When you are in Spain, do as Indians do!!

It is sort of sacrilegious if we don’t expect every new year to be better than the previous year…Isn’t it amazing that we really believe that the new year is going to be mind blowing and spectacular only to end repeating the same farce again and again…Neways its not the time for stupid rhetoric so I would rather keep the blabbering to the minimum. Last 10 days were absolute fun back packing in Spain this time. As you see my bank balance is dwindling at such a pace that I don’t believe the common perception that nothing travels faster than light...But I kept delaying the worry coz there was no point that I was gonna stop enjoying either way...

Every time I visit a new place I always get the vague feeling that there cant be a better place than this…Spain in many ways has a different feel which didn’t evoke reason enough to compare with somewhere else...The blue skies of Barcelona…the beaches…the Mecca of football buffs the Camp Nou… the Moorish settlement in Granada...the magnificent Alhambra...scenic Seville...and very capital-like Madrid… Along with the visual treat there was a very dynamic gastronomic tour which ran parallel which left me acknowledging the second best cuisine on planet as to Spanish food…Ofcoz the best is Kerala cuisine and I have pushed the Italian down to the third...I know everyone must be thinking that am writing too many travelogue these days…but I have those vibes that I surely be killed by some Spanish matador if I dint share my impressions of the country…

The trip started of rather not that pleasantly considering that the flight departure was late by an hour because of some mix-up with seats...I was boarding the plane and here I see a ruckus coz a lady had come with 2 kids and there was seat short...If you still believe that sun rises in east believe me finally they settled it by agreeing to seat the 6 year old kid beside the pilot in the cockpit!! The next one hour was devoted to a feverishly paced rosary with occasional visions of the kid playing at the controls and gears when the pilot might be just peeping outside the window...You know??…You never know!!!...Needless to say in spite of working at a place where they make aircrafts I do have remarkable fear that planes might come down especially when I travel in one of em…

That is exactly why when the airhostess comes in with that tray and asks…’Would you like to have coffee or Juice...’
I had to say…’Chechi…Could you please give some sleeping pills to that kid’

And what is it with aircrafts…How do humans ever find motivation to sit in a seat where the picture in front of you is of rapidly spreading fire and images of a plane sinking in a sea…And notice that these airlines make sure that the faces on those pics are as grave as possible…Whoever thought of these…uh!!...

The first that stuck me about Spain is that there is a bit chaos and plenty of noisy people unlike in Germany where you rarely would hear people talking in metros or buses on a normal day...Barcelona has feel of the sea nearby and the city is very vibrant and you can infact keep walking coz u would surely come across some interesting monument sooner or later…We had lunch near the seaside overlooking the Mediterranean sea. When you talk about lunch in Spain it is always ‘Paella Rice’ that beckons…it is like when you think about idiot you have a picture of Bush...sort of images conjuring up to expectations...Paella rice is somewhat over hyped coz the Spaniards are not crazy about it but the tourists are…Maybe I can describe it as a Spanish version of Fish biriyani...nevertheless it tasted awesome...I had a glass of home made wine before the lunch and the combination of wine, Paella and sea breeze was simply too soothing that we decided to hang around the beach for few hours to get over the feel good hangover...took the funicular to a hill from where we saw the whole city and later next day took the much awaited trip to Camp Nou...My travel mate is a football aficionado who said he is going to gift his mom an Arsenal Saree and his dad an Arsenal towel during his next trip home when asked what he is taking back home. Am pretty sure he would name his kids Fabregas and Wenger considering his excessive devotion…and any day would prefer to get married at some stadium than a church!!

Few days later we went to Granada which is a classic town with heavy Arabic influence coz it was ruled by Arabs centuries ago...This is where Alhambra which most Europeans consider as one of the wonders of the world…exquisite palaces …and gardens…legend as is they tried to recreate the Koran’s description of heaven in here…must say simply stunning…

Granada was interesting at the hostel too where at the pub I got into midst of a conversation among a Palestinian Moslem, an Israeli Jew and a German girl...I couldn’t conceptualize a even more volatile group to have a drink with...For those brief moments I reincarnated as Mahatma Gandhi talking about peace and sacrifice…They got the point and we started another round of Sangria!! ;-P

Our next stop was the beautiful town of Seville...The town is famous for having the biggest church in the world, flamenco dancers and for being the birth place of ‘Tapas’...Tapa is not a dish, but it is just any dish served on a small plate served along with a drink...We had registered for a ‘Tapas tour’ from our hostel and when we finally assembled at the hotel lounge it was realization of a fantasy come true for any average male...there were 6 Spanish, 2 Brit and one French girl who were in the tour…and just two very ‘exotic and decent Indian males’ accompanying them…Me and my friend started thanking our stars for the god send opportunity…Nevertheless due to previous inexperience in handling such a large crowd we ended up saying a little embarrassing to some very embarrassing lines…I could sense how desperate my friend was when he pretended to know about small towns in Spain and very unlikely interest in Spanish music...

