tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33411919724883760002024-02-21T10:16:18.269+01:00Girl In GermanyThe adventures of an Indian girl in Germany and around the World Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-78522938197826074092017-07-11T21:00:00.000+02:002018-02-19T18:28:45.601+01:00Over the Rocks this Summer - Day 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Day 2: Altendorf - Schrammtor- Schrammsteine - Jägersteig - Wildschützensteig- Czech Republic- Bad Spandau</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGwiS-Nrh4tUKNwOtDuHvghCeCEn1PeRGF_YIkW7peLh4_DGSPcChjKTOJ2AgSwDK_LLd75S4J2QjncWsoh8hy_LQxodAGJEZ2wSPbpvpRbz6E279MWQA-HOwYEQChb7LxlHZ5veFHjg/s1600/20170707_081217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGwiS-Nrh4tUKNwOtDuHvghCeCEn1PeRGF_YIkW7peLh4_DGSPcChjKTOJ2AgSwDK_LLd75S4J2QjncWsoh8hy_LQxodAGJEZ2wSPbpvpRbz6E279MWQA-HOwYEQChb7LxlHZ5veFHjg/s200/20170707_081217.jpg" width="112" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzc_rkbTa0J5O1iA3G5uL7tzsiTrExW9qGRC78GaVnm2MIY8LiPUIV6JB1b9Cn_buhjjd7Qs55HeP3XxMTYA90GMqtpEU-8AzP6YlIEzbczV1v44CzdcQOu_XsegVaVm9WhHzojZZdZp8/s1600/20170707_081250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzc_rkbTa0J5O1iA3G5uL7tzsiTrExW9qGRC78GaVnm2MIY8LiPUIV6JB1b9Cn_buhjjd7Qs55HeP3XxMTYA90GMqtpEU-8AzP6YlIEzbczV1v44CzdcQOu_XsegVaVm9WhHzojZZdZp8/s200/20170707_081250.jpg" width="112" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was a new day. Trickles of raindrops woke us up. We had stayed in one of those friendly, home-bound establishments, that welcome Malerweg walkers. The place was especially lovely, <i>with the Granny's </i><i>friendly talks, t</i><i>he soft mattress, perfect mountain view, cold beer, a hot shower and a fresh basket of breakfast waiting for us at the doorstep so early the next morning - </i>all to provide us with the perfect stay! - <i>even if it were for just one night. </i>It was a perfect beginning, with mountains surrounding, fresh dew on the flowers in the front Yard - and the glowing Sun trying hard to peek its way out the clouds (<i>well, that indeed was promising, considering how dark the clouds loomed over while I was getting ready)</i>. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FLSR3GpVxVMSWvhp8cxCwbjUYmftTiULLrZo-m8r6pNUkYwA6Fin-Be_NX7kNiHto46MuWxHmhyAkizGxPnPZopq-AItllguBNerk5cXTm_UGWnJOlAn_XI9s4NG166WttUfl8Txzro/s1600/20170707_101604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FLSR3GpVxVMSWvhp8cxCwbjUYmftTiULLrZo-m8r6pNUkYwA6Fin-Be_NX7kNiHto46MuWxHmhyAkizGxPnPZopq-AItllguBNerk5cXTm_UGWnJOlAn_XI9s4NG166WttUfl8Txzro/s400/20170707_101604.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All geared up, we began our brisk walk, as the Sun now shined bright over our heads. Passing by several graceful houses, we soon reached a large grassland-type of a landscape (<i>or maybe it was a paddy field : it was just so relaxing to walk through, and with a perfect view of the hills in front of you)</i>. <i>We could also see the flat mountain distantly, which looked even more beautiful today, than when we looked at it yesterday at dinner. Probably cos we were drained yesterday o.O. </i>I was absorbing it all, and walking straight ahead, when "<i>We have to turn around here"- said S, to my disbelief. I couldn't believe all this walking for an hour now had gone to dust. </i>Well, luckily for me, with a slight deviation, it seems to still be possible to get on track (<i>ultimately to our car, parked in Bad Spandau) Thanks to S, for his map-reading skills, and well, his constant talent to pacify & cheer me up :D, </i>we entered a complete new scenery - dense forest, slippery, woody soil and rays of lighting passing through the tall trees. <i>How contrasting. It was also S's favorite landscapes.</i> In a 30-min descend, we were soon out of the forest, only to find that we had already reached our car-park! <i>That's it ? For today? </i>We checked the time, it was not even noon <i>- "Let's look for a slightly deviating trail from here, why waste all day, what say?" </i>- I asked S, and went to find a closest path. It was not long before we finalized on one, which even touched the Czech border. And so we hopped off, away and away from our car. <i>Little did we know what was ahead.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQa7tQrun8gkn1nMzRFbheHSkuJNyauIDfcSKo6bAzeGZMJntJTNoHiV2mZzEHeUYd1X6c_08H70t7b166bGmkYZQx3kix-uN_YS5-Un8L-OG95f8O_3_BXU9rvrGc3vcTn7uklwlpUo/s1600/20170707_134007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQa7tQrun8gkn1nMzRFbheHSkuJNyauIDfcSKo6bAzeGZMJntJTNoHiV2mZzEHeUYd1X6c_08H70t7b166bGmkYZQx3kix-uN_YS5-Un8L-OG95f8O_3_BXU9rvrGc3vcTn7uklwlpUo/s200/20170707_134007.jpg" width="111" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kDVJ-MM5kMIsmu8V_3yuoXn7PhB2sZCQ8CAhwKkzFehbe2Ktctx6nKEf3QPShc1VuMepuzuEYgVKG9fa5hiLzmBesruZPNXOyAKtrg_Cgj829nD1ESOEbbJsAD-ECUYP2BwiCarKw1w/s1600/20170707_134129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kDVJ-MM5kMIsmu8V_3yuoXn7PhB2sZCQ8CAhwKkzFehbe2Ktctx6nKEf3QPShc1VuMepuzuEYgVKG9fa5hiLzmBesruZPNXOyAKtrg_Cgj829nD1ESOEbbJsAD-ECUYP2BwiCarKw1w/s320/20170707_134129.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Schrammtor: </b>Charged, we started off following the <a href="https://indiangirlingermany.blogspot.de/2017/07/malerweg.html" target="_blank">Malerweg</a> board, just like yesterday. Starting off through tall trees, the trail then leads up the hill to the Mühlweg path into the Schrammsteine: <i>hmm, its supposed to be an elongated, heavily jagged group of rocks, a massive natural gate made of basalt stones.</i> Peculiarly, the rocks stood all of a sudden amidst the forests, with white sand below! <i>Nature can be so confusing. See the pictures for yourself. </i>It was a wonderful change of scenes from the dense forests, with a lot of families/people, <i>who seemed pretty relaxed and enjoying the view: a drastic change to our other by-passers who were usually super-fit or rushing past us huffing and puffing.</i>There were proper long wooden stairs, that aided visitors to get a look from up above, <i>which meant we dint strain ourselves at all</i>. <i>S even tried rock climbing over one of the humongous rocks :) </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">S and I had a lot of amusing moments in this stretch of our hike, as we happily climbed up to the viewpoint. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">It was so much fun, and we were so distracted that we even started to slow down our usual pace :D > </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">yeah, we maintained a steady walking speed *hmm, I don't remember exactly how many mins per km we had to finish now, but then we had to keep up to it: so we could reach the destination before sundown.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1rvnayTEcIdA7rMFz4VUxh5XKl4HdBLAWSbRUZQzkpp3seiolUg8PANlgDZazjdzoE96J8np3VCy5wQ-UIYTGMcYED8MLHyWIIDlTUBGgHYvYb1SAr8Z8e-bZCLiikPoQjuOVKYDg0s/s1600/20170707_144129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Jägersteig ascent</b>: So yeah, after a pretty long break, we then descended the same route we went up, when a small board caught our eye: It pointed to the nearest viewpoint: Schrammsteine: <i>it led towards a steep uphill and then a left. </i>We stood there speculating a minute or two if we should actually go up. <i>Well, let's atleast climb and see what is above the board, we finally thought. </i>And started to go up. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb6KBPGh7prDzqgVc2O-uFFjAembkDQnoHhwpYPqOewJoqB3vRr91dTDpBQek4p21TG-NWvjYsdlmU2ozCwyHx9rdu9RKHimK49mPWhBLVqkRxv82M_PQLs_19YzZOv76QHbIDjxfow8/s1600/20170706_153207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUb6KBPGh7prDzqgVc2O-uFFjAembkDQnoHhwpYPqOewJoqB3vRr91dTDpBQek4p21TG-NWvjYsdlmU2ozCwyHx9rdu9RKHimK49mPWhBLVqkRxv82M_PQLs_19YzZOv76QHbIDjxfow8/s320/20170706_153207.jpg" width="176" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'Only for hikers: upwards'- welcomed a Warning board, as we crossed it. <i>Huh? Its to go up, but not to descend? - how funny, </i>I thought.<i> </i>In due time, I came to know why. The ascent takes you across steel ladders, which lead to the Schrammsteingratweg trail, featuring the Schrammstein Viewpoint. Some of these were literally facing upwards towards the sky, that you cannot imagine using them to climb downwards. <i>No wonder, it was only for the ascent. </i>I was so terrified everytime I had to walk on those ladders, especially at the topmost step, turn around and switch positions. S was always behind me, guiding my every step. <i>Thanks to the steelrails, which were extremely sturdy and perfectly placed - </i>your hands look for a grip and there! you find a support, just where you need one. It was an adventuresome climb, as were turned left, right, bent down and snuggled through the rocks. It was infact colder amidst these rocks, especially because these ladders were cutting through the rocks, or sometimes we had to walk under them - and were also covered with bright green moss and trees. <i>Know what, it later became one of our best-loved part of the hike! Hands down :)</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Viewpoint: </b>Ah, and then with the last step out of the caves, we reached the "Wildschützensteig" leading to the final meters towards the peak. Nevertheless, it took us some time to go up as we now had to cross stairs, steps and ladders. <i>Oh, and there was traffic jam too here :D with people going up or coming back down.</i> But the many steps and ladders and all the waiting was forgotten in a blink on the top!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>And.. you can walk almost to the brim, which ofcourse had well-secured handrails for safety. </i>There was also this particular edge, wherein there was a foot-length gap, towards the adjacent rock infront. <i>It scared the hell out of me, looking down a minute or two : I could actually see the vegetation and the deep ravines under my feet! <absolutely, or rather literally breath-taking></i> I remember standing there, stunned in fear :D Just exactly at that moment, a kid (<i>maybe 4) </i>jumped across it, considering it absolute fun <i>and was even nagging his parents that he wanted to keep doing it - lol</i>. <i>Well, it sure is true, that little babies know no fear, isnt't it :) </i>Thanks to all the company of the climbers here, who were kind enough to take us the perfect postcard-picture we needed : of this Summer<i> :)</i> for the view was simply spectacular. <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From here, was a fantastic view all over Saxony, one of the best views of Saxon Switzerland - at the stunning Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the adjacent climbing rock "Jungfer", the Elbe river and Czech Republic! S and I took some good fifteen mins to just sink in the beauty, that lay infront of us. It is just so impressive how only about 400m difference of altitude could make such a difference and already upon up such a beautiful view.</span></span><i><span style="color: #002000; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIu6hRyvFbbZlL4cky1MV8ncZOZbxs8kB4I1TS1C-_Gzsy8ku3DUGanV1jzRSBE6QQCQS401cD6SkzQmSPn5_s_s8SyP9ACWR9A12iydLjotsAtw7boALLw5YuoK2xCY2cTZ3aAYKXdc/s1600/20170707_170821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIu6hRyvFbbZlL4cky1MV8ncZOZbxs8kB4I1TS1C-_Gzsy8ku3DUGanV1jzRSBE6QQCQS401cD6SkzQmSPn5_s_s8SyP9ACWR9A12iydLjotsAtw7boALLw5YuoK2xCY2cTZ3aAYKXdc/s320/20170707_170821.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Crossing Borders: </b>After all that strenuous hike to the top, we started back towards our car. It was now almost 6 hours since we decided on the detour towards the Schrammsteine. Clouds were getting darker, and we still had to reach Bad Spandau - before the rain splashed on us. We were literally running down the wooden stairs, stamping the dried foliage, taking two steps at a time. <i>If we can make it as planned, the end destination was a laid-back supper, at the Czech-Republic, crossing the German Border all by foot.</i> It was just this one thought that kept us going, <i>well and the darkening clouds and occasional thunders :D </i>I still could remember how much we were rushing, with no thoughts in mind - no drama, no nothing - the only focus was not to get drenched. <i>Haha, we even felt like prehistoric times - </i>lustrous green ferns, tall slender trees, hustling of the distant wind, birds coo-cooing and fresh oxygen ofcourse. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was a delight walking downhill, only to see Czech border as a distant sight. Excited and amused stepping foot into Czech - all by foot, we <a href="https://indiangirlingermany.blogspot.de/2017/07/malerweg.html" target="_blank">rewarded </a>ourselves with a scintillating view of the mountains - yet again like yesterday, an exquisite gulash meal, a relishing chocolate cake for the dessert and such tasteful Czech beer </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">(</span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">all those calories we lost in our 2-day 52km - flew off that minute I guess :P)</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-88868467173353656092017-07-10T20:11:00.000+02:002017-07-31T17:46:53.248+02:00Over the Rocks this Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's just two days now. My feet is no more sore. Nor are my palms swollen. Nor do my eyes see such greenness everywhere anymore. I miss the Rainforest and the metal ladders already. </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Every year my Summer, is different. My first year in Germany was filled with amazement towards my first snow (a surprise trip to Switzerland), the second with a refreshing dip in <a href="https://indiangirlingermany.blogspot.de/2014/08/every-summer-has-story-summer-2014.html" target="_blank">lake</a>, the third a <a href="https://indiangirlingermany.blogspot.de/2015/08/this-summer.html" target="_blank">cycling </a>trip, last year a mini hike to the peak of a small mountain range close to my place, and now, I'm more calorie-conscious and fitter I'd say. <i>Hehe. Maybe it's the recent gym membership effect, or to maintain the compliment 'oh, you always look just like in college', or if it's really my thought to stay healthy: well, whatever - as long as it keep me in good vibes.</i> </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A walk along the Malerweg:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3NiUcworT4NARgJ7Q5Q1w8ajf2KGwclISonKjL_LRJrnY1ybK-Z-0SdXj5Vs-1Sc2_rBUyY0-BA_A5_ilbY38836IUPjg8ZYTLKtN6p9kfk2azEjYhnOaPLAPwrtNQEL_uhe-vOcIAE/s1600/20170706_111713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3NiUcworT4NARgJ7Q5Q1w8ajf2KGwclISonKjL_LRJrnY1ybK-Z-0SdXj5Vs-1Sc2_rBUyY0-BA_A5_ilbY38836IUPjg8ZYTLKtN6p9kfk2azEjYhnOaPLAPwrtNQEL_uhe-vOcIAE/s320/20170706_111713.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">S and I are completely free this summer holidays - <i>as in no office, no guests, no pre-planned long trips, and lots of relaxation.</i> One afternoon after work, S just like that asked "<i>Hey, why don't we go on a hiking trip, just us, just 2 days". </i>Peeked with interest, we started our pre-trainings every Saturday : beginning small and gearing up to 23 km per day. Like always, S did all the planning and he came up with Malerweg - Germany's most picturesque hiking trail. <i>Seems painters, poets and musicians sought inspiration through the landscapes along these routes to make timeless works, that the trail was named the Malerweg.</i> <i>Go have a look on Google na? Breathtaking panoramas, never-eneding bizzare rocky landscape, dense foliage</i> - is just too beautiful and a total distance of a whooping 112kms. But then, there are like eight different daily stages: each ranging 11 to 18 kilometers in length. Best part was that we can start and end the hike, from any of the stages, or also walk in either direction. Booking our accomodation for the next night and clipping our backpacks, we decided to start off the next morning : to do a half and one full stage per day : so totally three stages, which was doable <i><or so we thought!></i> <i>So come, read on and walk with me - it will be worth it!</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Day 1: Bad Schandau - Bastei- Amselfall- Hockstein - Hohnstein - Altendorf</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was a fresh morning. With upbeats and blue skies, we drove up to a place called Bad Schandau, close to Dresden, <i>where we safely parked our Audi for the next two days.</i> From there, we had to take the S-bahn, and then a Ferry (<i>which had an entry fee of 1</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">€</span><i>- it starts its engine, turns 180 degrees and there, you reach the other side of the river :D) </i>to start our walk from Rathen! <i>Yay! </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YyRsWTpkZ_9UYjgQBFlU-ilBmALGh6RO1OQ5nFmzg3PkzbVr2RI0Fct-wqRKfEAiJxX3_9RkxwfYGWc5KH_r9Ax22b25ggY24S5dZOQU8CayMKW3p5LMDobwuqybpiSj8_f_A2-wqVk/s1600/IMG_20170712_001811_925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YyRsWTpkZ_9UYjgQBFlU-ilBmALGh6RO1OQ5nFmzg3PkzbVr2RI0Fct-wqRKfEAiJxX3_9RkxwfYGWc5KH_r9Ax22b25ggY24S5dZOQU8CayMKW3p5LMDobwuqybpiSj8_f_A2-wqVk/s320/IMG_20170712_001811_925.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The first stopover was at Bastei some 193m high : one of the famous insights along the trail. <i>I had already been here twice, but directly upto the top with the car, so I was all excited to climb up. </i>Just like every other hike, I was super tired in the first uphill walk, panting and taking breaks, but soon caught up with the good pace. The pathway was surrounded by tall trees, dried foliage and stairs made of barks of wood, making it easier to have a grip on the ground. The views were breathtaking, here - <i>a fantastic view of the Elbe river, Elbe valley and the distant sandstone mountains right into Bohemian Switzerland: all getting better, as you keep going over higher and higher viewpoints.</i> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Particularly there was a panoromic route that ran past ruins from an ancient castle and over deep ravines all along secure footbridges, </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">where we had to pay a small entry free</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Know what? They had huge walls set up, so you just cant see them from the outside (how thoughtful :D), keeping its charm discreet and intact. </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And then comes the downhill right? <i>Happily hopping our way, we reached the bottom</i> only to walk parallel to an opaque greenish Amselsee. <i>And oh, forgot to tell you, I am always fascinated to see fauna- of any sort, especially on trips. </i>I wasn't sure if there would be anything new, especially because this was a walking path (<i>and it's safer to not run into bears or foxes in the jungle)</i>, just then there was a bright blue (<i>no, not a butterfly)</i> dragonfly that caught our eyes : so bright, so luminescent and so different. <i>Being different, isn't always bad is it? :)</i> After my fruitless efforts to capture it in my camera, we continued walking along - watching people enjoying the boatride on the lake. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOfca7nztLQSv82gwNWdJPkH0gyrxL8P3iuI5Qt0vBxThaczdSYRn3a41XMZ8VOFhP_8emMA2a1hgCz3wcQ0L-Kiafdsbob_MROhADjeDG_Lz69xSV6mH43UpvWPw-QiwmL48xqTgI2k/s1600/20170706_130129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOfca7nztLQSv82gwNWdJPkH0gyrxL8P3iuI5Qt0vBxThaczdSYRn3a41XMZ8VOFhP_8emMA2a1hgCz3wcQ0L-Kiafdsbob_MROhADjeDG_Lz69xSV6mH43UpvWPw-QiwmL48xqTgI2k/s320/20170706_130129.jpg" width="179" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJDOltNR77Vzz2YQVF5FpnU9jp1P17OAMkeBqNiYPgu3zVXwOTcpJ-ACye_o2voGYe2K_RKlR2WfRjl5uALoCsskL4fUxv-ZGMVUSy_KTVPdk_Xn6mPbbG7YU-2oji4COjm3to7QtSUE/s1600/20170706_133454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJDOltNR77Vzz2YQVF5FpnU9jp1P17OAMkeBqNiYPgu3zVXwOTcpJ-ACye_o2voGYe2K_RKlR2WfRjl5uALoCsskL4fUxv-ZGMVUSy_KTVPdk_Xn6mPbbG7YU-2oji4COjm3to7QtSUE/s320/20170706_133454.jpg" width="179" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Further down the road was the <i>Amselfall</i>, a small waterfalls, that looked absolutely a stunner - <i>just like a typical Rainforest wallpaper. </i>There was a gush of water every 5 to 10 minutes, creating a show on its own - with broken logs, lush green leaves, bright sun and a flaunting rainbow everytime the water flows - all with a dine-in experience. <i>We just couldn't leave this place! R</i></span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">eluctantly, </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">we continue walking in the direction of Hockstein. Our spirits soon lifted up, as the scenery was now completely different : large maize fields, beautiful lavender meadows and flowered porches of lovely villages. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">No green at all.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTHd8orw8YdwW48aLs_vulmQzmm4g4inBSVeaj0pgoXNUKx5qXQ7x0uyww36RD42XR8_CDJog1ugnkIIKLH5jnv-a3H14TeLivO2Qj4omtLM2FBNID_mZ0qIEEiwz_pzyXNX6KMHOmI8/s1600/20170706_152024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTHd8orw8YdwW48aLs_vulmQzmm4g4inBSVeaj0pgoXNUKx5qXQ7x0uyww36RD42XR8_CDJog1ugnkIIKLH5jnv-a3H14TeLivO2Qj4omtLM2FBNID_mZ0qIEEiwz_pzyXNX6KMHOmI8/s320/20170706_152024.jpg" width="179" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SkuNyCsJS-hDX0vIFjmbYTxFEEkKYHftqLuo5ycWEP2gaMAsVm3ZCcuaVa8-NRK-1oNDuhyphenhyphenZCSiwzxxXY5fkXOu9d1GCITYoXMHZ19LBCRGff7iZZbmNMErgW8dr-UTwSJ7qjLljxws/s1600/20170706_151511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SkuNyCsJS-hDX0vIFjmbYTxFEEkKYHftqLuo5ycWEP2gaMAsVm3ZCcuaVa8-NRK-1oNDuhyphenhyphenZCSiwzxxXY5fkXOu9d1GCITYoXMHZ19LBCRGff7iZZbmNMErgW8dr-UTwSJ7qjLljxws/s320/20170706_151511.jpg" width="179" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Stamping past dried oaks and pine cones, we climbed over the steps of the Wolfschlucht gorge, to see the wonderful view down into the 115m deep valley. <i>By now we were draining of energy - desperately motivated by the sheer fact to reach the top of Hockstein. </i>Luckily we found a resting spot, just on top - we recharged ourselves with a chicken sandwich, some <i>milchbrötchen</i> and some orange juices. The view was spectacular, with its fresh breeze and overlooking valley. Recharged, we began to descend the 800 steps (<i>yeah, 800!!) </i>into the Tiefen Grund gorge. <i>The backdrop of the steps reminded me of the Guna caves, although I was fascinated by the amazingly sturdy steel stairs and wondering how they could even construct one at such a location in the first place! </i>It was so narrow that S and I had to go one after the other, with the sunlight cutting its way as a thin streak through those massive rocks. <i>Somehow we knew that the farther you go down, the same height you may have to climb up again :D </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was't therefore very surprising when we reached a beautiful village, a calm river and half-woody houses at the end of the cave path, only for the navi to ask us to hike up a hill beside! We somehow took breaks and climbed up, totally exhausted by the time we reached <i>Brand. </i>Because of the unforgettable view of the Polenztal valley below and the table mountains, the Brand was already a popular destination for artists over 200 years ago. We stumped on the guesthouse, <i>which is still in business since 1830 itseems, </i>lured us just like every other walkers back in the days. <i>"Let's book a place here and stay here for tonight" we thought. </i>Just before we could book our stay there, we asked the receptionist <i>"How far is Altendorf from here?"