BE-Ne-Lux...

First International Travel:

From the Goa of France i.e. Marseille… from the buses[ where every pair of ears have to have a thin strand of white headphones (Read: i-pods)plugged into them, seems like this is their pass to entry as tickets anyways are not checked and mandatory top of line fashionable shades on their pretty faces] we decided to honour other countries as well for a change…not that travelling was our primary motive…studyin was…[3 beers down]…ignore the few ‘does not make sense words’…

Brugge ki Blues : The countryside truly is at its best in Belgium with its Monopoly houses which all seem so similar and it makes me wonder whether people [Read:Men] don’t at night kinda get confused…if you know what I mean…it basically is like this Ideal or Fantasy towns one imagines of….pruned gardens with lush verdant gardens, cows and horses healthier than a huge number of people in different parts of the world, smiling faces, soothing weather…it for sure was the best place we’d been till now…we took a Canal ride to start with showing us around the mini-town and it was more of a preview to the legendary Venice or let’s say the Pilot version…Next we munched on the best French Fries we’d ever had anywhere in the world…and the irony of it all…we’d come from France [not that French fries were invented there or anything like that].


We then purchased irresistible ice cream scoops with everyone complaining about cold and such immaterial aspects also…and how could we bid adieu to this lovely place without having paid our due respect to the Brewery and ‘The Belgian Beer’…oh wata feeling…!!! Reluctant to leave but as we had already postponed our plan for something like 2 hrs we took a ‘strong’ call [note: post-beer]. Still Jajoo n Tapan inspired by their fav DDLJ wanted sum similar scene and hence last moment frantic running towards the station and we miss it again…so we take a train to Brussels again to reach Amsterdam…


Amsterdam ki Dam’e’ : the first pre dominant colour we observed was obviously bright ‘Orange’…couldn’t b ne other as no other colour could be seen….I felt like a complete local with my now proud purchase of the similar coloured UCB pullover…
It seemed like this famous capital has been artificially monitored into a must visit stop on an individual’s Euro-trip plans. There didn’t seem any spectacular historical or scenic spots but yes it’s as they say ‘ek sonhar ki aur sau lohar ki’….Enter: the Red Light District…I know most of you had directly come to these words without even reading da above words… …..must be the ‘highest’ district in the world for sure….if you know what I mean….I named it the ‘City of Free Will’…u need to actually crane your neck to get some oxygen as till now it’s just ganja and charas’s purple haze which delights your lungs…This place rocks not because everyone is stoned…that would be a lame and old joke [ateast acc to my standards]….but you’ll find people of all nationalities and genders [ not many options there] in their elements out here…and then you have these small cubicles with a particular gender displaying the god-showered beauty which they have been blessed with, teasing as if no one is even looking at them [which would be insane and humanely not possible]daunting and other words which cannot unfortunately appear on a mainstream blog of a respected individual like me….lol…we enter a bar where mushrooms and dope seems their best seller with TOMA rates shooting off the roof…and sexed out psychedelic music on which anyone music lover itself could reach Cloud No.9…there is no bloody escape…’aadmi jaaye to kahan jaaye’…and then the World blames us…unfair I say…


Koln/Cologne ka Zone: well this was more of a stop than a destination more like events in our life our apart from Death….k now it’s getting philosophical. We just had an hour or so…but luckily we were in the right Zone as I mentioned before. There was Koln’s renowned Church which acted as a neighbor to the station. But the highlight surely was the realization of being on the land of 4711 Eau De Cologne…and hence visit to the original store and indulgence in memento shopping.


