tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28933858059997316402024-03-13T21:18:41.740-07:00Ink on PaperAarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-44395168328670369992021-12-03T06:57:00.002-08:002021-12-04T22:01:07.405-08:00Visiting a Bygone Era - The Magical Islands of Venice<p>After bidding adieu to Heidi land, we were soon at the security check queue to begin the next leg of our trip - Italy. After emptying our back packs to the security personnel and the kid's pram being rechecked because of the dry pine cones that he had filled into the back pouch, we were soon flying to Venice. As we were riding the bus that was taking us to the airport terminal at Venice, the little one held my hand and asked a lot of questions. 'Where are we now? How many days are we going to stay here?' and so on. We laughed thinking about what a vagabond he had blossomed into. Post his little baby days and as soon as he started taking an interest in the world around him (which took about 2.5 long yrs! Sigh ..), the kiddo took an immense liking for travel and everything about it from taxi rides and places of stay to sightseeing. Much to our good luck, thank God!</p><p>The initial 2 hours at Italy turned out to be a bit of a struggle. Language was quite a problem, for very few seemed to understand or speak English. With the help of Google, we somehow located the bus that would take us to the bus stop nearest to our place of stay. After we alighted, we spent close to an hour trying to find our way to the apartment stay that we had booked. A slight rain added to our woes and it was already close to 10 PM. Finally we flagged down a passing taxi. The driver took one look at the location and charged a bomb. We got in, for we had no other choice and reached our destination in under 3 minutes! The driver just shrugged and mumbled about minimum charges.</p><p>Our host arrived just as we were unloading our luggage. He then told us that we could have opted for a pick up from the airport and he would have come there himself. We made a mental note for future. The apartment that we had booked for our stay was a spacious one with a big living room cum kitchen, a huge balcony, a cozy nice bed room with comfortable beds and a clean bathroom with state of the art fittings. AirBnb and Booking. com were sure giving hotels a run for their money! </p><p>Putting the slightly bumpy start at Italy behind us, we sunk into our comfortable beds and slept it all off. Next morning, post cooking and eating a tiffin of Poha, we started out armed with umbrellas, kid needs and dabbas packed with rasam rice and vegetables. Yes, we are like that only :) But hey, try surviving 20 days on whatever scraps of vegetarian food you can salvage in Europe and you would say we are totally right! Wouldn't it be sad if you hated your Europe trip just because you got sick of bread, Pizzas and bland pasta and went to a state of mind when you became ready to kill someone for a morsel of curd rice, sambar or Upma! :)</p><p>We picked up a map from a nearby shop to help us with all the 'Vaporetti' routes (Boats that ply like buses in the Venetian waterways) and reached the dock of the islands of Venice. We soon hopped into the first vaporetti with a lot of excitement. The sights of Venice were magical from the first through the last of what we saw. It was literally like visiting a bygone era. The ancient buildings and roads, the very characteristics sights and smells and the fact that everything was on a waterside made the experience totally unique and beautiful. </p><p>Though Venice had a lot of landmarks to visit like any other tourist destination, for the first half of the day, we chose to just ride the routes and walk around the cobbled alleys, enjoying the ambience that was so unique to this beautiful land. We rode the vaporetti from one stop to another, taking in the sights of the old buildings by the banks. We jumped off at a stop and walked around for sometime, stopped at a pizzeria for some snacks, bought some gelato and ate it, leaning on a bridge to watch the boats and people as they floated by. It was pretty much free flow and we thoroughly enjoyed just being there and soaking in the very characteristic environment of Venice. </p><p>Here are some pictures from the morning of exploration :</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIymHHZjD7NfYGy0XrvIrTIZqYN-ymnUZbL61EqtbF7BZC8itc3Gs5J6SuV8u1U_FATd9ANTQg7qipvkPSlxRjqcj2xdXRTciB5XBDK1D88Ts38nhSiePzw6klnIn4iXlrQPEdPYz5KoI/s2580/IMG_20191002_111408.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIymHHZjD7NfYGy0XrvIrTIZqYN-ymnUZbL61EqtbF7BZC8itc3Gs5J6SuV8u1U_FATd9ANTQg7qipvkPSlxRjqcj2xdXRTciB5XBDK1D88Ts38nhSiePzw6klnIn4iXlrQPEdPYz5KoI/w640-h302/IMG_20191002_111408.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First views of Venice<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGbwNTFuJCMPLKxbcn8lPxxP9mw8rrwpUixRiWEMOuWa4hDLE3bpcDEuKY3fbugOwcwHuckT5JoaGPBzGvq3wnKxA9zBmo40dk4bwDwuq0HPY5ObCfDYizN6F7ShlO4yGQPExQsc-hfM/s2580/IMG_20191002_173503.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGbwNTFuJCMPLKxbcn8lPxxP9mw8rrwpUixRiWEMOuWa4hDLE3bpcDEuKY3fbugOwcwHuckT5JoaGPBzGvq3wnKxA9zBmo40dk4bwDwuq0HPY5ObCfDYizN6F7ShlO4yGQPExQsc-hfM/w302-h640/IMG_20191002_173503.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A charming narrow waterway</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH0c81i-2fCpj_R-IuStcacogE9g1c8awhMv0WvPBq_C49kQ0Wsd5kS4-cz59nyW8XCXCunZd6Vdjao6rrGBj6jsyCf-29up4qXeMxiYO3sI7MGaKK9WwYK3MilyYb3fgvsrLAfCd_SI/s2048/Church.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH0c81i-2fCpj_R-IuStcacogE9g1c8awhMv0WvPBq_C49kQ0Wsd5kS4-cz59nyW8XCXCunZd6Vdjao6rrGBj6jsyCf-29up4qXeMxiYO3sI7MGaKK9WwYK3MilyYb3fgvsrLAfCd_SI/w480-h640/Church.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pretty little ancient church that we walked into while exploring the many alleys of Venice</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVNhS3OGINFiksSbwI6UBO7ZRTJiuJPG-tNe4RE-kkURSatdx9xaHvVIsU9gk1dGmRbTSB4i4ovJ25p48CQsC9Ud5zdLT1O0lv1L3YHN7hBrgKDwdFUGIzZgMcv6sgvzyQ9cfiHDk1Q0/s2048/Gelato.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVNhS3OGINFiksSbwI6UBO7ZRTJiuJPG-tNe4RE-kkURSatdx9xaHvVIsU9gk1dGmRbTSB4i4ovJ25p48CQsC9Ud5zdLT1O0lv1L3YHN7hBrgKDwdFUGIzZgMcv6sgvzyQ9cfiHDk1Q0/w480-h640/Gelato.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelato section at a road side pizzeria</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52_xpnu1Dl67lkyVaLoLpsGauZNhT91czMbqDumAbSEP3OVDZP4YkoP4Pu8nF7n6GuzisFEtPZzRhe128fzb2oHZVU6ltCgtfo7f89Sv_3czvHefsSCRW3TL7TKJHw2k4YAhHVBvJqxk/s2048/Pizza.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52_xpnu1Dl67lkyVaLoLpsGauZNhT91czMbqDumAbSEP3OVDZP4YkoP4Pu8nF7n6GuzisFEtPZzRhe128fzb2oHZVU6ltCgtfo7f89Sv_3czvHefsSCRW3TL7TKJHw2k4YAhHVBvJqxk/w480-h640/Pizza.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tasty thin crust Pizza that we ate before Gelato :)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiymApsDkUu5B1eFmvS5efW8DhliYEp_0OHgm9PGZjNkJdPixiDY44CgwL62zGOYohnwnhCY9a_Dpxn8ptRyFD-RqzAWhQJi3foxBCWWGI_9kS1hvOtBv6CgY4r0JCETL_WYHJwdeFCGQ/s2580/SpiceShop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiymApsDkUu5B1eFmvS5efW8DhliYEp_0OHgm9PGZjNkJdPixiDY44CgwL62zGOYohnwnhCY9a_Dpxn8ptRyFD-RqzAWhQJi3foxBCWWGI_9kS1hvOtBv6CgY4r0JCETL_WYHJwdeFCGQ/w640-h302/SpiceShop.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A colourful spice store</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>For the next half of the day, we visited Burano - one of the many islands in Venice which is famous for its colours and lace making. This was a longer boat ride from the main island and we enjoyed the sights of expanse of water with far away banks. We landed in Burano after about 30 mins and walked on inside, to explore the island. The narrow waterway lined with colourful houses on either side, the market place bustling with restaurants, shops, bakeries and tourists, the quiet residential streets with trees, beautiful plants and houses painted in bright colours were all such a treat for the eyes. It happened to be my husband's birthday and as we sat at a restaurant to eat lunch, we had him cut a small piece of cake to celebrate. By the side, a street musician played a string instrument, singing along beautifully and a mild shower added to the magical ambience. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLgVCg1yCWtfXTF3YPLYlJ4sQnrpYRga_ZWqf3aFjTzx4F7_WdfEsHQQT8aAHG7WdNGCf_aFhCvLjj4f6l6MAhWUl11h4viTjkR8u5Brxxr-v_4PZHGfc_c_yw-cP9qMNauFR62sptkU/s2580/Burano1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLgVCg1yCWtfXTF3YPLYlJ4sQnrpYRga_ZWqf3aFjTzx4F7_WdfEsHQQT8aAHG7WdNGCf_aFhCvLjj4f6l6MAhWUl11h4viTjkR8u5Brxxr-v_4PZHGfc_c_yw-cP9qMNauFR62sptkU/w302-h640/Burano1.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterway inside Burano</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Here are some pictures of the very beautiful residential lanes of Burano with their stone roads, beautiful trees, plants and flowers and the brightly painted houses. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTALaXhAHKIgWuoOw7ud1v94q3VTZt7TsGRbKFMHyFSTfWrBg0ZPyJ1lbQr7vfeoMwrj14zgvQVzYIBKvtoLyfk_HXVIP_8oTO0-lV3Dcg6yozJGuJt40drkS6easTGOmZoLHrgAflJMs/s2580/Burano2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTALaXhAHKIgWuoOw7ud1v94q3VTZt7TsGRbKFMHyFSTfWrBg0ZPyJ1lbQr7vfeoMwrj14zgvQVzYIBKvtoLyfk_HXVIP_8oTO0-lV3Dcg6yozJGuJt40drkS6easTGOmZoLHrgAflJMs/w302-h640/Burano2.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63z9mqS6qnDmJ4VOScSln6jYYp9Mid4u1Io7zafLMe55f8-D7Drykz7pYV6_abxEhNtre5_iHNZlsKsTeJIlAbJtpFfyq0l9qgIUiEdzFE6IW2k6G_HlGq_3YiFXAHnm3GI1z38j3M-M/s2580/Burano3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63z9mqS6qnDmJ4VOScSln6jYYp9Mid4u1Io7zafLMe55f8-D7Drykz7pYV6_abxEhNtre5_iHNZlsKsTeJIlAbJtpFfyq0l9qgIUiEdzFE6IW2k6G_HlGq_3YiFXAHnm3GI1z38j3M-M/w302-h640/Burano3.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd1JU6nvkH8WHKjjnRmKa7boeRWA6HUbsyveUnjh2b20B7z6vRfdW8WOod5WYH3SmKb_hkCpWQQkiC8jPeWruiZhs-sGB5gxVBGbqi1V-xWoIyHX6cq_Y4Hzucz1EdTXtAHfngceyswo/s2580/Burano4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd1JU6nvkH8WHKjjnRmKa7boeRWA6HUbsyveUnjh2b20B7z6vRfdW8WOod5WYH3SmKb_hkCpWQQkiC8jPeWruiZhs-sGB5gxVBGbqi1V-xWoIyHX6cq_Y4Hzucz1EdTXtAHfngceyswo/w302-h640/Burano4.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixjVpKwludZL4DNexY1aMS66nSBr9p51VtyTUzKkUeJs6y4JY7RV97GzNgBtCiQ3v0ywR3Lt40Nmo5IqNjizpin4UBj2U-_kE207-Kw1dFNsjtZijb4O56-FGJv0IqYWR_LdYQIPsDpk/s2580/Burano5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixjVpKwludZL4DNexY1aMS66nSBr9p51VtyTUzKkUeJs6y4JY7RV97GzNgBtCiQ3v0ywR3Lt40Nmo5IqNjizpin4UBj2U-_kE207-Kw1dFNsjtZijb4O56-FGJv0IqYWR_LdYQIPsDpk/w302-h640/Burano5.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCuGfu11RrI8I0PC1hZ3kaNgkWt-whgZvC_amPPO_WrDJUKauHkLPCw6xRGaJ5t3RsEarhMU2gbrTIDQsKoV8l5mTQJh9iNG4hsYEo04jIqpFzhJ18k5wKHj23z2i_mRK3CPNup4wods/s2580/Burano6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCuGfu11RrI8I0PC1hZ3kaNgkWt-whgZvC_amPPO_WrDJUKauHkLPCw6xRGaJ5t3RsEarhMU2gbrTIDQsKoV8l5mTQJh9iNG4hsYEo04jIqpFzhJ18k5wKHj23z2i_mRK3CPNup4wods/w302-h640/Burano6.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxQdPh8LhawcgmhCeG230rOAL03ZDcCiEBbwM_EaLMenygd0jfqyCRED4vUgl0bbLdpEc3PXnFWD-gK2PD_QgPPE8wh4Rxci-tb8JgjT_OOZi_yMmGynlA6KgNx8sbRP65VOTzDN8C1I/s2580/Burano7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxQdPh8LhawcgmhCeG230rOAL03ZDcCiEBbwM_EaLMenygd0jfqyCRED4vUgl0bbLdpEc3PXnFWD-gK2PD_QgPPE8wh4Rxci-tb8JgjT_OOZi_yMmGynlA6KgNx8sbRP65VOTzDN8C1I/w302-h640/Burano7.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><p>It was around 4 pm when we jumped into the return vaporetti from Burano. We sailed to famous St.Mark's Sqaure to see the clock tower and walked around the sqaure. It housed some very posh restaurants and had musicians performing by the side. We then walked around some small streets and spent some time watching the Gondala boats, with the boatmen sporting their famous typical attire with hats on, as they maneuvered the narrow side waterways skillfully. </p><p>One of the bridges that we stopped at had a doorway at the dead end before it led to the street via a starcase. It made me think about the local population who had their homes amidst all the shops and touristy bustle. I wondered how it must feel to have crowds of people from around the world walking by your house, clicking pictures and looking at your home too as part of all the sights that they have come to see. Many of them probably owe their livelihood to the bustling tourism but am sure they yearn for some peace and quiet too. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzCj_BOaFkEYgrgeONt939UeJ01J48Os-MqSd_tyfQEIRaTA1-_7oROVOR-V7ys5skHJe7EgXCk8nhUu0F6aiKhCpWEgS3nqDhGASsHpuYO7nP_s43lyija3JLtMjt0UoLlaQfjqannM/s2048/Gondola.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzCj_BOaFkEYgrgeONt939UeJ01J48Os-MqSd_tyfQEIRaTA1-_7oROVOR-V7ys5skHJe7EgXCk8nhUu0F6aiKhCpWEgS3nqDhGASsHpuYO7nP_s43lyija3JLtMjt0UoLlaQfjqannM/w480-h640/Gondola.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous and expensive Gondola with its boatmen in costume</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-wciccwzUGrHzNFBON1n8h5FUkvPZOvEvZ-k7_SYzgEFzpavwVa510C0rxuzTbVepo5iCBYviqOqvi52rXizgAP-ZB5ueDOB13XWCuxsPVeOJnWSQMnMIKt4jELhBlkYpbcqWS8F1Xc/s2580/IMG_20191002_182145.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-wciccwzUGrHzNFBON1n8h5FUkvPZOvEvZ-k7_SYzgEFzpavwVa510C0rxuzTbVepo5iCBYviqOqvi52rXizgAP-ZB5ueDOB13XWCuxsPVeOJnWSQMnMIKt4jELhBlkYpbcqWS8F1Xc/w640-h302/IMG_20191002_182145.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St.Mark's Sqaure</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjKip_xew0k5JICl1TazFgTHQy9KaotMWkuVN0mobVY_L0VyhUNbwjuM-L1C34GvrsrFIHtafcZvigw59VqQJ35WLG8MeWdppVimPfJCW6OdsX9EyNBd2yG14RDrLS7Ts6Thjrot2POY/s2580/IMG_20191002_185440.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjKip_xew0k5JICl1TazFgTHQy9KaotMWkuVN0mobVY_L0VyhUNbwjuM-L1C34GvrsrFIHtafcZvigw59VqQJ35WLG8MeWdppVimPfJCW6OdsX9EyNBd2yG14RDrLS7Ts6Thjrot2POY/w640-h302/IMG_20191002_185440.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Doge's Palace </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>After spending the whole day wandering around the streets and waterways of Venice, we took a vaporetti back to the main land. It was close to sunset and the lighting changed from the golden hues of the evening to the dark of the night even as we were on this journey. As the old buildings and bridges lit up for the night, the sight was so magical. It was literally like visiting a bygone era and induced such a sense of awe that made us get totally get immersed in them. Here are some pictures : </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMHxqJXnP3WB6TWPon53cUVqQaLYwg9czNE15v-c1b4dNKiPHtZ5_nfAjEj6_TMSrm3II0PxmEVW_k2jE300r2R3mC7_FIBiJMQ1OOSsUXZs8V7tzUcA6qX7ed3hDwMjv2JMMPZ9aJ-M/s2580/IMG_20191002_190137.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMHxqJXnP3WB6TWPon53cUVqQaLYwg9czNE15v-c1b4dNKiPHtZ5_nfAjEj6_TMSrm3II0PxmEVW_k2jE300r2R3mC7_FIBiJMQ1OOSsUXZs8V7tzUcA6qX7ed3hDwMjv2JMMPZ9aJ-M/w302-h640/IMG_20191002_190137.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshIvb97mH9hk-goMNoFCXEAEklIgyVFaLNWeTboT4BcSdKwD-h2qdoEUuk6QGCVJh0Q2cqFZ8vAVbQMIIM3BLsH3lp7iRnHrC7ZGPWB6jK-_tAqWJ2Fp3fiE194pAqdZijhcNX3x4cAk/s2580/IMG_20191002_190227.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshIvb97mH9hk-goMNoFCXEAEklIgyVFaLNWeTboT4BcSdKwD-h2qdoEUuk6QGCVJh0Q2cqFZ8vAVbQMIIM3BLsH3lp7iRnHrC7ZGPWB6jK-_tAqWJ2Fp3fiE194pAqdZijhcNX3x4cAk/w640-h302/IMG_20191002_190227.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-oOC1pmG9ScJ6Sg5yZ2BcY7A74oNLuV3sw1ItTzfCg7z109sTrcyKyODOBDRQzmDWCqLjF3QChNaTRnQf_57shu9kUQVbAzIe17twNijNHeo5WPT4I_aYNWZvKhOccd5KnA9J4vFnnA/s2580/IMG_20191002_190547.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-oOC1pmG9ScJ6Sg5yZ2BcY7A74oNLuV3sw1ItTzfCg7z109sTrcyKyODOBDRQzmDWCqLjF3QChNaTRnQf_57shu9kUQVbAzIe17twNijNHeo5WPT4I_aYNWZvKhOccd5KnA9J4vFnnA/w302-h640/IMG_20191002_190547.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKrwSaqZreyqxyjxuepmNC-jeO5KW0lozn-tjZxRP8D-YTTchxjgy0uJmpEQQCyr-wvZW-ysrrshbaWLCvvpl2MiDJnw6WIKZrQoGc-H2-8AAZ8nXQjsFNMO5CDA_AmnSoZSWjvHg_bA/s2580/IMG_20191002_190555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKrwSaqZreyqxyjxuepmNC-jeO5KW0lozn-tjZxRP8D-YTTchxjgy0uJmpEQQCyr-wvZW-ysrrshbaWLCvvpl2MiDJnw6WIKZrQoGc-H2-8AAZ8nXQjsFNMO5CDA_AmnSoZSWjvHg_bA/w302-h640/IMG_20191002_190555.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsgmEtw09_G8p1iBpqbyHLJFtLVuAweeNv4PshK8wUdutL7n_gUAcid_VllOEz7I-NdZh4tX0cOrFyWosoY2rmHCYf971dZwSMjLM5cC_7DQjtYrjDZ4RFLyzPO3MpZ21CP7fRKOjYJ4/s2580/IMG_20191002_191603.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsgmEtw09_G8p1iBpqbyHLJFtLVuAweeNv4PshK8wUdutL7n_gUAcid_VllOEz7I-NdZh4tX0cOrFyWosoY2rmHCYf971dZwSMjLM5cC_7DQjtYrjDZ4RFLyzPO3MpZ21CP7fRKOjYJ4/w302-h640/IMG_20191002_191603.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><p>We went back to our place of stay in a trance like state after that beautiful day spent at a wonderland. Next morning, we packed up, vacated our place of stay and went to the train station at Venice. We had about 2 hours left before we boarded the train to Florence, our next destination in Italy. There was a huge line for the locker room. So we decided to take turns to do one last round before we left Venice. The husband and kid visited a nearby church while I watched our luggage. For my turn, I just bought a gelato, climbed up a bridge and savored it staring at the waters below, watching boats pass by and looking at the buildings, houses and shops lining the banks, taking in one last piece of Venice before we left :)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-6997604143194689612021-05-13T05:33:00.002-07:002021-06-26T21:10:53.898-07:00Switzerland Day 5 - Bidding Adieu with a trip to Heidi land!