</i> (<i>our booked accomodation was in Altendorf) "One...one and half hours by walk" </i>came the reply. We checked our clocks, it was close to 5pm. <i>"I think we can make it" we decided together, </i>and started walking. <i>Little did we know how far we had to go!</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-ecveYNbc18GFrbrNjLUWPbYU5O-VU1k8wCS_4MpM4db2SVKbs9bVY6xe1bmpp_NELS8zt5_YFFKhpu8rSI_1sXyrrXdNwsKmqJDRXLUP8vk42EBZFT_YE3sTbsmy5zv8Ck19WZLtW4/s1600/20170706_211120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-ecveYNbc18GFrbrNjLUWPbYU5O-VU1k8wCS_4MpM4db2SVKbs9bVY6xe1bmpp_NELS8zt5_YFFKhpu8rSI_1sXyrrXdNwsKmqJDRXLUP8vk42EBZFT_YE3sTbsmy5zv8Ck19WZLtW4/s400/20170706_211120.jpg" width="223" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Giving a look over the shoulders of the panoramic view, we took two steps at a time climbing down the hill. Light was beginning to face - predominantly because of the dense vegetation in the mountain, waters flowing making it also a bit cold, fallen trees and the sheer silence -<i>uhmm, I.. was actually starting to feel a little scared. <A tensed me glanced at the watch, "6:45 pm">.</i> Halfway down the altitude deviated another short uphill, filled with thick plants, insects flying around and patchy grounds. "<i>We can do this, we are almost there" S tried to cheer me up. </i>Pushing ourselves literally we came downhill to be overjoyed to see the board pointing Altendorf. <i>Yay! Just one more ascend and we would be home! </i>Cheerfully we stooped our hiking sticks into the soils, jerking us upward and into the flatlands at last!! <i>We were dead as a zombie, walking 29.2 km for 9 hours draining us completely. </i>Delighted to have made it on time, we hurried and checked in first thing <i>(as Altendorf had only one restaurant which closes at 10pm)</i>. The house lady was kind enough to provide us with all that we needed for the night plus a delicious breakfast for the subsequent morning. Unleashing our backpacks for the day, we strolled around the town, relaxing ourselves at the restaurant, which had a marvelous terrace view, giving our feet a rest atlast, <i>cos we deserved it :) </i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Day 2:</span></b></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-35837709823168484692017-02-12T02:10:00.000+01:002017-07-05T02:15:33.114+02:00White Photoshoot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today we start off towards our weekend getaway, <i>just a short trip. </i><i>I told you last time, remember?</i> <i>Yeah, right. </i>It will be to a small mountain village close to our place.<i> </i>I, have my own little group of friends, <i>why? uhmm because... <*thinks> I'm more of an ambivert (its like.. Ofcourse I jabber a lot, but close only to a selective few), </i>and together we had booked a holiday villa. <i>Chuma </i>one of our friends wanted to have her baby shower, so we thought this would be a good idea to have a Girls' day out too <i>:)</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You know? When girls meetup, there is a lot of girl talk, chit-chats, laughter, tips, tricks, andd.. gossip. <i>But hey, they are just natural ways of a woman's let out - she just wants to vent out. No hard feelings. </i>As we stood across the wooden hallways choosing, trying and removing all those lip shades - <i>pink, peach, red, orange and nude (they made me put on dark plum - which ended up looking brilliant in pics, thanks to both A s :))</i>, and then re-adding gloss, with/without eye shadows/liners, using endless makeup wipes, some tears, and lots of laughter : <i>my God those were some of our favorite moments of all time. </i>And when we finally were ready for her baby shower photoshoot, we were all in for an overwhelming surprise! It was snowing. <i>Yay!! </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was in utter excitement for two reasons. One: I knew the pictures are now going to come out incredibly scintillating at the same time memorable to her - <i>especially since she is returning to India for good this year :(</i> and Two: Hey come on, its snowing, right? :) <i>It was in Switzerland, the very first May S took me to - that I saw my first Snow. </i>Ever since then, winter has become one of my favorites. Every time those beautiful snowflakes drop over your winter jacket, or land up on your eyelashes, you can't seem to stop yourself gazing at those hexagonal beauties - warming up your hands with a hot cup of coffee/ <i>Glühwein</i>, gobbling up tiny mushrooms with garlic sauce, hearing fire crackle as a background to your conversations<i>: that's what I call is</i> <i>a perfect winter evening. </i>Also, that's one season, where hot chocolate is suddenly a must-have drink :D She said she is going to frame one of our girls' pic: which, apparently was all of our favorite too. I am so glad that it came out as she pleased, <i>and for us? </i>We had the best of times, yet again. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And oh, here's just a quick click for you of how appealing a little pine (<i>or what's it?)</i>can look when its against a white background. <i>Just wow, isn't it? </i>I love days like today. It seems to remind me, <i>that its never too late to get something better! </i></span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> ... Well, stay the same with positive vibes, until next time :) See you.</i></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-64619666325921727742017-01-20T18:37:00.000+01:002017-06-18T23:29:40.875+02:00With Every New Year comes New Looks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;font-size: small;">Hey, Hiii Everyone!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;font-size: small;">It's a New Year already! And with a new year, comes in new hopes, new changes in Life and so do new looks to my diary. Plus there's my Blog's Insta @thegirlingermany is up this year- wohoo! <i>Uhmm .. its just that I still am figuring out how to link the button here, looking around jibbery HTML scripts :D </i>Until then, do look up for me in Instagram and follow up for my unseen travel pictures with S. Coming back from a hectic and an amazing Trip to India <i>- with functions, sweets, meet-ups and lots of chaats, </i>S and I have planned to visit Iceland this year, our most awaited destination so far! <i>I can't wait to luxuriate in its beauty. </i></span><br />
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</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;font-size: small;">Every January, I usually slip into this mode, wherein it's not exactly home-sickness, but more of "<i>unwinding and gelling in Germany" </i>type. Well, it sure will happen right, especially after three weeks of spending time with your family, lots of laughter, hearing people's chatter, loudness in streets, gobbling delicious food you grew up with, and definitely seeing colors everywhere! <i>But hey, that doesn't mean that I get all sober the rest of the year, until my next visit too. </i>It just takes a few weeks, to settle in. So hey, forgot to tell you, this time it's not so cold like last year. <i>Remember my last <a href="https://indiangirlingermany.blogspot.de/2016/01/Germany-three-years.html" target="_blank">January</a>? I had my tiny, cutie Snowman built - it was snowing so much :) </i>Me and S are looking forward to our first trip already - just a short one, a weekend getaway type : to embrace the whiteness of Snow. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;font-size: small;">Where to? Oh, there's a small mountain range, close to our place. It'll be more of a girls' day out and we are planning to click Bollywood type pics- with cute shorties in snow background. I am sure the photos will look just amazing! <i>As I write this, I look up from my laptop, across to the still-unopened bags from India, thinking to myself "</i>Well, it's going to be a fantastic year, yet again, with lots of travels, love, unexpected happiness and crazy moments" - all of which, I will have them documented : forever. <i> For who knows, what unknown awaits for us next year, isnt't it? :)</i></span></div></div>Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-19843578887198796522016-12-10T14:09:00.000+01:002018-02-19T18:34:36.735+01:00December and India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am back to India, <i>this time after almost a year and a half. </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The last time I was here, was for my sister's wedding. With just three weeks of holidays now, time just flies! Immediately after we landed yesterday, we were in for a perfect welcome. His aunt and cousin had arranged a surprise birthday party with piles of gifts for him! </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Some things don't really change over time, right? :) </i><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We have listed our to-dos and to-gos for the next three weeks. Starting from tomorrow. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The first of my list is definitely Germany shopping, so I can buy clothes that actually fit me once I get back :D </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It always happens that you put on a lot of weight with </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">chaats, </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">sweets and the </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tandooris</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> in India. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">And it takes almost three months to drop them off! </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I remember one of my visits to India, where I stayed 5 weeks and ended up putting 7 kg weight! </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Can you believe it! Huh, it took forever for those cheeks to go away! </i></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Know what, </i>we had planned mainly to visit this year, for my dad's <i>Shastiyapthappoorthi. For those who don't know - uhmm </i>Shasti Poorthi is usually celebrated on completion of 60 years of age of the male. It marks the completion of half of the years of one's lifetime as in <i>Hinduism, </i>120 years is considered the life span of a human being. <i>Wow that's a lot, isnt't it? </i>It usually is a grand family reunion to incorporate an important event in the couple's married life. <i>As part of the celebrations, we, as children, get to perform our parents' second wedding! </i>So it's like they perform all rituals (<i>from Ganesha pooja to Naandhee to Punyahanam to Mangalya dharanam - which is the tying of wedding knot to</i><i> Kalasha pooja)</i>, celebrations and shopping, just like how we do in our actual wedding. Me and sis have planned for a cake cutting in the evening, inviting all of mom-dad's friends from their medical colleges. <i>Oh yes, mom and dad were also classmates, just like me and S, but in medical college. </i>We could already see them teasing mom and dad with <i>i-know-what-you-did-back-then</i> looks <i>:D </i>And dad's best friend is also visiting from Malaysia, who - apparently was the reason to bring mom dad together :D </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Soon after dad's function, will be new year's eve :) After 2 years, S and I are with family this time, excited and waiting for new hopes, new changes, and new blossoms the next year! Okay peeps, I am wrapping this up, as my mil is coming up towards me with a hot cup of coffee for me, <i>just when I was thinking of it - She definitely knows me the best! :) </i>So, until next time, bybyee and wishing you a very Happy New Year!!</span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-8404878092008640832016-11-18T00:00:00.000+01:002018-02-19T18:34:22.142+01:00When in Greece, do not miss these<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have been totally held up - <i>I dunno, uhmm since May I guess .. </i>Work, Vacation to Spain, and then Bollywood Dance Night, to Swiss (<i>this year's quota: done -> yay</i>), Austria, Prague, Greece, Diwali.. <i>phew. Thanks to my Instagram, I could give you all pic updates during this time. </i> So here I am, with full <i>josh, </i>waiting to tell you, yet again- but this time, beginning from my favorite part - Food.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>For all those who are just returning from work, stuck in traffic, or missed their coffee today, I seriously would recommend you to read this later : once you calm down - </i>It definitely would make your mouth water. <i>Don't blame me for your sudden hunger </i>:D</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So we were at Greece this Reunification vacation, and little did me and S know, that the Greek cuisine will hold a dearest place in our hearts - with its taste lingering forever. There was a lot of variety, many robust, spicy flavors, and tons of cheese and meat. <span style="text-align: justify;">From the Greek salads to their baklavas to their yogurts to their souvlakis and kebabs, the Greek cuisine is definitely something to die for! </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Read on with me, as I try to take you to explode your palate with the Greek delicacies. </i> You should have a look at the list we tried : <i>some were so tempting that I dint get to click them, while some others were so delicious that we went multiple times, just to try different toppings!</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Actually the Gyros, Souvlaki and Kebab, seem to theoritically be the same - <i>considering they all had meat placed in pita bread.</i> A Gyro is usually.. <i>uhmm</i> roasted meat (<i>there was pork, chicken, lamb, I dont remember seeing turkey o.O)</i>, placed vertically and the slices are then kept over the pita bread with tzatziki sauce, onions, lettuce, french fries and with a lemon beside. <i>There's vegetarian too without meat, or was it with soya? Well, I dint pay much attention as I was focused onto the meat :D</i> A souvlaki was just that the meat was grilled on a skewer and served with fries and lemon. <i>This was our favorite as you get this skewer also on a stick, so it was like a take away and the price was unbelievably cheap! - as low as 2,2 euros for a chicken souvlaki! </i>And oh, the tzatziki sauce - that's actually a tangy cucumber yogurt dip seasoned with garlic: Just the perfect compliment to grilled meat/vegetables, those warm pita bread triangles and also as a sauce in the souvlakis : <i>Simply delicious.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After a warm, savory dish - you sure have to give something for your sweet tooth, isn't it? Greeks love their sweets, especially with olive oil and honey combinations. Just like every girl, I go absolutely crazy on desserts and pastries! <i>I could eat them like forever, lol. And who would have thought Greek desserts were sooo similar to the ones back in India (more like Bengali sweets! - yummiest) </i>My all-time favorite was the class Greek pastry - <i>Baklava! </i>It was made of some flaky dough, layered with a cinnamon-spiced nut filling and bathed in a sweet syrup. <i>I mean, it was crunchy, sweet and very magnetic. </i>It can be too sweet for some, but yet there's something in it that will MAKE you go for one, but after a pause maybe! <i>You just cant resist it. </i>Me and Ree got a box full of different varieties of Baklavas, and ate them as 'girl-specials'. <i>The bottom left in my pic was our box :D (that we clicked, during our 'pause'). Hey, how did I forget to tell you of the Chocolate-burst!</i> Everywhere around the Greek streets, you can sniff fresh bread, fresh pastries .. and some scintillating chocolate desserts, cakes and macaroons - stacked in display. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Off we girls went to chose our picks. <i>That was the hardest choice to make, lol. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Me and Ree decided to chose a random bulb, as it looked more like the Dominoe's Choco lava lake. </i>Little did we know that we were in for a surprise. <i>It was ofcourse, a choco lava lake - but not just that.</i> As we barged in the powdered sugar and cherry on the top, there was an overflowing liquid mousse of dark chocolate spilling all over - only to reveal in walnuts, groundnuts, cinnamon (<i>I think?)</i>, more chocolate<i> </i>and honey stacked over a thin layer of baklava as a final touch. <i>I still remember how excited we were as we spooned in every bite. </i>And then there was this orange cake, with a slice of zesty orange sitting on top of honey-soaked layers of pastry. <i>It was so freaking good, that we had it almost every day of the trip! </i>We also tried the honey puffs, kataifi (<i>it was similar in taste with the baklava, but was spaghetti shaped and stuff like om-podi (in India) rolling around it), </i>sesame sticks, wafers, spice cookies and many more cakes! Speaking of honey, I have to tell you of their fresh Greek yogurt. Refreshingly natural and juicy, it tasted divine when you poured a lovely dollop of local thyme honey over fresh Greek yogurt - its one of their recommendations. They also have racks and racks of toppings, you name it, its there! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Greeks have been cultivating olives since for ages ... <i>some even say that Athena gave an olive tree to the city of Athens, thus winning its favor! </i>I could no wonder see most of the Greek meals accompanied by local olives, either mixed in a salt solution/ spiced solutions or also eaten raw. <i>We loved the olives so much that we also brought them home. </i>Same way the olive oil, as said to be the elixir of Greece, was found in almost all the dishes - from salads to dips to sweets. The famous Greek Salad, known all over the world, is a simple salad -<i>but the Greeks do it better! </i>Crunchy cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, red onions and a giant slab of feta cheese on top - dressed lavishly with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. <i>Being a salad-lover myself, I went ga-ga over this one! THE BEST.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">S had made a note of must-eats like always, but this.. we happened to accidentally bump on our list. After a tired evening of strolling around Ancient Agora and the Acropolis, we could find only this restaurant - and it had only Beef and Vegetarian! <i>As I don't like beef, this seemed appetizing in the vegetarian options. Later I got to know it was also a must-try - Lucky me :) </i>So, this was basically a layered baked dish - of eggplant, fried pureed tomato, onion, garlic, cinnamon and other spices, a bit of potato, and a fluffy cheese topping with bechamel sauce.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">As a coffee lover myself, I was super excited to try the Greek coffee! We ordered our cups of coffee, on dusky evening at the Plaka district, directly facing the illuminating Acropolis. <i>as our order was getting brewed, I was prepared to get a concoction similar to the Italian espresso.. </i>but this was deeper, richer, full-bodied, thicker coffee with a complex aroma - giving me a big caffeine boost. <i>Rightly called the uber strong Greek coffee. </i>To be frank though, I found it way too strong - to a limit such that my head would blow off .. <i>lol.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sipping a cup of the strong Greek coffee, gazing at the beautiful taverns and people enjoying the pomp and joy in the markets around, the distant music, with occasional bites of the Baklava - overlooking the history unraveling in front of you in the form of Acropolis...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">That..was a memory, I will reminisce forever. These are something you can't afford to miss while at Greece. <i>I will write more on my visits to Athens and mainland Greece some other time .. hehe. </i>Definitely yet another reason to visit this beautiful and charming Mediterranean country.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">you can't make it to Greece to have these dishes, try them at your local Greek restaurants. Your stomach will thank you like never before! </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There's a lot more of the dishes out there I am yet to try though! If you find something interesting, also do write to me - maybe next time when I go to Santorini I will get a chance to try them ;) </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">For those of you who love experimenting in cooking, some of the Greek foods are doable at home too - so give them a shot, why not?! </i><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Writing all of this, I feel like having some Greek salad myself.. Probably I should nudge S to take me to a Greek place here ;) *Yawn, its pretty late here, my eyes are droopy already, so off I go everyone, sleep tight and have a great day tomorrow !</i></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-59569760231333166392016-10-23T10:06:00.000+02:002018-02-19T18:35:03.573+01:00Walking through the beautiful Paris<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was my birthday, last May. And Paris - was my birthday gift from S <blush blush> Paris has always been known to have lured people since a very long time ago. <i> </i><i>Paris reminds me of those English movies with a lazy violin and jazz music in the backdrop ; a woman in perfect shape walking around the streets in red lipstick and high heels. And ofcourse, The Eiffel tower</i>. But then, I always thought it was a little overrated. <i>Not until I saw her myself! </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">S and I had gone as a double-date trip to Paris with Nishnee. (<i>That's both of them together, a combo name we came up with :D) </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was my first time to Paris. It was love at first sight. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We spent our 5-days wandering through the must-sees, enjoying music and arts, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">stopping for crepes, cafe lattes, pastries and macaroons, and generally loving every corner of this gorgeous city. Even after five days, we still haven't covered a lot more! It is especially for this reason, that I just cant wrap them all up in just one post. <i>So I will be splitting and writing them, so you feel, just like how I did :)</i></span></span></div>