Luxembourg ki Luxury: We travelled in this country+city+capital which seemed smaller than Cal also…with hardly anyone on the streets. ..and no of buses = population* 2.343…and it seemed like buses and other such amenities are provided by the govt to its people so we too became temporary citizens and used bus service without tickets…yet again. We found accommodation in a youth hostel which seemed like a mini hotel or so…and had a pleasant stay which included a mighty game of chess and a historic win…my first international win…in any sport that too…

The morning was dedicated to roaming the streets of the city over which hung a foam/fog…couldn’t make out…there were castles, forts and churches, bridges, splendid landscapes. Out comes the map and we start the walk. Am thinking of applying for Luxembourg citizenship, don’t think there would be more than 100 MBa’s in the country…lol…


Brussels: did not have much time to see the entire city. Unfortunately could not meet a friend in the city and just visited the city centre which itself presented a window to the culture and ethnicity of the place. It had a few mystic and old-church like feel to the city. The trip back was more of a sprint for the Beijing Gold rather than a stroll to the station…another DDLJ take…???

First Trip...

Our first trip: more of an experiment for our future out-of-country [ahem read country here refers to France n not India, for the time being atleast] journeys. So we try and comprehend the Eurail way of travelling or planning let’s say. A special mention of the trains out here in Europe. We initially miss the Indian way of constant and habituated botheration from ‘muri’ and ‘caffi-chaaaaiii’ walas as hunger drum beats play a nice rhythm in our bellies. More importantly the first thing we all noticed was the unavailability of signs like “To Stop Train, Pull Chain”. The so-called WC’s out her can pass as a stylish room to a cannot move space of 4-walls. Stylized in pastel shades of great taste and 68912 facilities in their. As we get over the new way of physical movement we see huge villas out from our well fought window seats. We guess right; we are nearing St. Tropez and eventually Cannes. Then we see this familiar board of Cannes and very arbitly we just get off the train with our bags….but we were on our way to Nice…..ahhhh….who cares…


Cannes and Khan-nes: Seemed Hollywood of Europe….beautiful sun adorned houses and villas with magnificent huge god knows how many stars hotels providing abode to the hordes of personalities. Jajoo also decided to get a picture taken with him acting his way into a public toilet and just then the door opens and three insane people run for cover…only 2 survive. We paid homage to the centre or hall where the Annual Cannes Film festival takes place. The Red Carpet really gives you the kick in the back and opens your eyes if there was ne chance of you thinking this was just a hoax of a dream. We walked up and down the carpet and felt like yes stars and then again…we left a note for Ash next time she’s there. There were also these hand prints of famous celebrities on the paths….and due to a strike on that day we cudnt get ours done…. The main port side is again very stunning with private yachts lining our way. A scenic view of the Mediterranean Sea from there with boats, yachts and a lighthouse complimenting the view. Then after a pathetic Dharmendra and Mausiji scene and a nice chat with some Uk tourists [Jajoo really was interested in one of them more than his claim of being concerned in UBS where she worked] we made our way to the Old Church. The view from there was simply breath-taking. We could see almost the entire city from there or at least all the paths we’d traversed.


Nice was Nice: The entire train route from Cannes to Nice was wow….the track right besides the sea and the sun shining brightly. There was this gigantic hotel in the shape of a ship. Nice has an excellent city centre with a massive open space and a creative Buddha look statuettes atop thin pillars. The beach was pretty too and the sidewalk was bustling with tourists. A musically perfect moment was the teenager strumming his guitar to Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and couple sitting on a bench staring out at the crystal blue sea.


Paris ke Pari: Our first TGV ride…Paris surely was chilly[weather wise] as warned by my huge number of international and firangi friends from Europe. What happened next was something we surely didn’t see coming…not even with our specs back on. We were basically ‘escorted’ by the police for not carrying our original passports and literally taken on a tour of the city in a police van. The entire episode which is much more than the one line written above really left us infuriated in the heard about racist approach adopted by them. We definitely let them know what we felt about the entire thing though and how wrong they were. For more details you can contact me…later….it became chilly otherwise too…if you know what I mean…
In Paris one surely feels the power….you are in one of the most important and power capitals of the world. It surely is a sign of Globalisation. The Paris metro definitely reminded me of Cal Metro though. Not as clean as its Marseille counterpart and uff so crowded. It’s planning though is worth mentioning connecting this huge city with more than double digit lines. We planned to see the Eiffel and Louvre but after walking in circles for the next 30 mins we shortlisted our alredy short list to just the Louvre.