<p>On our last day in Switzerland, we decided to wrap up with a visit to Mount Stanserhorn. After the customary early morning rise, cooking and packing, we vacated our place of stay and put away the luggage in the lockers at the Lucerne railway station (a fully automated, convenient and safe option). We then picked up some goodies at one of the cafes and boarded a bus to reach the base of Mount Stanserhorn, where a very quaint wooden cogwheel train greeted us :) As always, the ascent was lush green and we were constantly accompanied by the typical clang of the Swiss cattle bells.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxHUMSWgLo8MLbpZ77Dp2O4FqEHIHLYBzav5_hYTMGo9vwhLkLVGit7Rb3WDLDSRsfws2zKmaDOX9so5DeYFH796s0hHegVtL2swyALX8vBFP9E3pAPKM0NL-OZM19o4vUOVQZyvaVII/s2580/IMG_20191001_133613.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxHUMSWgLo8MLbpZ77Dp2O4FqEHIHLYBzav5_hYTMGo9vwhLkLVGit7Rb3WDLDSRsfws2zKmaDOX9so5DeYFH796s0hHegVtL2swyALX8vBFP9E3pAPKM0NL-OZM19o4vUOVQZyvaVII/w302-h640/IMG_20191001_133613.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIn3A14HRf_Vocs6y4d7cM61sobXtA0lERnyjAxPEPmfTS8fzPAZJ6f7_6-DcLdu9zMOjJoV5oICzfxDtX7ZP14drazMfaH66UjnjbZ00VMGHYO7uX35GGC2-VjnRfXtELn-oC9vf_Qw/s2048/IMG_20191001_131940.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1258" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIn3A14HRf_Vocs6y4d7cM61sobXtA0lERnyjAxPEPmfTS8fzPAZJ6f7_6-DcLdu9zMOjJoV5oICzfxDtX7ZP14drazMfaH66UjnjbZ00VMGHYO7uX35GGC2-VjnRfXtELn-oC9vf_Qw/w394-h640/IMG_20191001_131940.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="394" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The magical view as we chugged up the mountain</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>After alighting from the cogwheel train, we walked up the remaining distance on the very neatly laid trek path. The scenery was truly a grand finale to our Swiss trip - stunning green and snowy mountains all around and absolute silence with just the cattle bells reverberating across the valley every now and then. I remember standing still for a while, just to take in the scene around me and soak in that silence. Those moments of total silence while surrounded by nature still remain etched in my memory. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbs6RVPuyFk-wO1dHNPZi6at1m5UG-PplnmlPfLcVv_Uf0uuAlu0s4-_ElcFRlGu9Yg4ZvG2J2CN0cCykYraG-p9pAgT6bd9s4OV6a-jC2nyd39SH_DSPXNcc58FSExrCIbjtBckc09Q/s2580/IMG_20191001_121420.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbs6RVPuyFk-wO1dHNPZi6at1m5UG-PplnmlPfLcVv_Uf0uuAlu0s4-_ElcFRlGu9Yg4ZvG2J2CN0cCykYraG-p9pAgT6bd9s4OV6a-jC2nyd39SH_DSPXNcc58FSExrCIbjtBckc09Q/w640-h302/IMG_20191001_121420.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The imposing mountains and lush greenery that surrounded us as we trekked up</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After that scenic trek up to the summit where we spent some time enjoying the panoramic views, we began our descent and a surprise awaited me. A little wooden cabin stood enroute with a board that said 'Heidi's house'! I did a quick google search and found out that the fictional town and setting that featured in the book 'Heidi' was actually conceptualised based on this very mountain! Oh how thrilled I was! I had read Heidi just the previous summer and completely fallen in love with everything about the book, especially the fairytale mountaintop village where Heidi lived with her grandfather. I looked around the mountains with renewed awe and went into a reverie for a while until a cranky kid and a harried husband with eyes on the clock shook me out of it. We had a train to catch and a flight to board soon after that!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNOYsISoId4nncQra7XwwYqNbkkrNIr6cKW-ZHvS6d6QnXFq_946c0vmWDsvZ0_fG4SffsE-BjtFm6D4InzHARFWu18Jl973P0NyhYcPdTV32gVBz2NjDz9PwLTpATIZkcuaZovtJ-HE/s2580/IMG_20191001_125446.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNOYsISoId4nncQra7XwwYqNbkkrNIr6cKW-ZHvS6d6QnXFq_946c0vmWDsvZ0_fG4SffsE-BjtFm6D4InzHARFWu18Jl973P0NyhYcPdTV32gVBz2NjDz9PwLTpATIZkcuaZovtJ-HE/w302-h640/IMG_20191001_125446.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heidi's house!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A dream like cogwheel ride, bus ride and train ride later, we bid adieu to the most beautiful place in the world and flew over to the next leg of our trip - Italy. We landed in Venice, looking forward to explore the magical and historic islands from a bygone era :) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-12559138509904039072021-02-09T01:16:00.005-08:002021-02-09T01:27:28.540-08:00Switzerland Day 4 - Lake Lucerne and Mount Rigi<p>Having settled down at our accommodation at Lucerne, we did the all important laundry, walked at a nearby grassland to watch the sunset, cooked and ate dinner. I also learnt all the buttons and codes needed to operate inside the digital fortress that we were staying in. The cupboard dryer did not exactly cupboard dry the clothes and the husband did multiple dryer rounds. We finally spread them out on every surface in the room and in this ambience, we crashed on our beds and went into a sound sleep.</p><p>Come morning, we were up and ready for our mountain hike. A cruise on the beautiful Lake Lucerne took us to the foot of mount Rigi. An extremely scenic cogwheel train ride later, we had snaked right up the mountain. Here are the pictures.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkkqiwTSH-zh0FnlvznPxPsh6XQrZHALx8Fh8YilrOB-L0Ms1vqxhu1HCaPfWwAisqLTWcbfCixiYXGf2DUOB3mkKWRmWADYBZi-nQDmxipqueO9J4h0stvZg__QmUzUhZnOdKsFIGig/s2580/IMG_20190930_100029.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkkqiwTSH-zh0FnlvznPxPsh6XQrZHALx8Fh8YilrOB-L0Ms1vqxhu1HCaPfWwAisqLTWcbfCixiYXGf2DUOB3mkKWRmWADYBZi-nQDmxipqueO9J4h0stvZg__QmUzUhZnOdKsFIGig/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_100029.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Lucerne</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgnqbWqQeGmljyjFHrzJ49SmiUzOo9rAw2SRFnmhtE81HTn5hw8pAsAeuv0yx0zAPjZkUN2jHQICWGbbL71aZhASM7XgRx0Ntt3pAFcCI_3QQV7bg_OEvU81Ivnuy6yFdu7rDmP8elPg/s2580/IMG_20190930_112923.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgnqbWqQeGmljyjFHrzJ49SmiUzOo9rAw2SRFnmhtE81HTn5hw8pAsAeuv0yx0zAPjZkUN2jHQICWGbbL71aZhASM7XgRx0Ntt3pAFcCI_3QQV7bg_OEvU81Ivnuy6yFdu7rDmP8elPg/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_112923.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of the lake as we cogwheeled up Mount Rigi :)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcl7lEDXR_JyDJx6a3oRnUy3tSI6-aXnheu1MV3KFmEygO1lFz4myFcrec3T6rSmhvKfE0HKj_Zh-tf_xZkZGk23tWpJutgamgRkJjSqWNV78C5-v_0FarkSVPTnXD9errIdiugaCcmw/s2580/IMG_20190930_132607.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcl7lEDXR_JyDJx6a3oRnUy3tSI6-aXnheu1MV3KFmEygO1lFz4myFcrec3T6rSmhvKfE0HKj_Zh-tf_xZkZGk23tWpJutgamgRkJjSqWNV78C5-v_0FarkSVPTnXD9errIdiugaCcmw/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_132607.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Lost in these breathtaking views, we reached the top of Mount Rigi. But as luck would have it, it was a very foggy day and absolutely nothing was visible from the top. It was quite cold and we waited for sometime at a cafe while treating ourselves to some hot soup and snacks. Even after an hour, the fog showed no signs of clearing up and so we started to trek down to a lower height to get some views. And what a treat it was! </p><p>As we gradually walked down the neatly laid trek path, we were constantly accompanied by views of lake Lucerne surrounded by mountains and green slopes all the way. The rows of pine trees at some places, meadows at another, different angles and different heights created a fresh scenery at every turn and we were wonderstruck by each of them without exception. We stopped, started, took pictures and could just not have enough of it all! </p><p>Kid enjoyed in his own way, playing with fallen pine cones and jibber jabbering all the way :). He also collected a bunch of pine cones and put them in the back sack of his pram, laying down a rule that it absolutely had to remain there at all times. We were questioned about it in every single airport security check for the rest of the trip and it stayed at home for a month thereafter, until I stealthily did away with them one day :) </p><p>Here are some pictures we clicked during our trek down Mount Rigi.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklb3DCLlPKCA6qozaRdN-VbwU4M_A608MU_XSqzoyUaNpMsw0IRiZutfIQpcFmeCaEBswVILps1QCqGyKgaKLMcJLnp9eiKwg9B7MgzJ17ppYzEu56y7lOwfsOjbivtO1uumgz-IC9Hg/s2580/IMG_20190930_135940.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklb3DCLlPKCA6qozaRdN-VbwU4M_A608MU_XSqzoyUaNpMsw0IRiZutfIQpcFmeCaEBswVILps1QCqGyKgaKLMcJLnp9eiKwg9B7MgzJ17ppYzEu56y7lOwfsOjbivtO1uumgz-IC9Hg/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_135940.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qhwRS01IDKvQvUIniUpJ2r0_o7ha8WOA2jdLi40yaUb4eobYuCUHyCONQ243KweInI48VIj_fHfj9o-wonYM5jO08PSbI3lj7rY0xFGTC69iZNkC7Iq-aEWgCiTGnmKoHqbPKMaFJas/s2048/IMG_20190930_144205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qhwRS01IDKvQvUIniUpJ2r0_o7ha8WOA2jdLi40yaUb4eobYuCUHyCONQ243KweInI48VIj_fHfj9o-wonYM5jO08PSbI3lj7rY0xFGTC69iZNkC7Iq-aEWgCiTGnmKoHqbPKMaFJas/w640-h480/IMG_20190930_144205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2upN6a0vlnZV_mzQJSK46D2J3VMMl4TX0ZYbap0v92tuuheiv2niT7kRN9fuxcvbKTemfqlvkClCSoUWE7c1dGNDRv6-V7gzTAj-TO7N9f37WQFFE__EHUU3TYwMrBmmr1bYsjRLBzw/s2580/IMG_20190930_151330.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2upN6a0vlnZV_mzQJSK46D2J3VMMl4TX0ZYbap0v92tuuheiv2niT7kRN9fuxcvbKTemfqlvkClCSoUWE7c1dGNDRv6-V7gzTAj-TO7N9f37WQFFE__EHUU3TYwMrBmmr1bYsjRLBzw/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_151330.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMcoKraCy0lPi4mqoT62lbnlvbytTLCy8VNY_265blv_qz5NXwJmBUPU87gxmEH__sY0PD-7fTOiPmy84lRJ6e4XGb8-gWI-DJEZZs8tCL-2-SdJmM31qsCS4yNFN-Elznq-KDzruIVs/s2580/IMG_20190930_153114.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMcoKraCy0lPi4mqoT62lbnlvbytTLCy8VNY_265blv_qz5NXwJmBUPU87gxmEH__sY0PD-7fTOiPmy84lRJ6e4XGb8-gWI-DJEZZs8tCL-2-SdJmM31qsCS4yNFN-Elznq-KDzruIVs/w302-h640/IMG_20190930_153114.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQeHH4P65II6ilkQDupWMPGEtYcceWXy9OuDonz9GUtPJsU8qwTS9XaDq2gDsP_wpwFTy89lo9y8beA-hpp_r1z1n_9v7EIDWK2HbKe8j90BMc4HdQE-bIyUsSRu5HOH0ykr5x9mqhh0/s2580/IMG_20190930_153419.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQeHH4P65II6ilkQDupWMPGEtYcceWXy9OuDonz9GUtPJsU8qwTS9XaDq2gDsP_wpwFTy89lo9y8beA-hpp_r1z1n_9v7EIDWK2HbKe8j90BMc4HdQE-bIyUsSRu5HOH0ykr5x9mqhh0/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_153419.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We did the last part of the descent on a cable car. After alighting and walking through what felt like a painting of clean, green meadows peppered with chalets and houses, we reached the banks of Lake Lucerne. </p><p>After a nice meal of tasty spagetthi at a cafe, we spent some time by the lakeside on a wooden dock and the little one had his evening meal watching the ducks swim by. There was still some time left for our cruise ship to come and we used the time to stroll the streets and get a feel of the place. </p><p>The people were extremely polite and law abiding. The minute an approaching car spots us trying to cross a road, they would see the kid and pram and stop the car to let us pass! It seemed so unusual from back home where everyone wants to go first :)</p><p>After a pleasant walk, we were back at the banks of lake Lucerne and the cruise ship came bang on time. We got in and enjoyed a breezy, quiet and scenic trip back to the mainland. </p><p>After alighting, we went to the much famed flower bridge at Lucerne. It looked as beautiful in reality as it does in the pictures that abound on the internet. After walking through it and clicking pictures, we strolled the surrounding area. With pretty buildings lining the sides of the lake and to the accompaniment of street musicians singing and playing the harmonica, the sun slowly began to set, shining an ethereal light on the entire scene. And we just stood and took it all in.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yq07-VlE-GBJamfjjxIs00TKXI8HQf5OFMRaJrC3FPtungse9GzmV0wVF1vwmb-PP2PAEMXmnmMIXFmW-54wk0eQkmJCiSDAP9DdQLNFEnEMeWPxgXPo3UovAC6GAWwSNG-t_phijNA/s2580/IMG_20190930_192022.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yq07-VlE-GBJamfjjxIs00TKXI8HQf5OFMRaJrC3FPtungse9GzmV0wVF1vwmb-PP2PAEMXmnmMIXFmW-54wk0eQkmJCiSDAP9DdQLNFEnEMeWPxgXPo3UovAC6GAWwSNG-t_phijNA/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_192022.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucerne at Sunset</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDOkelc6V8gyavkxtDtP6CbppZySvXpjep5G4EUIIbuksqP0ZrNDN1fsKCXWI78KGDSZpl2arct7_JWbnPjnGHkgTQlQ1n4J5zIlnvi4BW5YoJR8QyVO6l3Zm0OWhB31QPXs8-7ELh4I/s2580/IMG_20190930_192314.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDOkelc6V8gyavkxtDtP6CbppZySvXpjep5G4EUIIbuksqP0ZrNDN1fsKCXWI78KGDSZpl2arct7_JWbnPjnGHkgTQlQ1n4J5zIlnvi4BW5YoJR8QyVO6l3Zm0OWhB31QPXs8-7ELh4I/w640-h302/IMG_20190930_192314.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chapel Bridge</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-68695767225534606172020-12-06T01:49:00.002-08:002020-12-06T01:49:43.476-08:00Switzerland - Day 3 - The touristy pitfall that we could have avoided!<p>The Glacier Express is much advertised as one of the most breathtaking train rides that you must absolutely take, if you ever went to Switzerland. We bent backwards, took two trains to reach a station that it passes through and again took a train back from the alighting point to get to our next stop in the trip. All of that trouble just to ride it.</p><p>It was our last evening at Interlaken. After an unbelievably beautiful cruise on Lake Brienz in the evening, we reached our Chalet at about 7:30 PM. Post cooking and eating dinner, the husband took little one to sleep and I spent the next two hours washing the vessels and our lunch boxes from the day, cleaning the kitchen, rearranging washed and unwashed clothes into separate suitcases and laid out clothes for all of us the next day. In the morning, we would have time only to cook for the whole day ahead, bathe, get ready, take our bags and leave.</p><p>The following day, we were up and about from 4 AM and left our dreamy little chalet in the fairytale village of Ringgenberg at about 6:30 AM. We crossed the road to reach the bus stop, only to realise after a 10 minute wait that the early morning bus did not ply on Sundays and we had a train to catch from Interlaken at 7:40! We hurriedly hauled our heavy suitcases and the kid on the pram to reach the Ringgenberg railway station since Google told us that a train that would reach Interlaken sooner than that would stop there. Huffing and puffing, we somehow made it to the little railway station and sat down for a 5 minute wait.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sjOor4rY5wibsNyIaVYBxh0nNgS8OXR0RnDcilufH6FFbAb_9BvtXLNe-nc5fF73B-jHnwg3qwx41lydtRqyJo1JI7ohQCC1xZKvsbExcSRLKArWAhyphenhyphen02F1LjofGWDtTJLzmQkpVHcQ/s2580/IMG_20190929_071545.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sjOor4rY5wibsNyIaVYBxh0nNgS8OXR0RnDcilufH6FFbAb_9BvtXLNe-nc5fF73B-jHnwg3qwx41lydtRqyJo1JI7ohQCC1xZKvsbExcSRLKArWAhyphenhyphen02F1LjofGWDtTJLzmQkpVHcQ/w302-h640/IMG_20190929_071545.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 5 minutes of peace at the Ringgenberg Railway Station</td></tr></tbody></table><p>That was the first time we paused since the morning and we enjoyed the Ringgenberg scene and air for one last time. Train came, we got in, got down at Interlaken, took a mad rush to the next train, settled in, caught our breath and drank Hibiscus tea with the aid of the tea bag and hot water from the flask. The biggest warrior in all of this was my husband who kept track of where to go, when, how and what to do if something went amiss like missing a bus or train! </p><p>The train journey was as usual breathtaking as it wound through huge green mountains, lakes and typical picturesque Swiss villages. We finally reached the train station from where we were to board the Glacier Express. The train was all glass on the sides and top in order to give a panoramic view, boasted of an on board restaurant service and charged a bomb that was not covered by the Swiss pass. But the views were sadly the only ones that we did not enjoy much in our entire Swiss trip!</p><p>While it took us through the highest ranges of the Alps, it was mostly rocky, brown and coarse mountain slopes. The glass made the sun beat down all day and the glare through the glass was unbearable. We just sat with sunglasses on, catching some nice views once in a while and ended up lamenting about a whole day and herculean efforts wasted in our precious 5 day Switzerland stay. </p><p>It would be wrong to entirely denounce the Glacier Express but what with the sun glaring all day without respite and a rocky scenery that was not much to our taste, it felt like a trip in vain. Personally, we felt it was no match to the stunning lush greenery, mountains and lakes that abound all over Switzerland. The trains that we took to go from one place to another passed much more beautiful scenes than this.</p><p>Here are some of the nicer views from the Glacier Express ride :</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLfq_AeCa6bVIaIUxTGFuwYZw8lheoxh70TDo4ohyphenhyphenO0OHZq0bW2vPxBlYWiV5srpMfITT01-AmnY1LNSCF-1BnkgqAHB_keqXqeGZt7_0ImlM-bRDh-X2ZdXtePQkmwUCtb60gp_obgw/s2580/IMG_20190929_105840_01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLfq_AeCa6bVIaIUxTGFuwYZw8lheoxh70TDo4ohyphenhyphenO0OHZq0bW2vPxBlYWiV5srpMfITT01-AmnY1LNSCF-1BnkgqAHB_keqXqeGZt7_0ImlM-bRDh-X2ZdXtePQkmwUCtb60gp_obgw/w640-h302/IMG_20190929_105840_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkyMrQFsot98A0CQa4CUTEJBiYTh0nv8CLAibcyTIsXUWtxiownVi19w8p8VqLdgfvQknT4PyMRbIAZaT8vobq3dQxWsJSjPe3N2rzsareSsTTqhOCkOXNHls5hZyhnbrUHvNvNZ0uHg/s2580/IMG_20190929_105843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkyMrQFsot98A0CQa4CUTEJBiYTh0nv8CLAibcyTIsXUWtxiownVi19w8p8VqLdgfvQknT4PyMRbIAZaT8vobq3dQxWsJSjPe3N2rzsareSsTTqhOCkOXNHls5hZyhnbrUHvNvNZ0uHg/w640-h302/IMG_20190929_105843.