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<b>Walking around Paris:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It is one thing to travel around using your car/ take a rented one, and a totally different experience walking around with maps. Although its tempting to take the Metro around Paris, I think the best way to explore Paris completely is on foot.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We reached Paris close to 2 am, and Eiffel was so inviting that we could not even wait until the next morning - we had to visit her first! :D It was beginning to sunrise.. shades of pink and yellow slowly coming up: And in a black silhouette, she looked terrific already! It was close to 4 am by the time we left, so we</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" sans-serif; font-size: small;"> hurried to check-in and retired for the night. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I woke up the next morning, to see more surprise! There was this glamorous peach and white MARC-PICARD handbag, lying close to the dressing mirror! "<i>Happy happy birthday P...s " said S :) <*I somehow always loveee surprises, and especially on your birthday all the way here, why wouldn't you be delighted?>! </i>We all then got ready, finished our complimentary breakfast and rushed out. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Today, will be our first view in daylights. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Excited, we took the first metro of the trip and came out the escalator: </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">waiting to see the first glimpse of Paris - well, technically in daylight is counted as the proper proper view <*ignore yesterday's night visit, hehe>.</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> It was nothing at all, like how I had imagined it to be! It was historic, new, European, and so browny: <i>Know what, b</i></span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">rown had always been one of my favorite colors, (hey, don't give me that look, brown is good too!). </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Look at these humongous buildings, completely different architecture and a cloudy weather, perfect isn't it?</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">!</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">I shot most of the street views, just for you :)</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We started walking towards the </span><a href="https://www.google.de/search?q=pompidou&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjG9fD43bzQAhUBRhQKHTd8C2kQ_AUICCgB&biw=1366&bih=662" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">Center of Pompidou</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">, through Rue Montorgueil (</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rue stands for street, thanks to my highschool French classes - which reminds me a lot more than French: I should write on this next in HSWD <*notes it down - wink wink>. </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was a complex building, built in a super hi-tech architecture. Seems it holds a vast public library and the largest museum for modern art in Europe! W</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">e never went in though .. the mere sight of it made it feel we would need a minimum 4 hours to finish it up. o.O. </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Oh and then, there is this Stravinsky Fountain, which has sixteen whimsical moving, mechanical and water-spraying sculptures. They were all super intriguing: it takes a minute or two to see how all the wheels and pulleys were used and how the pumps actually work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After a few photographs, we came out of this Pompidou center, and started towards our next to-go. All the while I was walking around Paris, the streets were so calm, with tall beautifully stacked buildings, yet with a mid-European touch, linearly-arranged <i>scooters </i>and bikes, some of those that looked like <i>autos, back in India o.O, </i>amazingly stylish and dazzling men and women: <i>in the best of Fashion - my God, how could one dress so well! </i>and grey clouds hovering over us. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Later after visiting the Notre Dame, we decided to finish off the Louvre Museum. We took the route along the riverside. And as we walked the banks of Seine River, I could see Eiffel tower standing high above me with bummming sounds of huge ships passing by in the Seine River. <i>When my parents had visited us, sitting on one of the several benches, munching the pastries from 'Paul' was one of their favorites.</i> I should tell you, the buildings and architecture that's around the banks are breathtaking. <i>The bridges when lit up at nights were all not only beautiful, but quite romantic I would say, peeps!</i> S and I have humpty pics around Seine. My favorite was standing over the bridge.<i> <*hmm..what a view from here! Hey I can see..., ah there's Eiffel tower, Notre Dame and Louvre.. S shows "look, there's the Museum d'Orsay and Napolean's Tomb too!">. </i>Just then, the batch of visitors taking a cruise tour on the river looked up and waved at us. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The distant ships, an overall view of the city, music from somewhere, the summer breeze - late in the evenings, quacks of the ducks lazily swimming .. it was just so enchanting. </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hmm..but seems there's also a darker side to this enthralling river - also a popular site for suicides during French Revolution days. <*Maybe even now? .. could be :(> </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9FQya3jRTIW9Rh1sM1APufH-W900MYEPpVegXdAOIBeOi66_zi0LcejwstFMYho4jD0rFKk7jtV-plnz9UOcgbiR1r-8pchN34hn4v0BegqnqLbQz3Y5k0I6IJQ4uoM2nEhjPhUIpSg/s1600/IMG_2700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9FQya3jRTIW9Rh1sM1APufH-W900MYEPpVegXdAOIBeOi66_zi0LcejwstFMYho4jD0rFKk7jtV-plnz9UOcgbiR1r-8pchN34hn4v0BegqnqLbQz3Y5k0I6IJQ4uoM2nEhjPhUIpSg/s400/IMG_2700.JPG" width="400" /></span></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Okay, back to the happy times :) </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Walking along the Seine on either side itself was such a sheer delight! S and I were walking hand in hand, strolling along the river banks. Coming to the other side of the street - t</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">he roads were all outlined with dense trees, shops, cafes and bookshops on both sides. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">These cafes were those typical cafes, with an umbrella top and where all the seats are placed in a row, looking on the street. The small round tables are so close to each other that one can hardly tell where yours end up and your neighbor's begin. <i>People were enjoying the sun, with bright shades, of course looking chic and sipping their coffee. </i>We stopped by many such cafes, admiring the city's movements, its people, its charm .. what could be more Parisian than that?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Later while we were passing by a bookseller, I noticed the parking lines of rental bikes and exactly when we picked our bikes for a ride, came the first drop from up above the clouds. <i>I seriously, cant seem to find words to describe how I felt as S and me pedaled side by side <blush blush>, </i></span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">past the bridges and streets</i><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">. Shades of the dusk, those cobblestone streets, hot pastry smells and bright red/green cafes every corner, spectacular views of the Palace, Louvre and Notre Dame and of course Eiffel following you everywhere - and with heavy downpours all over you. <*exactly like they show in English movies!> Scintillating. </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">As the time was done, we started looking for return park-slots. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The parking lots were full everywhere (<i>maybe because of the rains people dropped off their bikes asap)</i>, so it took us a while before we could find four free spots, and finally parked them off here. <i>By then we were drenched completely :) Unforgettable!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another favorite of mine was the music all over Paris. From the classical musicians and opera singers, to the jazz bands in St Germain des Pres, to hip-hop dancers, to the street musicians in Montmarte to the buskers (<i>street performers are termed this way)</i> in the Metro, and every variety of world music, particularly from Africa and North Africa, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">street music filled the air of Paris. They were found wherever people gathered. The musicians who perform in the tunnels of Metro belong to a special category though: because of limited space, they must audition and are selected for assignment to particular locations itseems o.O. All throughout the trip, I was totally amused by the music almost always everywhere. <i>The best was the one in front of Eiffel tower, enjoying the music and lying just below Eiffel on the green grass of Champ de Mars with finest of French wines, oh no .. it was the live performance up above </i></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sacre-Coeur</span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>, or no..the one near Opera .. *huh I soo can't seem to pick one></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We had been to Galeried Lafayette, one of Paris's old department stores which dominated Bouvelard Haussmann grandeur. There were top designer collections for men and women, gourmet food shopping, home design, jewelry and even hardware was a labyrinth of consumer delights. <i>It should look even more beautiful in the winter months I think, with these "grands magasins" decked with lights and holiday decors. </i>There is also this Panorama terrace which we can access through the mall itself. <i>I spent hours in the perfume section - I seem to never get bored of adding up a new fragrance to my closet :D! </i>We were roaming the mall, baffled by its beauty and went up to the panoramic view, chilling with the ice-creams and refreshments available in a small cafe up above.</span></div>
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It'</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">s impossible not to fall for that sheer beauty that emanates from every brick this city was built on. I kept going back every day, </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">sometimes even twice a day</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">, only to Eiffel! I went yet again last August, and I can't wait to go again. I know m</span>ost of my acquaintances who book a package for three days and try to see the highlights of Paris, but then I feel you definitely need more time than that - say, atleast five days: to see the bare minimum of what this City of Lights can give you, and why it sure is called The Romantic City! </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are tons of monuments, museums or squares still on the list. Whoever tells you "I've seen it all in Paris" is just lying. That's simply impossible, the city will always surprise you! :)</span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-2650647568087826712016-09-16T18:28:00.000+02:002016-10-20T18:51:04.142+02:00One cigarette puff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So I was waiting this afternoon near Penny, to take my bus back home. 6 more mins - showed the display. Just then a bunch of kids (<i>well, they should be around 13 or 15 - but now its more than 10 yrs a difference to me you see, so yeah they are kids, hehe) - *where did I leave? ah yeah the kids .. </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">were walking towards the bus stop - laughing, chuckling, screaming, texting - and rest others.. setting their hair. While most of the group walked past me, three kids stood beside me - <i>probably the rest weren't taking bus.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There was a girl: tall, blonde and pretty, and two others were guys. One was stylish and the other was drastically his opposite. Short, chubby, wobbly with books in one hand and his mobile on the other. <i>Dumbo! I thought. </i></span><span 22.4px="" color:="" font-family:="" ms="" quot="" sans-serif="" style="line-height: =;" trebuchet=" font-size: small;">The girl and the tall guy were busy talking. </span><i style="color: #666666;">He was charming, and she looked visibly amused. </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the same time, I could'nt help but notice how the other shortsy was spending his time. </span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-14768252916680079792016-09-10T18:45:00.000+02:002016-09-27T13:50:29.497+02:00A must-have Saturday for every woman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Before I even start writing, I just want to tell you, that the below post is completely my opinion. <i>Of course you can be different, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong, or that you are right. (No fighting, just make peace :D)</i></span><br />
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</span></div><div 22.4px="" justify="" line-height:="" style="text-align: justify;" text-align:=""><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Last Saturday me and my friend booked our appointment at the salon: 11am - just like how I used to go before wedding. <i>11 am was the perfect time back then, you know? you wake up, get dressed </i></span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;font-size: small">and oh, gobble up a few dosas</i><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"> and go to the appointment - that's it. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;font-size: small">And this time too, I did the same: </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">best feeling ever. No tension, no multiple tasks in head. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We reached there and she was all set. She was all the time chit-chatting to us, as she did the U-cut and eyebrows threading! Wow - how nice it felt. <i>For a moment, I actually flew back to India! </i>She cut here, there and again along the baseline - started blowdrying and setting, and again chopped up some more. <i>She kept going forever, but then again</i></span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"> hey, we were her first week of clients, so it was natural for her to panic maybe, </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif, font-size: small;">but the end result was amazing. Me and A were delighted looking at each other and I must say, there was a wave of untold happiness. </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">For all those men who are still reading this post : you sure wouldn't know this feeling :P</i></span></div><div 22.4px="" justify="" line-height:="" style="text-align: justify;" text-align:=""><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div 22.4px="" justify="" line-height:="" style="text-align: justify;" text-align:=""><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Looking prettier, we headed off back home, only to continue with facepack and taking fresh selfies. <i>I always felt more confident after a grooming session. </i>I was hyperenthu, calling up my besties, whatsapping cousins and when S had that look on me, <i>it sure felt just like in college (when we bunked classes, ofcourse blush blush)</i>.<i> </i><i>Actually peeps, s</i>tudies do show that grooming rituals are known to boost your confidence. Its like when you look your best, you feel your best. By this, I don't really mean you have to pack yourself up with tons of makeup - Just a little bit of a chip-chops, a cleanup and a relaxing day off the kitchen and definitely an all-girls time: brings in such a refreshment to your methodical life! That was one Saturday, I will remember for a long time. So to all women out there, go get your Saturday - give yourself a day off, just to pamper yourself off those house-hold duties and be a girl for one Saturday! :)</span></div></div>Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-57832070333077255502016-08-21T19:17:00.008+02:002017-02-25T02:25:36.653+01:00Interlaken and Around: Switzerland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">This Summer, was our Audi's first long drive. <i>First car is always close to your heart na? Damn, I so will miss it when I go back to India.</i> We had..</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: normal;">But then... Summer in Swiss has its own beauty. The pastures and meadows look extremely saturated in green. The sunlight glows on your face, making the best ever DSLR pics possible for you. (<i>Most of my favorite DSLR pics are either from Swiss or, Norway: Norway is definitely a tough competitor to Switzerland: Fjords are simply the best!).</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to the World of Waterfalls: Everywhere you turn around Interlaken, water masses thunder down hundreds of meters across numerous rocky stages. Waters in any form. <i>From ice to glaciers to waterfalls to running streams to lakes. </i>Even waterfalls inside the mountains. <i>Yeah, really. I was so thrilled the first time S and I went with his parents. </i>Trümmelbach falls it was! Nowhere else in Europe aside from the Trümmelbach is it possible to access glacier waterfalls inside the mountain.<i> A must-go experience! </i>The waters were thundering downwards, so loud, that it was terrifying to peep under the rails from up above. <i>My God, the water was flowing so fast that the safety rails were wobbling, splashing waters and tearing the ears. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: normal;">At that exact moment when we began to walk out, started the drizzles. It instantly created magic with the whole Switzerland effect. <i>Well, you should be thinking I'm being all dramatic here, but I'm not at all. </i></span></span></span><i style="color: #666666;">Just take a visit once and you would totally agree with me.</i><i style="color: #666666;"> Really! .... Waterfalls around you every nook and corner, glacier waters running as streams parallely and flower-decorated Chalets. Look to the left na? </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="color: #666666;">You simply cant take your eyes off it right<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">? </span></i></span>I know!! </i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And hey, can you see the small stable to the <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ri<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ght of the pic? <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You hear th<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e bells from the cows almost alw<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ays there, the rever<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">beration through the hills is so nice.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So peaceful. </span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Inf<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">act, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">o</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">rder yourself </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">a hot cheese-fondue, pick up a bench <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">at the porch</span> </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">and finish up with those Swiss chocolates as dessert: All with waters and Alps folding in as a Sunset. </span></span></span> </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I could stay here the whole time!</span></span></span><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But then I w</span><span style="color: #666666;">onder</span></span></span><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #666666;"> </i></span></i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">what these natives do for a living</span></span></span><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #666666;">, do they have a school? Do they have grades? What about shopping? Hmm o.O </i></span></i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Deep in weird thoughts and with.. you know, romance in the air holding hands in such beautiful scenery, it was already saddening to think that S and I had to return the next morning home</span></span></span><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #666666;">. I just dint want to leave! <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">..</span>Its always like this .. Travel and us!