European Splendor or Blunder
It all started in Feb,2008. After 4 years of no vacation due to various unavoidable circumstances, we finally decided to go off on a Europe discovery. Just like Bride’s parents select the best groom, me and Rekha started off researching in the market for the best tour operator. One glitch was we both had varied tastes. While I loved beaches, hot weather and what comes with hot weather ;-) – Rekha loved cold climates, snow and mountains. So instead of the usual one week vacation to one place ( my preference of a real vacation) it ended up in 19 days of tour. (Please read carefully – it is NOT a vacation). We researched different tour operators in India and finalized on Cox & Kings, Kesari and SOTC. Cox & Kings won the race just for the fact that they were showing us Berlin & Prague. I was always intrigued my Hitler (fellow Taurean). So finally we booked our tickets through Cox & Kings.
The DAY arrived faster than I could imagine. I have gone on many trips before in my life but this one was different as I did not have to research anything on the Hotels, Maps, Directions, Places etc. All I had to do was sign a cheque. I was very apprehensive of 2 things in the beginning of the trip.
1) Flying from Mumbai
2) Not finding suitable company in the trip (read old and boring folks)
We were booked on Turkish airlines from Mumbai. Our first destination was Berlin. I had flown before in bad airlines like Gulf, Saudi before but this airline takes the cake. I was met with non smiling, serious looking air hostess. I thought this might be the case of Turkish culture. But horrors continued when they served me food in the Mumbai-Istanbul flight. I just swallowed it but Rekha could not eat a morsel. Felt sorry for her. As usual, flight was delayed by 90 minutes in Mumbai itself. Istanbul aerial view was awesome. I mean it was so densely populated and different landscape than my expectation. Airport was spick and span but the whole airport was like a smoking zone. Havent u heard of Turkish tobacco? People were smoking like chimneys. Was scared where my age old habit would kick in. Thanks to Rekha’s ever roving eye – I satisfied myself with passive smoking. I could see lots of Indians with the ugly Cox & Kings bag but I was not sure if these folks were in our trip. Did not dare to strike a conversation. Rekha enjoyed eating out in the McDonalds in the airport. We did some window shopping in the duty free shops there. Flight from Istanbul to Berlin was better off. Was a short flight and got good seats and also good food. Flight was delayed again and reached early afternoon. I was the first one out and the immigration officer had lots of questions to ask me and I explained to him that I was part of a big troupe of folks coming for a trip and he gladly stamped the passport. Out I came and there was this huge man holding Cox & Kings board. Introduction: Mr.Noshir Wadia. He will be the Tour Manager for the rest of the trip. Slowly one by one, co-passengers for the rest of the trip stepped out. The first thing I noticed and was extremely happy was that all the people who were stepping out were not old. Infact, it was a mixture of kids, mid age and old folks. I sighed a huge sigh of relief.
It was pretty warm in Berlin and we followed the guide to a coach which was waiting and it was a huge bus. Dumped the entire luggage and checked in to the hotel. (Holiday Inn Express). Sat on seats 23-24. I am emphasizing on these seats because for the rest of the tour, these seats became my permanent seats. After a quick wash and rest, we came down to go into the city for a nice dinner. First folks I talked with were the Salem Dudes. Mr.Madhukar/Kirthika & Mr.Murugan/Yamini. These folks were of my age and I could link with them immediately. Dinner was in a local Indian restaurant and it was ok. Wadia had this standard dialogue at the end of the day. He would explain the next days proceedings including the wakeup call time ad breakfast time. It was usually 6/7/8. Went back to the hotel and due to bad travel, both of us were pretty tired and slept off immediately.
Berlin:
I was hyper excited in the morning not because it was the first day of the trip. It was because I was going to walk the same roads Hitler walked. I am not a neo Nazi or sympathizer but I am in awe of this dude. And also, was waiting to see 2 places eagerly. Berlin Wall & Holocaust memorial. C & K had organized a local guide to take us through the city. The format of this tour was we would have a local guide talk us through various tourist spots and wherever there were good spots, they would make a stop and give us around 30 minutes to take picture and explore the place. When the wall broke, someone with foresight maintained pieces of the wall and displayed it. It was quite exhilarating to see the wall and touch it. I could feel the tension at Charlie’s check point where people could move from West Germany to East Germany and vice versa. But when I visited the Holocaust, it was really horrifying. It really had this eerie feel around it. I did not feel good about this place at all. Well, humans and their greed for power. The whole day went off in a jiffy and we traveled to Prague. During the journey, we had introductions of the whole group. Each member of the family introduced the families. I could remember couple of folks names itself as there were too many people.Finally in the night I slept like a baby in Prague
Prague
Next day early morning, Prague site seeing. Prague reminds a lot of the Communist rule. Czech is not as rich as other countries and we could see that directly in the cars operating here. From BMWs, Mercedes & VW in Berlin to Skoda’s in Prague. This city is also known as Praha in local language. We were again met by our guide “Maria” and today was a walking tour. Its really nice to walk around than in the bus as it gives us a personal touch to the whole thing. Prague had really nice castles, churches and of course nice river. Folks in the group were slowly gelling with each other now exchanging tit bits of information among themselves. People were busy clicking photos and videos also. The centre of attraction in Prague was a central square where there is a clock and every hour a small door opens and Jesus and his disciples come out of the hole. So we were there on time and it was an ok site to see. Walk in Prague was good with its cobbled stones and lovely river. We drove in the late afternoon to Salzburg in Austria. Best thing in the tour was a DVD player in the bus with Hindi movies. We were watching RACE movie in the bus while driving and the drive of 4 hours didn’t hurt the mind.
