Evening's in Paris

                   Everyone knows  that Paris is the capital of France. It has been promoted as lover's paradise in so many  movies. Although so much has been seen, said and read still the charm of the place is incomparable. It can be felt the moment you set foot on this beautiful, charming city.
                 
                  Paris was the first trip that we planned ourselves. We were a group of 6 girls including my roomie Yam. We boarded a Eurotravel bus at Brussels and reached Paris in 5 hours. The fun of travelling when you are single is that you just have a single backpack with all your necessities. Marriage seemed to have increased the baggage substantially. A bag pack now is replaced by a trolley or even two. Previously what used to be dorms in youth hostels have now replaced with hotel rooms. However both have their own charm.

                    Our first stop was Champ-Elysées. It is the 1.9 kilometers street which lies between Arc the Triumph and Palace Charles de Gaulle. Getting the pronunciation of "Champ-Elysées" correct is the first go is impossible and it's better to show the map to get direction rather than asking for the same. I had a new Sony Cyber shot with 10x zoom and captured every nook and corner of the Arc des Triumph as possible. You can climb to the top of the Triumph and have a view of the street lying ahead of you. But after a 5 hours bus journey didn't think we could manage climbing all the stairs up to the top.

The lovely Champs-Elyssés

The walk

                 The street is a beautifully lined with trees, food stalls and the shops which display products from the top brands of the world. Automobiles, perfumes, handbags..name any top brand and you will have an outlet there. Best part is the shop keepers know that you will only have a look and still they are warm and welcoming. This 1.9 kilometers seemed to be the longest ever. I remember myself and Yam splitting from the remaining group. They wanted to spend more time at the Louvre museum and we felt we rather not miss walking the whole stretch down to the Museum. We agreed to meet them directly at the Eiffel tower in the evening before heading for our hotel. I never repented that decision. On the way we would cross beautiful gardens, bridges over the river Seine. It was a cloudy day and everything looked absolutely magnificent within the grey clouds.

Paris @ beautiful bridges

Remember taking this shot from the middle of the road

                           Half of our day was spent walking and discovering the spots in and around Champ-Elysées. Finally reached the Louvre Museum. Much is talked about this world famous museum and its artifacts. The point that it is the most visited museum in the world. That it houses Mona Lisa's famous painting. However little has been said about the surroundings of the Museum. The walk from the main gate to the building is a long stretch of landscaped gardens, fountains and structures. Myself and Yam were so much struck by the beauty of the gardens that we finally decided to rest there and enjoy the weather and ambiance rather than stand in a queue and enter the museum that day. If you are a big art enthusiast it would be a good idea to visit the museum. But one should be prepared before hand as to know sections you want to see. It is next to impossible to cover entire Louvre in one day forget a few hours.

@ Top of the world

Clouds and the Eiffel Tower

                         After resting for a few hours at Louvre we made a move to visit The Eiffel Tower. Friends who had visited earlier had advised us to get to the top by evening so that we could enjoy the day view, the sunset and the night view. After spending a couple of hours in the queue the lifts took us up to the top floor of this majestic architecture. You may read, see, know everything about Eiffel tower but just standing below the real thing is can make you awe struck. With my new 10x zoom I clicked countless pictures. Most of the snaps are captures of an amateur. One of the worst photographs I ever took. However the worst also seems amazing. The view from the top, the sunset, the sea of lights after sunset, the wind the rain all seem to be embedded in my memories. Somehow convincing ourselves to leave the place was a task in itself. Paris  is full of amazing things and beauty. But for me the fascination was and always be the "Eiffel tower". While going through some old pictures I stepped upon a video of myself and Yam standing below the tower. Shouting at the top of voice below the towers that we would come back. At that point we somehow knew that we would be coming back again to that spot.

Sacré Coeur Cathedral

                     We spend the next two days in Paris visiting Palace de Versailles, the Notre-Dame cathedral , the Sacre' Coeur Cathedral. Many things remain to be said about Paris but penning down everything seems to be tedious and boring.  Some facts seem to be less important now. The fact that we stayed at the Paris Hilton hotel. The fact that I split from the group to visit the Palace des Versailles alone. I would rather concentrate on the good bits and the bitter and controversial parts can fade away.