</i></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #666666;"> </i></span></i></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; color: #666666; float: right; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em;"><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #666666;">But yeah, a</i><i style="color: #666666;">s we drove back, in the rear view, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I could</span> see the humongous mountains waving at us, distancing themselves far and far away, giving us the last peek for the<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>year. </i></span></i></span><span style="clear: right; color: #666666; float: right; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><i style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"</span></i></span><span style="clear: right; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em;"> <i>"Definitely until next year, my Swiss love!"</i> I thought.</span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-54367226396606078452016-06-10T16:01:00.000+02:002016-08-21T19:19:51.845+02:00HSWD - The Police<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few days back, I randomly saw through a post update in Facebook - of a movie called "Kaakha Kaakha" - <i>its a Tamil Cop movie, </i>a super-hit back in those days - that its been 13 years since it was released! <i>Wow 13 years. Makes me feel old already!</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Zooooshh went my memories back in time - </i>I was in highschool when the movie released. </span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Or maybe in my first year of college. </i>Both I guess. <i>Hey could be! - Maybe it was still running when I was finishing high school and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">justtt as </span>I entered college. <Too lazy to google in its release date, I mean who does that!?!> </i>I still remember it fresh as if it were yesterday. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was and <i>still am </i>an ardent fan of the actor .. for his composed acting, real-life love for the ac<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tress </span>and <i>yeah yeah mostly his looks. Well, every girl likes a guy for .. uhmm she has her reasons and comeon guys, dont give us a stare here. </i>I, had my reasons too. Umm, predominantly because he resembled soo very much of S in the movie, <i>I still sometimes feels he does.. blush blush. </i>Back then I never really saw S talk a lot, except for those tiny glares he shoots at me, at times. <i>Grr, he now says he did that to a lot of other girl classmates too, which I was so stupid enough not to know! <*Some still "like" his solo Facebook <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">dp<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'s. </span></span>I should block them off his Facebook - makes a devil face> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oh, </span></i>he had <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">this</span> affinity towards car, from then onwards. <i>Somehow I almost always wanted to go on a long drive with him, in an open jeep - just like in one of the songs in the movie. </i>Hmm, it still is in my checklist. Someday. Maybe in India - on a long drive to North.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Haan.. Tho<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">se w<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ere <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"</span></span></span>butterfly" days<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - </span>friends compa<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ring us both just like in the <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">movi<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e, especially bec<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ause S looked like him<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, and I wasn<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'t <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'</span>Tamil' like <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the actress h<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">erself</span>.. and yeah<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, <i>the way friends had fun <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">singing out the songs loud, as I enter t<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">he class. Lol. Ama<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">zing days! How dazed we were. Still afresh.</span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">peeps, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Google out the images of the movie atleast<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, if not the full movie. It<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'s <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a thriller - one of my all-time favorites. </span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>N<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">o, really :) <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oh, and hey hey.. </span></span></i>then I started also noticing, most of the girls like actors - on the basis of their "reasons", you see. So next time you see your little cousin/ sister/ crush drooling over a particular actor, pay close attention - watch out who she likes ! </span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Could be you too, dumbo :D </span></i></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-30055086388899391092016-05-31T22:27:00.002+02:002016-06-01T12:12:41.817+02:00Along one of the top 10 roads in Europe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was the first time my parents visited us in Germany.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. <i>uhmm yeah </i></span><i>they had been here last Augus<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t</span>..</i> Finishing up the beautiful Eiffel tower sparkle at midnight, and the vast blueness of the Swiss, we were on the way back home through Austria.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> That..was when S had this </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">route to drive through. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Along one of the top 10 best roads in Europe (</span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">not just one of the top 10 spectacular roads, its also one of the dangerous roads to drive).</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which one? Furka Pass it was (<i>he and his Top gear!</i></span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">). </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Initially I was terrified, looking at those hairpin bends (</span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Google images, you see)</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and the nauseous feeling I might get, but once we started driving through, i</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t definitely was worth it! <i>Ever<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">y bend of it.</span></i> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My</span> dad tells to this day, that his favorite part of the travel, was Furka pass!! </span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Not even the Eiffel tower or the Thunsee! Haha .. Men and Roads!</i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So..<i>where did I leave? Yeah, </i>mom and dad had come here during last Summer<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Huh it was almost 38 degrees in Switzerland - they so coul<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">d not believe it - especially after all that they show in Indian mo<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">vies of Swiss</span>> </span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">W</span></span>e had taken them to the Rhone glacier, <i>uhmm so that..you know, they could feel some cold :D</i> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">were astounded at the grandiose of the Rhone glacier and how small we look infront <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of Nature. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And this Furka pass was on <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">our </span>way back from Rhone glacier through the Alps. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> That reminds me ..<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span>Standing over the top of the glacier<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, I <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">gaze<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">d onto</span></span> </span><i>*simply spectacular<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*</span></i> Hairpinbends, greenness and distant mountains - The pan<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">aromic view was breathtaking</span>. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oh, then I</span> shifted to look onto the roads. Cars were zooming past<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> -</span> From vintage styles to the Ferraris, and oh I forgot the motorbikes. <i>Naah, I am not so uptodate with all the names, but I sure can make out the sporty and head-turners. Afterall, I live with a Car-freak :D </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And, hey seems James Bond's car chase scene in the movie Goldfinger was shot through this pass.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">S was super excited as he started driving down - for it not only is the best road to drive, but one of the best for passengers too. With the humongous Alps at the back, the loud tingles of the bells around Swiss cattle, fresh air and tall 'Blackforest' trees - it was almost like in a movie: <i>just like in Heidi. And the </i>Ferraris, Beetles and Aston Martins <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">cat<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ching up</span></span>, or driving behind you! I just couldn't resist clicking them. <i>My God, should I turn around or look in the sides or <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">peep</span> down the curves. </i>It simply wasn't enough!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">While I was clicking, I <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">looked </span>over my shoulder at dad - he was holding the handle over his head on the door, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">watching </span>outside the window with a glad beam on his face, and my mom - peeping out at the cattle grazing and the sky, and S- enjoying every moment steering his wheel: <i>An expression of them which will remain in my eyes for a very long time.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">Just as I finish writing this, I stare at this picture and sure want to go again: this time, me behind the wheels! </span><i><span style="color: #666666;">Damn, it really is one of the world's most iconic, exhilarating and exciting drives, and even more because it was through the Swiss Alps. Don't you agree, peeps? <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Have a sneak peek yourself</span>! </span></i></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-25991940303056834902016-04-10T12:58:00.000+02:002016-05-30T11:24:35.145+02:00My First Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All of a sudden,<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> you see bird</span>s fly here and there, bugs, butterf<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">lies, veggie-mosquitoes</span> (<i>Yeah, yeah these are veggies you see<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">? - <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">they</span></span> don't bite us, but <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">roam around the garden and are super huge! God knows <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">what they feed on o.O)</span></span></i> and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">bees buzz around ever<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ywhere</span></span>. That's when you start seeing people outside. <i>Just like how</i></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>ants come out back home before the Summer is on, the people begin to come out of their cocoon.. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So here comes another <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">sto<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ry </span>to my 'Firsts'.</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Officially the Winter is over. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(huh I still struggle</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>to open up my e<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">yes <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">as </span>the <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sun somehow manages to come in <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">th<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">rough </span></span>those blindfolds .. I should shut it more I guess.. hmm anyway)</span></span></span>! <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tenny little green saplings sprout o<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ut</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span>of the whiteness and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">birds keep chirping all day <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*When do they even drink water!?!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>And hey I should tell you</i>, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">l</span>ike most of them living here, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">our house owners maintain a garden in our backyard too. Tomatoes, chillies, onions, coriander, curry leaves, grapes, brinjals, radish, and beans (</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif;">Uhmm, what else, oh yes the Zucchinis! And then the</i></span><span style="color: #999999;"><i> </i><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif;">apple tree - Poor thing, it doesn't get special attention at all, yet manages to flower and produce apples every year) If only, there was such a mango or guava tree ö.Ö - Duh, I am not a fan of Apples at all, I mean what kind of a fruit is that! Who eats that :D.</i></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Anyway</span>, oh and then there are coniferous trees with a few flowering varieties (<i>I use thes<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">for pooja thaalis during Indian festival days - looks pretty, but how I miss the fragrance of Indian flowers.. mmmm)</span></span></span></i> in the front porch. <i>This year, there's extra: Strawberries are growing! Is it a tuber or a normal fruit? I cant wait to see!! </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The first year I was awestruck, the next year I was expecting a different batch<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> of plants </span>(<i>Nah, nothing new)</i> and then - it started getting monotonous. <i>This is where tomatoes would come, this is where the climbers would be and the farthest would be the chillies - even the location was the same! </i><i>Sometimes I do feel as if it were a farmer's garden. Hehe. </i>But peeps, I can never take care of the plants - like him, <i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">N</span>o really<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - </span></i>the house owner works like a machine! (<i>heavy rains, blazing sun<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">h</span></span>ailstorms - nothing can stop him - lol) </i>He loves his plants so very much - as if they were all little puppies, looking up to him with those puppy-eyes!<i> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hmm<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.. </span></span>I still dont know where we got this idea from, S and I suddenl<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">y </span>decided we keep our own garden this year!<i> It's just a very small batch, dont think I have planted hundreds :D </i>After work - one evening, it was time for some Garden shopping. Yeah, ever since a kid, I never really was a fan of Botany or plants for that matter. But gardening here is so offbeat, tha<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">n</span> that in India (<i>or maybe I was not aware of, I should ask sis: she used to have lightning pla<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">n<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t and some other crotons<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> I guess)</span></span></span></i>. Soils, Fertilizers, Water can, seeds, flowering pots, saplings and a few gardening tools - <i>We had to buy them all by ourselves : Even <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">for </span>a non-botany person (uh..non-botany: sounds weird na?), the excitement somehow caught over as I picked up the tiny flower saplings into my hands. So beautiful they were!</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We bought two slabs of flowering shrubs <i>: they would grow and fall over itseems - Hmm..I am super enthusiastic to see this one!! </i>Why? Because I have seen such flower-hangs only in movies before I came here, and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">then.. </span>because (* <i>I have got this new habit of using "because" and "suppose" in most of my sentences.. *thinks hard of who is the source for this*</i> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">it<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'s a </span></span> <i>Mischung<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - </span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">which means its a </span></span>mix of colored varieties - <i>I chose white, pink and red.</i> And then the vegetable section: the tomato, lettuce and chilly, coriander (<i>This we always have as seeds in our cooking stock, so dint have to buy them: India and spices, you see?): </i>We are yet to go for our second batch of garden shopping, hopefully we go soon. <i> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><u>Planting:</u> So, one lazy Sunday, sis, me and S together planted them onto the slabs from the tiny boxes they came in: <i>carefully lifting them off, without ripping the roots and transferr<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ing</span> to the slabs we'd filled with soil. </i>In the shop, the violets were so fascinating that I <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">somehow wanted t<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">o try it<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. <i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">G</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><i>erminating from seeds is definitely <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">too<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> muc<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">h na? Hmm..</span></span></span> but let<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">s see</span></span>.</i> We put the violet as corner shots around the <i>Mischung. Toot to too, imagine how it would look like - <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">violet - <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">pink - red<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - white - pink - red - white - violet : Woooww</span></span></span>! I got to wait until July/August for it to see it a full bloom. </i><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;">And I will definitely post it up for you too <span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">:) <i>My God, that reminds me .... The Red cup-shaped flower seed pack I recently bought - I am yet to plant it !! <*I </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>should do it this week for sure.. pakka..</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><i>. Hopefully they germinate by August! ></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><u>Glimpse every day:</u> Every day, me and S take shifts bringing the <i>thottis</i> inside, carrying them out to the Sun the next morning - pouring them water, adding soil: It takes a lot of effort yes, but then.. it makes you feel inexplicably happy. <i>I still remember how delighted I was seeing the first violet and chilly saplings sprout out! </i>That reminds me: back in my high school days, when sis used to shout out <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hat her</span></span> lightning-plant gave out its first flower <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">after </span>a rainy night, I never really understood what made her go so ga-ga. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Haha, after all these years now I do</i></span><i>! Such a thing could make any heart melt. </i>Absolutely wonderful. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I now peep at those t<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">eensy little </span>lives, every morning: the <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">brightest <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">o<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">f green on the </span></span></span>leaves showing off i<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">n the blue skies</span>, waving their feeble stems out of the dark soil into thin air - and the flashy, budding flowers. I am just back from an amazing trip to Spain yesterday evening, and I was already missing them - making me and S go see them the first thing as soon as we entered home. <i>I sure have started becoming fond of them. I can't believe I'm saying this, but hey, you should try gardening too! :) If you do have a garden already and have some tips for me, don't forget to leave your suggestions/comments here or also to my email.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">P.