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Later on, we read between the lines of the brochure to realise that all they promised to offer was a kind of luxury train ride where you could enjoy fine dining while riding through the mountains. What a wrong choice for us! Back home, we Indians have always been eating on board trains as they chugged past all kinds of scenery :) Maybe a lot less 'luxurious' but hey, that is certainly not an 'experience' as such for us!</p><p>We then caught the connecting train to Lucerne, our last stop in Switzerland, and it was a tired, spent and disappointed lot that went into a kind of digital fortress that we had booked for our stay there. A huge tall glass building where everything from opening the main door, lifts and the apartment required codes. It all seemed so robotic to me and I took a while to get used to it! We had chosen this place more from a functionality point of view - proximity to the bus stop, a washing facility that had a 'cupboard dry' dryer. (Through our entire trip, we had planned our places of stay in such a way that one with a 'cupboard dry' dryer facility came once every week! Our clothes management deserves a separate post in itself which I think I shall write :))</p><p>Lucerne was a typical city. We alighted in a very crowded railway station, ate at a famous Vegan restaurant there and took a long long time to decipher the right bus stop and bus number. Though all of this was just by the shores of lake Lucerne, the crowded afternoon scene did not quite scale up to the fairytale Swiss villages that had played host to us until now and I started having apprehensions that our 'right out of a dream' Swiss holiday was over. How wrong I was ! Mount Rigi, Mount Stanserhorn and Lake Lucerne gave the perfect finish to the dream that came true :)</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-26645319792713294672020-11-08T00:56:00.000-08:002020-11-08T00:56:14.503-08:00Siwtzerland - Snow Capped Mountains, Fairytale Villages and a Lake Cruise<p> After thinking a lot about the summits that we wanted to visit, we settled on Mount Schilthorn instead of the much advertised Jungfrau. We wanted more of the magical green meadows, quaint wooden chalets and the silence of the valleys broken only by the clanging of cattle bells, rather than travelling through tunnels to simply reach a mountain summit.</p><p>We took a train from Interlaken to Lautebrunnen. The little village caught our fancy as soon as we stepped out, with its huge landscapes of typical swiss meadows, towering mountains, small clean roads lined with chalets and crystal clear water bodies crisscrossing here and there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP93xismGE9kZiSNwgo0QN330LXGwHd0TNtmoKgmuuA00WDY-fMS_KFiLpOO6bzS_3Qlhxs5ksqqIYrGS9zwWQoL0Hg-UOv1IVSNsqrbckI89zgu3lSaOnMGuNDi-r2g55qkEZr5zyZM/s2580/IMG_20190928_082848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP93xismGE9kZiSNwgo0QN330LXGwHd0TNtmoKgmuuA00WDY-fMS_KFiLpOO6bzS_3Qlhxs5ksqqIYrGS9zwWQoL0Hg-UOv1IVSNsqrbckI89zgu3lSaOnMGuNDi-r2g55qkEZr5zyZM/w640-h302/IMG_20190928_082848.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbcbE1HWV2Q1jVpBFnLI4UTlSUs8MQOrMVNMrUsE9cu_90JSlIA_EIoEd8gaQq1emnkkvPlHepqVNwBSBqlQ93dLy-lgb8U22lSvmNvLMpv8zy29lp4IcsqOQM-ME7k-LpYBGf9tP9v8/s2580/IMG_20190928_090310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbcbE1HWV2Q1jVpBFnLI4UTlSUs8MQOrMVNMrUsE9cu_90JSlIA_EIoEd8gaQq1emnkkvPlHepqVNwBSBqlQ93dLy-lgb8U22lSvmNvLMpv8zy29lp4IcsqOQM-ME7k-LpYBGf9tP9v8/w302-h640/IMG_20190928_090310.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><p>We stopped by a cafe to have some pastry and hot chocolate and the little one found a cat to watch gleefully :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-jSHLKuTsFc9tRz6AqcHTeei5eWWP5J5STi8-oNf20RsmJUH7FZml96GdSap29nTwn3xrxCADc4TawSbmkYo-ROs_7GVcuUV9YIN4ZZqFVbYHuZhAtp2zcMEGPHjYbozQR4cE0_arXg/s2580/IMG_20190928_092658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-jSHLKuTsFc9tRz6AqcHTeei5eWWP5J5STi8-oNf20RsmJUH7FZml96GdSap29nTwn3xrxCADc4TawSbmkYo-ROs_7GVcuUV9YIN4ZZqFVbYHuZhAtp2zcMEGPHjYbozQR4cE0_arXg/w302-h640/IMG_20190928_092658.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><p>A bus took us to the boarding point for the cable care hike up to the summit of Mount Schilthorn. Views from the cable car were breathtaking to say the least! I will never forget the childlike 'oooohhh' that everyone chorused, every time the cable car crossed a tethering pole (or whatever that is called!). It was a nice shared moment among all the unknown people snaking up the mountain, suspended on a rope :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi715Bc_KdvHVpl_qc9NP9iknM-v_zLLSOQgz8WJsUG_jBVsfGWFuqx0Ko021lq2p0vj2kW_GnNkRVJBqSMEALpSb9w7t0l701RwcUc_W2MkuWjRt-m0ETEkJA67WNX5mTtld82zHaib4Y/s2580/IMG_20190928_115802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi715Bc_KdvHVpl_qc9NP9iknM-v_zLLSOQgz8WJsUG_jBVsfGWFuqx0Ko021lq2p0vj2kW_GnNkRVJBqSMEALpSb9w7t0l701RwcUc_W2MkuWjRt-m0ETEkJA67WNX5mTtld82zHaib4Y/w302-h640/IMG_20190928_115802.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic view from the cable car</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The summit of Mount Schilthorn was a pretty picture of snow capped mountains. It was a clear day and the views were spectacular. Kid looked out of a window and told me 'Amma, Inga yaro snow kottika' (Amma, someone has spilt snow here ) :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dzE2GHcaGeRQI6_NVEoBEkBdasMbN0VQq4VAYbbZqMzc2K95sgYXqQ4eaL_bhfc3zSpaD9fF5qZRzP4CwM_B3aJbe3_MV28bASd9xqPwsiihx8GH9Y7Rmjxyqcitrtaryi1S-6Ha4qY/s2580/IMG_20190928_123113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dzE2GHcaGeRQI6_NVEoBEkBdasMbN0VQq4VAYbbZqMzc2K95sgYXqQ4eaL_bhfc3zSpaD9fF5qZRzP4CwM_B3aJbe3_MV28bASd9xqPwsiihx8GH9Y7Rmjxyqcitrtaryi1S-6Ha4qY/w640-h302/IMG_20190928_123113.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>After taking in the mountain views, we had some hot, tasty soup and the kid had his share of cake. He and I then settled for his cat nap while the husband went and explored all around for a second time. Post the nap and the picture clicking sessions, we began our cable car descent. </p><p>Instead of going all the way down by cable car, we stepped out into a fairyland village called Murren which had views of all the mountain ranges around. We simply walked through Murren, enjoying both the spectacular mountain views and the small winding roads dotted with flower decorated chalets. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz0ZAwIea9LvT4fEWCy1hr8RZsotYganvLS_C5-1NO3bas5wFk0Ma-5DEl1BBxXSoCJlibyzwwPXsIcBfLgbcE3WyTlt6LTOVtcTYQGcFkYOPeKbqlV9hkFnYvuh4rkfH1GS7o-1LzyY/s2048/IMG_20190928_144034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz0ZAwIea9LvT4fEWCy1hr8RZsotYganvLS_C5-1NO3bas5wFk0Ma-5DEl1BBxXSoCJlibyzwwPXsIcBfLgbcE3WyTlt6LTOVtcTYQGcFkYOPeKbqlV9hkFnYvuh4rkfH1GS7o-1LzyY/w480-h640/IMG_20190928_144034.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picturesque village of Murren </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then took a toy train down the rest of the distance, thanks to the swiss pass which lets you freely hop off and on every mode of transport!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A train took us back to Interlaken and we ended the day with a dreamlike cruise on Lake Brienz.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBwAxWjdheSOUL8swMWQKpeze6gxsTjd4QwcHmrmCKqMILsS489jUyPNoz27UXCbIwVO6IGN3pgK7UrYLo-nc-KW-8bG5T3c6xwRqbBeOKQzKPq9ddO6l-xQtM79A1AJq2ljSVtfpKoM/s2580/IMG_20190928_180613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBwAxWjdheSOUL8swMWQKpeze6gxsTjd4QwcHmrmCKqMILsS489jUyPNoz27UXCbIwVO6IGN3pgK7UrYLo-nc-KW-8bG5T3c6xwRqbBeOKQzKPq9ddO6l-xQtM79A1AJq2ljSVtfpKoM/w640-h302/IMG_20190928_180613.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-63405809752363653412020-09-27T21:17:00.000-07:002020-09-27T21:17:17.551-07:00Of Lush Green Mountains, Pristine Lakes and Wooden Chalets Usually, when people and the media rave about something as being unbelievably beautiful, it turns out to be over hyped. Sometimes it becomes a fad to say so or it is a result of carefully designed and targeted communication. But if there is a place that is consistently described as 'out of the world' beautiful and totally lives up to its images, videos and reputation - Switzerland it is! And I officially joined the bandwagon of people who cannot stop wondering at it, as soon our train from Paris started rolling into this wonderland.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCAzx3Ruoa6gDQJwaujI99mTLAzZ9hKwcCRzqBzDnsNFBLQYNL0jeFgGWJFxDUGzujaaB9k_A-5MmJJgEy8b_KJZPaWZ0p4Shfc-qAmZ1TVVSaFVYBpMV3PnFruerD3JXGHy2gbR41R8/s2580/IMG_20190927_123937.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCAzx3Ruoa6gDQJwaujI99mTLAzZ9hKwcCRzqBzDnsNFBLQYNL0jeFgGWJFxDUGzujaaB9k_A-5MmJJgEy8b_KJZPaWZ0p4Shfc-qAmZ1TVVSaFVYBpMV3PnFruerD3JXGHy2gbR41R8/w640-h302/IMG_20190927_123937.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many sights that welcomed us into Switzerland</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh9CmOowrh67PnXDY1NqoIdiV2UtiG5B9ALTA2L5xUg_VzeoYCwFaHYtBoViD-p_ptJDm3XDBN7ENkW4sB-iOm7-v0rGTwi7wfPKDEYZFsG2ySO77DchNMODF3_pISLEvWtmTYMiVAlA/s2580/IMG_20190927_124435.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh9CmOowrh67PnXDY1NqoIdiV2UtiG5B9ALTA2L5xUg_VzeoYCwFaHYtBoViD-p_ptJDm3XDBN7ENkW4sB-iOm7-v0rGTwi7wfPKDEYZFsG2ySO77DchNMODF3_pISLEvWtmTYMiVAlA/w640-h302/IMG_20190927_124435.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we stood transfixed ..</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>With the train journey to Interlaken began the experience of being awestruck and staring at unbelievable natural beauty all the time. Add to it a public transport network of buses and trains that struck like clockwork and heaven it was to be there all through!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtQd6edR6tpSbmU-zucZd2S2e2KPZxjVIcqaGpU59XRBGUsmVb3C304EAqkUZbqZEx_uZmrDokh4fo5Z51tdDeNbpFQkpqWU33ffjt8dfLdCPo_gcwxDJnJHds0dK9v6KNce0kmvnbx8/s2580/IMG_20190927_180150.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtQd6edR6tpSbmU-zucZd2S2e2KPZxjVIcqaGpU59XRBGUsmVb3C304EAqkUZbqZEx_uZmrDokh4fo5Z51tdDeNbpFQkpqWU33ffjt8dfLdCPo_gcwxDJnJHds0dK9v6KNce0kmvnbx8/w640-h302/IMG_20190927_180150.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interlaken Railway Station :)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We had booked an AirBnB in a small village called 'Ringgenberg' which was a 20 minute bus ride from the Interlaken Railway station. The bus arrived bang on time and drove us through a view of towering green mountains and beautiful wooden chalets lining the roads. It completely felt like being a part a fairy tale :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Our chalet stood opposite to the small bus station and near the banks of lake Brienz, its shimmering blue waters placidly rocking to the winds against a backdrop of huge green mountains.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCzpSsOA32olnohiOnKQETE0oDfpnpAQu4s7sIV0lBQ3A1hHYQ56Lt8p18_CCWKg4-qWcCWTocbXfp6QTm_QMFZ8Vf8palNxnGRcBrK2BKS_ir-ieUKhq-1y6iTT23a4buOpT8pOjBVA/s2580/IMG_20190927_140904.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCzpSsOA32olnohiOnKQETE0oDfpnpAQu4s7sIV0lBQ3A1hHYQ56Lt8p18_CCWKg4-qWcCWTocbXfp6QTm_QMFZ8Vf8palNxnGRcBrK2BKS_ir-ieUKhq-1y6iTT23a4buOpT8pOjBVA/w640-h302/IMG_20190927_140904.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Ringgenberg</span> in a single frame :)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The quaint wooden chalet totally won our hearts with the little apple tree in the garden and the view that greeted us when we stood at the door. I also discovered the divine taste of Hibiscus tea - a flavour which intrigued me when I saw it and won me over, as I sat on the porch sipping it, watching the mountains.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iB0j7svoqB_fJ6XcZ6_APRUIXRIesDoZ3T0R3vVjKyAHd8tmtijOHzbUQvEbPwTkXrnHydfVC_BDP7LoL6ts2usnxhS2ARWBLXwKKIYtlQOqCCL1c1o4huvzxHY5W6zEDI2kDsrIA9A/s2580/IMG_20190927_140939.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="1218" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iB0j7svoqB_fJ6XcZ6_APRUIXRIesDoZ3T0R3vVjKyAHd8tmtijOHzbUQvEbPwTkXrnHydfVC_BDP7LoL6ts2usnxhS2ARWBLXwKKIYtlQOqCCL1c1o4huvzxHY5W6zEDI2kDsrIA9A/w302-h640/IMG_20190927_140939.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The doorway framed this pretty picture :) </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After settling in, we took a bus back to the Interlaken railway station to buy our Swiss passes and finalise the places to visit over the next 2 days of our stay there. After getting our passes, a bit of inquiry,shopping for essentials and strolling around, bus 102 took us back to Ringgenberg.</div><div><br /></div><div>With a kid who had to be fed and put to bed, we took turns with the chores and an evening walk by the lake. Husband went first and came back transfixed by its beauty. It was then my turn. As the blue waters quietly rocking to the wind came into my view, I felt a sense of total calm descend upon my being. I sat down in one of the wooden platforms and just stared for over 20 minutes. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOihM67zdwLZIwSXL1zV4fYnaV0lhiK-ZFl1laXzCM3Y-1v3jit8kkecA52G8DoagXDvubx6YjiX9I3xS3Jm-8QqKO9ukNp_qBbcfQ6PVwd8gRs8GQoZprEnT87WMICoulKJTv-pWnFDs/s2580/IMG_20190928_175336.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="2580" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOihM67zdwLZIwSXL1zV4fYnaV0lhiK-ZFl1laXzCM3Y-1v3jit8kkecA52G8DoagXDvubx6YjiX9I3xS3Jm-8QqKO9ukNp_qBbcfQ6PVwd8gRs8GQoZprEnT87WMICoulKJTv-pWnFDs/w640-h302/IMG_20190928_175336.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The turquoise waters of Lake Brienz </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I just could not get enough of the scene in front of me, the quiet around me and the purity of the air that I was breathing in. I strangely found myself take a vow that I would go back and push myself much harder with my volunteering endevours. Simply because I felt I was super lucky for being in that place and having those moments and felt all the more obliged to the world for those magical moments given to me.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-41997602677914350432020-07-23T22:05:00.001-07:002020-07-23T23:09:47.427-07:00Paris - The Iconic Landmarks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This was a day we spent visiting all the iconic landmarks of Paris. Since all of them were located within quite a small radius, we had the pleasure of walking around in leisure and taking in all the sights, colours and the overall feel of Paris. With cloudy, breezy weather and art displays all over the side walks, it turned out to be such an idyllic setting!<br />
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Our first stop was the 'Sainte-Chapelle', much famed for its stained glass paintings and it sure did not disappoint! It was such a beautiful sight and we were equally amazed by the amount of effort that had been put in to refurbish and preserve them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLLw-qZcCm3PUvmzLf86S-RDF-MusVWBQCsz5_owI4bkBjAUapD8hozItTPY6X14ozrvvzAonlEKqqbgqphOezBYAdNt2fbpQGvOpkOocABSY5DaJkPJdsZQwYQ1JF7B3bJ6Xu9Oci-8/s1600/IMG_20190926_093016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLLw-qZcCm3PUvmzLf86S-RDF-MusVWBQCsz5_owI4bkBjAUapD8hozItTPY6X14ozrvvzAonlEKqqbgqphOezBYAdNt2fbpQGvOpkOocABSY5DaJkPJdsZQwYQ1JF7B3bJ6Xu9Oci-8/s320/IMG_20190926_093016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The magnificent stained glass paintings that walled the shrine</td></tr>
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We then walked back to the Seine river bank and spent some time in one of the bridges above the river, watching cruise boats go by and taking in the beautiful scenery of the river lined by historic buildings. The little one had a great time waving at the cruise boats and was thrilled when people waved back :)<br />
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Next in list was the Louvre museum. Standing in the long line and seeing exhibits in the museum was out of question with a five year old. So we chose not to go in and see the museum itself. Instead, we spent time around the famed pyramid and the Tuileries gardens right across the museum.<br />