Ending our journey @ Sacré Corde

   

                                                        -------- End Of Journey ------

          

Birthday's = Cakes, Kicks & More

                It was customary in Brussels to be present on everyone's birthday. Don't remember who had actually started the tradition, but it made you feel wanted when you are miles away from home.There was off course the minus points to it also. But somehow the joys outweighed the pain.
               People would start arriving at the venue from 11:30. The cake cutting would start exactly at midnight. Everyone apart from the birthday boy would be in delightful mood. The poor guy ( girls thankfully being spared ) would know what was coming next. Birthday's meant a bruised bum. He would be held by four people while the remaining took turns to give him bumps. For the more loved or hated one's it would never finish with a single round. It meant multiple rounds of kicks till the guests  finally gave up.

Random Pic @ Birthday Gathering

The Sober Beginning

The Messy End

               Everyone had some specialty. Kumbhu was famous for his kungfu kicks. Baaji made it a point to wear his special Woodland boots for this occasion. There was Jawan who was notorious for beating up with just about anything. Be it a slippers lying next to him or a cricket bat.
              There was this instance when Andy had produced a fake medical certificate of a tail bone injury just to save himself from the bumps. The faking had cost him more pain than relief. I still have a photo of Lalla fully in tears on his birthday. It still remains a mystery whether he actually was hurt or faked his escape. Papa needs a special mention. He was the only person who no one had dared to touch. I had overheard an instance were he had taken up a kitchen knife when people tried to pick him up. That one act of bravery had saved him many painful birthday's during his stay.
              Cake cutting would follow with cake fights. The whole party would end up plastered in the cake. It all started during Kutti's birthday bash in Chausse Saint Pierre. Leave out the people, even the doors, floors and the walls were not spared from the cake. What would start next was a tale of revenge. Finally Chotu would put an end to the saga. For his birthday he would get a single pastry instead of a cake. Logic being - smaller the cake the less messier it would be.
             I have pondered what made those messy, painful birthday's memorable. Just being their for each other, being part of the laughter, fun and madness, walking home after midnight after the last bus/tram. Those were some crazy times worth remembering.
           

2008! Adieus & Welcomes

                  Apart from the few trips in 2007 I had spent more and more time alone in Rue Beckerstraat. I was tired of being lonely. Without some friends it could have been worse. I survived since they would tolerate my intrusions anytime and invite me over for countless dinners.
                  Onsite had made me a sentimental fool. I could cry at the drop of a hat. I knew adieus and farewells were a part of life. However each time I bid a friend farewell at the airport I would fight to control my tears. It was Sallu's farewell and the last night was a friendly gathering at their place on Chausee Saint Pierre. Discussion was about memorable moments in Brussels and it ended up taking a humorous turn. I knew from next day I would have one less friend to torture. I remember sketching the below drawing to commemorate the good times we had spent.

                 God seemed to have finally heard my prayers. I received info that girl named Yam will be joining soon at onsite. She would be my roomie at Brussels. I hardly knew her at that time. All that mattered then was that I would  have someone at home to speak and listen to. I had made arrangements with my landlord and she would be sharing my studio for the month of Feb till my rental contract ended.  From March 08 we would move out to a larger place.
                She arrived and all seemed perfect. We had struck a chord instantly. The fact that she shared her birthday with my sister is also cool. After my long stint at loneliness I was enjoying all perks of companionship. Watching movies together, gossiping, after office talks, cooking together, going out for walks all seemed fun.

That's Yam @ Rue Beckerstraat

         This was just the beginning. I would enjoy my stay with this Kumaoni girl in Brussels. We would travel together, share our secrets and get to know each other better. I would know that she was a die hard fan of John Abraham. That she liked to fast almost every alternate day. That she wanted to marry a occasional drinker and would end up marrying my good friend Puri, who was a teetotaler.