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">S: So here is my garden<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> people, </span>just like you asked<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">me to update</span>! </span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Loo<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">k .. That<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'s my First <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Gard<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">en </span></span></span>:) (It<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> started to bloom already! <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">R</span>ed and wh<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ite look so beautiful, yet its<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> solo pink a<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">nd</span></span> tall green shoots t<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hat <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">lways are in my eyes :) (<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">its supposed to <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">violet</span></span>- the tall ones) </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><Yeah yeah, the bigger one is definitely the House Own<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">er's - I couldnt <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">fit them all in the Photogrid you see!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cKaQWoQENSI3G8YKljWr4DuC7h43UAFeVT_7pb3_-yqjt3sfuom7u5PhOekHx_yR5VLvLW4n-Aobiy4HefW2dAlT44LS-GhdC-gFT25s2loHS9Lpq8HHYJU-tWpB3vtoCxwKvuTP-hw/s1600/PhotoGrid_1464185056478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cKaQWoQENSI3G8YKljWr4DuC7h43UAFeVT_7pb3_-yqjt3sfuom7u5PhOekHx_yR5VLvLW4n-Aobiy4HefW2dAlT44LS-GhdC-gFT25s2loHS9Lpq8HHYJU-tWpB3vtoCxwKvuTP-hw/s320/PhotoGrid_1464185056478.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2s8PJcFcV2HEt8LzZLGK0EAJpIStVCfhowgneCOglJ0CCNmcIBqjMp1M3ynIs7xsU4QhwI3RBBFh-A92O3t7732CBprUoni6229tUuBvhr-ljB88RNF0eciK5DPeM_5ZhVxZFaUXMXbk/s1600/PhotoGrid_1464186218366.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/AVvXsEj2s8PJcFcV2HEt8LzZLGK0EAJpIStVCfhowgneCOglJ0CCNmcIBqjMp1M3ynIs7xsU4QhwI3RBBFh-A92O3t7732CBprUoni6229tUuBvhr-ljB88RNF0eciK5DPeM_5ZhVxZFaUXMXbk/s320/PhotoGrid_1464186218366.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i> </i></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-87253479232082778212016-03-18T19:18:00.000+01:002016-09-25T19:12:15.236+02:00A Bite from the Belgian Culture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">Of all places I'd been to, Belgium has been my foodie favorite - Yeah, the world knows Belgium for its Chocolates, Waffles, Fries and Beer. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">I always am super excited especially of Food- Swiss chocs : check, Italian pizzas: check and now its time to double check the Belgian pralines! </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">So hii everyone, time for some quickbites!</span></span></div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">Remember the last time I told you of my Easter vacation at</span><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: #666666;"> </span><a href="http://indiangirlingermany.blogspot.de/2015/04/enchanting-bruges.html"><span style="color: magenta;">Belgium</span></a></span><span style="color: #666666;">? </span><i style="color: #666666;">No? ö.Ö </i><span style="color: #666666;">.. It is such a beautiful medieval town- every city in Europe is somehow similar, yet so different: so picturesque. </span><span style="color: #666666;">Most often, in the trips me and S go, he makes it a point to taste atleast one of the signature dishes of the country we travel to.. Like in Czech, Denmark, Swiss, Italy, Vatican city, Austria, Netherlands, Germany (</span><i style="color: #666666;">of course</i><span style="color: #666666;">), France and Norway</span><i style="color: #666666;">. </i><i style="color: #666666;">"If not now, then when"? :D</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhOv9P3OPiNySPNqCpidzHpKTh9UZrXF0osxpeJnttSw91NXxg1_L4oIcPBNSNawJP1Z3u6w3hGC48FD1YFROhrKy1bz-rmvjiAZiMq18MJLiOCflXI_zxHJYtDIm9ql5Qi0xvY1HP6Q/s1600/IMG_0022-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhOv9P3OPiNySPNqCpidzHpKTh9UZrXF0osxpeJnttSw91NXxg1_L4oIcPBNSNawJP1Z3u6w3hGC48FD1YFROhrKy1bz-rmvjiAZiMq18MJLiOCflXI_zxHJYtDIm9ql5Qi0xvY1HP6Q/s320/IMG_0022-001.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></span><br />
<div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4HEYGXyAJps8fWf3N1V6awTLWJB1p2K99QTA1oN5QoSX6RYb4dbqqUkl1KD4pRsMM2ehos6PF6tEQBXE7tP_qbD3_S9E_ixqNix-LwYI5z06wi0j2gckeIQYouX54rAP7o4q4OS2Atw/s1600/IMG_0028-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4HEYGXyAJps8fWf3N1V6awTLWJB1p2K99QTA1oN5QoSX6RYb4dbqqUkl1KD4pRsMM2ehos6PF6tEQBXE7tP_qbD3_S9E_ixqNix-LwYI5z06wi0j2gckeIQYouX54rAP7o4q4OS2Atw/s320/IMG_0028-001.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></span></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">Signature dishes were a lot to try here this time: So one by one we check it all. I save the last for the best: The chocolates<i>. </i>Brussels, unlike Bruges was bustling with skyscrapers, huge castles, palaces - together with the chic cobblestone streets, bicycles and a faint buzz of distant music. <i>I think it will be a favorite for both city and vintage lovers. </i>It felt so good looking around, gazing at the sculptures in those palaces (<i>Man, how would they have carved so intricately back in those days), </i>observing people and enjoying the pleasant weather. So we keep walking walking walking, until we (<i>Yeah, the Mafia us)</i> realize that we had crossed wayy past lunch hour!! Only to find a long queue - standing under the scorching Sun, waiting for something in a crowded stall. Oh yes, its the best-seller of Fries (We<i> had read it online that this was the eminent of the lot, never really looked up for it: but this one coincidentally it happened to be right opposite us - well, lets go see whats so special with Pommes!) </i>There you see the line. By the time our turn came, we were all exhausted, tired and getting angry on each other.. <i>Hunger games :D</i>.. and then we reached the counter. <i>My God, soo many varieties with the Fries (not the potatoes, the sauces I mean hehe) </i>That guy who was the Fries-Master (<i>couldnt call him the Fries Anna</i>) had this stern look on his face<i> - probably because we were peeping over his assemble station like idiots.</i> Uhm, there were toppings of soo many flavors: from the simple mayonnaise to bizarre meat flavored-sauces. Some of us ordered the classic mayo, some the curry sauce, some BBQ and me - as usual wanted to try something new and weird, which as a rule: tasted horrible (<i>damn it, it was some Chilli bonanza). </i>Know what, seems you can choose more than one sauce onto one pouch (<i>haan, thats new!)</i>, add in chilli and jalapeno flavors if needed, there was also the classic curry flavor, African sparkles, Carribean delights, American spices and a lot more curious named-flavors. The Fries were nothing new in taste, except that they were broader, otherwise the variety of toppings you could add probably makes it a best-seller I think. And the quantity. Haha you wont believe it peeps, it was like massive - <i>really - </i>by the time I finished mine, it was like I would cough potatoes out (<i>Considering the Pommes small size we get in Germany, we all as a whole bunch bought in large portions each)</i> :D</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span></div></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajrMqRftRyjcon5DNaPrlH_aRdITQoQ_itj2HdHX4mt8pO7dwpPW_vYGqS6ac_dNt1QekYTlzOKcMo_SW4YShEfAu02Moj2-QjygnBzIqHGfZIRL6zmNBCdgDnxJLv-335vRU9qWqtUo/s1600/IMG_9978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajrMqRftRyjcon5DNaPrlH_aRdITQoQ_itj2HdHX4mt8pO7dwpPW_vYGqS6ac_dNt1QekYTlzOKcMo_SW4YShEfAu02Moj2-QjygnBzIqHGfZIRL6zmNBCdgDnxJLv-335vRU9qWqtUo/s200/IMG_9978.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></span><br />
<div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZ6jGHf1Gp8eu0lVtoEWoGv4g6IzfKWpgxXEurAYOSqomwFwuKUomLzt_e-tXXktUx53WqRo5_B9n3VdQIAxlceaAOmd1y1eOKYbQj1z8C1u3lrtcCGmv5B-qGmCC5zfzulaqXA_AVHI/s1600/692e32bc-8527-4b19-bb44-2ebf561972aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZ6jGHf1Gp8eu0lVtoEWoGv4g6IzfKWpgxXEurAYOSqomwFwuKUomLzt_e-tXXktUx53WqRo5_B9n3VdQIAxlceaAOmd1y1eOKYbQj1z8C1u3lrtcCGmv5B-qGmCC5zfzulaqXA_AVHI/s320/692e32bc-8527-4b19-bb44-2ebf561972aa.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">You get these packed waffles here in Germany - its soft, fluffy. <i>Feels like eating the milk bread I get in my home town back home.</i> <i>Yumm. </i>But what you get here in Belgium, was just delicious! I</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"> could see waffles everywhere along the main street, this particular signboard was so thoughtful, that I couldn't cross by without clicking it. </span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Whoever thought of it, was extremely creative o.O </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">It was a very small stall, yet the hottest seller of waffles of the lot.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">The smell of the topping sugar along with melted chocolate and nuts was so strong, that all of my sweet teeth were getting excited. <i>Today, after so long too - as I write this, I still could feel how it tasted, as S and I scooped the waffle and gobbled it away. </i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">We stood there in the line, thinking which one to choose : </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the banana/cinnamon/coffee with cream, or the one with hazelnuts and nut base, or just the classic confectionery sugar waffle, or the strawberries all-choco one? </span></i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">The choices were countless, it was all mix-n-match: They make whatever you want. S and me took the 3 euro one, with choco base, fresh strawberries and a chocolate sauce over it, topped up with pistachios. </span><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Best sweet-dish I ever had. Thanks to R, who clicked this pic, for I was all engrossed in choosing the best one this time (after Fries you see) that I totally forgot to click it - me and R are the photobuggers of Mafia :D</i></span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MsbqqHXLqlKIx64RpCSmrLfQcntXZfXRj5Q3oOCYPOyoW2QrasQshGAn0Y35PcauQAlHbSe0fGfNGV2o8Cf6r9KuASduH1PJqzxbYYuhYWtdJSRtTyc7Oi1qJwnfft0fPpMTRg_HO80/s1600/IMG_9966-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MsbqqHXLqlKIx64RpCSmrLfQcntXZfXRj5Q3oOCYPOyoW2QrasQshGAn0Y35PcauQAlHbSe0fGfNGV2o8Cf6r9KuASduH1PJqzxbYYuhYWtdJSRtTyc7Oi1qJwnfft0fPpMTRg_HO80/s320/IMG_9966-002.JPG" width="220" /></span></a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">After a satisfying sweet and </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">kaaram, </i><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">we were all energized for the second part of going around the city. We were 12 of us, so we had split into groups travelling together. While I was in one of the other times S was not with me, me, A and A went into a coffee shop. It looked gorgeously well-off, facing the harbor. A and me ordered a Cappucino each - </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">Thats the coffee type I like in Germany, a little of milk and not much of foam. </i><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Not long after we order, comes this delight right infront of us. </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">This.is.a.Cappucino? Wow. I could just watch the sheer sight of the coffee cup all day. You usually get a small cup of a normal coffee as a cappucino back in Germany. </i><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">So this</span><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"> was a delight to sip in the steaming coffee, overlooking a fleet of ships - and seagulls flying over. </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">Thats one coffee, we both would remember always.</i></span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RL1gESPCBOmidu1nwjkpL6L-FWyIiR1LemZ75lsepD6W8695dAaJogxoLrJ4DM_fvOTjQkfiD2a6zKsQWxH6pEGWwnz9hkjabSb9XvH11rO8ONxJ2iRjQQ2EAzaQyaSuBvgiHNXTPcQ/s1600/IMG_0225-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RL1gESPCBOmidu1nwjkpL6L-FWyIiR1LemZ75lsepD6W8695dAaJogxoLrJ4DM_fvOTjQkfiD2a6zKsQWxH6pEGWwnz9hkjabSb9XvH11rO8ONxJ2iRjQQ2EAzaQyaSuBvgiHNXTPcQ/s320/IMG_0225-001.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">As much as I love Coffee, S loves Sea food: </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">Prawns, Fish, Crab</i><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"> - so why wouldnt he want to try the Signature Mousles- Frites! After so much discussions and confusions (</span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">especially because most of our friends were veggies and S wanted to for sure try this)</i><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">, we barged into a restaurant for dinner. And ordered the Mousles Frites. It came in a black pot of Mussels, and steaming vegetables - alongside Fries. He was all the while busy opening the shells, breaking them and popping them in his mouth. It was so aromatic, </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">even for a not-much-a-seafood-fan,</i><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><i> it sure would have tasted amazing.</i> I had ordered my favorite cheese tortellinis - not just because it was cold and foggy, but because.. uhmm I missed it :D</span></span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">With tummies full, we walk out for the last stopping point - before we retire back to our rooms: To Every girl's favorite (<i>Technically, after diamonds ;)) </i>- the chocolates. S had noted where the best of them are located, and there was cocoa beans aroma even before we entered the Galeria. Every corner had drolling chocolate fountains, eye-catching chocolate cookies of various shapes, macaroons and hand-made world's best chocolates. Here are a few of the shops that I stood outside the window, simply because I could not take my eyes off them.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zrMWcDvsD9Xj87UnYS7xLxLKXhlRaoO7-K15rCJzi3H5Ij20COYYNvMCYPtYNK7YF0mT2nIK9gr1WRsIbp6EkQv8tAkkCcdhBFcdTg5QNz4Duh1HZNUmBtc9JaQg5IrL4sCAs3rK_s4/s1600/IMG_0171-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zrMWcDvsD9Xj87UnYS7xLxLKXhlRaoO7-K15rCJzi3H5Ij20COYYNvMCYPtYNK7YF0mT2nIK9gr1WRsIbp6EkQv8tAkkCcdhBFcdTg5QNz4Duh1HZNUmBtc9JaQg5IrL4sCAs3rK_s4/s320/IMG_0171-001.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></span></div></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="clear: left; color: #666666; float: left; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WVslDRHwyPqaBqyooC9CvFFFnrKo5frBWFdoyY3b3tpuA8ufU83G61uqp6w7kKzrm2durySCQjtrM6VsG3-w5CH_L2Ts9iR9i4GvXIbJlMDi9ro_NxAqUUYo83_SfU2tnRDST-qrR24/s320/IMG_0183-001.JPG" width="320" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="clear: right; color: #666666; float: right; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85wTnv6yJnsB8QMMvP5Rxe7B1xZPJH9fIHyQhUR99mSzVB2p868PnT3f6VWsJznfZtbwpB1GqOS314i_CxTR6BlDYyab3KzKy_wJUJ_5Ko4NlczsnixEJFFfymNFHUS8NmMC-61hLPKU/s320/IMG_0194-001.JPG" width="320" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeJ_4uyjrQ7HawNikpBP8HkVUHes0KSts9MMqxtF9svL_kbB9YeTvlEDLOPHlULC8NTD-_wdP4LyOxbwZj-g7bYqUi6qCPNMzuelFA6RrxTOgweAYvo8CqPtW7R2QE2kSxN-NQVgFInY/s1600/IMG_0179-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeJ_4uyjrQ7HawNikpBP8HkVUHes0KSts9MMqxtF9svL_kbB9YeTvlEDLOPHlULC8NTD-_wdP4LyOxbwZj-g7bYqUi6qCPNMzuelFA6RrxTOgweAYvo8CqPtW7R2QE2kSxN-NQVgFInY/s200/IMG_0179-001.JPG" width="133" /></span></a></span></div><div left="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePi_asPK1fzFiTZltKj6LjYLOpnVvBs9keDFISFGEiyHMoTDyDZMPhz0_vONR4hqcO7l9F1o4Rl2j06UmxnrscjU8FHCI3HRAit09igqRvRTprMkOOTRzAFipHgo9rGEGn6KYKqJpCao/s1600/IMG_0186-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePi_asPK1fzFiTZltKj6LjYLOpnVvBs9keDFISFGEiyHMoTDyDZMPhz0_vONR4hqcO7l9F1o4Rl2j06UmxnrscjU8FHCI3HRAit09igqRvRTprMkOOTRzAFipHgo9rGEGn6KYKqJpCao/s320/IMG_0186-002.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></span></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px;" text-align:=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Just as I enter the Galeria de la Reine, it was a delight not just for the eyes, but also for the palate. From meringues to marshmallows to home made pralines to macaroons - the list was endless. There was this 85% dark chocolate praline - the taste of it exploded in my mouth, yet without bitterness: a taste almost sensuous. And then there was this other praline, a combination of white chocolate, fruits, spices and strawberries - absolutely divine. Oh, I shouldnt forget the "orangettes" - these were like orange peels covered in chocolate (<i>no, they were not sour at all!) </i> and also ginger flavoured. All of it was so intensely flavored yet so delicious, that you could pick the flavors blind-folded! And the best of all, the Belgian Owl it was itseems (<i>only later did I know the name)</i> was the milk chocolate with the world-renowned Belgian whisky. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Happily I leave Belgium (<i>for now)</i> with the best souvenir I ever collected: a 200gram assorted box of 18, all handmade - fresh, tempting and heavenly: A mix of strawberries, rum, white chocolate, coconut, whisky, orange, milk, dark, dried nuts, raisins, marzipan, macaroons, lime with a wild flower, figs, chocolate mousse, caramel and cream-filled pralines. Unforgettable.</span></div></div></div>Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-16120967556709536092016-02-26T08:53:00.002+01:002016-03-10T19:58:25.067+01:00When to wear what in Germany<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well well.. over the years, we could see Germany adopting an open and welcoming attitude towards other nationalities, especially their neighbouring European countries. I think, maybe this cosmopolitan atmosphere along with Germany's cultural heritage, that has led to an open-minded clothing.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Clothing Tips:</u> As you walk down the street, you could see Germans - of all ages, dress quite formally and stylishly. Although they are not a fashionista-country unlike its peers: France and Italy,</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">it does lay claim to a few internationally renowned designers, like Jil Sander and Karl Lagerfeld (</span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">I'm not much of a brand-oriented person, so this dint seem to bother me much). </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">If there was one thing that was so drastically different for me was the colors. Yes - Colors! Coming from India - popping out the brightest of colors, neons, florals and sarees: well, its the darkest of colors that is popular in Germany! Especially blues, greys and blacks. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Maybe it goes in sync with the German Weather or clouds I'd say. </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">And oh, Jeans are very popular especially with younger people but they are always smart and clean. </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Black tailored jeans </b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">would anytime be a good choice. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">I wonder, if its their physique that matches chic into those jeans or is it just the way they carry themselves in! - Atleast, I have tried not to put on weight so I manage in those jeans :) </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Unlike the usual Model looks that we think people here are, most of them just dress perfect to whichever size they are in. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">This is something we, back in India should definitely learn - Hey, please don't try to fit in those crappy leggings unless you know, you want to 'flaunt' your legs - that's the whole purpose of it! </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">I see women, wearing it just as a replacement of the salwar pants! No it is not. </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">It looks absolutely weird. Duh.</i></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And for the women, most of the German cities have cobbled streets and <i>uhmm so its better you dont wear those high heels or pointed shoes. </i>So you see a lot of women wearing stylish shoes or hose interchangeable flip-flops with sleek snap-ons. Most women wear trousers or jeans - rarely you see them in skirts or dresses (<i>unless its the peak summer)</i> Surprisingly you can also see women and girls, with low-key but quality jewellery - giving an overall feminine touch to them. And Makeup. <i>Well, that's something that I keeps me motivated to look and feel good myself. </i>From different complex hair braids to flawless makeup to beautiful nail arts to their perfect lipshades - <i>They look scintillating.</i> Especially because they dress to their ages. <i>Yeah yeah you do see older grannys with lipsticks, but they look absolutely graceful in them. </i>And I forgot the little baby dolls - The way they flip away their tiny hairlocks falling over their head, or their well-formed braids, they simply look the cutest. <i>And their grey or hazel eyes - I haven't seen one with blue eyes though - I find them scary at times o.O</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Men have their own share of Fashion (<i>though not much like women)</i>: From wearing scarves to hats to sharp shoes, they carry out in style too. They dress themselves in long <i>Mandels</i> at times - Like age old typical Germans did<i>: </i>But somehow I find them still intriguing, displaying a sense of power. <i>There's this very old colleague of mine who strides into office, walking past everyone in long steps - with his Mandel following. Everytime he crosses by, there seems to be such an aura. Compelling. Haunting of the past. Still: Ravishing. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Okay, so how's the overall weather in Germany?</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, practically you will need a sweater and a rain gear - pretty much anytime you travel to Germany. Any season. <i>Yes, any season. </i>It rains and feels pleasantly cold pretty much all year round , <i>if you still want exactly the months like in India, maybe I can say January to December as the rainy season and Winter to be December to March. This reminds me of one of my friends in Dubai, and everytime she sees a raindrop, she goes ga-ga, it sure is a Miracle in Dubai to rain! </i>Okay, back to Germany - On a statistics basis, winter and summer get more rain than spring and autumn, but there's no point relying on that. The statistics are useless, because every year is different, and weather predictions more than three or four days are not reliable at all. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
