing what makes Switzerland Switzerland and not India and the most exciting finishes to my days consisted of window shopping, shopping and drinking yogurt...
Sounds interesting? No? Well, that's what makes India India and not Switzerland ;-)
My friends have a good reason to stick to me now... Major portion of my shopping includes gifts for you guys... The joys...!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Day 26 - Day 28
These 3 days flew by as I soaked in the atmosphere...
I got up very early the first day... or should I say awakening came unto me... because those of you who know me even slightly would know I am not a person who is an early riser!! And so, respecting God's decision, I got myself presentable and walked out of the house... hmm... I was not utilizing the complete features of my eyes... they can make out millions of hues... but they were exposed to only 2... greens of the meadows and blues of the skies...
Marchin's mother was milking the cows in their backyard... And what backyard it was!! 15 building from Mumbai along with their parking areas would have fit into it... Fresh crisp lawn... about 8 inches to a foot tall green blades... filled with littles whites, yellows and violets... I went up to her and wished her what the yard presented me... a good morning...
I spent the next 3 hours watching the beautiful aftereffects of the sunrise and played hide and seek with the sun... it was very cloudy, very windy and very cold in spite of the occasional rays... I laid down on the grass and sang some songs... hmmm... I do that often when I am alone with the nature... And it went on till I felt the hunger pangs...
I got down and boiled some eggs... Majonez as the spelling on the jar goes (Polish pronunciation of J is like Y), from the Poland is the tastiest I have ever had... it is also one of the reasons I have survived Poland with all it's abundant meat intake... egg, mayonnaise and salad is all I used to have, day in, day out, if you don't count the cakes...
'Any problem?'
Sabina asked that as I sat down with my eggs on their porch... The beautiful scents of the flower beds must be just air to their roses... and the leafy stretches of the mountains would be their routine view as they brushed in the mornings... so, it was understandable that she thought I was upset with something to sit all alone outside and have my breakfast...
'No problem... just enjoying the local air...'
She smiled away slightly convinced... The rest of the day passed by as I took some shots, met some more people and sang some more songs... The dinner was delightful... I mean after four days of cakes and eggs, potato and salad seems like daawat! And as I just started with my two-course, Eva and Bishek (the pair who got married) came in to pick us up... The way Eva stuffed my plate in a box and Bishek stuffed me in the car only suggested they were super heroes and have 'saving the world from the evil powers of Anamara' as their next item on the to-do list... They reached us to Dorotha's in 10 minutes, Sabina used to take at least 30!
As a conclusion to the discussion that was going on in the evening about my sight seeing, Dorotha told me Marchin is going to come next morning at 9 to take me around to see Krakow...
'OK, good night!' and I surrendered myself to the dreamland!
Marchin came at 10, the next morning... We set off for the day... He picked up another girl on our way to Krakow... and though I don't understand Polish (of which I got an overdose today), I could make out he was trying to impress her... The boredom that I experienced the whole day was definitely not because I was jealous... it was simply the result of being ignored... but I tagged along and saw what I possibly could in 3 hours...
Krakow is a good city in terms of culture... the town center is a very happening place... They have a few museums, some chariots you can ride, some cute cafes, souvenir shops, a large cathedral, a statue here and there and funny people... We had our lunch at a Mexican joint... they served a large plate full of French fries with each order... And can you imagine, I (of all the people) got full in just half the dish... and that excluding the fries? I almost fell asleep at the table... for a reason other than the Polish chatter!
We went to this Galleria after our late lunch... Mall basically... I found an interesting shop and the boredom vanished! I went around trying stuff!! My wish got realized in some 10 minutes (and their's too I guess)... they wandered off somewhere and now, I was free to shop! Getting good clothes of my size is difficult... but this shop had variety, good prices and nice range of sizes! I got myself a shirt, a t shirt, a pair of chappals and a frock... I got a nice one piece for my mom too... And here was the beginning of my ESS (Europe Shopping Spree)...
We got back home at nightfall... and I fell asleep like I hadn't slept for months!
The last day was frenzied!! Ania was out to buy every food item available for sale in all of Poland... She got all kinds of jams, jars of Majonez and dressings, forest honey, noodles, herbs, spices, cosmetics, magazines, diapers and creams and a large pram for Wiktor, carrots and radishes even... It was honestly a miracle how all the things fit into the singular bag that we had taken along! But the grace of Jesus safely reached us back home in 5 peices, 3 of us, a bag and a pram!!
Mama was all smiles... the curve did not straighten up for what I noticed at least 30 minutes... And as we reached home... the building welcomed us with a non-functional lift! We had to make 3 trips each, up and down to take up all the luggage... My spine should receive a Red and White bahaduri puraskar for what it underwent that night!!
All in all a great experience of the European countryside!! Na zdrowie to Poland!
I got up very early the first day... or should I say awakening came unto me... because those of you who know me even slightly would know I am not a person who is an early riser!! And so, respecting God's decision, I got myself presentable and walked out of the house... hmm... I was not utilizing the complete features of my eyes... they can make out millions of hues... but they were exposed to only 2... greens of the meadows and blues of the skies...
Marchin's mother was milking the cows in their backyard... And what backyard it was!! 15 building from Mumbai along with their parking areas would have fit into it... Fresh crisp lawn... about 8 inches to a foot tall green blades... filled with littles whites, yellows and violets... I went up to her and wished her what the yard presented me... a good morning...
I spent the next 3 hours watching the beautiful aftereffects of the sunrise and played hide and seek with the sun... it was very cloudy, very windy and very cold in spite of the occasional rays... I laid down on the grass and sang some songs... hmmm... I do that often when I am alone with the nature... And it went on till I felt the hunger pangs...
I got down and boiled some eggs... Majonez as the spelling on the jar goes (Polish pronunciation of J is like Y), from the Poland is the tastiest I have ever had... it is also one of the reasons I have survived Poland with all it's abundant meat intake... egg, mayonnaise and salad is all I used to have, day in, day out, if you don't count the cakes...
'Any problem?'
Sabina asked that as I sat down with my eggs on their porch... The beautiful scents of the flower beds must be just air to their roses... and the leafy stretches of the mountains would be their routine view as they brushed in the mornings... so, it was understandable that she thought I was upset with something to sit all alone outside and have my breakfast...
'No problem... just enjoying the local air...'
She smiled away slightly convinced... The rest of the day passed by as I took some shots, met some more people and sang some more songs... The dinner was delightful... I mean after four days of cakes and eggs, potato and salad seems like daawat! And as I just started with my two-course, Eva and Bishek (the pair who got married) came in to pick us up... The way Eva stuffed my plate in a box and Bishek stuffed me in the car only suggested they were super heroes and have 'saving the world from the evil powers of Anamara' as their next item on the to-do list... They reached us to Dorotha's in 10 minutes, Sabina used to take at least 30!
As a conclusion to the discussion that was going on in the evening about my sight seeing, Dorotha told me Marchin is going to come next morning at 9 to take me around to see Krakow...
'OK, good night!' and I surrendered myself to the dreamland!
Marchin came at 10, the next morning... We set off for the day... He picked up another girl on our way to Krakow... and though I don't understand Polish (of which I got an overdose today), I could make out he was trying to impress her... The boredom that I experienced the whole day was definitely not because I was jealous... it was simply the result of being ignored... but I tagged along and saw what I possibly could in 3 hours...
Krakow is a good city in terms of culture... the town center is a very happening place... They have a few museums, some chariots you can ride, some cute cafes, souvenir shops, a large cathedral, a statue here and there and funny people... We had our lunch at a Mexican joint... they served a large plate full of French fries with each order... And can you imagine, I (of all the people) got full in just half the dish... and that excluding the fries? I almost fell asleep at the table... for a reason other than the Polish chatter!
We went to this Galleria after our late lunch... Mall basically... I found an interesting shop and the boredom vanished! I went around trying stuff!! My wish got realized in some 10 minutes (and their's too I guess)... they wandered off somewhere and now, I was free to shop! Getting good clothes of my size is difficult... but this shop had variety, good prices and nice range of sizes! I got myself a shirt, a t shirt, a pair of chappals and a frock... I got a nice one piece for my mom too... And here was the beginning of my ESS (Europe Shopping Spree)...
We got back home at nightfall... and I fell asleep like I hadn't slept for months!
The last day was frenzied!! Ania was out to buy every food item available for sale in all of Poland... She got all kinds of jams, jars of Majonez and dressings, forest honey, noodles, herbs, spices, cosmetics, magazines, diapers and creams and a large pram for Wiktor, carrots and radishes even... It was honestly a miracle how all the things fit into the singular bag that we had taken along! But the grace of Jesus safely reached us back home in 5 peices, 3 of us, a bag and a pram!!
Mama was all smiles... the curve did not straighten up for what I noticed at least 30 minutes... And as we reached home... the building welcomed us with a non-functional lift! We had to make 3 trips each, up and down to take up all the luggage... My spine should receive a Red and White bahaduri puraskar for what it underwent that night!!
All in all a great experience of the European countryside!! Na zdrowie to Poland!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Day 22 - Day 25
I was driven to Ania's mother's place in half sleep, the next morning... I went with Simon to get some things from the shop... He is just 10 years old, but pretty handsome! Sure is going to turn into a heart throb when he's 20!!
I got some yogurt (I was craving for that since I had reached Polska!!) and cucumbers and tomatoes... Later in the afternoon, I had one of the most memorable meals of my life! Freshly hand picked carrots, onions, cabbage and paprika (capsicum) from their own garden cooked in cornflower accompanied my rice!
Ania's father came out of nowhere when I was sitting by the window watching the meadows, and gestured me to come to Ania's uncle's house (across the one which I was in)... I was surprised to see these people were still partying!! 3 bottles of wodka had already went under the table and there were 2 above it... I was asked to join in, with the same custom, passing the vodka circularly... The translator guy again, was the only one I could understand... They laughed a lot... And I almost did not understand any joke! But I was happy here, because everybody else was!!
"Piyangaa"
"Piyankaa"
"Piryankaa"
My name was difficult for them. But, I never corrected them once...
"Preeyankaa", the translator guy corrected it for me...
Hmm... somehow I found a friend in him... Now, was it the wodka that made me senti? I knew this guy not more than 2 days... and I was already feeling attached? I bet it was the dependence on him to communicate and the thankfulness I felt for his effort!
He started telling me about his life at Norway where he works, why he doesn't have a girlfriend, and how some evenings are just spent on drinking in their country...
"Do yoo know my name?"
"No"
"It's Marchin!"
"Marchin?"
"Yea, yoo can say Martin!"
Hmm... The wodka wanted me to be Martini, if you know what I mean...
"Ania ees worried"
"Why?"
"She theenk yoo weel..." and he gestured a crooked walk...
I laughed, bade him good bye and left with Ania, Sabina (her sister) and Sabina's boyfriend for Zakopane... which is a city some 100 km from the place where we live. It had McDonalds, KFC, Pizzahut to mention a few names I see in India... The place was very different than the ambiance around Ania's home...
Ania's home is situated in the hills and is very picturesque... a perfect example of the East European countryside... fine meadows... cows grazing and being milked... tractors and farms... distant houses... Zakopane was a buzzling city full of restaurants and expensive shopping arcades...
I was still swaying a bit, but it was controllable! I tripped once and Sabina's boyfriend (who incidentally was also drinking with me back at home) advised, 'Yoo wan beer? Eet weel help yoo get it off!' Yeah, right!!
We visited two restaurants... I ate at only one... and, what? Polish version of Neer dosa with the coconut filling!
As usual, I got back home and instantanously fell asleep!!