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The pyramids and the ancient architecture around it was in itself a sight to wonder at!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMRS_u0zXVmgEKt1VS6nMiIdZ62PwoEDdsrpL09_JRbrJmp9pi1iLK1ryirabCtVh3THSalL8hmLzn_DEfB6poe7qgc-HKPPgiLkjboWktsNoYBZTsTaE_12R7crtG-TcH2TfBdRR3jU/s1600/IMG_20190926_114836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMRS_u0zXVmgEKt1VS6nMiIdZ62PwoEDdsrpL09_JRbrJmp9pi1iLK1ryirabCtVh3THSalL8hmLzn_DEfB6poe7qgc-HKPPgiLkjboWktsNoYBZTsTaE_12R7crtG-TcH2TfBdRR3jU/s320/IMG_20190926_114836.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kiddo was pleased to be let out of his stroller and ran all around :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A long shot of the Louvre museum exterior</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy592oDrcdjrBY6u1uT8wN1wvV_DgwVnBNsZL43HZZfnYb2hxf06Tqc1VvhHYZ7q-VPmiQfrWxKcULZCyZNaGhDcB9Xd1UZVlz4kIrAsRZ1YAS6g0LOA10u6PdVLc1GeWA3cRgvPYUvFw/s1600/IMG_20190926_130717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy592oDrcdjrBY6u1uT8wN1wvV_DgwVnBNsZL43HZZfnYb2hxf06Tqc1VvhHYZ7q-VPmiQfrWxKcULZCyZNaGhDcB9Xd1UZVlz4kIrAsRZ1YAS6g0LOA10u6PdVLc1GeWA3cRgvPYUvFw/s320/IMG_20190926_130717.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the side of a lovely pond in the lush green Tuileries Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfXA7J-znUBbzpBsLYCjiSSZhEB-zyrqUgSsqta1NvXLH1iyCpjTGxd1j06t5I_QUQXMkzzoAGEpbYKwO0YEXv9oZWde2Db1OVenv4bNpv5y5q6aV-b1pF8T-9jDYZ3HKz_4iAxxlWso/s1600/IMG_20190926_130148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfXA7J-znUBbzpBsLYCjiSSZhEB-zyrqUgSsqta1NvXLH1iyCpjTGxd1j06t5I_QUQXMkzzoAGEpbYKwO0YEXv9oZWde2Db1OVenv4bNpv5y5q6aV-b1pF8T-9jDYZ3HKz_4iAxxlWso/s320/IMG_20190926_130148.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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After a good rest and a relaxed walk across the Tuleries gardens, we headed to the iconic 'Arc De Triomphe'. Initially it appeared to be just at the end of the road and so we started to walk. But it turned out to be a long, long walk and we stopped once for a snack, bio break and even a nap for the kid at a small park. Post that, we started walking again and after another 10 minutes, gave up the thought of going near it. We took a good look from where we stood and turned around to head towards the Eiffel tower - our last stop in Paris.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1dgKZIs_qyU1ZwA2xTQCnYVsH18rldLqsK9xAZAFG5Uvvk535rGWYwqVoz_83US6iNi9JLn6xUDPg-R_O0-kzbxIF7zwaYEbIccrRh2YCY9ZDzRlroJedemMQFd0TfpNz_qncgOPCBo/s1600/IMG_20190926_134121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1dgKZIs_qyU1ZwA2xTQCnYVsH18rldLqsK9xAZAFG5Uvvk535rGWYwqVoz_83US6iNi9JLn6xUDPg-R_O0-kzbxIF7zwaYEbIccrRh2YCY9ZDzRlroJedemMQFd0TfpNz_qncgOPCBo/s320/IMG_20190926_134121.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That place from where Arc the Triomphe looked nearby and reachable by foot!</td></tr>
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We circled back to the Seine river again and started walking towards the Eiffel tower. We saw some very beautiful sights on the way and also stopped en route for a nice snack on a restaurant aboard a cruise boat and at a park for Kiddo's play break.<br />
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Here are some of the lovely sights we encountered along the way :<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbE1sGxIUjt5fIIMwu3K-ZgxljQ0JCK5PQpUrnmLGzZ44PwQEuhPkzQcGGUyrbStq49vL4s4Miwv6LlJIC6eBOa77Y9te3oASZpfZZkcyL0HjCLLbysBfDavV7yrPXmETiu78X0t1aSo/s1600/IMG_20190926_162813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbE1sGxIUjt5fIIMwu3K-ZgxljQ0JCK5PQpUrnmLGzZ44PwQEuhPkzQcGGUyrbStq49vL4s4Miwv6LlJIC6eBOa77Y9te3oASZpfZZkcyL0HjCLLbysBfDavV7yrPXmETiu78X0t1aSo/s320/IMG_20190926_162813.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMpQes7MXg2eWcVrl7FlebmqHpaP5oNOZkGGM-2QbExLhEHGuZTBFCKpE3ehBOPcavXtsvczqydvf49qWWpLP4zTAIyHBxDxh459PhiYxGUfx3brj69Ug2md7CQakdg6NyNlnJzEM5TE/s1600/IMG_20190926_162826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMpQes7MXg2eWcVrl7FlebmqHpaP5oNOZkGGM-2QbExLhEHGuZTBFCKpE3ehBOPcavXtsvczqydvf49qWWpLP4zTAIyHBxDxh459PhiYxGUfx3brj69Ug2md7CQakdg6NyNlnJzEM5TE/s320/IMG_20190926_162826.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little play place on the banks of the Seine River</td></tr>
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Our last destination for the day totally served as a highlight to the trip. It was a wonderful experience to see a panorama of the city from so high up the Eiffel tower and a total treat to see it lit up in the night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcoOmWdgTfqdBj79wLQEQy3oP_FWq3xF71mq7Scs4E0H58zLDGWRaqsf3NyiY5C8rw0jgrHNVrQZlPQLku4LbgtP5onqIY9dnBUMFgDgcwCUqP9N3mwOaa69lPZAD8qb5gM4hy200UjI/s1600/IMG_20190926_183328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcoOmWdgTfqdBj79wLQEQy3oP_FWq3xF71mq7Scs4E0H58zLDGWRaqsf3NyiY5C8rw0jgrHNVrQZlPQLku4LbgtP5onqIY9dnBUMFgDgcwCUqP9N3mwOaa69lPZAD8qb5gM4hy200UjI/s320/IMG_20190926_183328.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of the city from atop the Eiffel tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjViwK0Zqpnl3B6ivDiQCwher2jJHXtvoBaoCmpwi2jRGscEA2xdQPy3BCrHHOeEgDwU4WxPy3anzOq60Yxw006bRd0yg-mPtU-XyreC4qOboueUHMd42I1YxYms-2_HcuHyFgVQClapw/s1600/IMG_20190926_203431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjViwK0Zqpnl3B6ivDiQCwher2jJHXtvoBaoCmpwi2jRGscEA2xdQPy3BCrHHOeEgDwU4WxPy3anzOq60Yxw006bRd0yg-mPtU-XyreC4qOboueUHMd42I1YxYms-2_HcuHyFgVQClapw/s320/IMG_20190926_203431.jpg" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eiffel tower lit up in the night</td></tr>
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With that came the end of our Paris stay! We got a little lost on the way back to our place of stay and panicked that it was getting late, as we had an early train to catch to Switzerland the next morning. I got hungry and cranky and as we finally reached near our place of stay and had dinner at a pizzeria, I gave a good earful to the husband for insisting to stay to see the lights at Eiffel tower! (But the lights were sure worth seeing :))<br />
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We finally reached the apartment, put the kid to sleep and hurriedly packed everything. We slept late, got up early, cooked and packed food for the train journey, woke up and dressed the little one and got into the cab while it was still dark outside. (We were still 15 minutes late). After a nerve racking ride with eyes on the clock, we somehow reached the train station, found the right platform, lugged everything and settled in our seats! Whew! My heart races even as I recollect and type it all :)<br />
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But the amazingly picturesque train journey towards the dream land called Switzerland was worth it all!</div>
Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-90432791545901171512020-05-13T00:15:00.003-07:002020-05-13T00:15:33.469-07:00Paris - The Palace of Versailles <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For day 2, we had planned to visit the much famed Versailles palace in the morning and Mont Marte by evening. A long metro ride with multiple changes finally took us there. The sole of one of my shoes chose this time to come off and the husband went hunting for super glue. After multiple attempts at explaining verbally and with actions, he finally googled the french word and successfully bought 'Colle'.<br />
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In the meanwhile, kid and I were waiting at a bus stop with the chilly winds attacking us. Kid is a polar bear like his dad and was sitting like it was a nice sunny day but poor me was literally shivering inspite of the thermal wear and heavy jacket. Husband was back, shoe sole was attached and we walked past a beautiful boulevard to reach the Versailles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPtdoK6Vw06gHFobkOfIgEcxhg1uMWp_w74Txz8l7wu3MRnFDPe7Kvhv8WxQsLSAstpENxwxPQdYDj3dCAKgekWZ-pnG8TLtpV7Vn4nmxUn17pTMenRe2cgYX5loGSY6yv0twg1Xxvok/s1600/IMG_20190925_191243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPtdoK6Vw06gHFobkOfIgEcxhg1uMWp_w74Txz8l7wu3MRnFDPe7Kvhv8WxQsLSAstpENxwxPQdYDj3dCAKgekWZ-pnG8TLtpV7Vn4nmxUn17pTMenRe2cgYX5loGSY6yv0twg1Xxvok/s400/IMG_20190925_191243.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Boulevard en route</td></tr>
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Kid and I had our before lunch dabba of Puliogare at the waiting area . After purchasing tickets, we joined the long line for the phased entry. Suddenly lady luck smiled and a tour group came and offered us priority passes to the palace and garden grounds for free since they had people who had not turned up. After a bit of hesitation, we took them, walked straight to the front of the snaking line and were instantly let in. Wow! So this was really happening :)<br />
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After handing in excess baggage at the security counter, we picked an audio guide each. The audio guide was the sole reason we survived through the crowded tour. Not for the details it rattled out about each area but because the kid used it as his personal phone and played with it all through. That kept him distracted from the huge mass of people moving from one ornate room to another.<br />
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The palace itself was charmingly old world and had very beautiful paintings covering the walls and ceilings too.<br />
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Post the palace tour, we stepped out into the garden. Instead of listening to our common sense and kid who had pretty much had enough of the place, we ventured into the gardens since our pass included it anyway. The gardens of Versailles are HUGE and a small toy train took people from one stop to another. Again, the train was the saving grace as far as kid was concerned. He settled down only after we told him that we could ride it multiple times.<br />
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The Versailles palace gardens are probably one of the best maintained in the world. But their sheer size, the fact that they were manicured to milllimeter precision and the absence of people in most of the places gave it a very sad ghost town like air. The chilly dry weather added to this discomfort. Having somehow managed the kid through this, we finally stepped out of the palace and into the populated roads. Now, this looked much more beautiful, warm and welcoming! The royals might have pretty much felt the same way I guess. That one of the queens had a village replicated for her inside the humungous Versailles palace grounds stands testimony to this ! 'Poor' guys. Wealth isn't everything after all!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExLLmgztO7KZtksIRkREgMsbn-UD8l3DcoVolGp7ySrk7I7tkXNhgSwr1a1SH5MEGA6eGcoE3r0sPMbHvvC5u6LosDbT4aDKBkm4XoGKy-c29ych3un6KGYlr65SEDKGg8DHq71sxh_4/s1600/IMG_20190925_171531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExLLmgztO7KZtksIRkREgMsbn-UD8l3DcoVolGp7ySrk7I7tkXNhgSwr1a1SH5MEGA6eGcoE3r0sPMbHvvC5u6LosDbT4aDKBkm4XoGKy-c29ych3un6KGYlr65SEDKGg8DHq71sxh_4/s320/IMG_20190925_171531.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At one of the many 'polished to perfection' garden spots</td></tr>
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Once out in the streets, we walked down a very quaint little road filled with restaurants, scouring menus. We finally settled into one and were soon eating steaming Pizza accompanied by hot chocolate. After that restful snack, we strolled through the neighbouring areas for a while, enjoying the boulevards and flower framed window sills.<br />
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After another long metro ride, we reached our apartment, dead tired after walking all around the Versailles, bracing the dry and chilly winds. We all took a much needed long nap. As much as I badly wanted to visit Mont Marte to walk around its lanes and watch the much famed french artists at work, I simply did not have any energy left and I convinced the husband that we call it a day. So kid sat down with his colours and we sat by the window with chai.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFJWCWMoCBLGgJpU-S6E5msdOiW_IagaIzpHWsND5cdWYim4p1muw1-9iNHSKP1F8Qj-JjVjB7KghHazbV5ouzhNiYq_f_4dzQJzl5BcWJuRfF9Cbs7FkxQnuXrtDm6uTJbMroF46xEQ/s1600/IMG_20190925_215811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFJWCWMoCBLGgJpU-S6E5msdOiW_IagaIzpHWsND5cdWYim4p1muw1-9iNHSKP1F8Qj-JjVjB7KghHazbV5ouzhNiYq_f_4dzQJzl5BcWJuRfF9Cbs7FkxQnuXrtDm6uTJbMroF46xEQ/s320/IMG_20190925_215811.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our in house miniature Da Vinci :)</td></tr>
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We then stepped out to buy a few supplies and I totally loved the relaxed walk, gazing at all the colourful shops and many bakeries wafting out enticing smells of the world famous French baked goodies. After getting back, we cooked and ate a quick dinner. The next day was going to be our last day in Paris and we had all the important 'must see' places in our itinerary. After a little cleaning and repacking, we brought the curtains down on day 2.<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-91992125395603381472020-04-29T23:04:00.000-07:002020-04-29T23:04:24.366-07:00Paris - A tryst with history<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a long 8 hour flight where sleep evaded us for the most part (you cannot cheat the body clock after all. We were all up at 6 am IST!), we landed in Paris. We looked up the electronic schedule board and took a metro to the station closest to our place of stay. The do it yourself started right there :)<br />
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After lugging the heavy baggage up two flights of staircases, we emerged on the streets of Paris. I was impressed by the first sight! Chilly and rainy weather, European style buildings, broad roads and a 'Cafe Metro' that beckoned our hungry souls. We had a sumptuous cheesy veg pizza and chocolate mousse for lunch. The kid instantly gave a thumbs up to this life :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_sjPKta2KIHD4Yg48V6MFZ2XtpcMEJIjN5HbQkhUOh0POY2-BVKf5v27wlPwLIrsuxrCWyJYl8KMwPg0WatgUxKNUV3CQfWeCJFxFPnB91VfUtpf0sfh2CxNsEMz0G1YnIF-urGSHLY/s1600/First+Sight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_sjPKta2KIHD4Yg48V6MFZ2XtpcMEJIjN5HbQkhUOh0POY2-BVKf5v27wlPwLIrsuxrCWyJYl8KMwPg0WatgUxKNUV3CQfWeCJFxFPnB91VfUtpf0sfh2CxNsEMz0G1YnIF-urGSHLY/s400/First+Sight.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First look of Paris</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpx1ScW_EV6_MmX-zLqk-42S3vFlz0qDZsbJLd1SxeElemUNFTByOdQC5Fnsv_FFlGWASgAeBRH05d63EHaIq9Q9FYyfhCy3BLxLlu7BeDTm8_eHJ4n9WggmwfPZIO97lxqORFyxtu60s/s1600/IMG_20190924_120301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpx1ScW_EV6_MmX-zLqk-42S3vFlz0qDZsbJLd1SxeElemUNFTByOdQC5Fnsv_FFlGWASgAeBRH05d63EHaIq9Q9FYyfhCy3BLxLlu7BeDTm8_eHJ4n9WggmwfPZIO97lxqORFyxtu60s/s400/IMG_20190924_120301.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kid digging into the treat at Cafe Metro </td></tr>
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A misjudged distance and really long walk later, we tumbled into our apartment, set everything down and dived into bed for a much needed nap. Refreshed after sleep, shower and coffee, we set out to the Seine river. At the metro station, we had trouble figuring out what destination to give as input in the ticket machine. A sign language conversation between us and the lady at the counter ensued and ended with her throwing up her hands and storming out to print out our tickets. Nevertheless, we thanked her and a dark dingy metro ride later, we emerged into this beautiful rainy scene.<br />
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A short stroll took us to the Seine river and breathtaking would be an understatement to describe the long watery strip crisscrossed by bridges and surrounded by historic architecture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lorChI_IySR-38y3PRzc4Sm63BWkKFq9oB2CNTiwdQbfwi0-K-qqlc4GG_n_g1PzXB3Cg4yNTeckSaQsP7xICAdEjaQKe2CQJ0jHE05Vx9N_7XNQPHR4LpnKABMamH57yLE5A8Weg6w/s1600/IMG_20190924_181531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lorChI_IySR-38y3PRzc4Sm63BWkKFq9oB2CNTiwdQbfwi0-K-qqlc4GG_n_g1PzXB3Cg4yNTeckSaQsP7xICAdEjaQKe2CQJ0jHE05Vx9N_7XNQPHR4LpnKABMamH57yLE5A8Weg6w/s400/IMG_20190924_181531.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After strolling up and down the riverside to our hearts content, we hunted down the starting point to the sunset cruise. Tickets bought, hot chocolate in hand, we sat on the deck of a cruise boat and a chirpy guide started her monologue to educate all of us on all the sites that we would pass by.<br />
The weather was perfect and we took our first sight of Eiffel tower, Notre Dame and several other magnificent historic buildings, as we sailed past them. It was like a trailer to what all we were going to see later on and a perfectly picturesque one at that!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1HqeSAKBa-jC8SyvCOXB5c9LwAtls_KwQBhXDzF-3NCMsX7WA18BmtSmTO9pObD3G7p991SSWZvD8yt-tsetA0siR5TFIwcRITuLJe5OqePExLAl0HBctGiedbxq_6cBXk7GZ2zxxnE/s1600/IMG_20190924_185840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1HqeSAKBa-jC8SyvCOXB5c9LwAtls_KwQBhXDzF-3NCMsX7WA18BmtSmTO9pObD3G7p991SSWZvD8yt-tsetA0siR5TFIwcRITuLJe5OqePExLAl0HBctGiedbxq_6cBXk7GZ2zxxnE/s400/IMG_20190924_185840.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising by history :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRHP7xvmaYupT2GmxOzjwOTe1ii2lfmuL1QTjWC4g6gDBrnCBefZAfRUX6p3AaaYpoW-c0Tyb6xBXdekYeYMGHTwrXgiXKSLkLMaow653SM2DNN4YwhrErkgUh_2QbsVqlrDrhbl6CCM/s1600/IMG_20190924_190405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRHP7xvmaYupT2GmxOzjwOTe1ii2lfmuL1QTjWC4g6gDBrnCBefZAfRUX6p3AaaYpoW-c0Tyb6xBXdekYeYMGHTwrXgiXKSLkLMaow653SM2DNN4YwhrErkgUh_2QbsVqlrDrhbl6CCM/s400/IMG_20190924_190405.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we passed the Eiffel tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZY1EILZy8qA3T70nUj4K9zIDjT4ljF5ssL_4cSdgrPQgyTIE04774Bwh1LIP-O-ga3vxNg7cHOUCMALxoawlOD3AKRkp6s1uk9cZ-EqfYhfZiwF0SNoaR5jlkqiD5au-4cdODhMfacE/s1600/IMG_20190924_193117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZY1EILZy8qA3T70nUj4K9zIDjT4ljF5ssL_4cSdgrPQgyTIE04774Bwh1LIP-O-ga3vxNg7cHOUCMALxoawlOD3AKRkp6s1uk9cZ-EqfYhfZiwF0SNoaR5jlkqiD5au-4cdODhMfacE/s400/IMG_20190924_193117.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kid and I look up to catch a view of Notre Dame</td></tr>