But hey, there's a thumbs up factor though: In summer the rain is usually warmer than in winter.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13IKivAPOvuLrH3wvZf8YUj5af5bdclkqWteQv6ILuKKgCsUXU6RdYolatQsHP2vkmwW47rTFFnYvfGi63vux-Y60R8bcMODlzMlxgws9dtvZvH3vYFbE06_V6Qh53QTmxr9cTNKO_0c/s1600/rain-man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13IKivAPOvuLrH3wvZf8YUj5af5bdclkqWteQv6ILuKKgCsUXU6RdYolatQsHP2vkmwW47rTFFnYvfGi63vux-Y60R8bcMODlzMlxgws9dtvZvH3vYFbE06_V6Qh53QTmxr9cTNKO_0c/s320/rain-man.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I tell you peeps, </i>never ever, not even in highest summer, travel in Germany (and the rest of Central Europe) without a rainproof jacket, at least one warm fleece or sweater that fits underneath the jacket, and at least one pair of closed shoes that are suitable for walking in the rain. It's always <i>"Be prepared for any season of the year - anytime". </i>The weather changes in so quickly, so you never know. So how do Germans tackle this unpredictable weather? <i>Haan, they are Germans - they a too damn good solution for almost anything! </i>Read on to what they do:</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">'Onion System': So its the Onion System - describing how Germans pack and dress while travelling in changing weather conditions. Layers, layers and more layers, like an Onion, that can be peeled off or put on as and when the clouds change. Especially in spring and autumn, "Zwiebelsystem" is probably the only way to go. You will have warm sunny days, <i>where you'll want your shades, hats and leggins </i>and then the next day would be chilly overcast or rainy days. <i>So I usually, as I travel lots with S - carry clothes suitable for all conditions - you know, clothes that can be worn in layers. Some days inside out and other days the other way round. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: mall;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Emergency motto: Hey, Today I'm wearing all of my clothes! :D</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So peeps, next time you make a trip to Germany, just check in when you want to go and most importantly, dress to the season - </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">so you can enjoy the fullest! </span>:)</i></span> </span></span></span></span></span></div></div>Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-9133463068873455202016-02-11T20:00:00.000+01:002016-05-03T15:48:26.126+02:00HSWD - The Assembly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Every student who passed out from my school, would for sure not forget the 'Assembly' (<i>huh? Yeah right - that was our Prayer sessions every morning - what did you think?). </i>Haha tru<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ly, these <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Assem<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">blies<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span>used to be a blessing at times, especially when you have a History or Physics (<i>or oh, a Maths test - how did I even forget!) </i>test on the first period. <i>What connection does this have to...uhmm? You'll know too.. go on.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ok, so I used to go by an autorickshaw<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(<i>reminds me of my childhood friend who had a crush on a guy whose auto number was 1717: huh, I used to <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">be the informer to <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">her, if he<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'s come or not to school! - <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">lol</span>)</span></span></span></i></span></span> most of my schooling, <i>except for my highshool days (yeah, I finally shifted to scooty pep).</i> </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">T</span>he Principal </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">of our School<i>, Madam as we call her,<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></i>began the schools back in 1983. It was one of the earliest opened Montessori schools (<i>and it was an Inter- religious <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">one</span>) </i>and both of my aunts were working as teachers there<i>. </i></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Haha know what? </i>All
the staff used to get rose milk in packets during the recess hours: As I
run around the corridor in my 2std, I remember being pulled over by my
aunts just because I love rose milk! <i>Well, I still do - hehe.</i> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hmm<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">m, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">so yeah, b</span></span></span></span></span>eginning from Kindergardens, we used to have every morning at 8:00 - the daily Assembly. From hymns to motivational speeches to pledges to wishing Birthday babys - the base was all the same until High school. <i><i>Just that we grew up. </i></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Assembly was usually </span>in a huge stage in our playground - with all of
the students standing in lines. '</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Please sit do<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">wn' <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">was po<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ssibly every students<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">' favo<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">rite </span>line - w<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">hy? comeon, read without asking qu<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">estions and don'<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t have this <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">duh! look on your face<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">)</span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span>You can see </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">kids chatting to the friend in the next
line, leaning onto the one behind you, digging mud with sticks and
shifting places as the Sun scotches you from behind - </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>all because </i></span><i>the next period was cut</i>)</span></span></span></span>.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i> </i></span>Fridays had these extra activities<i>: <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">s</span>kits, quiz, club activities
we generally say (there was science club, arts club,social club etc<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">: e</span></span>ach making the theme for that day) </i>and sometimes extended prayer hymns. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">wore pink and white <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">shades: <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">plai<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ted or short hair, white shocks and black<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> shoes</span></span></span>, while the boys were in blu<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e</span> and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">white shaded Uniforms: neatly cut hair a<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">nd ...<i>I seriously dont remember the shoes or socks they wore o.O<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">)</span></i></span>.</span></span> But then, t</span>he XII students always seems to look the proudest<i> - Partly<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> maybe <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">b<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ecause</span></span></span> they were the eldest of the lot and also the teen age spree, you see! </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Atleast <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">we had <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">public Exams in X which..probably gained us some importance I guess. <i>Blah blah blah ..</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span>Hmm, so S </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">did his midschool somewhere else itseems - A<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">nd </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was only from X that S was officially in my class.. </span></span> nah, I never knew him until <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">then</span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. Never<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><u>The First Time: </u>The Assembly had this funny thing (<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>N</i></span><i>ever realised it when I was young, but now it sounds all funny: And I am not even 30!) </i>of inviting the Birthday Babies <i>as they call</i> - onto stage. And then we all sing the 'Happy birthday' song - In English and Hindi (on Wednesdays a <i>Ji used to sing in her keech voice - Janmadhin shubh kaam nayeeeeee) </i>It was S's birthday that day - 2000 (<i>type, backspace, type, backspace - seri vei: Year likkus!)</i>. He was in a cream kurta and top. That was when I saw him straight on face - standing on stage. <i>I still remember the image as fresh as if it were yesterday! </i>Haha, I tease him even now at times singing the Janmadhin Shuba.. :D </span></span> </span></span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Hmm, </i>and oh the girls were in a separate line and the boys in another - in height order. <i>E<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ver<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">y</span></span>day, well I</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>'ll rephrase it as..</i> Most of the days<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">f</span></span></span><i>rom the corner of my eye, I could see S sitting adjacent to me, yet always engrossed in chit chat with his close friends (they still are!) - stupid me, I thought he used to sit so as we both were of the same height! </i>He was spontaneous, humorous, wide-eyed and with a strikingly sharp jaw. <i>Hehe I used to find striking similarities of him to Salman in Hum Aapke <blush blush> - </i>not just the looks, but the character too. Most of the mornings happen to passby just standing in parallel lines, though not talking at all - Some days, <i>well most of the times I would be the late comer, </i>and then I would stand as the last in the line. Haha, my other tall classmates would then yell out, '<i>Hey, S.. Come back da!' Lols. </i>And he used to so seriously not chuckle<i>.</i> Sometimes <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">w<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ith all the Sun burning your <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">scalp</span>, we spread out and sit u<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">nder the trees in groups of friends. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So me and my other friend, used to go walking around - excusing to pick up water bottles<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> or <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">move to the other tree - <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Somehow he<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> alw<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">a<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ys found a spot <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">where I can find him - <i>coincidence I thought.</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Obviously the classmates yelled out hints, like 'Hey, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Are you searching S'?<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, 'Here he is,<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>hey<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.hey...raise your hand!'<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span>I<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t was only after wedding, that <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">he told <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">me it was not all coincidence - And that he did it on p<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">urpose so they knew I<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'d go looking out<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(My God <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">- wors<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">e thing ever a g<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">irl <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">could hea<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">r: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">covers hand in face<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.. hehe).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Little did I know that by the next Birthday, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the flutter</span> would still be the same.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>I was super tensed as I knew he would have to come up to me with the chocolate box! <i>So was he too I guess.</i> <i>Nooo we were not in love or anything.. but you know, the highschool butterflies!! </i></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By then, most of our classmates had started shouting our names together, and probably some teachers knew too.</span></span> </i>I remember me going on and out of the classroom <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to the corridors </span>just so <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the choc<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">olate-distri<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">bu<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tion would </span></span></span></span>finish off.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><i>One particular Botany sir also told me 'Enough get inside the class, poor birthday boy is waiting for you, Look' and I could see S and all his friends howling and laughing looking at the fatso sir. </i>Gaining all the courage, I crossed their tables upto my desk. <i>Phew. </i>And<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span>the laughs began to subside only until I found a Dairy Milk over my desk. <i>My God - the guys adjacent to me got crazy yet again, shouting and announcing of the <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">it lying there</span>. </i>Some were surprised, some were hitting S, some were teasing and I, ofcourse flashed him a look of Thanksss <blush blush>! <i>Haha.. that was one chocolate wrapper I had with me for a very long time.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To be continued.. </i></span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-78762158551673993062016-02-09T18:38:00.000+01:002017-02-25T02:34:12.989+01:00To the Land of Thermal springs - City of Baths<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"City of Baths"? <i>I mean who would name in such a way?</i> Well well, now I know - Budapest isn't called 'The City of Baths' for nothing. You'll soon too - just like I did!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Actually 2015 was pretty held up - <i>hmm, or I'd say it became the Family year!</i> Firstly we went to India for S's bro's wedding and then yet again for my sister's wedding, and then my parents came to Germany - finally we settle in at one place - <i>which means Time to pack up to travel.. tadaa :) </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Hmm, Spain - Best in Summer, Greece - also best for beaches, Iceland - too expensive for now, London - too cold... dugh...</i>Finally- we decided </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">to go to Slovakia and Hungary -</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">everything fit in perfectly for these two! plus </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">both of which were so beautiful in its own ways</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Named one the biggest cities in Europe and one of the most beautiful cities - I now totally agree: these taglines were not </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">chumma </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">said. </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">There were a lot of times, where all I could do was mesmerizing at the sheer beauty of the city with </i><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>awestruck, wideopened eyes</i>.</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> So I thought, you, my reader, should travel alongside me to experience one of the best baths ever in Europe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well, Hungary is a land of thermal springs, and Budapest remains the only capital city in the world that is rich in thermal waters with healing qualities. <i>Ah, I definitely dint know that until we researched about it.</i> And also</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">, it was that time of the year, where it is so freaking cold outside - and a blanket of fog closing in - </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">yet splashing a gush of romantic air around you. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Everywhere we looked up about Hungary,</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;"> Budapest baths and spas were mentioned to be one of a kind (</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">o.O What could be that extraordinary in a swimming pool?)</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">- </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">We had to know it. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">So it was definitely in our to-do list - </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">a little more I guess, we'd alotted a whole day just for relaxing in the thermal bath.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>To one of the largest public baths in Europe: </u>After a lot of wiki-pediaing and Google imaging, our pick out of the many baths available was the <span style="font-weight: normal;">Széchenyi thermal bath (<i>hard to pronounce na? True that, I used to call it the Castle Bath..hehe)</i> Spectacular, grandiose and a whooping architecture : </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">these baths are supposed to be one of the largest bathing complexes in Europe, and the only "old" medicinal baths to be found in the Pest side of the city. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">(<i>Psst.. just check a few images before you read on more :always better with visualisation effects!)</i></span> Seems </i>the Budapest is rightly called so because it is the unison of the 'Buda' and the 'Pest' regions on either sides of the Danube river.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>What's so special of the pools? </u>(<i>History alert :D)</i> Well, the water supply for the bath is provided by some Saint Stephen Well Nr.II from 1927 onwards itseems. It is actually hot-spring water with calcium, magnesium, hydro-carbonate, also containing sodium and sulphate, with a significant content in fluoride and metaboric acid (<i>Haha thats too many ions)</i>. The waters are recommended to help cure degenerative illnesses of joints, chronic and semi-acute arthritis, and orthopedic and post-injury treatments. Maybe these minerals had made it gain popularity with more and more visitors every year. Thatsy why the thermal artesian well could not supply the larger volume of water needed. <i>So what would they do? Try drilling another and see if they are lucky enough to hit another thermal spring. Well, that they were. </i>This second one was found in 1938 at a depth of 4,121 ft, at a temperature of 77 °C. It supplies 6,000,000 litres of hot watereveryday.(<i>Phew too much a statistic)</i> There are now 3 outdoor and 15 indoor pools, where both men and women can visit the main swimming and thermal areas.(<i>Am done done, don't make faces people)</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>The Plunge:</u>The grandiose main entrance beneath the Baroque dome (facing City Park) was so inviting, breezing you with a sense of relaxation: even before you enter. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnV9i83gxXmI4MswOPjI7U0BWrbXjDm7zW_vN8FZx16Dfty1tZQDSQ0cGC_ajrVjyFP1egDRuZofd9BtEmaa0yEJrSOqnbUuv4gYcFkT9vlbwbtRlzfhgmgx0IJHwP0eBSt0KriLHhI1M/s1600/IMG-20151229-WA0114-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnV9i83gxXmI4MswOPjI7U0BWrbXjDm7zW_vN8FZx16Dfty1tZQDSQ0cGC_ajrVjyFP1egDRuZofd9BtEmaa0yEJrSOqnbUuv4gYcFkT9vlbwbtRlzfhgmgx0IJHwP0eBSt0KriLHhI1M/s320/IMG-20151229-WA0114-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">We were walking round and round the city park gazing at the castle (</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">whilst the guys were searching for a Car Park - as always - lols) </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">To its rear end, was another entrance wherein you could buy tickets enclosed with a lobby and a cafeteria. This lobby also had windows overlooking the blueness of the pool. </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">I was already getting excited to the thermal waters.