I got some yogurt (I was craving for that since I had reached Polska!!) and cucumbers and tomatoes... Later in the afternoon, I had one of the most memorable meals of my life! Freshly hand picked carrots, onions, cabbage and paprika (capsicum) from their own garden cooked in cornflower accompanied my rice!
Ania's father came out of nowhere when I was sitting by the window watching the meadows, and gestured me to come to Ania's uncle's house (across the one which I was in)... I was surprised to see these people were still partying!! 3 bottles of wodka had already went under the table and there were 2 above it... I was asked to join in, with the same custom, passing the vodka circularly... The translator guy again, was the only one I could understand... They laughed a lot... And I almost did not understand any joke! But I was happy here, because everybody else was!!
"Piyangaa"
"Piyankaa"
"Piryankaa"
My name was difficult for them. But, I never corrected them once...
"Preeyankaa", the translator guy corrected it for me...
Hmm... somehow I found a friend in him... Now, was it the wodka that made me senti? I knew this guy not more than 2 days... and I was already feeling attached? I bet it was the dependence on him to communicate and the thankfulness I felt for his effort!
He started telling me about his life at Norway where he works, why he doesn't have a girlfriend, and how some evenings are just spent on drinking in their country...
"Do yoo know my name?"
"No"
"It's Marchin!"
"Marchin?"
"Yea, yoo can say Martin!"
Hmm... The wodka wanted me to be Martini, if you know what I mean...
"Ania ees worried"
"Why?"
"She theenk yoo weel..." and he gestured a crooked walk...
I laughed, bade him good bye and left with Ania, Sabina (her sister) and Sabina's boyfriend for Zakopane... which is a city some 100 km from the place where we live. It had McDonalds, KFC, Pizzahut to mention a few names I see in India... The place was very different than the ambiance around Ania's home...
Ania's home is situated in the hills and is very picturesque... a perfect example of the East European countryside... fine meadows... cows grazing and being milked... tractors and farms... distant houses... Zakopane was a buzzling city full of restaurants and expensive shopping arcades...
I was still swaying a bit, but it was controllable! I tripped once and Sabina's boyfriend (who incidentally was also drinking with me back at home) advised, 'Yoo wan beer? Eet weel help yoo get it off!' Yeah, right!!
We visited two restaurants... I ate at only one... and, what? Polish version of Neer dosa with the coconut filling!
As usual, I got back home and instantanously fell asleep!!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Day 18 - Day 21
Life is a collection of moments... very few good ones, mind it... and I've collected some of the absolute friggin' memorable ones in the first 3 days...
Ania has a large family... mother, father, one brother, four sisters, their husbands/boyfriends, their children, aunts, uncles, cousins... There were three houses at disposal for the entire family... One was her mother's where the preparations were on full swings... second was of her maternal uncle's which was right across her mother's... and the third one was a bit far away, but the cleanest and the grandest... this belonged to her sister, Dorotha, who lived with her husband and her two sons, Simon and Conrad, who were verrrrry cute... Thankfully, Dorotha invited us to stay at her place during the stay, because Wiktor needed a hushed environment to sleep, and the other places were just overflowing with guests...
The marriages here are obviously very different from Indian traditional marriages... We are talking about Christians here... and the Polish country is one of the most strongest for it's Christianity... Mrs. Rowling sure was inspired by their dining tables (for the stuff on it) to narrate the dining tables from Hogwarts... There were around 25 different types of cakes... There was soda, juice, fruits, salads, god knows how many kind of meat items, and unlimited liquor... the best of the sweet wines and vodkas... and no wonder, people dance like nobody's business... (well, the vodka works in other ways too... I witnessed some very nasty fist fights... my girlfriend, your girlfriend, global saga... and some just joined in for fun...) But, when the vodka dissolved in my gastric acid, I definitely danced like it is my family business!!! And, after every 15 minutes, a new dish was served... and mind, the party went on for 2 days, afternoon 2 to after midnight 2... Well, I had limited options... but no qualms...
Well, on the first day, I started off dancing with people older than 50 and younger than 12... But, should I really complain when I get to dance with the couple's only daughter or when the groom's father has his first and the only dance with me? He works in Canada and speaks broken English... 'Ayaam soory, ayaam merrid, eef not, yoo me girlfren..!!' And was he really smitten... What appealed to them about me, beats me... but I am happy to know that I'm beautiful in Poland (at least)!!
By the evening, I had got a real good hang of their dance (it was casual, nothing cultural or traditional)... Basically, the guy leads and the girl follows the lead... So, all I had to do was to be in sync with my partner and be flexible enough to sway to the tunes with him... I underestimated Ania's uncles for their strengths... They were mighty enough to lift me off my feet and swirl me around... And I was very afraid they might discover a broken rib!
As we have in birthday parties, they have games in their marriages... And very notorious ones... there were like competitions... first was among girls... any 5 girls... They played musical chair, but with a slight difference... As the music stops, the host will state the name of a thing which every girl has to find before securing a seat... and the girls must run helter skelter trying to fetch the prop and pounce on the chairs... things like bananas, car keys, and the winning props was male pants... this last round went biased... because, out of the two contenders, one had a boyfriend who readily stripped, while the other girl just stared at whatever was happening and stood helpless...
the next was among guys... they were given 5 minutes to carry in their arms, all the possible girls (obviously one at a time) to the center of the game area, highest toll winning... To my horror, I was very close to the center... and one of the first females to be drawn aboard!! Well, I understood the game only when it was over, because the medium of instruction was inevitably Polish, but in those moments where this guy actually dug his hands in my chair to lift me up and carried me to the center of the game area, I went numb by the mere fact that SOMEONE CAN!!
These games went on much after I had to leave with Ania for home as it was time for Wiktor to sleep...
The next morning, Dorotha dropped Ania, Wiktor and me at their mother's place, from where we were supposed to leave for the party in the afternoon! My stupid menses had to find this very day to enlighten my month!! I had no idea what was coming up... some more rituals... some reception... some gathering... no idea!! but I expected there would be dancing for sure... and so I decided to stay low and conserve energy... I found a sofa in some lonesome corner of the house and fell asleep within minutes... I faintly remember Ania's mother putting a rug on me...
Some one was tugging my pants... I rubbed my eyes and opened them to see some stranger shouting at me in Polish... It took some time for me to remind myself of my whereabouts... This guy, well above 50, pulled away my rug, still shouting and pointing outside the door of the room... I got up, adjusted my looks and followed him outside... When I had gone in to sleep, there was no one in this room... now, it was filled with as many as 15 people... about 12 of them sitting at a table... everybody was talking... I deduced, about me... I just shrugged my shoulders at them...
They gestured me to sit down on this only empty chair...
"Yoo don spik Poolish?"
This was a spectacled guy around my age, sitting beside me... the only guy I had felt noticeable before and during the wedding...
"You speak English?"
"Littal"
"Oh! What is he saying?" I pointed out to the guy who dragged me out of my sleep.
"He saying, yoo must not slip, but dreenk wit us for da paarty"
Poland is a country of Wodka (as they spell it) and Cheese... both of which I have exploited *wink wink*... It is also a country of Love (read sex), Children and the Christ... Well, I know only three Polish words, 'Dzień dobry!!' That's Polish hello... pronounced as 'Jin-do-brei'... 'Dziękuję!!' - which mean Thank you... pronounced as 'Jin-kui-ye'... and the inevitable 'Na zdrowie' which this guy introduced me to - you say it when you cling the glasses, as in 'cheers'... pronounced as 'Naz-dro-veya'... yes, I used it around 4 times on the first day (2 for Vodkas and 2 for Wines)... and people around here almost don't know English... Except for, 'Super!!' (which they used for me loads, and they called me Britney Spears for unknown reasons!!)... But, in spite of the language gap, there was no communication gap! I gelled around here like butter on hot bread... With actions, expressions and a word or two from either of the languages, we had long conversations... They asked me about India, its religion, its beliefs, its wedding traditions and whether it is ok to have sex before marriage... haah!! and they were surprised to get a negetion!!
The session went on for an hour at least... the custom was to say 'zdrowie' to the person on your left, gulp the peg of wodka, empty the last few drops in the small wodka glass by shaking it upside down, and filling it up for the next person (who is on your left)... Well, I took some time to get a hang of it, but I was 'smart' as this guy told me... Well, it never dawned on me to ask his name... I should have!! He was helping me a lot!
In no time, we rode to the same place we were, the day before! Only difference was, I was a bit tipsy! The music started and dance came to me like it was my lost puppy! All thanks to the 40%!! I enjoyed the next few hours like they were going to be my last!! I was a bit skeptical till I danced with this translator guy... He is a good dancer, and just by looking at him dance, my inhibitions were shed... and for the rest of the evening, I danced for myself, little caring about who am I dancing with... surprisingly, not tripping once, even though I was wearing a good 3 inches heals!!
Got home tired, jumped into the bed, and my yawn turned into a snore half way...
Ania has a large family... mother, father, one brother, four sisters, their husbands/boyfriends, their children, aunts, uncles, cousins... There were three houses at disposal for the entire family... One was her mother's where the preparations were on full swings... second was of her maternal uncle's which was right across her mother's... and the third one was a bit far away, but the cleanest and the grandest... this belonged to her sister, Dorotha, who lived with her husband and her two sons, Simon and Conrad, who were verrrrry cute... Thankfully, Dorotha invited us to stay at her place during the stay, because Wiktor needed a hushed environment to sleep, and the other places were just overflowing with guests...
The marriages here are obviously very different from Indian traditional marriages... We are talking about Christians here... and the Polish country is one of the most strongest for it's Christianity... Mrs. Rowling sure was inspired by their dining tables (for the stuff on it) to narrate the dining tables from Hogwarts... There were around 25 different types of cakes... There was soda, juice, fruits, salads, god knows how many kind of meat items, and unlimited liquor... the best of the sweet wines and vodkas... and no wonder, people dance like nobody's business... (well, the vodka works in other ways too... I witnessed some very nasty fist fights... my girlfriend, your girlfriend, global saga... and some just joined in for fun...) But, when the vodka dissolved in my gastric acid, I definitely danced like it is my family business!!! And, after every 15 minutes, a new dish was served... and mind, the party went on for 2 days, afternoon 2 to after midnight 2... Well, I had limited options... but no qualms...
Well, on the first day, I started off dancing with people older than 50 and younger than 12... But, should I really complain when I get to dance with the couple's only daughter or when the groom's father has his first and the only dance with me? He works in Canada and speaks broken English... 'Ayaam soory, ayaam merrid, eef not, yoo me girlfren..!!' And was he really smitten... What appealed to them about me, beats me... but I am happy to know that I'm beautiful in Poland (at least)!!
By the evening, I had got a real good hang of their dance (it was casual, nothing cultural or traditional)... Basically, the guy leads and the girl follows the lead... So, all I had to do was to be in sync with my partner and be flexible enough to sway to the tunes with him... I underestimated Ania's uncles for their strengths... They were mighty enough to lift me off my feet and swirl me around... And I was very afraid they might discover a broken rib!
As we have in birthday parties, they have games in their marriages... And very notorious ones... there were like competitions... first was among girls... any 5 girls... They played musical chair, but with a slight difference... As the music stops, the host will state the name of a thing which every girl has to find before securing a seat... and the girls must run helter skelter trying to fetch the prop and pounce on the chairs... things like bananas, car keys, and the winning props was male pants... this last round went biased... because, out of the two contenders, one had a boyfriend who readily stripped, while the other girl just stared at whatever was happening and stood helpless...
the next was among guys... they were given 5 minutes to carry in their arms, all the possible girls (obviously one at a time) to the center of the game area, highest toll winning... To my horror, I was very close to the center... and one of the first females to be drawn aboard!! Well, I understood the game only when it was over, because the medium of instruction was inevitably Polish, but in those moments where this guy actually dug his hands in my chair to lift me up and carried me to the center of the game area, I went numb by the mere fact that SOMEONE CAN!!