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After an hour of floating by history, we jumped off at the dock and tried our hand at some local cuisine at this quaint little crepe stall. Tasted like a very eggy dosa :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHaF8ytePXibojdr3rKVS49WbKDNLwcA5o0bF3N8MjdBmciDJ-Tn6SoIALUNxrc2QurQyoi_thwpxXCXbCKam0gVusPpWlmz1Yydzi7zlFTnQKOVVjpc6yKqQC_DpFk5axoGLH1EBjZQ/s1600/IMG_20190924_200130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHaF8ytePXibojdr3rKVS49WbKDNLwcA5o0bF3N8MjdBmciDJ-Tn6SoIALUNxrc2QurQyoi_thwpxXCXbCKam0gVusPpWlmz1Yydzi7zlFTnQKOVVjpc6yKqQC_DpFk5axoGLH1EBjZQ/s400/IMG_20190924_200130.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crepe stall by the seine river bank</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Cheesey crepe being prepared </td></tr>
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Night fell and Paris lit up to give a very surreal feel to all its inhabitants.<br />
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We took a bus ride back to the apartment and drank in all the sights that we passed by. This was totally new scenery after all. The day ended with hot upma that we made in the kitchenette and we settled down to escape into dreamland from dreamland :)<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-42174691721259673672020-04-21T04:26:00.000-07:002020-04-21T04:26:29.910-07:00Europe Travel Diaries - A trip to remember!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A trip to Europe had been in the cards for years together for us. We kept thinking about it, looking it up and mulling it over, questions zooming in our heads - Should we plan it ourselves or safely go with a tour operator? Is our kid old enough for us to do such a big trip? What about food? Which all countries should we visit? How many days would we need? Will we face language problems? Is it safe? .... I could list 10 more but this clarifies our train of thoughts.<br />
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Finally, sometime in June 2019, we decided to take the plunge! The first choice to make was between the tour operator and self planning. While my husband was more for going with the former, I was adamant that I did not want to tick to a schedule drawn up by someone else - stay here, assemble here at so and so time, get into the charter bus, get down here now and you have half an hour to look around. Aaaaargh!<br />
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What if I wanted to just aimlessly walk by the Seine river in Paris and take in the sight of the imposing historic buildings, artists doing amazing water colour paintings amidst a display of their work and all the flower embedded french windows, instead of marching to the Eiffel tower and take must have photos? What if I was not interested in standing in a killer line just to see a small frame of Mona Lisa but rather walk around the Louvre pyramid and marvel at the structures around it? </div>
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More than all that, what if I wanted a break NOW and not see anything? What If my kid could do with a nap NOW? </div>
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On the downside, we were going to have to do a crazy amount of research to decide on which all countries to visit, read a million reviews for places to stay, figure out commute between countries and within cities. Not to mention the paper work for Visas and reservations. It is indeed a Himalayan task and the husband was worried precisely about this. </div>
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The tour operator, on the other hand had some advantages too - Negligible amount of paper work,a set of ready made itineraries to choose from, all bookings taken care of, Indian food provided.</div>
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After a lot of thinking and debates, we settled for doing it all by ourselves! Husband came around with some trepidation and thus started our two months of research - talking to friends who have done it before, scouring forums and travelogues in the internet, maps for best routes, Air BNB, Booking.com, a gazillion reviews. Whew!! Considering that this was all for a holiday, it was ironically super stressful!<br />
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Initially, when the trip was still a month away, we were enjoying the research. It was intriguing to read about each country and a treat to the eyes to see the lovely pictures of places we could go to. Finally, having chosen the list of countries, as we neared our Visa appointment date (the data and forms that husband put together for this had already left him pretty cranky :)), we ran a race to route out the trip and have all our bookings in place (by the end of which I became cranky too !)<br />
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That done, Visas arrived after sometime and stage 1 was all done! With about two weeks to go for D day, I spent a very enjoyable weekend shopping for the trip with my sister :) Post that, lists were drawn up and clothes packed including a lot of cold weather gear. We had booked apartment style accommodation with kitchenette in all the places we were to go to. So along came a suitcase of provisions - Rice Cooker, Sambar and rasam powder, Bru Instant coffee, tea bags, Paruppu Podi, Puliogare mix, Pickles :) You see, Europe is no food haven for vegetarians and in our defense, what if we hated the trip just because we had to eat bread and pizzas all through?!<br />
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Departure day arrived and after playing tetris with two huge suitcases, two duffel bags and a back pack until 9 PM, we hurriedly bundled ourselves into a cab only to be welcomed into the roads with a downpour and the traffic snarl that accompanies it. With pranayama and namasmarana keeping us sane as we snailed through, we reached a nail biting finish after a special traffic jam just outside the airport (during which I told the husband with a halo around my head - 'Even if we do miss the flight, its only some money we lose, don't worry'. And received a gigantic scowl from him in return :))<br />
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Post the bang on time check in, as we waited for boarding the flight to Paris, coffee in hand at 1 AM, we both nervously smiled at each other for what lay ahead. It was a mixed feeling of thrill for an impending adventure, expectations for all the lovely places we were going to see and experience and a good deal of concern as we watched our excited 5 year old hopping around. We ought to come back in one piece and bring him back safely too, without any illness bouts and ensure he does not get travel fatigued at any point of time.<br />
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Boarding was called over the PA and with fingers crossed, back pack and stroller hurled across shoulder, kid in tow we boarded the Air France Flight, warrior style!<br />
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Spoiler Alert : We had a wonderful three week trip which will remain to be one of our best memories ever :)<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-9313911802123308532020-04-07T22:37:00.002-07:002020-04-07T22:37:28.928-07:00Book Review : The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - By Abbi Waxman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Books about bookworms, book stores, books and reading is a favourite genre of mine. I really marvel at the skill that writers have, in spinning a story centered around this theme.The main character is usually a bookworm and the storyline is about how his/her world revolves around books and reading, how they tend to gravitate towards similar people or how they manage to get along with the other tribe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VHhXsLCKJXd3GmHaX2znA0Rfazgrg2-idiwQQyutu7N5cTmBF1r9MJYH1r0sQ-B9iKEKIqvAqKHXYA-EYVmBwvUvAtpPIuQAjX771bsHuJxuexa1fIZqsX5PxR-s6AERU5MjB2yHeRo/s1600/nina+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VHhXsLCKJXd3GmHaX2znA0Rfazgrg2-idiwQQyutu7N5cTmBF1r9MJYH1r0sQ-B9iKEKIqvAqKHXYA-EYVmBwvUvAtpPIuQAjX771bsHuJxuexa1fIZqsX5PxR-s6AERU5MjB2yHeRo/s400/nina+hill.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
The cover page and title itself half won me over, when I happened to read a review of 'The Boookish Life of Nina Hill' by Abbi Waxman. I immediately looked it up and downloaded a sample on my kindle. The language, light tone and most importantly, Nina herself won me over! Here was a girl who lived with a cat in a small apartment that had bookshelves dominating the walls, worked in a bookstore where she ran book clubs for kids, spent her spare time between reading, being part of a trivia team and movie nights. Her carefree stage of life had me wistfully looking back and slightly longing:).<br />
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Lets get to the story now. The protagonist Nina, the daughter of a single mother, is a complete introvert like every reader worth his/her salt is supposed to be. (Don't ask me who made that rule. I just know that it seems to be universal with very few exceptions.)<br />
The first few chapters gives the reader a good look into Nina's everyday life, her past and how it has made her into what she is today. The story then goes on to unfold an unexpected event that leads her to discover the existence of a hitherto unknown huge family. While she is still grappling with that discovery, she is attracted to a man from another trivia team. The story from that point is about how she reconciles to the sudden presence of so many relationships in her life which was until then very simple, uncluttered and populated only with people whom she really liked and connected to. Happenings at her workplace (a local bookstore) and the book readings and book club events that happen there weave in and out of the narrative, keeping up her 'bookish life',<br />
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There were many things that I could relate to in this book - Nina's reading evenings when she would curl up with her book and a cup of tea, her craze for books and reading and how she looks forward to and totally savours her 'alone time' . Best amongst it all was how she looked at relationships in life. That they literally translated into a bunch of other people's expectations to be met, completely resonated with me. Personally, this is a reason why I meticulously prune the number of people in my life and I was so glad to see someone else think the same way :)<br />
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What did not strike a chord was the fact that the author had slightly stereotyped voracious readers as people who had trouble connecting to others during childhood, a trait which according to the book, develops and continues well in adulthood too. There seemed to be a suggestion that books were an escape route to hide this disability. She had spun a kind of 'weirdo' halo around book lovers.<br />
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From my experience of being a reader and knowing several others who are, I feel this is not entirely true. I loved books since childhood but still had a lot of friends all through. Am now an adult who reads much more than I did as a child and I still have a friends circle. And the reading bug has rubbed off on some of my friends too!<br />
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Also, the book's ending was extremely predictable. All loose ends tied in the expected way and they lived happily ever after! :)<br />
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In spite of the above points, I still enjoyed the book and my love for the genre only grew with reading it. So if you are looking for your next read, do pick this up for the laid back life that it portrays, the central theme and most of all, the lucid writing (even though it was peppered with a lot of slang and informal English). Go, delve into your bookish life by picking this one up :)<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-15563363813060614752020-03-31T20:14:00.000-07:002020-03-31T20:22:47.635-07:00Wanderlust and the mid path<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As a family bitten by the travel bug, we have always needed a trip every now and then, to keep us going. Sometimes, all we need is a nature fix - lush green hills, pristine water bodies and total quiet with only the sounds of birds for company.Many other times,we feel like we want to see some part of this diverse country that is totally different from where we live, in terms of language, cuisine, sights, sounds and smells.<br />
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After all, every place has a very distinct atmosphere, don't you think? I love the clean roads and slow pace of Mysore, the red soil and lush green of any place in Kerala, the sizzling heat and home air in Tamil Nadu and the hazy, chilly air and colours of Bengaluru.<br />
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In several trips, we do a combination of both kinds- like Dharamshala and Amritsar - a shot of greenery and a vibrant city. My husband has a modus operandi to planning these trips. Once we zero in on a city we want to see, he'd look up the nearest hill station or vice versa. He is the kind who usually wants a slice of everything. If they ever made a pizza with each of the slices being of different flavours, that would be his regular!<br />
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I, on the other hand, like to dive deep into everything, wallow in it for a good while and slowly retreat out of it. I want my holidays to have a slow pace. One full day just at the resort, savouring the fact that everything is being done for us and I can completely relax without a to do list in my mind. Another one or two days to look around a few places - water body, view point, temple, bazaar and a little local cuisine and I am totally satisfied. I do not require every minute of the day to be squeezed into an itinerary or see every one of the 'must see' spots.<br />
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When we had just gotten married, we both had travel as a common liking but how we wanted it done was poles apart. While I wanted to just take in and experience the all round flavour of any place we visited, the husband would look up a list of things to do and consider every moment spent indoors as a waste of time that could have otherwise been spent visiting somewhere.<br />
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Here is an anecdote that puts it all in a nutshell. At Munnar, we had just done an early morning scenic trek up a tea estate and come back spent and hungry. After a heavy and yummy breakfast, all I wanted to do was to go back and rest a bit, while gazing at the imposing mountain view from our cottage door with a cup of tea. While I was settling down with chai, he was buzzing over the phone talking to the people at the reception and a while later, came up to me and asked 'Are you not going to come for the jeep ride to top point'? All I could do was roll my eyes :) My take was, the view from this door is amazing and am happy right now to just take it in rather than rushing to the next place in the list.<br />
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Over the years, both of us toned down a bit from the two extremes. While I saw the merit in going out and doing stuff, he also began to appreciate the concept of leisure in a holiday and the idea of 'just being' somewhere. So having managed to almost reach the mid point even if not exactly, things have become lot more smoother now.<br />
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Back in those days, when we had not settled in for this win-win, I would always throw up my hands at some point and say that I was totally done for the day or he would sit and sulk because we weren't doing enough activities. This happens even now but very occasionally. The perfect balance is and always will be elusive but what is life without a few outliers?! :)<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-41850034136567863452020-03-28T01:39:00.000-07:002020-03-28T04:10:23.078-07:00A memorable short story from childhood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The reading bug had caught me quite early during my childhood. It started somewhere with seeing dad read voraciously and the bi-monthly trips to the library with him. Sis had started reading too, so I naturally followed suit.<br />
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While I still remember all the Enid Blytons that I devoured for the fanciful English world that it portrayed and Nancy Drews that I enjoyed for the thrilling mystery elements, the first short story that I appreciated for its literary value stands out in my mind. And I think of it as something like having watched a caterpillar metamorphosize into a butterfly - that my mind had suddenly began appreciating the art of story telling apart from enjoying the story itself<br />
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The story that brought about this landmark change is 'Games at Twilight' by Anitha Desai. It featured in our English Literature Reader in middle school and is the story of how a little boy (Ravi)takes a game of hide and seek a bit too seriously and hides in a very unlikely and hard to discover place, his heart racing with excitement with the surety of a win. However, once everyone else has been 'found' , the other kids move on to other games, completely forgetting about Ravi. After a good deal of time elapse, Ravi finally emerges from his hiding place, loudly demanding his victory, only to see that the other kids have moved on from the game and can barely comprehend his demands. The story ends with how Ravi and others around him react to this debacle.<br />