Girl: ‘I come from San Sebastin’
‘Wow…really...oh...How I always dreamed of visiting that place…was my childhood ambition’
Girl:’ that is so sweet...You must be a big fan of Pedrosa la $§%””ß# ’
‘yaa..yaaa…it is simply amazing…cant stop listening to her music’
Girl:’ How romantique…no one has ever said so eloquent about the famous cow in our town’

Seville is famous for the bull fights as well…But you know it is very inhuman to torture animals like that they do in such fights...I wonder why these people don’t have a bit of conscience when they make a mockery of animal rights…simply outrageous…For god sake they are not game material!!!.. It is food …Make some delicious vindaloos wont you!!!

Our final destination was Madrid which I must admit wasn’t as exciting as the first there…just the palaces and museums which I was pretty tired of by then...How much can u pretend admiring at some painting which looks like as if the artist was mentally deranged when he did it...I came back on 31st night and the best part was that the pilot gave a new year gift by circling low around the city before landing...watching fireworks up from air is altogether different sight and I loved it…

As I took the metro late night home...there was lot of fun and frolic in it...lot of beer and champagne. Many people singing…and a unmistakable joy engulfing everyone...everyone seemed to be happy…But then as the train was nearing my station and the crowds had dwindled after they got down at stations much before, I saw this old man walking in the train with a trolley...he was picking up the empty beer bottles and champagne bottles strewn in the train...when the trolley was full he began tucking them inside his jacket...the sight some how hit me hard...there was the whole world celebrating the arrival of new year and here a 70 something old man collecting bottles so that he could sell it off next day for a living...I don’t know what I felt that moment...was it the guilt of enjoying hard in Spain…was it the contrast I saw a few minutes back with the revelry in the train…or was it the irony of life???

Edelweiss and Apfelstrudels!

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you
greet me
Small and white,
Clean and bright,
You look happy to meet
me.

Blossom of snow
May you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow
forever,
Edelweiss, Edelweiss,
Bless my homeland forever

Nice poem isn’t it…When I was a kid I used to sing this and enthrall my folks during weekend get-togethers(just kiddin..due to scientific reasons if I ever sang it might cause the dead to come out of the coffins)…But unfortunately most of you know that this is indeed a song from “The Sound of Music” and probably the sweetest song of all times.. ;-P

As I had mentioned in a blog before I was away on vacation to the place where Julia Andrews pranced in the Alps with a bunch of kids in wartime Austria…The flight to Vienna was pleasant thanks to Lufthansa airhostesses who makes you feel that you’re a judge in a Milan fashion show while they are walking down the aisle as if in a ramp show…and who said flying isn’t fun anymore...and when that 6 foot Claudia Schiffer look-alike said “auf weidersehen” while getting out of the aircraft I was heartbroken..;-(

Neways a old friend of mine was joining the trip from UK and I had a plenty of time waiting for him to arrive…This guy who has been staying in England for sometime isn’t really well versed in German…When we met at the hotel he looked crestfallen and told me that the people in Austria seems to be very racist .While coming to the hotel he kept asking local passerby’s for directions and he said he was showered with expletives straight on the face all the way…Now it didn’t take much long to figure out coz I had faced the same trouble during the first few days in Germany...For the uninformed the Germany word for “Okay” is “aahsoo”..As you see this word when pronounced in a particular slang can be interpreted as a widely popular expletive. I had to do a bit of convincing there that Austrians are actually very nice people…

Talking of Vienna I must say I absolutely loved the city...Smaller compared to other European capitals like Paris…Berlin…or Rome...This city is bathed in typical European charm...Gothic style churches...Wagner architecture...and trendy shops too.

The next day took a train to Salzburg…the same train in which Shahrukh goes Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenga in every film…Checked in at the hostel and set out for a tour of the town...We did a packaged tour of Bavarian Alps and the salt mines where we were shown the Eagles nest...Hitler’s guesthouse which was completed bombed after the war...It was so ironic that such a evil man was born in one of the most beautiful places of the world...I couldn’t stop wondering at the anti-climax of it...

The tour guide was a funny chap whose interesting quotes kept the tour in good vibes...Like on of the announcements…

“You can leave your luggage when u get out of the bus...our driver is a thorough professional”
After a short pause he says...”Robert will make sure that you won’t even notice it”

That evening was spending roaming the narrow alleys of the town where Mozart was born...and ofcoz had lot of Gluhwein, Apfelpunsch and Orangepunsch to keep our spirits high!!

The tour we took on the second day must definitely be called the highlight of the whole trip…Called the ‘Sound of music tour’ which takes you to all the main locations where the movie was shot..