These games went on much after I had to leave with Ania for home as it was time for Wiktor to sleep...
The next morning, Dorotha dropped Ania, Wiktor and me at their mother's place, from where we were supposed to leave for the party in the afternoon! My stupid menses had to find this very day to enlighten my month!! I had no idea what was coming up... some more rituals... some reception... some gathering... no idea!! but I expected there would be dancing for sure... and so I decided to stay low and conserve energy... I found a sofa in some lonesome corner of the house and fell asleep within minutes... I faintly remember Ania's mother putting a rug on me...
Some one was tugging my pants... I rubbed my eyes and opened them to see some stranger shouting at me in Polish... It took some time for me to remind myself of my whereabouts... This guy, well above 50, pulled away my rug, still shouting and pointing outside the door of the room... I got up, adjusted my looks and followed him outside... When I had gone in to sleep, there was no one in this room... now, it was filled with as many as 15 people... about 12 of them sitting at a table... everybody was talking... I deduced, about me... I just shrugged my shoulders at them...
They gestured me to sit down on this only empty chair...
"Yoo don spik Poolish?"
This was a spectacled guy around my age, sitting beside me... the only guy I had felt noticeable before and during the wedding...
"You speak English?"
"Littal"
"Oh! What is he saying?" I pointed out to the guy who dragged me out of my sleep.
"He saying, yoo must not slip, but dreenk wit us for da paarty"
Poland is a country of Wodka (as they spell it) and Cheese... both of which I have exploited *wink wink*... It is also a country of Love (read sex), Children and the Christ... Well, I know only three Polish words, 'Dzień dobry!!' That's Polish hello... pronounced as 'Jin-do-brei'... 'Dziękuję!!' - which mean Thank you... pronounced as 'Jin-kui-ye'... and the inevitable 'Na zdrowie' which this guy introduced me to - you say it when you cling the glasses, as in 'cheers'... pronounced as 'Naz-dro-veya'... yes, I used it around 4 times on the first day (2 for Vodkas and 2 for Wines)... and people around here almost don't know English... Except for, 'Super!!' (which they used for me loads, and they called me Britney Spears for unknown reasons!!)... But, in spite of the language gap, there was no communication gap! I gelled around here like butter on hot bread... With actions, expressions and a word or two from either of the languages, we had long conversations... They asked me about India, its religion, its beliefs, its wedding traditions and whether it is ok to have sex before marriage... haah!! and they were surprised to get a negetion!!
The session went on for an hour at least... the custom was to say 'zdrowie' to the person on your left, gulp the peg of wodka, empty the last few drops in the small wodka glass by shaking it upside down, and filling it up for the next person (who is on your left)... Well, I took some time to get a hang of it, but I was 'smart' as this guy told me... Well, it never dawned on me to ask his name... I should have!! He was helping me a lot!
In no time, we rode to the same place we were, the day before! Only difference was, I was a bit tipsy! The music started and dance came to me like it was my lost puppy! All thanks to the 40%!! I enjoyed the next few hours like they were going to be my last!! I was a bit skeptical till I danced with this translator guy... He is a good dancer, and just by looking at him dance, my inhibitions were shed... and for the rest of the evening, I danced for myself, little caring about who am I dancing with... surprisingly, not tripping once, even though I was wearing a good 3 inches heals!!
Got home tired, jumped into the bed, and my yawn turned into a snore half way...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Day 15 - Day 17
Anumama had registered for the IELTS and the exam centre was somewhere in Bern... I asked him whether i could come... Postive... I didn't have to do any packing... I arrived in the night from Geneve and was heading to Bern the next dawn... I just took out the clothes and was ready for the journey... From the constant exploring of websites related to travelling around Switzerland, I had realized one thing, and it was that Interlaken and Bern are close by...
We reached Bern around 7 am in the morning and it was raining... not drizzling, raining... We found out the location for the exam and settled for breakfast... McD's from the Suisse, as the Switzerland is also called, was hot and delicious... They just have one burger in vegetarian... but that was more than enough... taste wise and size wise... I told Anumama of my plans about visiting the Interlaken... He asked me to be back by 3... I got on the train... obviously after getting the tickets... no risking after what happened to me on the Basel-Geneve journey...
Here, it's opposite to what happens in India... In India, you can safely travel without ticket in trains, but it's highly impossible to do so in the busses... here, there is a sure scrutiny for the train journeys and nobody to check you on the trams or the buses...
So, I got down at Interlaken Ost (German for East) station... It was pretty... They say that the rain makes everything look beautiful... I agree... I realized after checking the ferry rates that I have too less to travel on one if I keep aside the money for my journey back to Bern...
And the Lakes are too far from the station... So, I go to the tourist information centre and ask this lady how productively can I spend two hours in Interlaken barring the ferries... I thought she would say, walk along the blah blah street till you reach blah blah, take left/right and in 5 minutes, you will see the Thun/Brienz lake and you are free to shop... She instead told me about a funicular (steep train) to this Jungfrau mountain leaving in 5 minutes but costing tripple than what I had in my pocket... I thanked her and left... So, back to square one!! Just if Anumama could have let me carry this laptop, I could have been in a MUCH better condition... I had saved all the places in and around Interlaken which I could see without spending... Walking routes from the station to both the lakes... But the stubborn person that he is...!! He made me carry his laptop... which practically was much heavier and had no use... I mean to him as well...
So, anyways, like always, i start meandering in some intuitive direction... I saw some very beautiful sights... the cold rivulet connecting the two Lakes, the camping grounds on the shores of this rivulet, which was filled with caravans, barbeques and remains of the camp fires from the previous night diffused by the rain, some foggy foresty mountains, and a small duplex above which there rose some funicular tracks... I went up the duplex and enquire about the rates for the funi... I counted my money and realized I had 1 CHF less... Hmf!! I am going to miss the 'Harder mountain' (that is how the name goes) just as I missed Rochers-de-Naye and Jungfrau... I cursed myself for 3 full minutes and then decided to ask the person at the ticket counter to help me... and like me, she took 3 minutes to be convinced that I shouldn't miss this...
So, all thanks to this sweet lady, I went up, up ad away, into those misty green forests on the mountain... After walking for about 1 km, I lost all the other people around me for the obvious reason that they had come to stay at this Hotel on this mountain... I decided to trek up the mountain... yes, there was much more 'up and up' to go...
This trek reminded me of the greatest trek of my life, which was at the Siddhagad... this resembled Siddhagad barring only a trivial difference... that this was very easy... This was breath taking, Siddhagad was life taking... But the ambience of a rainforest that this place had was worth every bit of the CHFs that I paid... and even the one that I did not pay...
I got myself clicked a lot... for two reasons... One - people are complaining, they don't see me in the picture that I take here... and Two - I wanted to see myself in such a place not just today, but for the years to come... I wanted this to be a permanant memory! So, my bichara camera worked its butt out... going into trees, and branches and being hung at information boards, just to get me on the memory card! And it was all worth the effort! Well done, sweetheart!! I am proud of you...
I walked for some 2 hours and it started raining too hard... So I took refuge under this big tree... It was very protective and my camera and ANumama's laptop are alive only because of it... actually me too... because it was so Goddamn cold, I couldn't feel my fingers... the first time I felt thankful to Naniji that she gve me her gloves to take along... It made me feel better...
So, for an hour the rain did not stop and that is when I decided, I should go anyways... down, of course! I reached the station after playing kabaddi with the rain and losing one time (I slipped on the mud and fell down)...
So, with no exceptional experiences, I got back to Bern and found the warmest corner of the station to sit... Anumama came much sooner than I expected... I had my lunch and we set off for roaming around Bern... because there were a good 4 hours for our train to arrive...
Bern is a wonderful city... Ancient architecture and modern civilization... Much more lively than Basel, where, as my mama says, 'the life is a bit dead'! We saw the consitution of Switzerland and Einstien's house from the outside... there were this Music festival and African festival happening (both separately)... the town was ablaze with people and the culture... Eventually, he got tired of exploring streets and we headed to the station...
I got home, had some food and slept like a log, compensating for the 4 nights of disturbed sleep... Well, actually I don't need an excuse to sleep...
The next two days were lazy and the only activities I did was walking, shopping, cooking, downloading nd uploading photos and writing the blog... I am preparing myself for Poland and the marriage...
Au Revoir till next time...
We reached Bern around 7 am in the morning and it was raining... not drizzling, raining... We found out the location for the exam and settled for breakfast... McD's from the Suisse, as the Switzerland is also called, was hot and delicious... They just have one burger in vegetarian... but that was more than enough... taste wise and size wise... I told Anumama of my plans about visiting the Interlaken... He asked me to be back by 3... I got on the train... obviously after getting the tickets... no risking after what happened to me on the Basel-Geneve journey...
Here, it's opposite to what happens in India... In India, you can safely travel without ticket in trains, but it's highly impossible to do so in the busses... here, there is a sure scrutiny for the train journeys and nobody to check you on the trams or the buses...
So, I got down at Interlaken Ost (German for East) station... It was pretty... They say that the rain makes everything look beautiful... I agree... I realized after checking the ferry rates that I have too less to travel on one if I keep aside the money for my journey back to Bern...
And the Lakes are too far from the station... So, I go to the tourist information centre and ask this lady how productively can I spend two hours in Interlaken barring the ferries... I thought she would say, walk along the blah blah street till you reach blah blah, take left/right and in 5 minutes, you will see the Thun/Brienz lake and you are free to shop... She instead told me about a funicular (steep train) to this Jungfrau mountain leaving in 5 minutes but costing tripple than what I had in my pocket... I thanked her and left... So, back to square one!! Just if Anumama could have let me carry this laptop, I could have been in a MUCH better condition... I had saved all the places in and around Interlaken which I could see without spending... Walking routes from the station to both the lakes... But the stubborn person that he is...!! He made me carry his laptop... which practically was much heavier and had no use... I mean to him as well...
So, anyways, like always, i start meandering in some intuitive direction... I saw some very beautiful sights... the cold rivulet connecting the two Lakes, the camping grounds on the shores of this rivulet, which was filled with caravans, barbeques and remains of the camp fires from the previous night diffused by the rain, some foggy foresty mountains, and a small duplex above which there rose some funicular tracks... I went up the duplex and enquire about the rates for the funi... I counted my money and realized I had 1 CHF less... Hmf!! I am going to miss the 'Harder mountain' (that is how the name goes) just as I missed Rochers-de-Naye and Jungfrau... I cursed myself for 3 full minutes and then decided to ask the person at the ticket counter to help me... and like me, she took 3 minutes to be convinced that I shouldn't miss this...
So, all thanks to this sweet lady, I went up, up ad away, into those misty green forests on the mountain... After walking for about 1 km, I lost all the other people around me for the obvious reason that they had come to stay at this Hotel on this mountain... I decided to trek up the mountain... yes, there was much more 'up and up' to go...
This trek reminded me of the greatest trek of my life, which was at the Siddhagad... this resembled Siddhagad barring only a trivial difference... that this was very easy... This was breath taking, Siddhagad was life taking... But the ambience of a rainforest that this place had was worth every bit of the CHFs that I paid... and even the one that I did not pay...
I got myself clicked a lot... for two reasons... One - people are complaining, they don't see me in the picture that I take here... and Two - I wanted to see myself in such a place not just today, but for the years to come... I wanted this to be a permanant memory! So, my bichara camera worked its butt out... going into trees, and branches and being hung at information boards, just to get me on the memory card! And it was all worth the effort! Well done, sweetheart!! I am proud of you...