</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;"> We then got down the stairs to change ourselves to the swimsuits (</span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">Oh yes, it is mandatory to wear a swimsuit and tie your hair up with a showercap if you're to go into the swimmers' pool)</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">. The cabin sections were so many in number, with lockers, hair dryers, showers and restrooms. You could see women in all ages and stages : some just out of bath, some dressed up fully drying out the hair as a final step and rest others, like me - bizarrely looking around as in where to change! </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">And oh you can also book yourself a cabin so you and your partner can change in one together.. wink wink.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So right after we changed and came out to through the doors leading to the pools - <i>Voila! </i>There is an atmosphere around you, beaming with pride of grandeur and poise - pools resembling aspects associated during the Roman era, a smaller tub reminding you of the Greek culture and ofcourse the diving pools (<i>especially for the swimmers) </i>depicting the Northern European traditions. The Castle stood sky high, and magnificient.<i> </i>The best of all, we had no cameras with us - no selfies, no timers: except for the best camera you possess always: Eyes. <i>I had to capture every detail in my eyes, so I would remember this as a fond memory - even after decades. </i><i>Wow. Just </i><i>wow!</i> <i>It was as if I were taking a Royal Bath - absolute relaxation and beauty enclosing me</i>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>Outdoors:</u> <i>Wie gesagt, </i>There were supposed to be 3 outdoor pools. Yeah? From far, as we stepped out of the lobby, we could see a huge warm pool with lazy waves, underwater jets here-and-there and a large whirlpool kind of Jacuzzi in the center(obviously it had the most number of people). They say this is the 'adventure pool'. It was 34°C here considering it was during Winter. S and I were simply relaxing along the stairs in the waters, afloat - staring at the beautiful Castle 360 degrees around us. It simply felt as if we were a part of the modern Renaissance. There’s nothing more pleasant than relaxing in the warm outdoor pool on a cold, snowy evening, isn't it?-<i>blush blush.</i> <i>Woops, back to writing - where was I? Yeah, the Jacuzzi. </i>The Jacuzzi in the center was with so much force that you just cant step yourself out into the river!<i> </i>It keeps altering its pace and you know it when it goes faster - <i>People jump in esp when its rapid - the thrills, the kicks and screams - all happens on its own - absolute madness. </i>It also struck to me, that you dont need a language to communicate - afterall, we are all Humans! <i>Jacuzzi was my favorite - Hands down.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the other end of the pool was the 'thermal sitting pool' - with 38°C steaming waters. It had an advisory board that states you not to stay inside this pol for more than 20 minutes. <i>We dint know it was the steaming pool and I was holding one of my friends hands while entering, 'My God, ivlo hot a irukku di' and she was mocking at me 'Romba pannadha, its the usual warm waters' and then she too entered - only to find it so hot that she almost jumped off her feet - and we laughed together. </i>Best part was the water jets in corners along the walls - there were like a massage forcing off pressurized water and also in the floors. <i>It makes you tickle the feet and massage your bum - lol.</i> And then came a rectangular swimmer's pool - From the corner of my eye, I kept looking at S splashing water all over as he swam across. This one was also a warm pool - with 27°C though (<i>Buhahaa, by now I'm suddenly obssessed with knowing the temperature of everything)</i> It was here, along the stairs of these steaming waters - that you see men playing chess.(<i>Yeah yeah, thats the image that pops up in most of Search results)</i>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>Sulphur and Sauna:</u> So then we wanted to go check in indoors. There were supposed to be around 15 indoor pools na? <i>Hmm, seems </i>they were built older than outdoors - dating back to 1913. It was 4°C outside and we barely could realise the coldness until you step out of the waters -<i> Damn : spine-chilling. </i>These indoor pool are actually underneath the Dome wing, and as you enter the smell of sulphur chloride engulfs you.(<i>Thanks to all the chemistry lab sessions, you now could realise the rotten egg smell comes from sulphur chloride)</i> It took us a while to settle in to the indoor atmosphere after the bright scenery of the outdoors. There were so many pools - of different sizes, temperatures and depths. There were some as high as 40°C and some as low as 20°C! The cold waters are kept so that the pores open and close as we dip into them. <i>Especially after coming out of the steaming waters, plunge yourself into the cold waters, My God - its so refreshing yet thrilling.</i> It was only the first time that I felt as if I'll die of coldness, but soon you get used to it and keep wanting to dive in repeatedly.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">Next to these pools - were rooms of wood and signboards outside - showing their temperatures. We first entered the 55°C one. A wave of heat gushed into my face as I stepped inside. It was a sauna room! It was just plain wooden slabs arranged like in a theatre - in levels. And people sit inside drying themselves off before they go into waters again. <i>It sounded weird atfirst, why would you dry yourself in a steamer - take a towel!</i> And then I realized, it was so much fun that you dont feel like leaving the pools off. Even better was the aroma sauna. There was an aura of different aroma along with the sauna that literally could give in so much relaxation that you actually fall asleep. Especially when they were cinnamon and eucalyptus - <i>Indian flavors in the best of the saunas.</i>There was also another steaming hot 110°C sauna - wherein we could stay just 10 mins at the maximum - <i>My metal loop earrings almost burn my skin when it rubbed off my cheek - Haan, metals are conductors of heat, I thought. </i>Just after you come out of saunas are the ice cold waters I told you before. Plus there were showers everywhere to cool us down and refresh. <i>Don't worry, these are normal showers - you can adjust it to hot or cold or medium.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>Other features: </u>Apart from all this, there are also instructors who offer a series of balneal (<i>looks a complicated word, but it actually means 'related to baths' - new na? I learnt it too just now - hehe</i>) and physical therapies, like underwater gymnastics, treatments and weight baths. And girls, they also offer mud packs and beauty therapies, aroma therapies, infra-sauna, massages, gym and Finnish saunas.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1Hd-reujHZlBeEoHSZX294iR4NyAyKZ-tnVhVlJiuPiwthENMrA0bZ_dIlKyLfPMTDA8VY60baB1gMOZTpDuUpalOnVVpflFdgEfrpYhGvPemA08R4KGqVv_JusT1snhexdq5m2xrXI/s1600/IMG-20151225-WA0041-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1Hd-reujHZlBeEoHSZX294iR4NyAyKZ-tnVhVlJiuPiwthENMrA0bZ_dIlKyLfPMTDA8VY60baB1gMOZTpDuUpalOnVVpflFdgEfrpYhGvPemA08R4KGqVv_JusT1snhexdq5m2xrXI/s200/IMG-20151225-WA0041-001.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After all the swimming, relaxing and saunas - we waited until sundown - to see how they look at nights. With sun setting behind the castle, spreading its colors as it begins to fade away, the artificial lights under water began to lit.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjs2aPHh7VO6uDfXOlCGMVOjmmSFXxDFQp5PrT48rYfvlINhNphuMWo7jcj_E_pxsQQPmGKoJTRYGhymBPG_d-ZgEmIKprHLZHqBEGAQhLJ7Y0OGNIP0ueQVjrcySlwohx890V527UZY/s1600/IMG-20151225-WA0040-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjs2aPHh7VO6uDfXOlCGMVOjmmSFXxDFQp5PrT48rYfvlINhNphuMWo7jcj_E_pxsQQPmGKoJTRYGhymBPG_d-ZgEmIKprHLZHqBEGAQhLJ7Y0OGNIP0ueQVjrcySlwohx890V527UZY/s200/IMG-20151225-WA0040-001.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">With shades and shadows, together with the fog out from steamy waters - it was a scintillating sight. <i>Just like you see here.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">As I walked down out of the castle, after all the dressing up - I carried along with me: an experience that I would never forget, </span><i style="line-height: 22.4px;">ofcourse with a sparkling skin</i><i>: rich with minerals. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>So Next time you look to do something in Europe, Go take a dip in the Thermal Springs: A Must- do in Budapest, indeed!</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-36728903182875946012016-01-27T18:53:00.003+01:002017-06-18T23:28:45.112+02:00Three cheers to three years !!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;" text-align:=""><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hallooo everyone!! Happy New Year! <i>I know its been pretty late to wish, but hey its still valid - not that you wish it only on Jan 1 na? :) </i>As always, a new year begins - with an all new look to my page. And oh,I owe you, (</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>wah wah) </i>my heartfelt gratitude for the support and overwhelming response over my blog. That is what keeps me going. </span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">So peeps, </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; ine-height: 22.4px;">what's with a New Year? Well, to me </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">it fills</span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="color: #666666;"> in with surprises and changes. From seasons to ages. Rewinding of last summer and the one before: and to all other things. The stages of life, the relationships - everything changes: Only to the betterment of you. Speaking of seasons, its Winter here now.</span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>White or Colors?: </u></span></span></span>With S and me in India last Winter, even little chills were feeling </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">pretty much cold </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'd say. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The New Year began with absolute </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">dhamaka, </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">little did I know that people here fire crackers just like in India - </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">felt like Diwali.</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> I was all set with the bunny hat and lights on it - firing crackers and atom bombs blowing your eardrums. </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Clearly atom bomb - whoever blew it - was the showstopper. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And then came January: with a -15 during the daytime! Yet, I enjoyed every moment of it - Building my snowman, having glühwein, hot chocolate, drapped up in shawls and gloves. </span></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;" text-align:=""><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2KKZZtBhTU4pQPrxkT9ZEwtnaXThq0Nt4RI2UmrCxSkhA3pT3YBFeUHKVToej-ZZi_0EcISeVHoXwonYkbqD31UtwjQS5IU7dgmZFx0rVOGPI_T3grQLfMQztwpoJd1qyK-s7P28hCs/s1600/12596810_10153920147029314_421888282_o-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2KKZZtBhTU4pQPrxkT9ZEwtnaXThq0Nt4RI2UmrCxSkhA3pT3YBFeUHKVToej-ZZi_0EcISeVHoXwonYkbqD31UtwjQS5IU7dgmZFx0rVOGPI_T3grQLfMQztwpoJd1qyK-s7P28hCs/s320/12596810_10153920147029314_421888282_o-001.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The last time S had told me of such an extreme weather was when he first came to Germany for his Masters back in 2010. With snow flakes tumbling like kisses from the heaven, and whiteness spilling all around: It was an absolute Winter Wonderland. <i>Never had I seen so much a snow in my backyard ever since I was here.</i> I couldn't resist but make a snowman and oh, I had give it an accessory - as always (so a Leaf becomes its hat)- <i>Haha, I dint realise people dont keep 'legs' for the snowman - and it is usually huge in size <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">:<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span>S was teasing as if it looked similar to me, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">tiny <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">but </span></span>cute <blush blush></i> It was so adorable that it stood brave amidst the next two days of heavy snowfall - <i>as if it said: tiny though you are, hold on to being the truthful, for you can stand against the world all by yourself.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I, would want to enjoy and relish every season with its own beauty. <i>Dah, you see lot of them who keep grumbling of the greyness of the Winters, I so don't understand! - You need the cold to cherish the heat :) Right? Anyway, </i>To me, I feel the radiant white beauty a winner all of the other seasons, with the marvellous colors of Fall - hard to beat. <i>Oh,Hey, why don't you also drop in your favorite season with your defense in the comment section below? </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">Know what? </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">By this year, its going to be 3 yrs of me living in Germany. </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;line-height: 22.4px;">Wohoo</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">. </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;line-height: 22.4px;">It was just like yesterday. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">And its 3 years already. Looking back now, I realise - well, I have become pretty fond of this country. So many changes - socially and professionally, varied travelogue, bundles of memories and a handful of amazing friends. </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;line-height: 22.4px;">Remembering of friends, its now going to also </i><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: small;line-height: 22.4px;"><i>be </i>2 years of knowing us. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22.4px;">I still remember the first time we all met in a common association meeting, each maintaining their charisma, </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"font-size: small; sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">hiding how crazy we are actually.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">My first little place (its <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">one of my Popular posts - do check it out too)</span>, how I first went to the post office like an alien not knowing a word of what they speak, how surprised I was at the silence prevailing around<i> (away from all the drama)</i>, my first food I had at airport, the waffles and choco pies I used to have as my breakfast, my shabby cooking attempts, the evening hilly walks down the road, the everyday skype with in-laws(!)- <i>Nah ya, I cant believe how much things have changed over these 3 yrs.</i> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><Staring <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">at the walls<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">, thinking a million things> </span></span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hmm, </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">but </span>German is definitely a challenge to master (<i>well, that is something I guess all foreigners would have to in Germany)</i> yet I somehow really like the language itself (<i>though my brain works extrahard translating in)</i>. <i>I will definitely miss speaking German once I get back to India.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></i>If there's one thing thats not changed till now, it is the people saying 'You are from India? India is <i>schön</i> - <i>viele Sonne' </i>Oh comeon people, India is not the same everywhere in all seasons!! And then I remind them of Himalayas - Mountains, you know? Its in India. <i>I dont think this ever will. </i></span></span></span><i style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Duh</span></span>! </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></span></div><div justify="" style="line-height: 22.4px; text-align: justify;" text-align:=""><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nevertheless, this has been my home after wedding: Memories of all times </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>(good and bad) </i></span></span></span>and travel, that I would cherish always and forever. Three cheers to three years in Germany! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></div>Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-27819077158710301352015-11-14T09:40:00.000+01:002016-06-01T12:16:05.850+02:00Our First Four Wheel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hey peeps - So finally I found a full time job! :) Of all the things, if there was one thing I always missed was working in a corporate office. And I am ecstatic now! I never thought one single position could bring in so much respect and changes in and out of family. <i>Ofcourse I miss going out with my girls , shopping and eating out all while S was at office - And watching my favorite TV Shows and talking hrs over the phone. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">S was super excited as it all happened in a matter of two weeks. He was not really into me working, but then he knew I always wanted this and was delighted for me - just like my dad and sis. Mom was reciting <i>thirukkural </i>- an ancient tamil literature, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">quoting how proud she is</span>. Fil had always wanted to see me work, especially because he wanted me to value my education -<i> Elated he was</i>.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With Winter hitting and we both having to now travel everyday, going by bus was the only option. My office was pretty far so bicy<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">cl</span>ing could never be an alternative. We had also been thinking if we need to get a car, even before I got to work.The city I stay itself is so small and well connected by public transportation that we dint need anytime soon. Summers we go by cycle and rest of the seasons we take the Monthly pass with one extra person. This way I can travel along with S. <i>So it was kind of a vague, endless confusion if we actually needed a car now.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><u>Car Mela: </u></span></span></span>The pre-car search had begun already when my parents were here this August - felt at home after 2.5 yrs with mom dad and sis all under one roof. <i>S has this habit of searching, researching, Youtubing, reviewing, comparing - phew I ran out of verbs to describe - lol. And the final endproduct would be the Best buy of the lot. So I'd spare him for that. </i>It was so in contrast to my dad's buying style, as he goes to the showroom, decides there and buys. <i>No wonder when dad saw S's intense research and thought he was going to buy in two weeks - And S said 'This is pre research'. Haha, everyone burst into laughter in shock :D<br />
</i></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We started our shortlists - from apps, websites and advertisements. <i>Okay, we need to get a car that could be bought only when living in Germany.</i> BMW and Audi - top priorities. Done. We decided we start looking in and around my city - that way it would be easier to reach out to the dealer, if needed. The first week passed by going to three dealers, and it was ok-ok type. There was a stunning BMW Black, but somehow I dint like its feel when you test drive. Yeah, yeah I agree with the guys - BMW is the best 'driver's car'. We also liked one of the Audis pretty much, but it was a bluish grey color and only had a CD-drive. <i>They dint have any others in stock. We had wanted a black or atleast a grey, but this - it was definitely not to be compromised for.</i> <i>First week - Flop.</i> Every car we see, we had to tell them confirmation in two days max - <i>Haan, so whenever we come, the deciding time is max two days. </i>No point in going around every weekend just for cars - 'We go this week, decide from one of the lot this time, and make it final' : This was our thought the subsequent weekend.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With two shortlists, we had to decide one or the other. The other two were in third priorities, so we had only two to choose from. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We went to the showroom, examined and looked every detail - test drove and it felt simply amazing. The look itself was scintillating. <i>Just that it was not black. </i>This was a darker shiny grey, looked more like a charcoal grey - both S and I equally liked it. The features and audio system were too good - <i>And I even told S , that it felt like the ad where a baby dreams of a unicorn while driving in car - that much was the comfort level</i>. We were 80% sure, but the next was a black Audi. We wanted to see that as well, before we confirm. Except for the black, the interiors were beige and the audio system along with engine were not that great compared to our previous.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And we decided to go for it. We signed the documents after clearing everything with the dealer, adding Premium warranty - and conducting a TUV test. It is required to have this test done, wherein the department checks of engine, brakes, oils, tyres, interior systems and the body paint, glass specifications etc. It is basically <span class="st">done by internationally-accredited independent product testing services in accordance with international standards. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">With this, he handed over the keys to us - wishing us all the verybest in our new vencture. <i>Oh, I dint tell you - we got an AUDI A4.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><u>First Drive:</u></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">His cousin wanted to tell everyone that her <i>S Anna </i>bought an Audi - she is extremely happy for him. When S's brother comes here, maybe they'll go on a brotherly-ride :) In India, the first drive of a new car is usually to a temple, where they do <i>pooja </i>wishing good ride and a healthy life for us. We had found for a temple nearby and drove there straight. With <i>abhishegams, pooja and prashad</i>, we felt at Home. They also keep four lemons under the car's wheels, and you crush them and take your car owing it thereonwards. They did it just like in India. We felt totally blessed and rode off back home, happily gearing upto 170 :)<i> Audi - Vorsprung durch Technik. </i></span><span class="st"><span class="st">Celebrating this day, we had dinner at a restaurant - To our First Car!