Now here we had a Brit woman as the guide and she was at her humorous best...And ofcoz to our embarrassment she cajoled all of us to sing ‘Do-Re-Mi’ during the bus ride…Considering the ‘Sinatra like’ voice I have it was such a pleasure…all I could do was a 'LaLaLaLa' in between laced with 'HoiHoi..HoiHoi' which was hopelessly out of rhythm inside the bus…The stares just reminded me how a powerful German punch on my Indian face could crush my jaws…

The places we were taken to was simply stunning and I was transported in time to the settings of Sound of Music...The best part was in the end we had to fill a feedback form where one of the questions was the number of times we had watched the movie...that’s when my travel mate confessed that he hadn’t ever heard of the movie...forget having seen it..!!

During the ride the guide was pointing out one of the beautiful villas on the way and mentioned for the info of the ladies in the bus that it was owned by the most eligible bachelor in Austria...And of coz after a short pause and by the time all the guys in the bus were sulking at being brushed aside she revealed that the owner was apparently a 90 year old eligible young guy..

Back in Austria we visited all the well known palaces, museums and touristy areas…and not so touristy areas like the Mozart toilet which is one of a kind in the world where you can relieve yourself to Mozart’s symphonies…Nice marketing there..;-P

The trip was memorable having been able to meet a old friend after a long time and seeing a place which is almost picture postcard like…I must say the country beat my expectation and infact Switzerland you would have been nowhere but for your banks and marketing!!..

Bonjour Madame!

Years ago when I was a kid my world went as far as I could bike without tiring out...and when I finally was panting of exhaustion I ll look at the horizon and think about going a mile further ahead the next day…But my childhood travel exploits never went far enough…Places like London, Paris, America sounded as good as say moon for Neil Armstrong when he was a kid…But over the last year I felt like him after seeing places which I wouldn’t dare imagine a decade back..Last week I got the chance to see the city of love… Paris.

As for any average person the name evokes of Eiffel tower the chef-d'oeuvre which was almost torn down coz Parisians of yesteryears thought it was an ugly junk of steel blemishing the Paris skyline. But I thought I ll wait till night to see it in full glory and hitched for the Louvre.



After a visit to Louvre and Vatican museum you can very well assure yourself of having seen the crème of all the master artpieces in the world. The museum is so huge and exhaustive that you would just give a passé over a Rembrandt coz another Da Vinci piece is just around the corner. As expected the biggest crowd was near the Mona Lisa who seemed to smile-and-not-yet-smile at the crowd of wannabe photographers trying to get a shot. I was baffled when I overhead a kid tell her mom that the lady on the wall looks like Maggie aunty. Sigh!! Hope the kiddo didn’t pester her mom to take that painting home to gift her “Maggie aunty”…

Few painting which I loved a lot...


























The museum can take days to be appreciated in full glory, but due to limited time we came out in the evening and went straight for the tower.

The tower without any doubt is mesmerizing. You will surely be stumped at first sight and the brilliant golden shine effusing will convince you why the heck people are so crazy about Eiffel tower.


Just across the other side is this beautiful building.



After a tiring first day it was important to get some good sleep for the fun in Disneyland on day 2.


Mickey Mouse ...Donald Duck...Tom n Jerry…Superheroes for almost a decade of my life and probably still. It was like preparing myself to meet them in real.

I sort of loved and hated this place. I loved the rides…the shows…the animation studios…but also hated the commercialization of my favourite cartoon characters...Mickey mouse was all over there right from G-strings to bread toasters. It was disheartening to see such excessive marketing in a place where you are expected to be transported to a fantasyland. But it was more of a reality check if I could make out there were more shops...and restaurants than the actual rides or shows. Nevertheless I had my own share of fun.


Can you believe that the next two shots are as well from Disneyland and not any bird park?



I managed to convince my friend who was accompanying me that there were casualties recently after a freak accident on the roller coaster ride…Well how would I convince him that I was afraid of it when out there were 6-7 something kids who were complaining that the three hundred and fifty six spins weren’t exciting enough..

Though I happened to try out some of the less scary ones. :-P
I couldn’t get into some of the other rides coz they had mentioned outside the gate that for those rides kids should always be accompanied with parents…and it was almost impossible to get in my parents there on time.

But the best place out there was the Walt Disney studios where I almost momentarily fell in love with Donald Duck!!

Later in the day visited Champ Elysee’s which is a magnificent road with the triumph de arc on one end.



I visited several other places as well like Notre Dame…Seine…Sacre Cours...in between. But I ll skip em to keep the post short.

On the third day took the train to Versailles where Napoleon uncle spend brainstorming with his generals for his next attacks. The boulevards were actually what I found stunning although it was the fag end of fall.

The city of Paris is charming but it moves fast unlike other European cities. I liked the city for the sheer variety of places it offers. The city has as many tourists on a single day as the residents itself. So it wouldn’t be surprising to see a sea of people holding a map seemingly lost and walking together. To sum up the travel I would say Paris is a nice place over the weekend...But I would rather love to live in Florence which is by far my favourite city!


P.S. If anyone is interested in the above snaps...you can get em at http://www.flickr.com/photos/68796762@N00/sets/72157603056575579/show/


P.P.S This month I have declared myself to go bankrupt on a traveling spree with a trip to Austria planned in the last week... ;-P