I walked for some 2 hours and it started raining too hard... So I took refuge under this big tree... It was very protective and my camera and ANumama's laptop are alive only because of it... actually me too... because it was so Goddamn cold, I couldn't feel my fingers... the first time I felt thankful to Naniji that she gve me her gloves to take along... It made me feel better...
So, for an hour the rain did not stop and that is when I decided, I should go anyways... down, of course! I reached the station after playing kabaddi with the rain and losing one time (I slipped on the mud and fell down)...
So, with no exceptional experiences, I got back to Bern and found the warmest corner of the station to sit... Anumama came much sooner than I expected... I had my lunch and we set off for roaming around Bern... because there were a good 4 hours for our train to arrive...
Bern is a wonderful city... Ancient architecture and modern civilization... Much more lively than Basel, where, as my mama says, 'the life is a bit dead'! We saw the consitution of Switzerland and Einstien's house from the outside... there were this Music festival and African festival happening (both separately)... the town was ablaze with people and the culture... Eventually, he got tired of exploring streets and we headed to the station...
I got home, had some food and slept like a log, compensating for the 4 nights of disturbed sleep... Well, actually I don't need an excuse to sleep...
The next two days were lazy and the only activities I did was walking, shopping, cooking, downloading nd uploading photos and writing the blog... I am preparing myself for Poland and the marriage...
Au Revoir till next time...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Day 10 - Day 14
Bon Jour... my newly learnt greeting... which means 'hello' in french... I was using it abundantly and liberally as if showing off my new Gucci ki chappal or Rolex ki ghadi... greeting every one who smiled at me and everyone I had to talk with... and Merci, meaning 'thank you'... I thanked them after every purchase I made and after every direction I asked for...
Skip the upcoming 3 paragraphs if you're not much into geography and culture... Switzerland is divided into 4 cultural regions... and it has no language of it's own... it has 3 major bordering countries, Germany, France and Italy. And the regions of Switzerland closer to these borders have the culture of these countries... And the language used also depends upon these countries although with slight variations... There is a fourth language, Romansh which is in minority, but still prevelant...
The Lavender islands that you will see are the Romansh speaking regions... the green, the Italian... the blue, the French... and the cream of it all (mind the pun) is the German speaking region...
The place where I stay, Basel (pronounced as Baazul), as you may see, lies in the German speaking region... The region I explored on the three days of my travel, Geneve, lies into the French region... The language in these two regions was different and so were the people... Yea, both languages are foreign for me, but it was a classic case of 'patthar se naram eent'... I mean I at least got to use some language in Geneve... unlike Basel where I try and try to understand and separate words...
I got up early in the morning on the day I was supposed to head for Geneve (well, for those who don't know, Geneve is same as Geneva)... I was bang on time for everything... literally... I went downstairs and the tram was just about to leave and I had to bang the door to get inside... I reached inside the station, and it was too easy for me to find the platform number on which the train was arriving, because if it were a bit difficult, I would have missed it! In my defense, the watch that Nanaji gave me was 10 minutes slow!
Me and mamaji had booked a super saver ticket on the internet the previous evening... which was almost one-third of the original price... and I was happy I was saving... untill... the Ticket Examiner came to me and asked for one... I had the ticket on my Laptop, and he did not accept it... I showed him my mobile but the logo was not getting downloaded... So, he made a ticket for me on the train... costing me one-third... of what I had brought for my expenses and travelling and stay at Geneva!!! Wow, I felt empty!! But, still sleep came to me like this was all a dream...
I got up when the train was entering some station... I tried to read what station it was from the window of my seat... and I saw the word 'Geneve'... I took my bag and headed for the door... I got off and looked for signs of confirmation... There was none so definite... It strangely felt like it was not Geneve, but then I told myself, it was definitely Geneve that flashed on my eyes through the window in the train... and correct I was... As the train started chugging its way out of the station (figuratively), it all came... Train destination - Geneve... Present station - Nyon... Great!! So, I had screwed up the ticket and now got off the train at the wrong station... could anything else go wrong? Well, thankfully, you will see that nothing else did!
So, I headed towards the ticket counters... These ticket vending machines that they have installed are very useful... The accept coins and credit cards... I neither have a credit card, nor do I keep hundreds of coins (coins are for those small distance tickets 5 CHF / 8 CHF)... But, I use this to find out what the fare is, so that I shouldn't be shocked at the counter after hearing the amount that I have to pay... I took the ticket and located a wall mounted time table... the train ws arriving in 5 minutes...
I went towards the rail tracks... There was a sign in between the two rail lines, which I guessed indicatedno rail crossing... I looked on the right, then on the left, then again on the right... this went on for 2 minutes... I was searching for a bridge to get to the other side... Yes, I have lived all my life in Mumbai, what else do you expect me to do? So anyways, I spotted a subway on the other platform, and started searching for one on my platform that would connect to that one...
I traveled down to Vevey, which was some 4 stations away from Nyon... I got outside the station and just strolled in a random direction thinking I would see the lake... Mara tha ek teer, aur nishaan do lage... The lake was just a two minutes walk in that direction, plus the lodge that I was looking for was just opposite the lake... I went up to the reception to find it deserted... I knew the reception would be closed till 4 pm... and it was still 2... so i went towards the lake, wandered around for sometimes, then I put my bag on a katta near the lakefront, under a tree, and lied down... looking at the big ferries pssing by... at the ducks and swans enjoying swim... at the bikini clad babes getting a sun tan... at some guys holding the fishing rods and pulling fishes out of the lake... at the beutiful alps beyond the lake... and then i saw my watch and it was alredy 3... I thought about checking the reception once again... and bingo... there she was (the receptionist)...
She showed me around the hostel, and it was nothing like I had ever seen... three floors full of rooms with 8 beds per room... it was a small hostel, yet it was so spacios from the inside... it had WCs and Bathrooms, 4 each on every floor, plus a common area with nice sofas and big LCD TVs... The fourth floor was the reception, it had a kitchen and a terrace attached...
The receptionist was relly sweet... she must be the first foreigner with whom I have talked so much... She suggested me some tourist areas I could go and see in the evening...
I went to my room, got fresh and prepared for the Chateu de Chillon... This Riviera Card given to me by the hostel (Riviera Lodge)... permitted me to travel around Vevey and Montruex for free through any means of surface trannsport and gave me huge discounts on water transports and entries to the tourist places... She had suggested me to take the ferry which was 'just 6 CHF'... but she did not know what I had gone through... So, with my better judgement, I decided to travel on bus... The journey was not long and enjoyable... The Chateu which is french I guess, for Castle... was a glimpse of the historical culture of this place... It had the traditional forms of bedrooms, dining rooms, meeting rooms, toilets and bathrooms (which were the most interesting ones), rooms for the servants, storage rooms, kitchens, and even jails for the captured victims... these jails were pitiful, because they were the lowest, and they had netted doors through which the water from the Geneve lake used to fill up the rooms, letting the inmates struggle for life, because they used to be chained at the ground level... some of them made drawings on the walls to make productive use of their time...
The castle was a big maze and I knew I got out only when I saw the highway... I took a bus heading back to the place where I had got on... I got off at this Montreux Casino... I had heard of it back in Mumbai... So, I went inside only to be politely refused entry because i had no valid proof of my age... My Indian Driving Licence and PAN Card held no value at all... So, I just went about... swallowing the atmosphere as I walked towards the station... I got some onions and tomatoes... I already had bread, carrots, garlic, cucumber and mushrooms... I had got it from home...
I headed back to my hostel... which was pleasently filled with people making dinners, having ciggarates and chatting... There were families, couples, and groups... Some settled in the reception area watchinng TV... some were washing the vegetables and making chicken in the kitchen... and others were admiring the views of the lake Geneve on one side and the green alps on the other while having beer... and I went to the kitchen to make my food... I found out a lot of stuff that belonged either to the hostel or the backpackers... It was for public use, and so, i kept aside my bread and cooked some rice and gravy... Some guys were saying something, which I realized was to me... But i just smiled at them... and they understood, I did not understand... I got their final 'Bon Apeteet' though...
Just as I climbed up to my bunker, I fell asleep after deciding I am going to climb up the Rochers-de-Naye...
The next day, I got up, got ready for the climb and set off for the hike... Hardly had I reached one-tenth of the mountain, I felt exhausted and retreated... yea, you would, what a loser!! But when I say, hardly had I reached one-tenth, it was really too hard... I had went on for like 3 hours to reach that point... The female at the tourist information office had popped out her eyes when I had told her I wanted to climb the mountain on foot... she told me it was 'veerrrrry deefeecult'... but the over-enthusiast that I am, I tried... And I couldn't afford the train... because I wanted to stay one more day and the ticket for the train was exactly equal to the charges for one bed per night...
But the view from where I had reached was amazing... and I got some good floral shots...
I went back to the station, had some yogurt (which I am addicted to after coming here) and headed off to the Photography Museum... Well, I don't particularly like museums and would have rather liked to spent my evening by the lake... but Photography? Let's see...
And it was insightful... there were some very fascinating things which i will never forget... I cannot explain it, you will have to see the photos and videos...
I went back to the hostel, changed for the swim (but i was very much in full clothes, a Tshirt and a capri), and explored the waters of the Geneve... the water was friggin' cold but very sparkling and clean... and I took some time to get into it till my throat... It was really nice... swimming with the ducks and the swans... I got back at the shore when the sun had began setting... I lied down on the steps at shore for another hourand walked back to the hostel...
And the regular happened... I stayed up very late that night and looked through many lonely planet guides from their library...
Next morning, I packed up all my stuff and went for a stroll by the lake... I went ahead to see the Food Museum and the Historical Museum which were also delightful... I went to the station, paid whatever I had in my pockets except around 12 CHF (I had kept the ticket money aside, don't freak out!) nad waited for the train... I had to change trains at Laussane (pronounced Lozaan) and had made it a point to visit this Collection la'Brut Museum... In the little time I had between the trains, I did manage to find out how to travel there from the station and I did manage to surf through the whole museum... It was the most interesting Museum I had seen in my entire life... I am glad I stuck to my plan, thanks to Wiki (Wikipedia, not Wiktor)... This place holds all the art works (paintings, clay works, dresses designed, Wood carvings, etc.) of Lunatics annd Criminals... It was really touching... it gives you a depth on the ideology that these minds work on... criminals and lunatics can also be brilliant people... I would't hesitate using the words - Artistic Genius...
So, I got back to Basel with Luckily no issues on the train... I reached home and everybody was happy to receive me... I was glad I got home for one reason, my mama cooked the food for me that night...
Skip the upcoming 3 paragraphs if you're not much into geography and culture... Switzerland is divided into 4 cultural regions... and it has no language of it's own... it has 3 major bordering countries, Germany, France and Italy. And the regions of Switzerland closer to these borders have the culture of these countries... And the language used also depends upon these countries although with slight variations... There is a fourth language, Romansh which is in minority, but still prevelant...
The Lavender islands that you will see are the Romansh speaking regions... the green, the Italian... the blue, the French... and the cream of it all (mind the pun) is the German speaking region...
The place where I stay, Basel (pronounced as Baazul), as you may see, lies in the German speaking region... The region I explored on the three days of my travel, Geneve, lies into the French region... The language in these two regions was different and so were the people... Yea, both languages are foreign for me, but it was a classic case of 'patthar se naram eent'... I mean I at least got to use some language in Geneve... unlike Basel where I try and try to understand and separate words...
I got up early in the morning on the day I was supposed to head for Geneve (well, for those who don't know, Geneve is same as Geneva)... I was bang on time for everything... literally... I went downstairs and the tram was just about to leave and I had to bang the door to get inside... I reached inside the station, and it was too easy for me to find the platform number on which the train was arriving, because if it were a bit difficult, I would have missed it! In my defense, the watch that Nanaji gave me was 10 minutes slow!