Louvre : is actually this colossal palacial now turned into museum place. Da Vinci Code flashes by…when you enter and se those pyramids….and you start lookin’ for other such famous signs. Just close your eyes and and point on the map and there will be a citizen from that country of passive choice for sure. The museum is highly unlikely to be seen in an entire day too…we felt otherwise…tried to make the best of whatever time we had. The Museum mainly has three divisions housing different artifacts and art. Every division is massive in its own with multiple rooms, painted ceilings and alleys with specialized corners. Surprisingly, personally there were a number of other objects of art and sculpture which impressed me much more than the infamous Monalisa. The huge painting right opposite the Monalisa was unbelievable….truly…it was of the Feast with Jesus. Also a couple of paintings by one Giovani Paolo Pannini was simply out of this world…..wat vision….crazy…..his paintings had everything which the Louvre housed. It had paintings, sculptures, people, and places on a single piece of canvas….WOW!!!...stood there for like 15 mins staring...in awe…The most memorable part of the museum for me though was the section of Napolean’s Apartment….the bedrooms, the dinner table, the fireplace…each and every drape,chair, carpet out there oozed grandeur and royalty. It actually for a moment takes you back in time and you start imagining how things would have been during those times. The entire museum inspires you no matter how ignorant one is of the history behind the works exhibited out there. Makes you aware of the passion of these artists and talented individuals for whom their work was all they saw and…achieved. Conclusion: The LOUVRE must be visited once in your lifetime folks…for sure….it’s a must watch and should feature in your “List of 100 places to visit before I visit Heaven/Hell…”

Am excited about my next week’s trip to Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg…yes am studyin too….hopefully…till then Au Revoir…

Marseille ....The City...

After 3 International flights, 4 Airports, 3 Countries, 23 hours of approx travelling with all complex calculations of time travel and some 1000 miles we reached our home for 3 months, dropped by a cabbie pledging his allegiance and association for Mithun Chakrabarthy. This driver was definitely a pauper in comparison to the high profile bus driver [could have easily passed off as a model] from Marseille Airport to station. Fell in love on the first look with the roads [no holes], traffic [organized] , non polluting stylized cars of the various brands which one only dreamt of on Indian roads. Our first sight in the morning [late afternoon] after trying hard to feel of something called being “jet-lag” was of the crossing next to our house with a splendid view from our window, that’s when we named it Times Square.


As we stepped out onto the streets [very clean] and mainly pavements [as rules are followed here and hence we adhere], some aspects caught our attention. The citizens of this beautiful country have an excellent sense of fashion and style and which is truly reflected in their dressing sense. World titles are not merely thrown without any meaning what so ever. They are very fashion conscious which is independent of the time, age or even gender. Yes it was not just the youngsters and potential models that were high on style quotient but also senior citizens [a huge number of the population] with great zeal. This was highly inspiring, exhibiting the fact that they still live their lives each day no matter whether they are past their prime or not. And yes the thing that justifies this the most is the figure which carries those wonderful dresses, this might be due to their being so health conscious and also to the amount they walk on a given normal day.


As for the beauty it is a shame…seriously they don’t realize how beautiful and pretty they are. Every face leaves you breathless and obviously staring which goes without saying. My first thought was that the city was the stage and its roads the ramp. Each one a model in their own respect. Most of them look straight outta the movies, as if you just played them on your VLC player last night. Every face is smiling and seems ready to help, this is purely because of the fact that people here do what they want to and they have a great deal of time to practice and indulge in their interests and hobbies.