Salzburg
Next stop, Salzburg more famous for Mozart and Sound Of Music movie. Climate was overcast and by the time we got down for the guided tour, it was drizzling. Rekha had an umbrella and it was nice walk in the rain. Folks who did not have an umbrella were buying umbrellas like there was no tomorrow. As soon as they purchased the umbrellas, rain gods smiled on them and stopped raining. So continued the uninterrupted guided tour. The guide showed us places where Sound Of Music was shot and it was nice to relive those moments as “Sound Of Music” is one of my favorite movie. After lunch we hit the road again to reach Wattens (Swaroski Crystal Museum).
Wattens – Swaroski
Winding through picturesque locations was an exhilarating experience. Austria is a picture perfect place with its green surroundings and snow capped mountains. As usual some movie was running but I was listening to my IPOD. Listening to romantic songs in this romantic surroundings and Rekha leaning on my shoulder and sleeping….hmmm, what more can you expect. ;-) Finally we reached Swaroski museum. I hated to come inside because I hate jewels. But had to comply with Madam. So went in like a zombie and I was quite close with the Goverdhan family by then. Especially the kids Gomanth and Hemanth. So all pictures where me and Rekha are together are courtesy Gomanth. Thanks buddy! After some crystal shopping, we reached Innsbruck. Hotel was good and so far so good. Places were good. Bus was good. Food was ok and was getting repetitive.
Innsbruck
Innsbruck did not have any famous stuff. It was more of a stopover for the night. We did some sight seeing and the advantage we had in this whole trip was that the sunset was around 9:30 PM and that left us lots of time for sight seeing. There was a building like a cake building and there was a nice river. We had a nice river walk and felt really refreshed after that and of course hungry. Was expecting a gala dinner tonight with disco dance etc but was cancelled. Instead we landed up in a drama queen restaurant. The hostess was so much over the top that I wanted to refer her to Balaji Telefilms for a major role. Anyways, now we were posing for group pics and total bonding between the people was formed. Whew, all my fears of bad company vanished in to thin air. Went to bed early because the next day was a long journey. We were entering Italy. My dream holiday spot. Here is come. Viva La Italia.
Venice
5 hour Bus drive. Had to think of something different other than the same old boring movie. So played the ice breaker game with the rest of the gang. Introductions and few words of each member. Had some funny, tragic, comic and awesome introductions. Mangoes with Manju. Post lunch, we reached Venice. It was pretty hot and crowded. Venice is known more for its water canals and boats. So we had lunch on top of a small cruise ship. It was a different experience. Then we stepped in Venice and were greeted by hoards and hoards of tourists. Eager ones just like us. No guided tour. Very bad of C & K. Without a guide – a place looses its charm. Anyways, had to be content with the introductions of Wadia which was more of a read from a book than real intro. All Wadia was interested in was timings and NO guidance. We went to a Murano glass factory. This was more of a C & K dealing than a tourist visit spot. I had heard of Venice as a romantic spot and it didn’t look like with people bursting at every corner of the street. And Italians don’t speak English. We took the world famous GONDOLA ride. As Venice is full of canals, people use gondola’s to travel across the city. The canals were stinking a bit and it was least romantic. I termed the ride as “Gutter mein Gupshup”. Then we visited the Piazza San Marco. Really nice square and was one hell of a “Cleavage Carnival”. J Was pretty hot and finally had my first Heineken. Was really good. Bought a Italia t-shirt. Was so excited, stripped off my shirt in the Piazza square and put on the t-shirt. Looked good on me. (Self appreciation). Well, Venice – dreams shattered.