Valencia Vs Madrid Vs Barca Vs Portugal

                      Winters in Europe can be depressingly cold. Christmas time is when people spend time with the family. Travelling is not a popular choice. December 2007 was my first Christmas in Brussels and  we would be heading to España and Portugal. I would join Vanno and friends at Amsterdam airport. We would be covering four cities in 5 days. Heading from Amsterdam to Valencia to Madrid to Lisbon to Barcelona and back to Amsterdam. It was a packed schedule and we were a group of eleven people. We had Andy as the guide, Sumit as the photographer, Abhishek as the pack leader and the rest of us were just having fun.
                    We landed in Valencia and after freshening up headed to explore the city. It is an ancient city and overall architecture of the streets and the buildings speaks of history. The center of attraction was the City of Arts and Sciences. It is a must visit for the ravishing architecture by Santiago Calatrava. It contains a science museum and a huge aquarium. Aquarium is the largest in Europe. We stayed back to watch a dolphin and killer whale show. We spent almost whole day in the Museum and then ended our  trip at the sea shore. It was windy and cold and we still managed to dip our foot in the freezing waters.
                   Valencia is also famous for its food. The famous Spanish  Paella is said to have originated here. Paella actually means a pan. It is a dish of rice cooked with chicken/sea food/meat in a huge pan for communal meals. I however tasted this dish much later and that too outside Spain.

Group Pic outside the hostel @ Valencia

Amazing Amphitheater @ City of Arts & Sciences

Enjoying the cool wind at the coast

               Next day we reached Madrid, the capital of Spain. It was Christmas eve and the city was decked up in lights. We took a city tour in hop and hop off bus. Spend some time at a coffee bar before boarding the train to Lisbon. Madrid also hosts many bull fighting arena's although we gave it a skip during our tour.

Andy with Beatles puppets

Group Pic@ Outside Madrid Palace

Christmas decor

                   Our next stop "Lisbon" was an overnight journey by train. We arrived on the morning of Christmas. In many ways the city of Lisbon looked similar to India. The sun and the laundry drying in the balconies gave it an Indian feel. One striking thing I remember about the streets of Lisbon and also Valencia were the orange trees lined everywhere around the city streets. Lisbon is the oldest cities of Western Europe and is even older than Paris, London and Rome.
                      A word of caution if you are site seeing during Christmas ! Be prepared that the common tourist spots and locations will be closed and keep alternative options in hand. Our original plan got scrapped since most places were closed. The tour of the city palace had to be skipped. We visited "Cristo Rei" monument. It is a copy of the statue of Christ of Rio De Janerio. We just viewed the statue from behind and came back since the premises were closed.There is a lift which takes you to some height from where the best Panoramic view of Lisbon can be seen.
                  With a lot of time in hand we decided to discover the city by foot. It has some amazing coastline and the sea is a deep shade of blue. We spent a long time lazing around the sun and the sea. Also spent hours searching for Indian restaurant in Portugal. Indians can be often persistence to have Indian food in foreign land instead of tasting the local delicacies. Nowadays with Google maps, mobile data and smart phones it would be a small task but then, finding the restaurant seemed like finding a needle in a hay stack. Having fed our Indian appetites we just sat someplace on the streets and had a laughter riot. With so many people we didn't have shortage of topics or jokes. When I would come back from the trip I would remember it as the city where we had a laughter riot.
               The next day we would cover some parts of the new town of Lisbon. Take a ride on the funiculars with the amazing coastline on one side.

The funicular ride

The streets of old quarters @ Lisbon

Gazing at the Deep Blue Sea

                Barcelona was the last destination to check off on the trip. We reached at midnight at our hotel which was situated on the famous Las Ramblas street. The street is very popular for its street artists and performers. In Barca we had many many things to see and do in just one day.
                Our first spot would be "FC Barcelona". Although I had no interests in football it would be a bad idea to argue with the guys when it came to the Mecca of football. Half a day almost flew away at FC Barcelona and we had just other half left for the remaining site seeing. The Barca Metro line is one of the most complicated routes and we would be zooming between Park Guella, Sagrada Familia and the National Museum of Art Catalonia. I still don't know how we managed to cover so many spots in that time. We gave the musical fountains and the  Barca beaches a miss.
               In Barca you will see Gaudi's work everywhere. The Sagrada Familia is one of his best works. It is his unfinished Church and although you will find many churches in Europe. This one is unlike any and definitely deserves a visit. So is the park Guella which is Gaudi's depiction of modern architecture. He was born way ahead of his time.