A major or I should say the Brigadier problem here is that of language for students [etudiants] like us who even after 3 months of basic French language course can hardly understand the language and more importantly their accent. Very few can speak English and hence we hardly use that and are always in the attempt to do the same. Hindi too is not very frequently used due to the previous failed attempt. So basically to conclude, we are without a knowledge of language here and literally quite lost…. Though the sight and first exchange of words in Hindi with some other Indians at the campus was like being given Bhaji with Pav [and an extra pav]. Campus here is great , though initially getting to the classes becomes a race against time.
Though even here at Marseille, we have duly displayed our brilliance for not following rules and other such lines to adhere to. The very first travel by bus was made without purchasing a ticket, Indian way???....well call it whatever you feel like it was a natural course of action with straight faces “all the way”


We also paid a visit to the City Centre of the city on the Vieux Port. This trip took place only due to the complete accidental meeting with two Pakistani girls in the metro. It was like true friendship across the border in a different land…..now what do you call that???....is there a term???? Anyways Jajoo entered depression when they decided to address him as Bhaiya and did not accept money for Coke. They played the perfect guides in a city in which they too had arrived only some weeks back…. [embarrassing]. The Vieux Port was simply stunning…the only problem being we didn’t know what to keep our eyes on….if you know what I mean. It was like Paris Fashion Week goin on [with no Paparazzi] at one of these crossings…I shall never forget those few minutes and the ‘heavenly crossing’. Few streets down the line we experienced a completely different set of emotions. There were these set of youngsters who were quite determined to get something of value from our respective bags and thus started a classic Hollywood chase with Jajoo in the lead with all pun intended. We escaped though and luckily for them we didn’t steal anything from them instead. Then Hollywood gave way to Bollywood, as our lead actor Jajoo was posing and me the aspirational photographer turned director was taking a nice shot of him with the background of the City Centre. We hear a voice….MOVE MOVE!!!!.....and the next thing we see moving is a Tram comin straight at us with its horn blaring…..and yes we did do a “double Ghulam”…..better than Amir too it seemed. So we did a two first of sorts…filmed a high quality Bollywood shot and also made them blow the goddamn horn!!!....our ears ache because of the silence on the streets…..uff…..We also did an Indian bargaining stint for shades….with the huge Black guy and stopped after getting a Euro off and the contours on his face started changed…
A few of my dreams also came true: played football with 2 street kids in the alley like they show on those foreign sport ads. Also played football on the beach with a team of 8 and mini goals….with people from faraway places…..aha…..wata feelin….

One definite add on to our profiles if not academics on our CV then definitely on our Marriage proposal CV…..lol….has to be our new acquisition of cooking talent…..name it Rice, dal, curry,burger,coffee,tea, Maggi, noodles, maggi again and last but not the least MAGGI!!! Jajoo says his dowry would definitely taken a new leap. We have become experts at supermarkets and shopping without reading the language or understanding what’s Veg n what’s not…..as Veg here includes egg, chicken and other similar kinds of meat….wondering what the other sector comprises of….We have also acquired this innate ability to multiply anything with 7 in like……0.00000232939 secs aprox…..thanks to the Euro conversions….though the supermarkets and retailing here are really superior and now the theory on the Retail Management makes much more sense. Food has been another issue of sorts…the 3 of us represent the entire range of eaters possible…One who would eat anything that moves…..Another would not even look at anything that moves [or is moved even by hand] and am somewhere in between…


So here it is….More later….about our travels and more crazy occurrences…till then….Peace…!!!

Question bout IT...!!

Where do you come from, where do you go?
Decorating your dreams, that’s all you know.
Drifting in the streams, whispering in the ears of love,
Can’t see you but running in the blood of my nerves.
You are the wind, you’re the breeze
You are the zephyr, you’re the trees.
You are the life and the heart;
Or are you just a mere shadow so far?
Have you come to give or just to take away?
What do I ask you? Where have you come from?
Who are you?

When you walk the leaves fall,
Candles light when you speak,
When you stroll the clouds crawl,
When you stop the hearts meet.

Lashing with the waves of the sea,
Is it just the wind?
Rustling with the leaves of the tree; or,
Is it the dove’s wings?
Is it true? Are you sure?
Or are you a mere mirage of the reflection I know?

Where do you come from and where do you go?
Decorating your dreams, that’s all you know.
Who are you?