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I still remember being fascinated by how the author had captured the typical summer afternoon games of a boisterous group of little children, followed by the evening setting and activities of the community. The best part was the author's poignant description of what goes through Ravi's mind, how he behaves and feels at the end. Rage, disappointment, the unfairness meted out to him - the reader can completely feel and empathize with it all!<br />
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I remember coming back home from school and discussing it with my sister and how she totally agreed that the story was indeed a masterpiece.<br />
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Post the unfolding of this eventful story in my life, there was no looking back. Everything I read took on a new and much more enjoyable flavor. I had learnt to appreciate the written word and get lost in the writings of various authors, not just for the story that they had to tell but for their fine craft of writing itself. It became another art form that I began to enjoy. I dabbled in it much later, in the form of this blog which led to the discovery of yet another therapeutic exercise :)<br />
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Among all the dreams and hopes that I have for my child, my fondest one is to see him curl up with a book and forget the world. He cannot read by himself as yet and we are still in the 'amma reads aloud' Pepper and Bruno series. But the day he settles down to immerse himself into a book would be a red letter day for his crazy mommy who will remember it for ever, just like she remembered the metomorphic short story from years and years ago :)<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-78050953155860240712020-03-22T07:30:00.000-07:002020-03-22T07:30:51.872-07:00Pursuing a passion in your 30's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While we are kids or young adults, we have the luxury of time and choice. The 'must do' chores in a day are way lesser. Of course there would be school, college or work that we must devote about 6-9 hours to. But chunks of 'free time' that is totally in our control is much more in that stage of life.<br />
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I still remember my Undergrad days. College would get over at 1:00 PM and I would be home by 1:45 PM! And the rest of the day was totally mine. Parents were there to provide for and manage the household. Barring my college work and keeping my things in order, I did not have to do much around the house. I used to read a lot, listen to music and attend concerts. How easy it was all back then!<br />
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Now, with a young child to care for, a house to keep and meals to cook, the predictable free time is near zero or pitifully small. My kid is away at school for about 5 hours a day. That usually leaves an effective 2 hours for myself. And to spend that in a productive manner, I need all the determination that I can summon! Stephen Covey's concept of how urgent matters always take over the important ones is so so true at this stage!<br />
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In his book 'First things First', he talks about how most humans are addicted to urgency since it gives them a sense of accomplishment very easily. One can say that it is like a drug that makes you hallucinate productive use of time. My everyday chores are far easier to do than pursing my long term goals. Moreover, the daily chores pile up and threaten my peaceful existence if not done. A house not kept in order or lunch not being ready when my kid gets home will punish me then and there. Not keeping to my music practice schedule would do none of that as of now. Maybe when am old and my voice does not listen to my command, the regret would sweep all over me. But for now I can still get on.<br />
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I just digressed to a subtopic. But I have to come to the passion in question - Music.<br />
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I have had a lot of drilling in carnatic music since childhood. My grandfather was a performing violinist who used to accompany great doyens like Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer in concerts. And he gave his all to train his granddaughters - my sister and I, into this divine art form. Blessed with good voices that sounded like one in unison, we have given over 50 concerts right from the age of 8 and 12. Added to that was our school which gave a lot of importance to the performing arts. Having been a part of the school music team right from class 4, it was years of profound learning, stage performances, encouragement, prizes and all round enrichment.<br />
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All this has gone a long way to make me the reasonably seasoned singer and erudite listener that I am today. But I still regret not having put more work into my music in my school and college days.<br />
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I am fortunately married to someone who is far more devoted to music and whose sincerity in pursuing it far exceeds mine. We regularly attend concerts with kid in tow and learn from the same teacher. My husband is the main reason for my continuing to toil with music, for toil is what the art demands from anyone who wants to pursue it seriously. He inspires me with his devoted efforts and regularity in practice.<br />
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Hmm .. I actually started writing this post as one of regret, where I was going to say how difficult it is to pursue a passion at this stage of life. But what poured forth through my fingers have totally changed my perspective. Yes, I should have put in a lot more effort in my childhood and single status days. But I have indeed put in quite a bit which is why I am where I am now. And with music continuing to occupy a prime place in my life, the road is pretty much still traversable!<br />
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There are deterrents of course. There is my own tardiness but that is totally in my hands to win over. There is the hugely complex nature of the art form itself but years of training has made it tangible for me. There is the humdrum of everyday life but who does not have that? People who achieve in life are not recluses who live by themselves tending to just basic needs. Majority emerge from the humdrum and still pursue what they love and achieve too!<br />
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Let's see. I still have time, a very learned teacher and an encouraging environment on my side. Say, 10 years from now, while am reading my old posts and chance upon this one, I want to smile and think 'yes, I did it'! :)<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-53357446676885509062020-02-17T07:36:00.001-08:002020-02-17T07:36:37.843-08:00Our travels and travails with a kid in tow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When a child comes into one's life, it hugely changes everything about holiday trips. Just like it hugely changes almost every possible aspect of life :)<br />
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When our little one was born, we waited for about 6 months to start our first holiday with the bundle of joy. Or rather the little mixed bag who brings along a do or die routine gift wrapped with a whole lot of sleepless nights. (I slept for a first full night two years after he was born and I still remember the euphoria I felt the next morning!) Anyways, I digress.<br />
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So that first holiday was to Bandipur Forest Reserve. And guess what we did? Spent a huge amount of time packing his food, medicines, clothes and more clothes, his little personal rocking bed(my self invented translation for what we call 'thooli' in Tamil). Not to mention being terrified all the time that we might have forgotten something. Then we chose a train to a place that is much more easily reachable by car because I could not see myself managing him in a car for 8 hours. </div>
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And when we finally got there, even before we looked around and appreciated the cottage, we frantically searched for a suitable place to hang his personal bed and urgently rocked him to sleep. And then tiptoed around the cottage in semi darkness, trying to get a glimpse of everything in it and about it, shushing each other whenever one of us inadvertently made a slight noise or if the wood creaked under our feet. You see, our kid had this uncanny knack of waking up for the slightest of noises or even if the lighting around him changed. And need I tell anyone as to what happens when a under 1 year old does not get enough sleep?!</div>
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That holiday finally ended up as one where we did the same home routine in a different place, made a little tougher since we had to carry everything from a cooker to baby food supplies, wash his clothes and put the them in plastic bag until we could get home to dry it in the sun .<br />
We also watched everyone else have a real vacation while we took turns to watch him as the other went to get a whiff of what an actual holiday usually is. (The husband went for a swim and I later went to the Spa). But still, we just had to do it because we went crazy from staying home for so long with an unbelievably constant schedule.<br />
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Over the years, things eased out a little with his slowly growing up and his routines becoming more forgiving and less regimental. Also, with us maturing a little more as parents, learning the nuances of handling a child and more importantly, managing our expectations!<br />
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Fast forward over many such attempts at vacationing, we recently did what can be termed as a crowning glory to our adventures with our little kid. We did a 3 week trip to Europe with the five year old kiddo! And he totally won the 'hero of the trip' title with beautifully adjusting to crazy schedules, being more interested in what went on around him and completely getting into adventure mode. To paraphrase this whole point is one lovely moment that has become such a fond memory for me.<br />
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Having spent about two weeks hopping between cities and countries, the little one looked up to me as we were standing in a bus that ferried us away from the flight to the airport terminal at Venice and asked ' Amma, where are we? How many days are we going to stay here?' :) :)<br />
I guess with parents like us, he finally decided to jump into the bandwagon labelled ' Adventure is out there!!!'<br />
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Here is to many more explorations with a little human who gives such an interesting perspective to the world, as we see it through his lens :)</div>
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-84994964553098637482020-02-11T22:59:00.001-08:002020-02-11T22:59:19.769-08:00That inextinguishable love for the written word<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have now lost count of the number of 'breaking hiatus' and comeback posts that I have written.<br />
But that also indicates an important thing to me. That my love for writing is an inextinguishable flame within. It sometimes flickers, sometimes rages and at other times just quietly burns. It never dies.<br />
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In fact, I wouldn't say I have not been writing at all. As a much loved hobby and therapeutic exercise that it is, it comes out in everything from whats app messages that I write, communication write ups that I write for some interest groups that I am part of and sometimes just in the chats with my sister :)<br />
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The same goes for reading too. While I had plenty of time to dedicate to reading as a child, teenager and a carefree single woman, with a household to run by myself and a kid who is a handful to manage, reading time has taken a hit too. But it is yet another constant flame within.<br />
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It visits me like a long lost friend when I see a shelf full of books unexpectedly at a holiday resort and I end up choosing a bunch of them and getting them to the room to read. In our recent family holiday to a small lakeside resort near Dindugul in Tamil Nadu, a treasure chest of books was kept in the dining area. After every meal, I would bring back a couple of them :) I got to finish a very interesting and short translated work. And RK Narayan's American diaries got me hooked. I marked it as 'to read', got back home and never thought about it until now, as I write this.<br />
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Nevertheless, I consider that inextinguishable love for reading and writing as a blessing. It is something that saves me ever so often form the trials of life and even the dreary feelings of mundane existence. It shows up magically to sprinkle pixie dust on times that are hard or just not that exciting. A good read reaches my hand and am suddenly drowned in a journey of someone, someplace far away.<br />
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I have several unwritten posts by now - ruminations, travel stories, book reviews. I probably cannot even recollect enough to be able to write about them now. But its never too late or too little.<br />
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Just like the sudden urge to write that translated into this post, I hope to be able to do my reading and writing in various forms all through my life. And in the meanwhile, may I get that discipline to come to this space and write regularly , more for myself than anything else.<br />
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So long! </div>
Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-58810627410742214962018-07-29T08:20:00.000-07:002018-07-29T08:20:03.169-07:00The Great Indian Epics - A Bibliophilic Journey - Part 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Continuing with books based on the Mahabaratha, this post takes a peek into the epic from the eyes of Bhima and Urvi(Karna's wife). I wrap up the Mahabaratha series with another gem that retells from Draupathi's perspective.<br />
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<b><u>The Second Turn - By M.T Vasudvan Nair</u></b><br />
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An excerpt from this work was included in my college syllabus and then I had to lay my hands on the full version :) A translated work from Malayalam, the story is Mahabaratha retold from the perspective of Bhima.<br />
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Bhima is portrayed as the strongest among the Pandavas and the true lover of Draupathi. His marriage to Hidimba and their relationship is dealt with a fair level of detail. Being a well translated work that gives a fresh perspective to the epic, I found this to be an enjoyable read that deepened my understanding of the Mahabaratha. It makes one realise that there will be as many versions of the epic as the characters themselves!<br />
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<b><u>Karna's Wife - By Kavita Kane</u></b><br />
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Karna is the most enigmatic character in the Mahabaratha and is quite an anti hero. The story of Karna is all about inner conflict and mental turmoil. In spite of being a person of royal descent, an archer whose skills exceed that of Arjuna and a highly fair and just human, his doom seems to be pre-written. Fate controls his life all through to make him face pitfalls in every sphere of life.<br />
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The author has done complete justice in bringing out what this great hero goes through in his lifetime and makes the reader completely empathise with him. We get know about the everyday life at Karna's palace, the deep love his foster parents and brother have for him and his relationship with his two wives, Vrushali and Urvi.<br />
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The story itself is narrated through the eyes of Urvi and we get to know a great deal about this not so well known character who plays an important part in Karna's life.<br />
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The frantic attempts made by many of the main characters of the epic to avert the war, the horrors of the war and its aftermath are dealt with in great detail. Urvi shines as a becon of hope during the war, with her natural flair for healing of the wounded.<br />
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The author ends the story saying that Karna's son became the last human on earth who held the knowledge of all the highly powerful and destructive weapons of that era. He takes it to his grave as a secret ensuring that their horrors are never unleashed on earth again.<br />
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This book is one that makes the reader think and reflect a lot about the power of fate, inner conflicts between right and wrong and the horrors of war.<br />
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<b><u>Palace of Illusions - By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni</u></b><br />