FC Barcelona

Las Ramblas at Night

Group Pic @ FC Barcelona 

Old school expense sheet

                 We spent the night at the Barca airport and took an early morning flight to Amsterdam. With all the travelling and fun I was exhausted in office the same morning. I remember dozing off in my seat and being woken up by my colleague.
                  Although after so many years some of the names have faded  and all the people are settled at different locations of the world map. I am still reminded of the good times spent and the many friends I made during this trip. This would be my last trip with Vanno in Europe as she would be moving back to India. Although we are settled poles apart today. I am likely to get a call or a ping from her if I think or blog about her.Telepathy definitely exists and some relation's are like wine. They just grow better with time.

        

Food for Thought

             One of the obsessions of my stay in Brussels was the food. Every morning started with a chocolate waffle or chocolate croissant and coffee. Several warnings from friends had little or no effect. I would put on several kilos during this stay but  would still cherish that indulgence. One of the things that I miss most about Brussels are the chocolate croissants.
             The Belgium fries, the Belgian beer, the mussels the hot chocolate waffles topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries are some of the other local delicacies. Once you have tasted the Belgian fries you can never appreciate the leaner French fries. It is believed that the French fries were never French after all. I was introduced to American soldiers in Belgium during WWI. Since the official language of the Belgian army was French they called it the French fries. 

The chocolate waffle with the toppings

Chocolate Croissant

               To taste the best Belgium fries visit - Place Jourdan, Etterbeek. For the yummiest waffles visit Grand Place. For the beer lovers Delirium is a must. There are more than 3000 beers from all around the world. Unique decor and fully crowded. 

             Some interesting facts about Belgium:
1) It is the birth place of Herge the creator of my favorite cartoon character Tintin. You will see murals of Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy in the city center.

Tintin memorabilia

Murals

2) As per legends the hero of this country is a small boy who saved the city from burning down by pissing and extinguishing the fire. In his honor we have the famous statue of the Mannekan Piss placed in Grand Place. 

The Mannekan Piss

 3) This is a place to indulge in all childhood chocolate fantasies. You will find chocolate in every size, shape and flavor. Miniature chocolate Manneken Piss, chocolate fountains are put on display. Leonidas, Godiva and Neuhaus are some of the famous chocolate brands and each has it's outlet in the Grand Place. To buy in bulk better to visit the chocolate factories. My personal favorite is the Leonidas chocolate truffles. Note they are not the best looking one's but as always looks can be deceptive.

World of chocolates

Chocolate Fountain

                  Apart from the local food obsession people were obsessed with the Indian food. Being far away from home, Indian food was something everyone craved. There could be arguments, fights and misunderstandings if you missed out someone from a dinner or lunch invite. Everyone had an Alias to address them. It was a small family out there. You had Daddy, Mommy, Jawan, Kattie, Popo, Papa, Kumbhu, Dada,Sallu, Puri, Yam, Naka, and many more.Being the worst cook in the lot can be a blessing in disguise. I was never expected to cook and invite people for dinner. Surprisingly some of the guys were exceptional cooks. 

Dada: He prepared the lip smacking mutton and chicken curries. But he always needed a team to help with the cutting and cleaning.

Papa: He is an expert in cooking paratha's.He was seriously concerned about my cooking skills and often gave me training's on how to make the make the perfect rotis (Indian bread).

Daddy: He liked to add a ghoda masala (special masala) and peanuts to his dishes although it often lead to an upset tummy.

Then there are some who are completely unaware to the world of cooking. 

Popo: He couldn't distinguish sugar from salt, jeera from dhania etc.

Kumbhu: They helped with the lesser skilled tasks of cleaning of dishes and cutting vegetables. 

                If you ever discussed your dinner plans in advance that could lead to someone crashing your dinner. Food would be the fixation during the complete stay. Eventually everyone would learn to cook in order to survive and the already expert one's would master their skills. 