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><i><span class="st" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yay, and soo...Our Car it became! :) <i>Well, it still seems weird to say we have a car ourselves o.O </i>I feel so proud of S - more because I knew him from school days, till date he never desires anything for himself. <i>Well, I was an exemption though < wink wink> </i>Having bought this car exclusively for him,<i> </i>I feel over the clouds. Totally agrreeable - Every first car is always special to a guy. <i>Just like how first jewellery that a bf/husband gets a girl is special to her.</i></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-49412858631798755132015-09-20T15:42:00.003+02:002016-02-12T10:55:02.969+01:00Never too late to strike them all<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'd always seen people buzzing around the bowling areas - in huge malls with shopping stalls all around and <i>now even in smaller ones</i> back in India. The last time I remember playing it was when I was in schools, <i>playing double player with my sis and yes, in video games -lol. </i>Just as I sat to pen this down, </span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I wiki-pediad (<i>My own verb for referring Wikipedia! Genius huh? Okay don't kick me up) </i>the actual name of the game. Ten-pin Bowling it is, <i>itseems!</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most of them should have seen it - a player or 'bowler' throws a heavy ball along the wooden lane to strike down as many pens as possible (<i>Pens! Hmm o.O)</i> So we happened to go to this STRIKE booking two lanes - Boys Vs Girls. We had booked a one-hour slot as it was first time for most of us, <i>and yeah, budget constraints. </i>Tell you what, it was absolutely worth every penny. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The whole ambiance was flashy, with beams of various lights, disco balls, rainbow colors, smoke effect and heavy beats English</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">h music. <i>Felt more like a party hall! </i>There were balls of varying weights Small, Medium and Large. It was not difficult as I thought at all. S was rolling the ball turning backwards, bending down and hitting them all! Once you get the flow, it is so addictive. With score points, music and drinks - it was terrific.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And it was also the first time, our first-formed group of friends went alone, letting off the newbies - hence it marked a memory, striking pens, talking without inhibitions and to a new beginning. <i>I'm not sure if people these days have still not gone to bowling even once, as most of them are pretty amused from their teens - and strike-bowling is not new to them. Yet, if you are like me, there's nothing to be embarrassed, don't miss it anymore - find a strike-bowling center and go ahead bowling! </i></span></span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-89473978946728019392015-08-14T00:25:00.000+02:002016-03-09T12:53:10.166+01:00Down The Road this Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This Summer was not so evident that it was actually 'Summer'! I mean, I never felt scorching heat the whole week conitunously, not able to sit at home without looking for a fan etc (<i>That's the only part of the year where you look out for a fan!)</i> It was even more weird because of the constant wind storms or the dark grey sky that clouds all on a sudden. There was also an evening when the trains were cancelled due to fallen trees on tracks (<i>Dargh, S and I got horribly stuck that day and the DB arranged for taxis back to our town - Well that was a rarity. Considering they had to disperse ALL of the crowd: Some by taxi and the others by giving them Hotel Gutscheins)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><u><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What's with this Summer?</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We were almost certain - waiting for the cold to kick us beforehand. Just when we thought so, came the week with Heat. </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Usually they say there's usually one particular week of the Summer where the temperatures reach its maximum. </i>Looking around, you see fit Germans jogging, cycling on the lanes or if you go near waterprone areas, you see them swim like a fish. Sometimes their enthusiasm and health-consciousness is one big time motivation factor to me. We had to do something. Uhmm, <a href="http://indiangirlingermany.blogspot.de/2014/08/every-summer-has-story-summer-2014.html">last year's</a> Summer was my first in this house. New friends. New party. Now that we had been living here for more than a year, we dint want to jump onto the same waters (<i>Boring you see?)</i> And then S came up with a cycling trip plan. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There's a lake not far from my place, but then reachable by bicycle: The idea of Cycling a 35 km two-way was .. <i>daunting at first -</i>all worth it, at the end. We were a group of ten - After having our cycles properly checked : tyres, air, brakes and seats. <i>I was extra delighted as it was my first long trip of my bicycle: Somehow it's become very special to me - like my own two-wheeler back in India.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We began cycling after the initial customs -<i> the group pics, selfies and some nature clicks. And once we started, it was absolute fun. Never had I thought cycling could make you feel so fresh - so young and so lively. </i>Everywhere we passed through were lanes specifically designed for cycles - Hence there was no hustle-bustle. We drove past paddy fields, beautiful waters, a small bird sanctuary and village-type houses. <i>Sometimes I felt the routes a bit creepy - with insect screeches, birds flying above you and dense tall trees that looked like an enchanted forest wallpaper! </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As we went in as a group, we raced, we chatted, we held hands at times (<i>blush blush) </i>and at any point, we never felt tiring to press down those pedals. We went most of the times parallel to a stunning river/canal, whose sea blue waters glistened under the sun. I have a few pictures just so you can experience how it felt like.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Of all the scenery, my favorite was this one to the left. It was a long length of stairs heading to something on the top. S and I parked our cycles down the road and hurried up above just out of the curiosity. And the view was simply breathtaking! What we saw was beyond belief. Who would think there would be waters and fields up above and there was also a couple taking their dog for a walk. <i>We stood there for a while, wondering what the other end of the road would lead us to.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Soon we did reach our lake. We were caught offguard in transit that we for a minute forgot, that more beauty was in store. There were people everywhere - kids, teens, adults, couples, families, kiosks beaming with coffee and <i>currywurst</i>'s flavours. We jumped into the waters, <i>freezingly cold it was for some crazy reason - but yeah we soon got used to it.</i> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We floated, splashed waters around,tried to drown each other, played games and had the best times ever. <i>S and I had not forgotten our swimming classes and did some fantastic floating - so serene, so peaceful.</i> After a tiring swim, we sat down in our dried clothes for some amazing food. Returning back home after so much of calories burnt, did not make us dead-tired. The return was rather short, more because we now knew the route and time to reach back. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We still had so much energy left, but Sun was soon setting and we dint have time to fix a few of our cycles' lights, else we had plans to have an ice-cream toast! <i>Hehe. </i>Recollecting of it now , as I pen down about the cycling trip - it makes me want to go again. Sometimes I feel such are moments that I definitely will miss once I get back to India -<i>well, in few years. </i>Having no worries of being a known face to someone, or the creepy-crawlies and fishes down the waters, cycling under nature and ofcourse the breathing space with S - <i>Hmm, </i>I definitely will start missing Germany too, once I go to India.</span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-67432867695743256412015-07-24T02:41:00.000+02:002016-02-12T10:55:37.558+01:00HSWD - The Geography Map<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was 15, and was in my class' "Gossip Girls" team- we had up-to-date news of other classes, ranks, tests and of course girly talks - <i>And oh, there was one who had a crush for a guy from when she was 11 : it was the talk of the town. </i>Never really was I therefore, used to having boys as friends or did I think there was a need to - <i>then till now</i>. Our classrooms were on a roofed terrace-converted to classes -<i>They had some expansion or infrastructure changes or something going on.</i> All I remember is that, that's when it all began.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In my place, the examinations we write in tenth and twelfth grades play a very vital role in getting an admission to Bachelor's degree. So those were the times we used to have special classes (<i>On Sundays or evening classes or half-day sessions or even to a two-day study trip)</i>, more model exams, stress and now lots of memories to hold on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was in X A then.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> All girls sat in front rows - just opposite the blackboard, with our schoolbags behind us in the benches and lunch bags on the floor beside our legs. At the back of our girls-lot, was the walking area where sometimes the teachers would stand and teach, or invigilate while we write exams. Behind this, were the boys. Our target boys were always those who come close to our scores in exams - curious as every mark counts for our final exam. I sat in the last row, with my friends on adjacent rows. One such a studious guy sat next to someone new in the same bench- and yes, he was in the first row of the boys.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My benchmate was a very close friend of this studious guy - they had so much to talk, so much to tease with - yet somehow I never was into their conversation. But there was something snoopy in the guy who was sitting next to him - <i>Heard he'd rejoined the school in nineth grade - </i>He was constantly chuckling, always seemed happy: "<i>Wonder what he talks" thought I - whenever I turn back as the teacher talks from the walking area. </i>Still .. I was so used to being with girls' company, I felt petrified to talk to him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There once came a time when we had a test on India's Industries - in Geography section. <i>Argh, it was so difficult - I hated Geography, especially when you have to remember so much types of Indian soils, crops, monsoons, vegetation, fauna, industries - and then go on to the Rest of the World. But yeah, looking back today - I feel so proud of India's Flora and Industrial development.</i> It was customary for the one who finishes the test first, gets to collect the rest of the class's answer sheets. I find it profusely amusing to go around collecting answer sheets and yea, being the first one to finish the test. <i>That look the rest of them give "Oh, you've written it all so fast/ You know them all" </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As I so went around, I noticed him looking frantically here and there, staring at his map - looking to plot the cities given in the test. I still wonder why - I pointed out the answers he was looking for tapping on his map. "Thank you", he said. I smiled at him, and moved off to the next bench. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He, was S :)</span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-83686015832979468202015-07-16T15:39:00.002+02:002016-02-12T16:10:47.961+01:00High school - Wedding diaries (HSWD)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tadaa ....</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'd always wanted to write you of this series : High school - Wedding diaries. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's going to swirl pass the times before I'd known S as to what he is now to me (<i>Huh? too many 'to's)</i>, how we grew up together : as friends, as high school crushes, as college buddies, and then to gf, to being his wife now. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">I had been pondering about this a long time. <i>Should I or should I not? </i>Its of course offending to any Parent (</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">howmuchever friendly they seem to be - this : I'd probably not recommend them to read on)</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">But then I realize the details I narrate to when people ask me now as how I met S - has drastically reduced. So, uhmm I think it could be a selfish reason too : What if my memories slowly deteriorate and one day I'd just end up with a one-line saying "</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Yeah we were classmates". Wonder how we'd look by then, lol.</i><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;"> </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">I want to have this diary that time, to go ahead, relish and live every moment. They maybe incidents - here and there , scattered from my memories. </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Some look so kiddish when I think of at this time - but back then, it was a huge show. You'll agree too once you start reading - and maybe you would remind yourself of your missed/loved ones :)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The only picture we took together was in our last year of Bachelor's - so it would be a texty-diary: Hope it would keep you hitched! :) Next week onwards.. ! </span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-6940153505289051152015-06-22T14:03:00.004+02:002016-02-12T10:55:51.782+01:00Scribbles - yet again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Okay, so finally I find time to hear just the keyboard sounds as I write this post. Huff, what a brilliant May/June this year has been! Really peeps, there was back to back schedules (<i>ofcourse they are more of a vacation, friends and family - but then, those are the moments everyone treasures, right?) </i>making me scribble tons and tons of memories, <i>now I have to catch-up so much to you!</i> I was so much on travel, that I didn't take my laptop along too ! <i>Well, in a way I was totally in the moments - off from social media. And it felt good.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here's a quick wrap up before I go out to the supermarket<i> - The first thing that you need to do especially after you're back from India - will be self-shopping. Huh! </i></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hmm, April .. <i>Where was I? </i>Oh yes, the last week of April span upto the first five days of May - in the beautiful, colorful Tulip Gardens at Keukenhof, Netherlands. It was a trip we went with the Mafia group (<i>as we call our set of friends here - after a game called Mafia - guess most of the kids and teens would know this - it's still fun, you should try sometime!)</i> And this time it was the biggest, with new-entries added rolling to a total of 13 - We therefore, took up a 9-seater and the rest shuffled travelling by bus/train. Perfect planning it was! <i>S could drive only upto a 9-seater with his version of license, and we wanted to all go together - hence this plan. </i>We stayed in a hiker's cabin - wooden chambers with double bunk beds and a small kitchen station with a hot plate and a socket. The showers were outside, crossing lanes of grasses and people camping, barbecuing, dancing, playing pep music - all with a pleasant weather. <i>Yes, we dint have a heater - so we tugged in our sleeping bags with socks and headscarves on.</i> It was the first time our Mafia group was camping with us (<i>S and I had gone alone previously like to Norway and Swiss - as you would've read in my posts), </i>and we had suddenly become an expert in camping - lol. They were shocked at first, but then got super excited by the time we had to leave. And we came back just like we went - no fights, no differences<i> - I tho thought pakka we would fight - lol. A little bit of distance is always good - My opinion.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The day after we were back from Paris, was a day off - and then I started off to India - <i>Yes, yet again. </i>My little sister's getting married! I so could not believe it until I went back home. So much of wedding preps, so much of sweets, so much relatives at home, so much fun - simply so much of everything. And S had come one week before the wedding, and happiness tripled around my home - after his arrival. It dawned and dusked in a bat of an eye. New clothes, new jewelry, new accessories, new cosmetics - the list went on and on. I relish all of the moments - The happiness in dad's smiles, cousins' and relatives' delight, S's disbelief that sis is getting married (<i>he still feels her a kid - Hehe), </i>mom's heartfelt contentment along with the bridal blush in my sis. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After all this, I was back to Germany only week - and had to go to Office the very next day - to cope up with my humpty holidays. And so the jet lag, the tiredness and the 'holiday season is over- realization' all took me sometime, before I could write up to you. Well, now I sit back to settle in - contented with India trip this year - So the next will be my waiting for my parents' visit here to my home - atleast by next May. <i>I so want to show around dad and mom, now with sis also here, I am extra delighted for their visit by next year. I really hope.</i></span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3341191972488376000.post-57621241020602441382015-04-28T23:36:00.003+02:002016-02-10T12:48:22.935+01:00Things I miss from India #4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #999999;"><u><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">4. Festivals and Colours:</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: justify;">Of all things that comes to mind, when you say that you are an Indian, to people here, I could not believe that they say "Oh, So much Sun, beautiful colors, and ofcourse sooo many people". I can agree the first and last as being their reasons for an awe, but colors? </span><i style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-align: justify;">Huh? </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And then it stuck me. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ofcourse, why wouldn't they love India for its colors? </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With colors, I am reminded of all the Festival days back in India. The shopping spree begins well before two or three weeks of the actual Festival. And the shopping list for girls is simply endless. <i>Sarees, Lehengaas, Chudis, Kurtis, Frocks, Hair Accesories, Bangles, Bindis, Jewellery, Anklets, Shoes, Face packs, Makeup items - oh and lots more! </i>And then there's crackers, Holi powders, Christmas trees, Discounts, Decoration items and Ramzan <i>Briyaanis</i>! Each one creating so much anxiety. There's almost always family get-togethers, fun and gossip-talks in every home. Not to forget the decorated markets, two-wheelers blocking the entire road (<i>returning or heading towards shopping : you can see which way they are going from the kids/guy's expressions - lol) </i>the preparations and people walking on streets with wide smiles, new dresses and a packet of sweets in hands - <i>How wonderful it is to even think of all this.. Know what? </i>Holi has become an increasingly popular festival here in Germany - <i>Think people enjoy it more as a Farbe festival, rather than its actual reason - Nah ya.. No wonder they celebrate it in bizarre months of year! </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hmm.. Last Diwali was our first Diwali after wedding. Usually in my place, its a big occasion for the newly-weds. We would go to the girl's place where her family greets and welcomes their <i>jomai </i>with pomp and ceremony - returning them home with loads of gifts and sweets. Luckily for us, last year on Diwali - we had a Diwali celebration with loads of friends wishing us and making us the 'stars of the day' - <i>It indeed felt good - atleast we were not sitting home, staring at the walls - lol. </i>This year too, we celebrated Diwali but as a huge success with 250+ people in my small city. Yet during the firework show I couldn't help but look into the sky and think, <i>May these Fireworks shooting up be the same ones that sparkle up in my home - with dad, sis, mom, cousins and in-laws looking up the sky - just like I do now too! </i>Sometimes dad, sis, mom and me used to go to the terrace to watch 'extra-terrestrial events' -<i> lol yea, that's how dad calls them : Like Mars crossing the Earth's orbit or shooting stars' visibility or three planets in a line today etc - </i>Looking at those stars makes me think of those times too, with dad talking all geographical facts and we listening with awe <blinks a tear off the eye>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And oh I totally forgot - the day off you get officially. Nothing can be depressing that going to office just like the rest of the days, when in another part of the World in India - there's celebrations everywhere! No matter how many get-together you attend on your favorite Festive days, there is absolutely no way you can have the same fun and feel as you did in India! Celebrating Diwali and Pongal on the same weekend since it fell on a weekday just never feels the same. </span></span></div>
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Preeti http://www.blogger.com/profile/09333704669961865326noreply@blogger.com1