Me and mamaji had booked a super saver ticket on the internet the previous evening... which was almost one-third of the original price... and I was happy I was saving... untill... the Ticket Examiner came to me and asked for one... I had the ticket on my Laptop, and he did not accept it... I showed him my mobile but the logo was not getting downloaded... So, he made a ticket for me on the train... costing me one-third... of what I had brought for my expenses and travelling and stay at Geneva!!! Wow, I felt empty!! But, still sleep came to me like this was all a dream...
I got up when the train was entering some station... I tried to read what station it was from the window of my seat... and I saw the word 'Geneve'... I took my bag and headed for the door... I got off and looked for signs of confirmation... There was none so definite... It strangely felt like it was not Geneve, but then I told myself, it was definitely Geneve that flashed on my eyes through the window in the train... and correct I was... As the train started chugging its way out of the station (figuratively), it all came... Train destination - Geneve... Present station - Nyon... Great!! So, I had screwed up the ticket and now got off the train at the wrong station... could anything else go wrong? Well, thankfully, you will see that nothing else did!
So, I headed towards the ticket counters... These ticket vending machines that they have installed are very useful... The accept coins and credit cards... I neither have a credit card, nor do I keep hundreds of coins (coins are for those small distance tickets 5 CHF / 8 CHF)... But, I use this to find out what the fare is, so that I shouldn't be shocked at the counter after hearing the amount that I have to pay... I took the ticket and located a wall mounted time table... the train ws arriving in 5 minutes...
I went towards the rail tracks... There was a sign in between the two rail lines, which I guessed indicatedno rail crossing... I looked on the right, then on the left, then again on the right... this went on for 2 minutes... I was searching for a bridge to get to the other side... Yes, I have lived all my life in Mumbai, what else do you expect me to do? So anyways, I spotted a subway on the other platform, and started searching for one on my platform that would connect to that one...
I traveled down to Vevey, which was some 4 stations away from Nyon... I got outside the station and just strolled in a random direction thinking I would see the lake... Mara tha ek teer, aur nishaan do lage... The lake was just a two minutes walk in that direction, plus the lodge that I was looking for was just opposite the lake... I went up to the reception to find it deserted... I knew the reception would be closed till 4 pm... and it was still 2... so i went towards the lake, wandered around for sometimes, then I put my bag on a katta near the lakefront, under a tree, and lied down... looking at the big ferries pssing by... at the ducks and swans enjoying swim... at the bikini clad babes getting a sun tan... at some guys holding the fishing rods and pulling fishes out of the lake... at the beutiful alps beyond the lake... and then i saw my watch and it was alredy 3... I thought about checking the reception once again... and bingo... there she was (the receptionist)...
She showed me around the hostel, and it was nothing like I had ever seen... three floors full of rooms with 8 beds per room... it was a small hostel, yet it was so spacios from the inside... it had WCs and Bathrooms, 4 each on every floor, plus a common area with nice sofas and big LCD TVs... The fourth floor was the reception, it had a kitchen and a terrace attached...
The receptionist was relly sweet... she must be the first foreigner with whom I have talked so much... She suggested me some tourist areas I could go and see in the evening...
I went to my room, got fresh and prepared for the Chateu de Chillon... This Riviera Card given to me by the hostel (Riviera Lodge)... permitted me to travel around Vevey and Montruex for free through any means of surface trannsport and gave me huge discounts on water transports and entries to the tourist places... She had suggested me to take the ferry which was 'just 6 CHF'... but she did not know what I had gone through... So, with my better judgement, I decided to travel on bus... The journey was not long and enjoyable... The Chateu which is french I guess, for Castle... was a glimpse of the historical culture of this place... It had the traditional forms of bedrooms, dining rooms, meeting rooms, toilets and bathrooms (which were the most interesting ones), rooms for the servants, storage rooms, kitchens, and even jails for the captured victims... these jails were pitiful, because they were the lowest, and they had netted doors through which the water from the Geneve lake used to fill up the rooms, letting the inmates struggle for life, because they used to be chained at the ground level... some of them made drawings on the walls to make productive use of their time...
The castle was a big maze and I knew I got out only when I saw the highway... I took a bus heading back to the place where I had got on... I got off at this Montreux Casino... I had heard of it back in Mumbai... So, I went inside only to be politely refused entry because i had no valid proof of my age... My Indian Driving Licence and PAN Card held no value at all... So, I just went about... swallowing the atmosphere as I walked towards the station... I got some onions and tomatoes... I already had bread, carrots, garlic, cucumber and mushrooms... I had got it from home...
I headed back to my hostel... which was pleasently filled with people making dinners, having ciggarates and chatting... There were families, couples, and groups... Some settled in the reception area watchinng TV... some were washing the vegetables and making chicken in the kitchen... and others were admiring the views of the lake Geneve on one side and the green alps on the other while having beer... and I went to the kitchen to make my food... I found out a lot of stuff that belonged either to the hostel or the backpackers... It was for public use, and so, i kept aside my bread and cooked some rice and gravy... Some guys were saying something, which I realized was to me... But i just smiled at them... and they understood, I did not understand... I got their final 'Bon Apeteet' though...
Just as I climbed up to my bunker, I fell asleep after deciding I am going to climb up the Rochers-de-Naye...
The next day, I got up, got ready for the climb and set off for the hike... Hardly had I reached one-tenth of the mountain, I felt exhausted and retreated... yea, you would, what a loser!! But when I say, hardly had I reached one-tenth, it was really too hard... I had went on for like 3 hours to reach that point... The female at the tourist information office had popped out her eyes when I had told her I wanted to climb the mountain on foot... she told me it was 'veerrrrry deefeecult'... but the over-enthusiast that I am, I tried... And I couldn't afford the train... because I wanted to stay one more day and the ticket for the train was exactly equal to the charges for one bed per night...
But the view from where I had reached was amazing... and I got some good floral shots...
I went back to the station, had some yogurt (which I am addicted to after coming here) and headed off to the Photography Museum... Well, I don't particularly like museums and would have rather liked to spent my evening by the lake... but Photography? Let's see...
And it was insightful... there were some very fascinating things which i will never forget... I cannot explain it, you will have to see the photos and videos...
I went back to the hostel, changed for the swim (but i was very much in full clothes, a Tshirt and a capri), and explored the waters of the Geneve... the water was friggin' cold but very sparkling and clean... and I took some time to get into it till my throat... It was really nice... swimming with the ducks and the swans... I got back at the shore when the sun had began setting... I lied down on the steps at shore for another hourand walked back to the hostel...
And the regular happened... I stayed up very late that night and looked through many lonely planet guides from their library...
Next morning, I packed up all my stuff and went for a stroll by the lake... I went ahead to see the Food Museum and the Historical Museum which were also delightful... I went to the station, paid whatever I had in my pockets except around 12 CHF (I had kept the ticket money aside, don't freak out!) nad waited for the train... I had to change trains at Laussane (pronounced Lozaan) and had made it a point to visit this Collection la'Brut Museum... In the little time I had between the trains, I did manage to find out how to travel there from the station and I did manage to surf through the whole museum... It was the most interesting Museum I had seen in my entire life... I am glad I stuck to my plan, thanks to Wiki (Wikipedia, not Wiktor)... This place holds all the art works (paintings, clay works, dresses designed, Wood carvings, etc.) of Lunatics annd Criminals... It was really touching... it gives you a depth on the ideology that these minds work on... criminals and lunatics can also be brilliant people... I would't hesitate using the words - Artistic Genius...
So, I got back to Basel with Luckily no issues on the train... I reached home and everybody was happy to receive me... I was glad I got home for one reason, my mama cooked the food for me that night...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Day 9
My birthday!!
Got a nice warm Birthday hug from my mama, first thing in the morning... My dad was on the line by then... Surprisingly, I had a talk with my mom as well, surprising because we had a very bad fight before I left...
Anil read out to me my forecast for today... 'Your friends will always help you if you are in some trouble. Your family will be very close to u. All those misunderstanding will be cleared, and you will get appreciation in your work.'
So most of it did come true...
It had rained in the night... and was still drizzling... Spent the lazy afternoon seeing 'Powerpuff Girls' in German... It was quite nostalgic... I thought of the good old days from school... me and my sister used to love these cartoons... Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Lab were our personal favourites, sometimes they used to air it back to back for three to four hours... and those were the most lazy but amazingly happy afternoons!
I was having Wiktor in my arms all through the evening... (sounds romantic naa!!) and he was very active today... Looking here and there, smiling, crying, waving hands, scratching my hands... I got a cute wink from him... I assume that's my birthday wish from him...
And as I was in my room playing with him, on went the song, 'Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to yooooou...' and to back up the lyrics, came a candle lit Apple cake... which later turned out to be one of the most delicious cake I have ever tasted..!! Ania and Anumama led me to the table in the hall where we had the cake cutting ceremony... We had some nice family photographs (well, it really doesn't feel very far away from family here... these people are really nice and warm)... All in all, a memorable time...
We went out for dinner at this Chinese Joint by the Rhine... Sadly, Ania couldn't join us because of Wiktor, and I missed her... The food was nice, very different from Mumbaiyya Chinese... the ambiance was cozy... and I think I finally digested some chicken... I realized that late as usual... Ab kyaa karen, no use getting worked up on that!
The tram left us back to our home, where I replied to some more scraps and mails till settling for the day...
Got a nice warm Birthday hug from my mama, first thing in the morning... My dad was on the line by then... Surprisingly, I had a talk with my mom as well, surprising because we had a very bad fight before I left...
Anil read out to me my forecast for today... 'Your friends will always help you if you are in some trouble. Your family will be very close to u. All those misunderstanding will be cleared, and you will get appreciation in your work.'
So most of it did come true...
It had rained in the night... and was still drizzling... Spent the lazy afternoon seeing 'Powerpuff Girls' in German... It was quite nostalgic... I thought of the good old days from school... me and my sister used to love these cartoons... Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Lab were our personal favourites, sometimes they used to air it back to back for three to four hours... and those were the most lazy but amazingly happy afternoons!
I was having Wiktor in my arms all through the evening... (sounds romantic naa!!) and he was very active today... Looking here and there, smiling, crying, waving hands, scratching my hands... I got a cute wink from him... I assume that's my birthday wish from him...
And as I was in my room playing with him, on went the song, 'Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to yooooou...' and to back up the lyrics, came a candle lit Apple cake... which later turned out to be one of the most delicious cake I have ever tasted..!! Ania and Anumama led me to the table in the hall where we had the cake cutting ceremony... We had some nice family photographs (well, it really doesn't feel very far away from family here... these people are really nice and warm)... All in all, a memorable time...
We went out for dinner at this Chinese Joint by the Rhine... Sadly, Ania couldn't join us because of Wiktor, and I missed her... The food was nice, very different from Mumbaiyya Chinese... the ambiance was cozy... and I think I finally digested some chicken... I realized that late as usual... Ab kyaa karen, no use getting worked up on that!
The tram left us back to our home, where I replied to some more scraps and mails till settling for the day...
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Day 8
Got up late because of the last night's prolonged fireworks... today was the Swiss National Holiday. So, when we went for vegetable shopping (me and Anumama, he has an off on Saturday too), all the shops were closed... apart from this Asian Departmental store far away... So we decided to cook Chinese in the afternoon and Thai in the Evening.
Both of the meals turned out to be mouth wateringly delicious... I am not a fan of Thai food, but I liked this one that my mama made. The two additions to my database of recepies!
I started getting g-messages and scraps from people wishing my birthday to be happy at around 21:30, that is 00:00 IST. And many were surprised to find me (of all the people, ME!!) online on the eve of my own birthday... I have a reputation of barging into people's houses at the midnight with a cake to celebrate their birthdays... So, many asked, 'Are you sure aaj tera birthday hai??'