I Amsterdam

               I met "Vanno" during our job training in Mysore and it had been like instant chemistry. Since then she is a dear friend whom I can rely on. She was on her onsite assignment at neighboring country Amsterdam. It was a 4 hour drive to Amsterdam by train.
              I was travelling with some guy friends. It had been strictly decided that after visiting Madam Tussaud  I would go my way and they would go theirs. The legalized prostitution capital of Europe and the city where you get the much talked about hash muffins and weed. For me it was a weekend break from the alone time much needed girls talk.
           We split after lunch and I went off with Vanno. We took a boat ride along the famous canals. I remember Vanno dozing off half way through the ride. It was the third time she was taking the ride since her stay there and it was a little too much for her to handle. We took a walk along the city markets and went shop hopping for mementos and local stuff.
           Every shop that you stopped at had a separate section. It took us a few minutes to realize that it was the section with all the kinky stuff. If you have watched Queen movie recently you would exactly know what I mean.Coming from a country where sex word is still a taboo in public it was a cultural shocker for us. What I still remember was that we had many good laughs.
        Holland is also a cyclists paradise. The separate cycle lanes are something some countries can't dream of having. There are these thousands of cycles parked along the canal ways.

The hat looks akward but check out the wooden shoes !

            The next day we  planned a visit to the countryside. A bus ride to "Vollendam" a fishing village and "Zaanse Schans" the wind mill village. Both the places are a pictorial delight. Enjoyed the sun and the lazing around the water in Vollendam. Also managed to dress up in the local Hollandish costume and get some pictures taken. I think the short hair and the costume just were a misfit ! Sharing some pictures.

Vollendam - Fishing village

The water was amazingly calm

Group picture taken at Vollendam

Zaanse Schans

           Some amazing moments and some heart to heart talk made this trip memorable.This was just the first of many more trips to Amsterdam. I would be shutting between these two towns for company and discover a new aspect about the place each time. I would later visit the much talked about tulip gardens and fulfill my dream of cycling in Holland.
       

Home away from home - 81 Rue Beckerstraat, Brussels

             My journey of self discovery began when I moved to Brussels in the year 2007. I was this youngest sibling always protected at home, papa's girl. Even when I moved out from my parents place to join working in an IT firm I thankfully had lots of friends to take care. Had lived in a 2 BHK with 6 to 7 friends for company in Pune. Actually I had never known what it felt to be away from home !!

            As was the trend then everyone asked for an onsite after a few months. Following the trend I too had requested my then manager for an onsite and surprisingly he came back to me one day saying that there was a position available and whether I would like to travel ?

            For other people onsite mean't more foreign currency, exposure to client team etc. For me it then just meant a way to escape marriage which is the primary focus of any Indian girl in her late twenties. I had this enormous desire to travel and discover as many places before I was tied down to a stranger who probably didn't share my interests. I had no clue what these upcoming years would actually hold for me !

           The first place which I made home in Brussels was this studio apartment on 81 Rue Beckerstraat. It was a last minute decision since the previous arrangement made by colleagues got cancelled. It was a small place, pretty ok for a single soul. My belonging's summed up to a TV, single bed, shelf, fridge, induction plate and a dining table. The best part of the house was the little balcony facing the road. That's the best part of apartments in Brussels. They can arrange for a breathing place even in a studio apartment.

Unused place - Kitchen area

         The owner, his wife and 2 kids stayed upstairs and the kids were adorable (curly hair, rosy lips, pink cheeks type). They often came to my place with dad for fixing the room heater or the tap. I wanted to talk with them but if you are in Brussels French, Dutch or German are your official languages. Hardly few people know how to communicate in English, at least back then.

Soul Company -- Pengu Gifted by Stan :)

         In short I was living alone in this place with no one to talk. It was very overwhelming for a person who never had any shortage of company. If you have shared a similar experience then you would know how the silent walls start haunting you. I had colleagues staying some distance apart and would  very often end up having dinner at their places. They seemed to be very tolerant indeed even though they would have preferred some alone time.Cooking for myself has never been encouraging for me. Even today if I am left alone I will survive on packaged food or ready to eat stuff.

       So the journey had just begun: Killing time at home with Bollywood dvds you get at an Indian/ Pakistani store. Intruding on colleagues who would later become life long friend's and staring at the wall were my only pastimes. In short a lonely girl had started her journey in Brussels trying to fight the silence. Far far away from home. Hoping things would change soon for the better !