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In this book, Chitra Banerjee retells the Mahabaratha from Draupathi's perspective. There is a good amount of detail as far as the epic story goes and the author draws the reader into Draupathi's mind as the events unfold. She too, like Karna, seems to have her all her wishes bend before the all powerful destiny. Her mind dwells on the apparent injustice of it all at every turn, grapples with it and finally accepts it all. <br />
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Like all the other books based on the Mahabaratha, the winning point in this one too is how the futility of war is highlighted.At the end, the winners lead a life of regret after such a huge scale of killing and bloodshed. Victory tastes stale and they simply pass days, as if waiting for that very same death to take them away too.<br />
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I remember this book for its interesting narration and beautiful language. A highly recommended read for anyone who loves the epic.<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-89831384851112176202017-09-10T07:09:00.000-07:002017-09-10T07:09:06.237-07:00The Great Indian Epics - A Bibliophilic Journey - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A brief about this series if you are reading this part first - The Great Indian Epics series is a multi part post on the Mahabaratha and Ramayana. More specifically, reviews on the books based on these two epics (those that I have read so far). The intention is to encourage readers to pick up a few themselves, enjoy and benefit from knowing about these two epics that are verily epitomes of our culture and to feel proud of our great and ancient history. <div>
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You can read Part 1 <a href="https://amheretowrite.blogspot.in/2017/08/the-great-indian-epics-bibliophilic.html" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
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Mahabaratha being a personal favorite between the two, I start with that :)</div>
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<b><i><u>Mahabaratha - By C. Rajagopalachari</u></i></b></div>
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To be able to read extrapolations of sub plots and creative re-tellings, one must first know the original version. I recommend 'Mahabaratha '- By C.Rajagopalachari for this purpose. The Mahabaratha is a huge epic and the himalayan proportions of names, relations between them, and sub stories can puzzle any reader. </div>
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In his book, Rajaji tells us the main story with the most important details along with the necessary sub plots. Very well written and an absolute page turner, this book can be the one to educate the reader about the epic in totality. I read this book when I was in class 6 and to this day, this one remains to be my favorite version. Today,as I write this post, I can still see in my mind's eye, the scene of Arjuna shedding his disguise as Brihanalanna, twanging his Gandhiva as the chariot rolls into the battlefield and shooting arrows at the feet of Bhishma and Drona as he passes by, as a sign of respect. I can still fell the goosebumps that sprouted in my hands and the awe that filled my 11 year old self as I read it. So vivid and enthralling is Rajaji's storytelling. </div>
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I strongly feel that especially children who are going to read the epic for the first time must read this kind of a relatively puristic version before they start thinking about how it could have otherwise been. It creates a sense of awe and respect for our country and it's culture before it is put under scrutiny and validation. It is certainly not wrong to do so, but one must know well before questioning, is it not?!</div>
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<b><u><i>Yajnaseni - By Pratibha Ray</i></u></b></div>
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'Yajnaseni' is Mahabaratha retold from Draupathi's perspective.As the title suggests, Draupathi or Yajnaseni (the one who emerged from the Yagnyakunda or the portals of the sacrificial fire) is the protagonist in this retelling.</div>
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Drapathi is addressed as 'Krishnaa' in the book, a name she gets because of her dark coloured skin. As a dark skinned beauty, a voracious reader and a woman with high intellectual prowess, she stands out amongst the 'usual' royal women who are drunk with vanity and revel in their pampered lifestyle.</div>
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One of the main themes of this book is Krishnaa's love for her Lord Krishna. She is the lord's 'Sakhi' who pines for his company and her devotion for him shines forth in the book. Pratibha Ray also highlights Draupathi's sense of helplessness over her destiny. She makes the reader thoroughly empathise with the lady whose wishes are always overruled by what is meant to be. </div>
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Another strong emotion that is felt by the protagonist and makes a lasting impression on the reader is the futility of war. The book beautifully brings this out through Drapathi's thoughts, as she watches the massacre, its aftermath and the pointlessness of a kingdom won after so much bloodshed. This is something we will all do well to have in mind in the present day world too.</div>
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The book is very well written and is a beautiful extrapolation of the epic from the eyes of one of the most important characters of the epic.</div>
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Note - I read this book about ten years back and have highlighted whatever my memory has retained. Originally written in Odia by Prathiba Ray, the English translation by Pradip Battacharya is a delight to read. </div>
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-76791180765285775572017-08-20T02:16:00.000-07:002017-08-20T10:28:11.827-07:00The Great Indian Epics - A Bibliophilic Journey - Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The most priced possessions of our country's ancient culture have been passed on to us in the form of our two great epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabaratha. The stories grip readers to this day. The moral dilemmas faced by the various characters resonate with our hearts and the path that each one of them took, hold a lot of relevant lessons for humanity even today, after hundreds of years.<br />
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That apart, the characters themselves are so colourful and multifaceted. Some of them are bold and strong, some meek and quiet, a few others enigmatic. Having so many sub plots and branches, they are also full of scope for interpretations and re-inventions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMn9JyUQUxQdRiRj39xdXIGQbprsm0pcrOY1qA0CwXl4QtsNWVmYPKzOEcxRwv5sk7FIopLBHtl6__mQrktwgKayZtTM7h-o9UVAllPCbpU8s2i5Fqq8IkM2O9qp-03GQT5L3038tsys/s1600/Ramayana_collage_Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="540" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMn9JyUQUxQdRiRj39xdXIGQbprsm0pcrOY1qA0CwXl4QtsNWVmYPKzOEcxRwv5sk7FIopLBHtl6__mQrktwgKayZtTM7h-o9UVAllPCbpU8s2i5Fqq8IkM2O9qp-03GQT5L3038tsys/s400/Ramayana_collage_Final.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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We now have quite a handful of modern authors trying their hands at re-painting these ever fresh stories with colours of their own perspectives, interpretation, imagination and of course, extensive research. While the original story itself seems to deal with majorly black and white situations and characters, the modern authors tend to paint more of a grey picture that finds greater acceptance in today's world.<br />
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Sita is not just a demure, husband abiding chaste wife but has a strong voice of her own which she makes sure is heard, when needed. Her following Rama to the forest is not just an act of wifely chastity but a stubborn refusal to part with her husband.Kunti is not wholly a goodness personified mother who follows dharma relentlessly, but also a woman who plots quite a bit to keep her sons united and victorious. The Pandava brothers do have their differences but simply choose to stay united.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wl6i6UIOp56npmg8IqKbs1Ccu_MjF_pPh26qtuA1usAms1C3J10EaUPP553POjo5u0TYwYuRmNmMv98MQOl1rEbzCjf6pLyDNZV_9GoKtbOP5GZ7rtjA6WQQAGKrx6U5P83OGk1pc0s/s1600/Mahabaratha_Collage+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wl6i6UIOp56npmg8IqKbs1Ccu_MjF_pPh26qtuA1usAms1C3J10EaUPP553POjo5u0TYwYuRmNmMv98MQOl1rEbzCjf6pLyDNZV_9GoKtbOP5GZ7rtjA6WQQAGKrx6U5P83OGk1pc0s/s320/Mahabaratha_Collage+%25282%2529.jpg" width="301" /></a><br />
Also, a lot of characters who are just mere mentions in the popular re-tellings of the epics, become protagonists in the modern versions. Their role, strength of character and lofty sacrifices occupy an entire book. Another common trait among all these books is the awe inspiring lessons to be drawn that serve as a good reminder and inspiration for our everyday lives. </div>
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All these apart, we also come to realise how advanced we were in the fields of science, astronomy, medicine, architecture and weapon science, to name a few. As against the popular notion of India being a 'developing' country, these epics prove that we were the most developed nation then. And that too at a time when the 'developed' nations of today were still hunter gatherers.<br />
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We have sadly lost the connect with our past and have grown to believe that everything western is superior. Even more appalling is the fact that we question our own history and call them 'myths'. We need to change this public opinion and modern authors are doing a great deal towards this cause by kindling the interest of India's young readers with their books.<br />
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Being a great fan of these mighty epics and having enjoyed reading quite a few versions of the original epic and modern extrapolations, I would like to reminisce the reading experience by extending it to the written word too! What follows is a series of reviews on all the books that I have read related to the Ramayana and the Mahabaratha. I hope you enjoy reading them and in the course, pick up some of the books to read them yourself. Come, let us embark on a wonderful journey through our rich past!</div>
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-24554536526748744492017-04-25T10:21:00.001-07:002017-04-25T10:21:59.027-07:00A way too long hiatus and the pen beckons ..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Even as I type this, hiding inside a room with the door locked, I can hear my child wail outside as my husband frantically tries to feed him dinner. My heart palpitates faster and I dread hearing a harried cry - ' Aarthy, chapadamatengaraaaan' (He is refusing to eat).<br />
Sigh.. Life has come to living for myself in intervals. Steal some time to read while the little one sleeps, clean the house when he goes to school(2 hrs is too less I tell you!), savour 10 minutes of shower time like it was an exotic holiday..<br />
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It is quiet outside. I assume meal time has kicked off well. Yay! I can finish this post!<br />
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So why did I take such a long break? I could say I was busy raising my 100% dependent baby or was too harried to do anything other than sit and stare into blank space whenever I got some precious off time. But, it all boils down to lack of will. Period. Sad but true.<br />
I have been doing other things too - besides housekeeping and child rearing. Just that writing took the back seat for a while. A long while. Anyways, am back. And as I write, I realise that writing remains to be as therapeutic as it always was!<br />
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I have loads of travel posts and book reviews to write. My kid is already two and half and the last post I wrote about him was his first step. As a new addition, I have parenting musings too. Its all getting too heavy inside my head and I fervently hope to go on an unloading spree. Oh what would I have done if not for this dear blog who patiently listens to everything that I have to say!<br />
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Did I tell you it would be a record worthy event if I managed to finish this post uninterrupted? Not to be! Child wailed, the dad wailed even more and I just came back after finishing the last phase of kid's dinner and a tantrum.<br />
Mind Voice: Do you really think you will manage to write?<br />
Me:Yes.I need to. I will. Let me give it a shot atleast?<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-47868757102839490682015-12-24T03:24:00.001-08:002015-12-24T03:24:23.062-08:00Book Review : Losing My Virginity - The Autobiography - By Richard Branson <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I classify this as one of my most phenomenal reads and I think it is because of the extraordinary life that this book is about. Richard Branson's autobiography has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster - runaway success, adrenaline rushing adventure, unbelievable conspiracies, poignant moments and heart warming incidents of humane kindness.<br />
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In 'Losing My Virginity', Branson recounts how he went about creating the mammoth Virgin group, brick by brick.We also get to know about the kind of person it took to build the Virgin Empire. As I read on, I was completely in awe of his hunger for challenges, the way he embraces change, moving on from one industry to another, success close at his heels. All has not been easy of course. The perseverance with which he has braved the huge inevitable challenges as he runs his businesses leaves the reader spellbound. His ability to pursue adventures alongside his demanding entrepreneurial journey is truly inspiring. The way he has put his neck on the line more than once during his epic attempts at flying hot air balloons around the world, creating records prove to be a nail biting read.<br />
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But amidst all this, it is his sense of social responsibility that really won me over. One can sense his sincerity when he writes about his empathy with the hardships of the less fortunate and with people during times of crisis like war. The projects he has undertaken to help out this section of society is a source of inspiration. His concern over the world's fast depleting natural resources and other burning environmental issues and his commitment in the form of initiatives to find a solution to these is commendable. Branson has really used his financial resources and contacts to contribute towards making this world a better place to live in.<br />
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Overall, this book proved to be a very awe inspiring and informative read. I found it easier to read it alongside other books rather than taking it up at one go. It does take some amount of patience and perseverance to get to the end of the book considering the size and subject matter but it is totally worth the time it took. I recommend this to you if you like reading corporate/business stories. Even otherwise, you could read it just to enjoy knowing the life of such a multifaceted personality and get inspired!<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-42723942386716639842015-12-21T03:05:00.000-08:002015-12-21T03:08:19.175-08:00Baby Diaries: That Magical First Step!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Milestones in a baby's life are special. And being present to observe them when they happen for the first time is absolutely magical! Some weeks back, the little man had just learnt to stand up without support. Then, all of a sudden, one fine day, he stood up still for a while, put one little foot forward, lost balance, stood up again and walked three steps forward. Hurray!!!!<br />
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I have always felt that those ads showing teary eyed moms proudly watching their children achieve is all exaggerated drama. But that moment when my baby took his first step, I must confess that I almost choked and had a tear in my eyes and couldn't stop raving about it when my husband came back from work :)<br />
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Giving full time baby care can make a mother feel stifled, bored and frustrated at times. Days run into weeks and months with the same schedule of bathing, changing nappies, feeding, putting to sleep and entertaining. Throw in a few exasperating challenges like sudden refusal to eat and constantly walking into danger, you get the full picture. I confess, there are times when I have wondered why I signed up for this at all! But then, watching my baby grow up first hand and these lovely surprises that present themselves every now and then keep me going. Thank God for these small yet precious rewards that render meaning to the very tough journey that motherhood is!<br />