We went for a walk to the Rhine well after 22:30. And the fireworks were still going on... Some young spirited people were spending a nice time by the river... I wanted to join... but guessed it was too late... I envy their culture... You will see a hell lot of couples here, but you wouldn't see a single one of them indulging in obscenity... and India mein, no beautiful place is spared!! The beaches, the rivers, the waterfalls... nothing is spared...!!
Anyways, so I have found out about two clubs around here, very near to our place where I can go jig! When I will head there... no idea!
I came home about quarter to 12... to find a video in my mailbox... (http://videos.ibibo.com/videos/viewvideo/sandipsathe/453842) and I was pleasantly shocked to see my dear friends having my birthday party... yes, without me, in India... My God!! was I missing Mumbai already?? And here I was making plans about settling here..!!
So, anyways, all of my friends had gathered at Sandip's place and bechare 03:30 IST takk jaage rahe, just to wish me at 00:00 local time, here... So, I had a chat with all of them... And refreshed the good old days we had in college...
I slept around 02:00 after replying to all the scraps and mails...
Both of the meals turned out to be mouth wateringly delicious... I am not a fan of Thai food, but I liked this one that my mama made. The two additions to my database of recepies!
I started getting g-messages and scraps from people wishing my birthday to be happy at around 21:30, that is 00:00 IST. And many were surprised to find me (of all the people, ME!!) online on the eve of my own birthday... I have a reputation of barging into people's houses at the midnight with a cake to celebrate their birthdays... So, many asked, 'Are you sure aaj tera birthday hai??'
We went for a walk to the Rhine well after 22:30. And the fireworks were still going on... Some young spirited people were spending a nice time by the river... I wanted to join... but guessed it was too late... I envy their culture... You will see a hell lot of couples here, but you wouldn't see a single one of them indulging in obscenity... and India mein, no beautiful place is spared!! The beaches, the rivers, the waterfalls... nothing is spared...!!
Anyways, so I have found out about two clubs around here, very near to our place where I can go jig! When I will head there... no idea!
I came home about quarter to 12... to find a video in my mailbox... (http://videos.ibibo.com/videos/viewvideo/sandipsathe/453842) and I was pleasantly shocked to see my dear friends having my birthday party... yes, without me, in India... My God!! was I missing Mumbai already?? And here I was making plans about settling here..!!
So, anyways, all of my friends had gathered at Sandip's place and bechare 03:30 IST takk jaage rahe, just to wish me at 00:00 local time, here... So, I had a chat with all of them... And refreshed the good old days we had in college...
I slept around 02:00 after replying to all the scraps and mails...
Friday, July 31, 2009
Day 7
So, I have successfully completed a week stay in the Switzerland... Hmm, not bad!
Today was a usual day... had planned to go to the museum, but got late, will go tomorrow... walked to coop with nanaji... he had coffee, i had ice cream... our first voluntary spending outside...
Very near to our home is a place they called Messeplatz, which is a hub for global events. And right opposite to that is the Ramada Plaza, the hotel. And the area between these two plazas is a very youthful place. Kids ride bicycles, teenagers experiment with their skate boarding stunts, lovers come to the cafe, and older people play chess... and this ain't your regular chess! The chess board is painted on the concrete of the road... and there are two to three foot tall idols of the pawns, the elephants, the horses and other forces of each kingdom. And people stand on the chess board and play it (by moving the pieces). I was reminded of the game of chess from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
I learnt my third authentic dish, the Chinese fried rice. We made it with whatever was left of the vegetables: the carrots, onions and peas. And I loved it in spite of the fact that it was too hot (temperature wise) and too hot (because of excess chilly). I was too hungry!!
Me and Anumama went to the coop and got home some vegetables (finally!!) and some bread. So, now I can cook myself a lunch tomorrow! And I can also make a sandwich for a takeaway to the museum!
Anyways, today was the Swiss Republic Day. And they had fireworks at midnight. Anumama was supposed to come with me... but he got caught in some work. So, it was pretty much myself. I boarded the surprisingly crowded Tram no. 6 without a ticket as Anumama told me, and got off at some point I had never been before, and more importantly, at a place and in a direction where I was not supposed to go...
But, there was a large crowd, so, this was 'also' one of the place from where I could see the fireworks!! Shucks, who cares what angle I see it from. I informed Anumama and he confirmed whether I knew how to come back. I did! So, at 11 o'clock in the night, I was standing above the Rhine looking at the beautiful sky and the colorful lights that decorated it...
The fireworks were brilliant... The atmosphere was charged up... There were thousands of people surrounding me... Most of them with their partners... Rest of them with their families... A sudden emptiness filled inside me... I became aware that all of my loved ones are far away... saat samandar paar... and amongst all the merry people I started feeling lonely... but that lasted for another two minutes... until I saw the moon... it was also alone... and it was enjoying the fireworks... and then we exchanged a meaningful look, and the loneliness was gone...
I enjoyed the fireworks, the atmosphere, the newness of the place that I was in, the difference in the culture and the freedom... I stayed for sometime after the fireworks were over... There was loud music around and people were dancing and drinking... I tried to capture some parts of it in my camera...
I got back to the tram station, on the tram, off the tram, in the house, and in the bed... the wretched tooth ache..!!
Today was a usual day... had planned to go to the museum, but got late, will go tomorrow... walked to coop with nanaji... he had coffee, i had ice cream... our first voluntary spending outside...
Very near to our home is a place they called Messeplatz, which is a hub for global events. And right opposite to that is the Ramada Plaza, the hotel. And the area between these two plazas is a very youthful place. Kids ride bicycles, teenagers experiment with their skate boarding stunts, lovers come to the cafe, and older people play chess... and this ain't your regular chess! The chess board is painted on the concrete of the road... and there are two to three foot tall idols of the pawns, the elephants, the horses and other forces of each kingdom. And people stand on the chess board and play it (by moving the pieces). I was reminded of the game of chess from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
I learnt my third authentic dish, the Chinese fried rice. We made it with whatever was left of the vegetables: the carrots, onions and peas. And I loved it in spite of the fact that it was too hot (temperature wise) and too hot (because of excess chilly). I was too hungry!!
Me and Anumama went to the coop and got home some vegetables (finally!!) and some bread. So, now I can cook myself a lunch tomorrow! And I can also make a sandwich for a takeaway to the museum!
Anyways, today was the Swiss Republic Day. And they had fireworks at midnight. Anumama was supposed to come with me... but he got caught in some work. So, it was pretty much myself. I boarded the surprisingly crowded Tram no. 6 without a ticket as Anumama told me, and got off at some point I had never been before, and more importantly, at a place and in a direction where I was not supposed to go...
But, there was a large crowd, so, this was 'also' one of the place from where I could see the fireworks!! Shucks, who cares what angle I see it from. I informed Anumama and he confirmed whether I knew how to come back. I did! So, at 11 o'clock in the night, I was standing above the Rhine looking at the beautiful sky and the colorful lights that decorated it...
The fireworks were brilliant... The atmosphere was charged up... There were thousands of people surrounding me... Most of them with their partners... Rest of them with their families... A sudden emptiness filled inside me... I became aware that all of my loved ones are far away... saat samandar paar... and amongst all the merry people I started feeling lonely... but that lasted for another two minutes... until I saw the moon... it was also alone... and it was enjoying the fireworks... and then we exchanged a meaningful look, and the loneliness was gone...
I enjoyed the fireworks, the atmosphere, the newness of the place that I was in, the difference in the culture and the freedom... I stayed for sometime after the fireworks were over... There was loud music around and people were dancing and drinking... I tried to capture some parts of it in my camera...
I got back to the tram station, on the tram, off the tram, in the house, and in the bed... the wretched tooth ache..!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Day 6
Wow, I did what I said! I visited the zoo today, on my own, alone!
I took down certain pointers for myself on a piece of paper, crumbled a 20 CHF (Swiss Francs) note and few coins in my pocket and set out for the day. The tram station is just in front of our building entrance. You have to purchase a ticket prior to getting on the tram. So, I went to the Ticket Vending Machine. Thankfully, they had English as an optional language. So, there were three options, short distance, Zone A, and Zone A/B. Now you might make out that these were according to the distances from the stop. But, I wasn't sure whether my stop would be counted in short distance or Zone A. Following some guidelines I read on the internet, I greeted a lady who was sitting by, in the local dialect and asked whether she spoke English. She was delighted to help me out of the doubt. Zone A it was! A full 3 CHF!! (A CHF is roughly translated into 50 Rs.)
I had to get on to Tram no. 2. The indicator clearly maintained a list of trams that are expected to arrive and the time remaining for the arrival. Like the western railway.
The ride was fun. Imagine sitting on a train and riding on the roads. I was surprised to see that at some places, the tracks of the tram went through grass, and more surprising was, the grass remained intact!
A bit conscious of the stops that past by, I got off at Zoo Dorenbach, which was right across the south entrance of the zoo. I got a free entry inside with the coupon that Anumama had given me. The regular ticket for a young person (16-25 yrs) was 12 CHF (600 Rs.!!) Sad, that I will have to spend as much the next time I'm planning to go there, which will be in a few days. Reason?? My batteries dies down this time around!! And this place is really worth seeing! And I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't capture everything I found worth clicking, which would include about 600 types of animals (amphibians, reptiles, mammals, insects, and what not). I don't remember a specie which I did not see here, except probably dogs and cats. Every living thing under the sun was here.
There was a monkey section which had a wide variety of monkeys. At least 10! And not just distinguished by color, but by size, by habitat, by breed... you'll see when you get to see the photos! And then there were snakes, alligators, spiders, zebras, elephants, ostriches, frogs, ducks, hippos, rhinos, and...
There was a large aquarium, where I saw one of the world's craziest creations. The fishes with glowing eyes won over everything. The tank was fully covered with a case and a few eye holes were provided to see inside. And was it great!! The second prize went to the jellyfishes which were a visual treat. The people arriving at this stop were quite literally mesmerized by the glow and the flow. I managed to grab a few clicks in spite of my marela battery, I just couldn't miss this!! And my faithful batteries did support me with their last few breaths!
Then there was this large hall, where there were two consecutive entries. After getting past both of them, I thought I was transported to some secluded part of the Amazon. The atmosphere depicted a swamp. And rare beautiful birds flew over my head. Some rested on the ground just feet away from me. Some made melodious noises. Some swam in a near by puddle. Some were perched on trees in groups. Wow!! Even reminiscing about it is so peaceful and heavenly.
There were times I got transported to the Disneyland. Some people would understand when I say, I saw Marty, Alex, Melman, Gloria, Skipper, Private, Kowalski, Mason, Nemo, Dora, Sid, Diego, Manny, Koda, Kenai, Oscar, and manny manny more!!
Yea, I know I'm sounding too stupid and too childish, but I was truly over whelmed!! And the child within me just couldn't stay quiet!!
After my random walk around the zoo, much of which was still to be seen, I found the restaurant. I got myself an ice cream and a sandwich - 8.20 CHF (410 Rs.). The sandwich tasted funny, so I packed it back and unwrapped the ice cream. Ice creams can never be bad!! And so I had my lunch with the ostriches (who were right across the bench that I sat on)
I completed the stroll with some other animals, which included many types of deers, bears, more monkeys, horses, goats, donkeys even!! And finally found my exit (ausgang as they call it in German). I got out somewhere, and followed the wall of the zoo back to the entrance where I got in... because that was where I had to board my return tram.
My legs were aching and I was thirsty. I called up Ania to ask her to open the door (They have the entrance to the buildings locked from inside). Don't know what went wrong, the door didn't open! So, I just stood observing people around me... and while I was doing this, I noticed a very junglee human being who was carrying a couple of bags and swaying them here and there as he walked. I realized it was my mama gesturing me to come and hold the bags. So, thankfully, I could go up now.
