a memoir of etchings and wanderings
They say that the friends you make at school and college are the ones who last a lifetime. I wasn’t so fortunate during school, but met the most wonderful people during my years in Pune and Gurgaon – and I am ever so grateful. When Ankita and I lived and worked together at Edelman, things were not always painless and tranquil, given our limited means, but I think of those … Continue reading “Paris of the East” →
When I first told people around me that I was going to Poland for the Eid holidays, there was more than one raised eyebrow. To start with, it made me a little sceptical, but my mind was made up, to visit. The country wears its charms lightly – so much that it doesn’t draw the attention of the average Euro-tripper. But step in, venture into its heart and you’ll find … Continue reading “Polska!” →
Since I moved to Muscat two years ago and found a lot more time (i.e. earned leave) and funds to my disposal, it was a part of the agenda to ensure that I take an annual trip with the folk to places we have always talked about. Jet. Set. Go! We got our Schengen visas a day before we were to travel – so yeah, a couple of very tense … Continue reading “A Bohemian Rhapsody” →
A couple of months ago, on weekend family movie night, the parents and I were watching this Satyajit Ray classic – ‘Agantuk’. Translated into English, it means ‘The Stranger’ and is about a family dealing with the sudden visit of a long lost uncle. In the film, this uncle, having travelled the world, educates us about wanderlust (Did you know that this term is an English loanword which was already extant … Continue reading “Hrvatska!” →
Italy was the last country of our three-week long trip, and honestly, the bit that I was most excited about! Driving through the Brenner Pass, a mountain pass along the border between Italy and Austria we crossed numerous apple orchards and vineyards and began to spot the Italian part of the Alps in a Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara sort of frame, where an endless stretch of road continued with grapes growing … Continue reading “L’Italia” →
Leekh-ten-shtine. That’s how it must be pronounced. So much for geography obsession; before my visit, I didn’t even know this was a country. But as it happens, the Principality of Liechtenstein is an adorable, doubly landlocked alpine country bordered by Switzerland to the west and by Austria towards the east. Vaduz is its capital and that was where we were headed, on the way to our Austria leg of the … Continue reading “Liechtenstein” →
To be completely honest, while we were planning this trip, Switzerland was the place I was probably least excited about – but it happened to surprise me the most. In almost all the other countries, there were these elaborate lists of things to see – museums, galleries, rivers or just anything that made them stand out. In my head, Switzerland was the place where some Bollywood movies were shot, a … Continue reading “Heaven in Helvetica” →
While we had already stepped into Munich at the beginning of our journey, the rest of the Germany journey was yet to begin. One of the largest countries in that part of Europe, it has stood witness to so much history and change, that it has continued to fascinate people from all over the globe. And we were no different. We were driving across the Netherlands from the western most … Continue reading “Deutschland” →
Windmills. Wooden shoes. Canals. Van Gogh. Beer. Some of most extraordinary things in the world are owed to the Netherlands. And we were able to experience most on our one-day trip; getting the best of rural Holland and the modern Amsterdam. We set off from Eindhoven to reach Madurodam, a miniature park in the Scheveningen district of The Hague. Although I found it a tad boring, we had to appreciate the intricacy … Continue reading “Oranje Country” →
It was now time to bid Paris a teary goodbye. Belgium awaited. We drove four hours to the capital city of Brussels, where we first stopped at the Atomium. We were explained what the significance of this iconic structure was, but after I heard that meeting rooms were built in the spheres, they kind of lost me. However, for the education of all, the Atomium was originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair … Continue reading “Belgium” →