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PS: As usual, I wrote this post a few weeks back. Now, the little man is confidently walking all around the house. Almost through his waking hours :) And there is a constant background music of his meaningless babbles that never fails to make us smile. What's next? Need to wait and watch!<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-79122856381265163372015-09-27T05:22:00.000-07:002015-09-27T09:19:28.053-07:00Notes from a Bygone Era - A Trip to Kolavara Heritage Homestay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Once bitten by wanderlust, the disease is incurable. The symptoms start showing if you have not indulged for a while and if you ignore those also, it just erupts - you turn a blind eye to constraints and just do it! And life after a baby has no dearth of the said constraints. Beginning from the selection of place to mode of travel and planning an itinerary that does not interfere with his sleep, planning a trip is one huge challenge. But we had stayed out of holidays for quite a while and could stand it no more. Picking up baby and baggage, we set out on a trip to Shimoga. Father in law joined us this time and granddad and baby had a blast all through! We also got some much needed time away from the little one , that too while on a holiday!<br />
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Our first destination was Jog falls. Though out of season, we planned to visit it for the sheer reason that the train we took stops there at a more earthly hour than Shimoga which meant the little boss's night's sleep would be complete. There, I told you about constraints, didn't I? Jog falls was quite pleasant when we reached the place in the morning. We took a walk around the area in the cool morning time and did boating in the hot afternoon. Evening saw us drive down to Shimoga where we planned to stay for the night. Lady luck smiled at us and we got an upgrade to a presidential suite at The Royal Orchid Hotel! We checked in and after a sumptuous dinner, sank into the super soft beds. The little man slept through the night without his usual night time adventures around the bed and we slept like logs. Bliss it was! I hadn't slept like that since my baby's birth and that was 8.5 months then!<br />
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Next day, after breakfast, we set out to go to the Kolavara Heritage Home Stay. A two hour scenic drive along Areca nut plantations and the Thunga river took us there. As we alighted at the beautifully manicured front lawns and stepped into the house, I got the feeling of having come to my grand mom's place. With its open to sky central courtyard adorned with a pretty bonsai thulsi plant and the surrounding veranda decorated by tastefully chosen ethnic chairs and joolas, Kolavara opened its arms to welcome us to a very homely holiday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOklMZfJvkLFmCDcKTi8FGIUWEOPa8ayq2f4BxfDBdlrP-5BaoD7dwSoHK9fFxHcCBagSjSNlwhWe1JUDB6q26sAx6q7r5DctCixwpJNp_98IwRwvyC68PRRcopKmXLSYOpmTokeuq6Rg/s1600/DSC03444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOklMZfJvkLFmCDcKTi8FGIUWEOPa8ayq2f4BxfDBdlrP-5BaoD7dwSoHK9fFxHcCBagSjSNlwhWe1JUDB6q26sAx6q7r5DctCixwpJNp_98IwRwvyC68PRRcopKmXLSYOpmTokeuq6Rg/s640/DSC03444.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Scenic driveway </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pretty central courtyard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFmnf_MoTeWeEbbjGdouQzZoeCws4mFkMAWNIxSsW22F4Gg27aumr6-c0nw3Zi-Hp5OF6cFOYgR4mUdAtHELilGR7yoGBoazLuvBlOfJQVzY04ZwbUezLJjUztFOkJZ37CHYtID5UEBo/s1600/DSC03471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFmnf_MoTeWeEbbjGdouQzZoeCws4mFkMAWNIxSsW22F4Gg27aumr6-c0nw3Zi-Hp5OF6cFOYgR4mUdAtHELilGR7yoGBoazLuvBlOfJQVzY04ZwbUezLJjUztFOkJZ37CHYtID5UEBo/s640/DSC03471.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Thulasi bonsai</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tastefully decorated hallway around the central courtyard</td></tr>
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We were then shown into our rooms. With a wooden low ceiling from the olden days, a cloth hanger designed like in the 80s and a bathroom with steel buckets and 'chombu', the rooms were a slice from a nostalgic past.The backyard opened out to Areca nut plantations as far as the eyes could see. Pretty sit outs decorated this quiet scenic place and the corners were dotted with beautifully crafted Bonsai plants. The entire gardens are tended by Mrs. Kalavathi, the lady of the house. True to her name, she tends the gardens, cooks the sumptuous food served at the resort and makes wine out of many fruits that grow in the Plantations! Here are a few pictures to take around the home stay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sit out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z6ttFYaxY9Kqt5TQEt94Gg_doph6WGBj4fFUd2-P9Tgrrqzhu9jKS5RPik5ym7boplhLUITZ5FPIUtsX3Qo9CxjPLkvKRiRHRhANyhLyEIqywN0tEJ7z6EpIdEcLDLpAWSMygr07Tbc/s1600/DSC03529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z6ttFYaxY9Kqt5TQEt94Gg_doph6WGBj4fFUd2-P9Tgrrqzhu9jKS5RPik5ym7boplhLUITZ5FPIUtsX3Qo9CxjPLkvKRiRHRhANyhLyEIqywN0tEJ7z6EpIdEcLDLpAWSMygr07Tbc/s640/DSC03529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lotus pond inside the property</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well tended bonsai plants that dot the exterior walls</td></tr>
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Post a wonderful lunch, we napped a bit and took a walk around the plantation in the evening. The setting sun and an early moon shone myriad lights and shadows among the trees and we walked on feeling one with nature. All the while, the little man was letting out bursts of baby laughs, playing with his dad and granddad.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETGNA0pnU6p5b0HmpK7Y5kYGp2OgPTirJeafhVwYUEdSPEXCR4rOWtDV1Ubvz9kfDqPJFPAVNDYnf3hdg28UFAVNKhD98YWlAx3yg_iV1AH12cCFdA0GfLPnmdKgJoI-8u7zoKISzJP4/s1600/DSC03531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETGNA0pnU6p5b0HmpK7Y5kYGp2OgPTirJeafhVwYUEdSPEXCR4rOWtDV1Ubvz9kfDqPJFPAVNDYnf3hdg28UFAVNKhD98YWlAx3yg_iV1AH12cCFdA0GfLPnmdKgJoI-8u7zoKISzJP4/s640/DSC03531.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Areca nut Plantations</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnIjD33xl0I_6xqD8SqVaNlNb3qzL0t3ZeNZCahzxySdJp9bOmoTjdDGo04-2n8kcLCzTOJ7hINUb2viD2SqLngXGfvOmqeL-jfXEVhIPu6xqTBvloNXvV1wbF-9dkkpUaDkkJB01q8Q/s1600/DSC03463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnIjD33xl0I_6xqD8SqVaNlNb3qzL0t3ZeNZCahzxySdJp9bOmoTjdDGo04-2n8kcLCzTOJ7hINUb2viD2SqLngXGfvOmqeL-jfXEVhIPu6xqTBvloNXvV1wbF-9dkkpUaDkkJB01q8Q/s640/DSC03463.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An early moon</td></tr>
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As night fell, we sat in the quadrangle talking with the Narayanamoorthy family(the people who own the heritage home and surrounding plantations.They run this home stay) The most special thing about a visit to Kolavara is that it feels like you are a guest visiting Mr. Narayanamoorthy and his family and not on a paid holiday. The husband and I sang songs at their request and then we sat chatting for quite a while before dinner.<br />
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The next morning, we went for a trek up a small hill. After a point, the thicket became dense and the path quite rough. So the little one and granddad returned to the resort while the husband and I carried on. We reached a hill top and the view was well worth the trek! We sat there for a while, taking in the stunning panorama and our quiet time away from the little one. We had forgotten to take the camera. Here are a few mobile phone shots we managed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI8uo9ogvQ1tmCIONdTMeDbP1dPs5fVYFJrTMga4uqKD08DEva_OfALmYU6nCV6kvBj4mBy61LdfGV0luhH_2hdJj6KlFZ_CxIRp7AbvsnQ4Jvx2TsKk9UXxkqh4wukD-luCRdbDCcVY/s1600/IMG-20150922-WA0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI8uo9ogvQ1tmCIONdTMeDbP1dPs5fVYFJrTMga4uqKD08DEva_OfALmYU6nCV6kvBj4mBy61LdfGV0luhH_2hdJj6KlFZ_CxIRp7AbvsnQ4Jvx2TsKk9UXxkqh4wukD-luCRdbDCcVY/s640/IMG-20150922-WA0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hills at the far end was a breathtaking view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HC9_gH8WsehpWGRlXDpHPMMtKoBQFfHc6ZzaDO3zmu6zyCGvsatzIfE9s1HUEVcXPVGnZtdmErdETlRem3nJvamdN_sWEo1ZD_g1vehhr7qAV-3RGiJ-UTL2B4QcKHpSzaqTv3PL_9s/s1600/IMG-20150922-WA0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HC9_gH8WsehpWGRlXDpHPMMtKoBQFfHc6ZzaDO3zmu6zyCGvsatzIfE9s1HUEVcXPVGnZtdmErdETlRem3nJvamdN_sWEo1ZD_g1vehhr7qAV-3RGiJ-UTL2B4QcKHpSzaqTv3PL_9s/s640/IMG-20150922-WA0009.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Kolavara heritage home from the hilltop</td></tr>
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In the evening, we went for a swim in the Thunga river. The water was quite shallow and we took turns holding the baby and plunging in the cool waters. After a refreshing bath, we returned to the resort to pack and post dinner we bid a goodbye to Kolavara and the Narayanamoorthy Family. This holiday turned out to be a very memorable one for the stay in an aesthetic heritage home, the consistently sumptuous Malanad cusine, the warm interactions with the resident family and the abundance of nature all around.<br />
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I recommend this place to all of you. There are a lot of places to see at a driving distance. We did not venture out since we had a small kid. The tariff is reasonable and the place is very well maintained. The only grouse was the lack of air conditioning. We went in the month of June and it was quite hot. Monsoon or post monsoon would be a better time to go. So if you want to revel in nature, stay in a heritage home from a bygone era, enjoy malanad cusine and do some sightseeing too, Kolavara is a good place to go to!<br />
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-75054980679783949822015-08-01T05:48:00.000-07:002015-08-01T10:46:54.769-07:00Book Reviews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><u>The School of Essential Ingredients – By Erica Bauermeister</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1Lvk7PRgBX9kB96hQBc1AkENa1HKeoXIBsh7l3WGpzVr3usOWhotBlO-e1px_UcoQ2pX0rpt_hHDPxzEU7iS9TNPwhyphenhyphens24XkhU23CsInQAtxZM-OxS1WSDWHCJS1v-OOFOSa42BlAVQ/s1600/school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1Lvk7PRgBX9kB96hQBc1AkENa1HKeoXIBsh7l3WGpzVr3usOWhotBlO-e1px_UcoQ2pX0rpt_hHDPxzEU7iS9TNPwhyphenhyphens24XkhU23CsInQAtxZM-OxS1WSDWHCJS1v-OOFOSa42BlAVQ/s320/school.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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This was a one of a kind book for me. The narrative style is so different and the language, absolutely delightful. I had my
misgivings about food memoirs before I tried my hands on ‘The Dirty Life’ which
I found really enjoyable. ‘The school of Essential Ingredients’ clinched this
genre as one of my likes! </div>
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This book has a central theme - how food can touch
the soul, change lives and transform relationships. It takes cooking to an
exalted status of an art (which it sure is! These food memoirs have made me
realise that.)</div>
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Now for a brief about the story. Lillian is the owner of a
niche restaurant that people throng for the soulful dishes served and she also
conducts a weekly cooking class. The entire book revolves around the life
stories of Lillian and her students, a chapter dedicated to each of them. The narrative
switches between the past, which is about the defining incidents in each one’s
life so far and then seamlessly flows into the present, that is the happenings
at the cooking class. Each chapter literally draws you into it and throws light
on the reasons behind the present behaviour of the associated character. At the
end of every chapter we find out how food and cooking transforms the individual
and his/her life.</div>
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All the characters in the book are brilliantly painted. The
descriptions of cooking processes, various dishes and the eating experience is
soul stirring and touches the heart. I am not at all a foodie but I still found
reading about food very enjoyable because of the lucidity of the language and
the images it manages to conjure. The simple tools of simile and metaphor have
been so poetically splashed on the pages of the book and reading them was sheer
delight!</div>
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On the whole, being a conjunction of so many art forms like food,
narrative style and language, reading this book was a very enjoyable
experience. Thanks <a href="https://thegalnxtdoor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">TGND</a> for introducing
this genre and book to me! I in turn recommend it to you all. </div>
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<b><u>The Dirty Life – By Kristin Kimball</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA1wrjzEwCZ78eU9Y2CApFQB2MuNXqXM4IELbLd887aj2CvJOOi9_XJSiNneYAaxWLneXXNlbvoGzxutnbHDwuL9OTqHuJaKE-ILKhlTxWb7MWz8X4W-F-ZDJH6ybhzOz3zHXlXTLl9I/s1600/dirtylife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA1wrjzEwCZ78eU9Y2CApFQB2MuNXqXM4IELbLd887aj2CvJOOi9_XJSiNneYAaxWLneXXNlbvoGzxutnbHDwuL9OTqHuJaKE-ILKhlTxWb7MWz8X4W-F-ZDJH6ybhzOz3zHXlXTLl9I/s320/dirtylife.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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‘The Dirty Life’ introduces the reader to life in a farm.
Not life during those holidays spent in a farmhouse but to one lived as a
farmer which is probably one of the toughest professions ever! </div>
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The author narrates
her real life story in this book. Kristen, initially a journalist in New York, visits
a farm to write about it and ends up falling for the farmer. The book is
largely about how she adapts to the hard life of a farmer – learning to wield
the ropes from her husband, racing against time, doing intense physical work
and living long days that begin well before dawn.</div>
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While reading, we get to appreciate all that goes in for
that plate of food that we see before us every day. The author has beautifully
captured her inner turmoil at every step, as she goes about making such a huge
change – from a typical city life to a completely rural one. The book is also liberally peppered with food
descriptions. Though a vegetarian, I did enjoy these descriptions for what the
language managed to evoke. The author’s lucid writing again scores highly in
favour of the book.</div>
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Reading this book also made me question my perception about professions.
We all tend to think so highly of white collared jobs that earn us quite a
handful for working in swanky air conditioned spaces. ‘The Dirty Life’ taught
me the importance of every single profession from being an electrician or a
mechanic to animal husbandry and farming, in the ecosystem of human existence. </div>
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Farming is all about living in unison with nature. It is
also about competing with nature when it threatens to destroy all the hard work
with its vagaries. ‘The Dirty Life’ takes you on a rendezvous with a farmer
couple as they work their way through the world of soil, seeds, animals
and tastefully rich food. A recommended read!</div>
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893385805999731640.post-50314507480202259602015-07-03T05:39:00.001-07:002015-07-04T01:55:44.673-07:00A Tribute to Diversity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52VMbRAwNfelbS24ijV3upbXqv63BhWjU9I86xdWYeAlc7Co7nSPPIqVX6qH6kZgOFOGNQ0_VvEKstlAkdvvcUOKqebKW-EkZcZR9WQhacDsWiVDVT-3l9SGwLlvvxqF4woQHsg3Iuw8/s1600/wonderful-reflections-in-the-lake-7041-1366x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFNkA8uSzug-8ZmUFCsDoKYQxlYA9guk6xfiuN0q0tWdR0e8CYw3rFFWGC72Il2Ev7IL3MWuC6sohEGnPJTmepnJhagVyMmgJKpladAOCGmmsrEKZ46FVaAP9IVx8R776xHRoymw4cOU/s1600/Sunset-Reflection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFNkA8uSzug-8ZmUFCsDoKYQxlYA9guk6xfiuN0q0tWdR0e8CYw3rFFWGC72Il2Ev7IL3MWuC6sohEGnPJTmepnJhagVyMmgJKpladAOCGmmsrEKZ46FVaAP9IVx8R776xHRoymw4cOU/s320/Sunset-Reflection.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source: Internet</td></tr>
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The birds chirped in unison</div>
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Creating divine music </div>
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The fish swam in the water</div>
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The very epitome of unity</div>
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The ducks paddled away in groups</div>
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Defining beauty itself</div>
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A pair of eagles swooped overhead</div>
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Gliding with ease and grace</div>
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The soothing winds blew </div>
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And the trees swayed in symphony</div>
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The flowers fell down in a shower</div>
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To form a carpet of softness and colour</div>
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Each of them was a thing of beauty</div>
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But the crystal clear water </div>
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Mirroring them all in one canvas</div>
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Was the most breathtaking sight</div>
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<o:p>PS: My poetry collection mostly comprises of the kiddish ones with rhyming words that I wrote as a child :) I am writing a poem after several years. This one was written for a contest. </o:p></div>
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Aarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498369127985472675noreply@blogger.com6