Today is Wiktor's one month birthday. So we had some sinful pastries!!
Spagetti is the second dish I learnt making here, Pizza being the first which I learnt on Day 2. Mama is kanjoos about cheese, but being in the land of dairy farms and healthy cows, how can I not take a second helping?
Planning to visit a museum tomorrow. There is some Van Gogh Vincent Exhibition around and I have a free pass.
I realize that today's entry is a wee bit too long, but the zoo was really amazing!! Please bear with it, I promise to writer shorter entries hence forth!
I took down certain pointers for myself on a piece of paper, crumbled a 20 CHF (Swiss Francs) note and few coins in my pocket and set out for the day. The tram station is just in front of our building entrance. You have to purchase a ticket prior to getting on the tram. So, I went to the Ticket Vending Machine. Thankfully, they had English as an optional language. So, there were three options, short distance, Zone A, and Zone A/B. Now you might make out that these were according to the distances from the stop. But, I wasn't sure whether my stop would be counted in short distance or Zone A. Following some guidelines I read on the internet, I greeted a lady who was sitting by, in the local dialect and asked whether she spoke English. She was delighted to help me out of the doubt. Zone A it was! A full 3 CHF!! (A CHF is roughly translated into 50 Rs.)
I had to get on to Tram no. 2. The indicator clearly maintained a list of trams that are expected to arrive and the time remaining for the arrival. Like the western railway.
The ride was fun. Imagine sitting on a train and riding on the roads. I was surprised to see that at some places, the tracks of the tram went through grass, and more surprising was, the grass remained intact!
A bit conscious of the stops that past by, I got off at Zoo Dorenbach, which was right across the south entrance of the zoo. I got a free entry inside with the coupon that Anumama had given me. The regular ticket for a young person (16-25 yrs) was 12 CHF (600 Rs.!!) Sad, that I will have to spend as much the next time I'm planning to go there, which will be in a few days. Reason?? My batteries dies down this time around!! And this place is really worth seeing! And I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't capture everything I found worth clicking, which would include about 600 types of animals (amphibians, reptiles, mammals, insects, and what not). I don't remember a specie which I did not see here, except probably dogs and cats. Every living thing under the sun was here.
There was a monkey section which had a wide variety of monkeys. At least 10! And not just distinguished by color, but by size, by habitat, by breed... you'll see when you get to see the photos! And then there were snakes, alligators, spiders, zebras, elephants, ostriches, frogs, ducks, hippos, rhinos, and...
There was a large aquarium, where I saw one of the world's craziest creations. The fishes with glowing eyes won over everything. The tank was fully covered with a case and a few eye holes were provided to see inside. And was it great!! The second prize went to the jellyfishes which were a visual treat. The people arriving at this stop were quite literally mesmerized by the glow and the flow. I managed to grab a few clicks in spite of my marela battery, I just couldn't miss this!! And my faithful batteries did support me with their last few breaths!
Then there was this large hall, where there were two consecutive entries. After getting past both of them, I thought I was transported to some secluded part of the Amazon. The atmosphere depicted a swamp. And rare beautiful birds flew over my head. Some rested on the ground just feet away from me. Some made melodious noises. Some swam in a near by puddle. Some were perched on trees in groups. Wow!! Even reminiscing about it is so peaceful and heavenly.
There were times I got transported to the Disneyland. Some people would understand when I say, I saw Marty, Alex, Melman, Gloria, Skipper, Private, Kowalski, Mason, Nemo, Dora, Sid, Diego, Manny, Koda, Kenai, Oscar, and manny manny more!!
Yea, I know I'm sounding too stupid and too childish, but I was truly over whelmed!! And the child within me just couldn't stay quiet!!
After my random walk around the zoo, much of which was still to be seen, I found the restaurant. I got myself an ice cream and a sandwich - 8.20 CHF (410 Rs.). The sandwich tasted funny, so I packed it back and unwrapped the ice cream. Ice creams can never be bad!! And so I had my lunch with the ostriches (who were right across the bench that I sat on)
I completed the stroll with some other animals, which included many types of deers, bears, more monkeys, horses, goats, donkeys even!! And finally found my exit (ausgang as they call it in German). I got out somewhere, and followed the wall of the zoo back to the entrance where I got in... because that was where I had to board my return tram.
My legs were aching and I was thirsty. I called up Ania to ask her to open the door (They have the entrance to the buildings locked from inside). Don't know what went wrong, the door didn't open! So, I just stood observing people around me... and while I was doing this, I noticed a very junglee human being who was carrying a couple of bags and swaying them here and there as he walked. I realized it was my mama gesturing me to come and hold the bags. So, thankfully, I could go up now.
Today is Wiktor's one month birthday. So we had some sinful pastries!!
Spagetti is the second dish I learnt making here, Pizza being the first which I learnt on Day 2. Mama is kanjoos about cheese, but being in the land of dairy farms and healthy cows, how can I not take a second helping?
Planning to visit a museum tomorrow. There is some Van Gogh Vincent Exhibition around and I have a free pass.
I realize that today's entry is a wee bit too long, but the zoo was really amazing!! Please bear with it, I promise to writer shorter entries hence forth!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Day 5
Dude... it's already Day 5, and I have not gone par the Rhine or the Floriculture farm... At this rate, I will need a couple of years to get past the Europe!! All I'm doing is searching maps for places to go!!
OK, I have decided to go forward, spend some money and visit the local zoo... they say the Basel Zoo is worth a see. It's the 7th largest in the world.
Anyways, today just flew by. I did nothing significant other than venturing out to the local departmental store to get some mushrooms for Ania. It was alright. The vegetable section was interesting. The variety and freshness was worth seeing. Everything here is juicy. The onions here are so blessfully watery, you can extract onion milk like you extract coconut milk. Really!
The tooth ache is giving me a real pain... Have to do something about it!!
OK, I have decided to go forward, spend some money and visit the local zoo... they say the Basel Zoo is worth a see. It's the 7th largest in the world.
Anyways, today just flew by. I did nothing significant other than venturing out to the local departmental store to get some mushrooms for Ania. It was alright. The vegetable section was interesting. The variety and freshness was worth seeing. Everything here is juicy. The onions here are so blessfully watery, you can extract onion milk like you extract coconut milk. Really!
The tooth ache is giving me a real pain... Have to do something about it!!
Day 4
OK, today was my first day out, alone... After having the regular milk with 'flakes and nuts' breakfast and my first bath in the swiss (which went on for like an hour), I got ready for my stroll... and in stead of going the regular path, where my mama takes me, I went in the exactly opposite direction.
The first stop on my journey was the money exchange counter. I got some euros changed to swiss francs. I was afraid of getting lost and having no money to call (and eat). And then after analyzing the route to follow, I ended up catching a random path and following it. This street was pleasantly green and had tiny and cute row houses with nicely maintained front yards. These front yards were filled with flowers and stones and little ceramic toys and most importantly, bicycles. Every house had at least two. These people rely mostly on bicycles for their local and even regional transport. It's healthy and economical.
Here I spot my first swiss animal. A mighty healthy cat. She was very friendly, just like the people around here. And I realized, animals from a certain region behave like the people from that region do. No wonder dogs from Mumbai are so hostile!
Anyways, so I met some more animals along the way, some dogs, some more cats, some spiders, some honey bees and a sort of bird. They were nothing like I imagined. The dogs came from breeds I did not read about. But, they were nice and huge and tiny and playful and ferocious and... hmmm...
I walked for like 2 hours to reach to this place where there were big mountains in sight. And the land from the tip of those mountains till the end of my toes was lush green. At some distant, I could spot beds of beautiful flowers, and I advanced towards this place. This was some kind of floriculture farm. And I spent around an hour wandering from flower to flower. After coaxing my self to go home (because they might get worried), I followed my marked path back to home.
I came back and thought of uploading some of the snaps I took, but the tooth ache made me abandon everything and go to sleep.
The first stop on my journey was the money exchange counter. I got some euros changed to swiss francs. I was afraid of getting lost and having no money to call (and eat). And then after analyzing the route to follow, I ended up catching a random path and following it. This street was pleasantly green and had tiny and cute row houses with nicely maintained front yards. These front yards were filled with flowers and stones and little ceramic toys and most importantly, bicycles. Every house had at least two. These people rely mostly on bicycles for their local and even regional transport. It's healthy and economical.
Here I spot my first swiss animal. A mighty healthy cat. She was very friendly, just like the people around here. And I realized, animals from a certain region behave like the people from that region do. No wonder dogs from Mumbai are so hostile!
Anyways, so I met some more animals along the way, some dogs, some more cats, some spiders, some honey bees and a sort of bird. They were nothing like I imagined. The dogs came from breeds I did not read about. But, they were nice and huge and tiny and playful and ferocious and... hmmm...
I walked for like 2 hours to reach to this place where there were big mountains in sight. And the land from the tip of those mountains till the end of my toes was lush green. At some distant, I could spot beds of beautiful flowers, and I advanced towards this place. This was some kind of floriculture farm. And I spent around an hour wandering from flower to flower. After coaxing my self to go home (because they might get worried), I followed my marked path back to home.
I came back and thought of uploading some of the snaps I took, but the tooth ache made me abandon everything and go to sleep.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Day 3
Hmmm... today was a bit slow and lazy... I got up with a head ache! Ania popped me a firangi pill which worked its wonder in less than 5 minutes. I was supposed to make lunch today. But as I was about the enter the kitchen (not knowing what time is it, and more importantly, what time they have their lunch), Ania asked,
"Yuu weel haaf soop?" She hails from the Poland.
I wanted to ask weather it contained meat.
"Eet's veg" she said as if reading me mind.
But, concepts like Veg and Non-veg don't exist here. And right I was. After I had finished with my soup, I noticed the bowl from which she had served me the liquid in the soup (the soup had boiled vegetables with this liquid which led me into believing it was really veg) There was a big lump, or should I say half of what I later found out, a rabbit!! YUCKH!!! She fed me the hormones and tissues of a rabbit!! (Please don't tell my dad about this incident. He believes, I am a good brahmin who wouldn't get past an egg)
Anyways, a soup is a whole meal here, so this one took care of our lunch.
I held Wiktor for the first time in the evening. He was so tiny but surprisingly, powerful. As he struggled to move out of my arms for god only knows what reasons, I struggled to manage this 27 days old wailing miniscule version of my mama with all my careful might. Finally, Ania came back from her laundry and took over him. The effects mothers have on their infants is worth a see.
And as Ania spent some time bathing him, I started preparing for the Dinner.
These guys have a very healthy habit of having dinner by 6. My mama gets back around that time, and as soon as he gets home, he cries out like a baby for food. He has to has to HAS TO have food within 15 minutes of his arrival.
And he made me quit my preparation for the pulav and made me prepare Chicken Mughlai!! It was so goddamn disgusting. The smell, the texture, the volume of the meat was offending me. Still, I was determined to adjust to any living condition the Europe put me into. I did not wanted to be a good Brahmin girl who lives within the limits of her family and is extremely proud of it too.
So, here was my first chicken preparation.
Then I started proceeding with my pulav, for which I only had mushrooms, tomatoes, cauliflower and carrot. And with mama's instructions, and my expertise, we came up with something my mama named 'Khichada' The rice had almost turned into pudding because of the excess water. I had only used salt and turmeric as seasoning. And the whole mess turned int a puddle. Fortunately, Ania took two helpings. Because she liked it, or because she was OK with any rice preparation or because I was sitting next to her and she did not want to hurt me, or because the salad and raita made it bearable, is completely unknown.
So, as is the custom here, we went for a long walk... in the rains. Yes, it was raining and I had two umbrellas, a large bag of empty wine bottles to be disposed, a bottle of milk freshly purchased, and the keys to the house in my hands. And my mama happily drank some juice watching me struggling to carry this stuff. He has a weird sense of humor. Most people don't like it. But it is OK with me.
Anyways, so we came home and spent some time looking up the internet for some Post Graduate courses for me in Sweden, the Welfare state. And I was dissappointed to find out, every course in Technology required an Engineering or a Science degree. Finally, there was one from the Stockholm University which was OK with a degree in Business Admin., if that is what I can call mine. So, the Strategic IT Management, sounds pretty cool as my area of specialization for masters.
And off I went to bed after having some biscottis at around 1 am.
"Yuu weel haaf soop?" She hails from the Poland.
I wanted to ask weather it contained meat.
"Eet's veg" she said as if reading me mind.
But, concepts like Veg and Non-veg don't exist here. And right I was. After I had finished with my soup, I noticed the bowl from which she had served me the liquid in the soup (the soup had boiled vegetables with this liquid which led me into believing it was really veg) There was a big lump, or should I say half of what I later found out, a rabbit!! YUCKH!!! She fed me the hormones and tissues of a rabbit!! (Please don't tell my dad about this incident. He believes, I am a good brahmin who wouldn't get past an egg)
Anyways, a soup is a whole meal here, so this one took care of our lunch.
I held Wiktor for the first time in the evening. He was so tiny but surprisingly, powerful. As he struggled to move out of my arms for god only knows what reasons, I struggled to manage this 27 days old wailing miniscule version of my mama with all my careful might. Finally, Ania came back from her laundry and took over him. The effects mothers have on their infants is worth a see.
And as Ania spent some time bathing him, I started preparing for the Dinner.
These guys have a very healthy habit of having dinner by 6. My mama gets back around that time, and as soon as he gets home, he cries out like a baby for food. He has to has to HAS TO have food within 15 minutes of his arrival.
And he made me quit my preparation for the pulav and made me prepare Chicken Mughlai!! It was so goddamn disgusting. The smell, the texture, the volume of the meat was offending me. Still, I was determined to adjust to any living condition the Europe put me into. I did not wanted to be a good Brahmin girl who lives within the limits of her family and is extremely proud of it too.
So, here was my first chicken preparation.
Then I started proceeding with my pulav, for which I only had mushrooms, tomatoes, cauliflower and carrot. And with mama's instructions, and my expertise, we came up with something my mama named 'Khichada' The rice had almost turned into pudding because of the excess water. I had only used salt and turmeric as seasoning. And the whole mess turned int a puddle. Fortunately, Ania took two helpings. Because she liked it, or because she was OK with any rice preparation or because I was sitting next to her and she did not want to hurt me, or because the salad and raita made it bearable, is completely unknown.
So, as is the custom here, we went for a long walk... in the rains. Yes, it was raining and I had two umbrellas, a large bag of empty wine bottles to be disposed, a bottle of milk freshly purchased, and the keys to the house in my hands. And my mama happily drank some juice watching me struggling to carry this stuff. He has a weird sense of humor. Most people don't like it. But it is OK with me.
Anyways, so we came home and spent some time looking up the internet for some Post Graduate courses for me in Sweden, the Welfare state. And I was dissappointed to find out, every course in Technology required an Engineering or a Science degree. Finally, there was one from the Stockholm University which was OK with a degree in Business Admin., if that is what I can call mine. So, the Strategic IT Management, sounds pretty cool as my area of specialization for masters.
And off I went to bed after having some biscottis at around 1 am.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day 2
The morning started with some corn flakes and musseli. Viktor was happy with all the new clothes and pram, and bed sheets and towel sets that his dearest aunt Sunita had sent. But they had to sanitize it before he could use any of it. Me and Anumama assembled the pram, but Ania didn't seem too comfortable with it.
Had some words with baba. I didn't dare to mention that I had wine. Not that I wana hide it, but it's weird. Anyways, we made Pizza and Salad for the lunch for me, they had Rabbit (yuckh!!) and we toasted some champaige. This was my first champaign and by far the tastiest alcohol I have had.
Me and Anumama went for a long walk par the Rhine to some old church across the city council. There were little fountains by the road that reminded me of Heidi when she was moved to the city to be with Clara. The atmosphere inside the church was none like an Indian church. They had a cafe in the church and we had cappucino and apple pie in front of the stained glass sporting Jesus.
We had a long conversation where Anumama washed my brain clean into goin for Business Warehousing and studyin / working in Sweden. And as usual, I have fallen for the charm of the foreign soil.
We went home and made dinner which we had around 6 pm. Anumama is goin to get me slim, taking me to long walks. But, I enjoyed the second walk in the evening. It was a bit cold. He gave me a few directives for the next day. We got home, spent some time here and there and now, I'm writing this. Going to sleep. Adios!
Had some words with baba. I didn't dare to mention that I had wine. Not that I wana hide it, but it's weird. Anyways, we made Pizza and Salad for the lunch for me, they had Rabbit (yuckh!!) and we toasted some champaige. This was my first champaign and by far the tastiest alcohol I have had.
Me and Anumama went for a long walk par the Rhine to some old church across the city council. There were little fountains by the road that reminded me of Heidi when she was moved to the city to be with Clara. The atmosphere inside the church was none like an Indian church. They had a cafe in the church and we had cappucino and apple pie in front of the stained glass sporting Jesus.
We had a long conversation where Anumama washed my brain clean into goin for Business Warehousing and studyin / working in Sweden. And as usual, I have fallen for the charm of the foreign soil.
We went home and made dinner which we had around 6 pm. Anumama is goin to get me slim, taking me to long walks. But, I enjoyed the second walk in the evening. It was a bit cold. He gave me a few directives for the next day. We got home, spent some time here and there and now, I'm writing this. Going to sleep. Adios!
Day 1
With very less sleep, and very wide anxiety, we left home with 6 baggages in the trunk. The procedures took some time, but I was flying before I realized I'm leaving my dear people behind. Confessions of a shopoholic, Bride Wars and Marley and me... three movies that I badly wanted to see since their release. What a splendid place and time to see them! And we zapped down to Dubai in no time at all.
The UAE airport is a paradise for people who love chocolates, perfumes, cosmetics and alcohols. Most people know about my fascination towards chocolates. So, imagine me roaming around in a place where there were around a lac snicker bars. If you're a guy, imagine roaming around a nude beach in Bahamas. If you're a girl, well... I don't know what girls are crazy about... cosmetics, guys or crazy health consciousness? But, hope you get what I mean.
I ain't crazy about perfumes for the only reason that the rare nice ones cost a fortune. But, one day, when I get really rich, I sure imagine myself using the best of the rarest perfumes, the glimpse of which I witnessed here.
Food was only OK! A simple Veg Surprise Burger costed around 6 Dirhams. Almost equivalent to a 100 rupees. But it stayed true to it's name. I was surprised to find a supposedly-cutlet with a yuckie taste, some chopped onion and a spoonful of ketchup tossed into two halves of a burger bun. So we ended up converting 3 dollors and 2 euros into 20 dirhams and a filch (or something?) and we spent it on a McChicken, VegSurprise(!!) and a bar of snickers (which saved the day).
The food on the flight was OK. And I stole some sanitary napkins from the flight. OK, OK, and two pillows too. We reached Zurich around 9. The sky was still alive... blue, cool and refreshing. My mama had come to pick us up. Took a taxi to the Zurich railhead, furthered to Basel by the rail and taxied our way home from there.
The clean up and down roads, the roadside bands, the youthful atmosphere, the trams and the sexy taxis were a visual treat. And oh, the trains were wonderfully empty and way too classy compared to our mumbai locals, though I secretly missed standing in the door. And guess who I saw at the Zurich station - Emma Watson!! The atmosphere was already so jazzed up, nobody cared who passes by then. And strangely, I didn't feel it too. I realized, I had successfully grown out of mumbai by now. This is Zurich, baby!! Emma can wait! (or had I not?)
I was pleasantly shocked to see a Kokanasta Brahmin family in our compartment - Navra-Baaiko-Saasu-Saasre-Naat, conversing in a language and an ascent which was music to my ears. How I wished I would have got introduced to them somehow. Maybe I could go upto their place to have Varan-Bhaat-Bhaaji-Poli, some odd day I feel home sick. Anyways... So, we get down the train, up the taxi and down the taxi. Some Indians passed by speaking in a South Indian Hindi. Was I in Basel or Bangalore?
Ania, that's my mami who had just delivered a son, was waiting for us to have dinner. So we started off with soup, me, the only one having the vegetarian dishes, proceeded to some red wine and ending up with some 7 varieties of cakes they had brought for the welcome.
All in all a tiring day, I went to the warm and soft bed they had arranged for me and as I was about to get lost into my dreams, this tooth started paining. It troubled me the whole night, until morning when I consumed an antibiotic and a painkiller. And then, the new day started.
The UAE airport is a paradise for people who love chocolates, perfumes, cosmetics and alcohols. Most people know about my fascination towards chocolates. So, imagine me roaming around in a place where there were around a lac snicker bars. If you're a guy, imagine roaming around a nude beach in Bahamas. If you're a girl, well... I don't know what girls are crazy about... cosmetics, guys or crazy health consciousness? But, hope you get what I mean.
I ain't crazy about perfumes for the only reason that the rare nice ones cost a fortune. But, one day, when I get really rich, I sure imagine myself using the best of the rarest perfumes, the glimpse of which I witnessed here.
Food was only OK! A simple Veg Surprise Burger costed around 6 Dirhams. Almost equivalent to a 100 rupees. But it stayed true to it's name. I was surprised to find a supposedly-cutlet with a yuckie taste, some chopped onion and a spoonful of ketchup tossed into two halves of a burger bun. So we ended up converting 3 dollors and 2 euros into 20 dirhams and a filch (or something?) and we spent it on a McChicken, VegSurprise(!!) and a bar of snickers (which saved the day).
The food on the flight was OK. And I stole some sanitary napkins from the flight. OK, OK, and two pillows too. We reached Zurich around 9. The sky was still alive... blue, cool and refreshing. My mama had come to pick us up. Took a taxi to the Zurich railhead, furthered to Basel by the rail and taxied our way home from there.
The clean up and down roads, the roadside bands, the youthful atmosphere, the trams and the sexy taxis were a visual treat. And oh, the trains were wonderfully empty and way too classy compared to our mumbai locals, though I secretly missed standing in the door. And guess who I saw at the Zurich station - Emma Watson!! The atmosphere was already so jazzed up, nobody cared who passes by then. And strangely, I didn't feel it too. I realized, I had successfully grown out of mumbai by now. This is Zurich, baby!! Emma can wait! (or had I not?)
I was pleasantly shocked to see a Kokanasta Brahmin family in our compartment - Navra-Baaiko-Saasu-Saasre-Naat, conversing in a language and an ascent which was music to my ears. How I wished I would have got introduced to them somehow. Maybe I could go upto their place to have Varan-Bhaat-Bhaaji-Poli, some odd day I feel home sick. Anyways... So, we get down the train, up the taxi and down the taxi. Some Indians passed by speaking in a South Indian Hindi. Was I in Basel or Bangalore?
Ania, that's my mami who had just delivered a son, was waiting for us to have dinner. So we started off with soup, me, the only one having the vegetarian dishes, proceeded to some red wine and ending up with some 7 varieties of cakes they had brought for the welcome.
All in all a tiring day, I went to the warm and soft bed they had arranged for me and as I was about to get lost into my dreams, this tooth started paining. It troubled me the whole night, until morning when I consumed an antibiotic and a painkiller. And then, the new day started.
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