Pisa
Next day was visit to Pisa. We had packed lunch today. Yucky lunch. But the interest to see Pisa was more than interest towards eating. Wonder Of The World. Yes, it was worth the wait. The tilt and the church in front of it made a real nice picture. Due to time constraints, we could not go to the top of the Pisa. Leaning Tower of Pisa was a good visit. Cherished memories. Fun was shopping in that place where a bunch of Africans come near u and try to sell u stuff. If we try to bargain (of course we do – we should), they directly tell – Indians No Money and walk off. No use of arguing with those folks.
Florence
Florence was a typical Italian town with beautiful churches, architectural marvels but C & K believes in showing stuff from outside and without guide. Saw the Duomo which is the 4th largest cathedral in the world. Mrs.Muckra was wild because time was not allocated to visit the cathedral from inside. There was this square where artists were busy drawing portraits of people and they were doing a good job of it and they looked every inch authentic. Rekha & Nidhi were little inclined to get the portraits done but waited for Paris where better artists live. Hmm, I thought Italy was a haven for artists. There was a “Gate Of Paradise” which is like Gateway to heaven. It is made of Bronze. Another walking tour and walk on the river edge. It was hot and I was loving every inch of the walk. (Hey, I walk almost 4 KM everyday and so no problems in these walking tours)
Rome
As they say Rome was not built in a day, same thing applies to tourists. “Rome Should Not be seen in a Day”. That’s why I call this tour as European Blunder. Anyways, treat this tour as Birds eye tour and then comeback and view in detail the places you saw in this tour. (Duh!) First thing to visit was Trevi Fountain. I was expecting a small fountain which had caught on the Marketing machine and became world famous. The legend says, if you throw a coin in this fountain, you will come back to Rome. I don’t believe in these sayings but just for the heck of it threw some coins as the coins collected will be given to Red Cross. Some 25 years back, my dad had thrown coins in this fountain but he never came here. But I came here. So, I was throwing it for my son Aryan. Buddy, you better come here. ;-) Rome was magnificent. With its impending architecture and buildings, what amazes everyone is – how did they build all these structures so many years back when our corporation guys can’t even build a Flyover quickly.
Then came the Circus Maximus. This is the place where horse races were held. Horse races which were shown in BENHUR. They needed huge grounds with at least one mile track. This was a nice site to visit. Next in line was another Wonder Of The World which is “Colosseum”. After seeing Gladiator movie, it built the anticipation in my mind and the monument lived up to my expectation. What a mind blowing building. I like these Roman dudes of the erstwhile centuries. Feeling Bored, let’s have a fight between human and animal and enjoy.
Vatican
Enter the Worlds Smallest city and one of the most beautiful city. It’s a country inside Italy. Its really small and the centre of Christianity. This is where POPE lives and Roman Catholics centre. Here lies the “St.Peters Basilica” which is the biggest church in the world. The church inside was really nice and the dome was amazing. After having read “Angels & Demons” by Dan Brown – this whole place looked so familiar. Must visit for all people. In 1 square mile, so much of history lies. Whew, left me breathless. While we were inside, saw some cardinals walking across as it was prayer time.
All along the journeys, played games with kids. Dumb Charades, Mirrors, 20 Qs etc. All kids would flock around my seat and had a gala time with them. The horror story which I told of Revathi and Sugandhi was a sure shot hit. Kids still pester me to complete the story. With all kids around, we could spend the tough road journeys in Italy as all the places are 5 ours far. Confession: Boys cheated in the Dumb Charades everytime. We used to mumble out the answer whenever there was a tunnel and rest of the team would guess the answer correctly. Sorry girls. Best Dumb Charade was that of Madhukar doing Shakira Belly dance. I knew the answer but I did not guess it as we all enjoyed seeing Madhukar shake his belly. J
ARRIVEDERCI to Italy. Learnt a new word in Italy. “Uscita” meaning exit. And not to forget the most popular destination in the whole trip. WC
Monte Carlo
Considered to be the playground of the Rich & Famous. The drive to Monte Carlo was the best. I instantly fell in love with this place. What with scenic drives, sun kissed beaches and red tiles buildings, ooooh so lovely. I could not take my eyes off the window through the drive. We were playing but requested the kids to stop it and rather enjoy the drive. Thanks to C & K for taking me to this place. Kesari did not have this place and I would have missed out on this nice city. I will come back to this place for sure. You don’t HAVE to be rich to come to this place. ;-)
We visited the city and went to a casino. As usual Rekha played the roulette and for a change she lost money on this. Maybe European touch. Fun was watching Guptaji gambling. Anyways, surprise waited once we were out of the casino. Out waiting was a RED FERRARI. I ran near it and saw that the Ferrari was for hire to drive across and I did not have my drivers license. For 85 Euros, I could drive a Ferrari for a round in the Monte Carlo F1 Grand Prix circuit. I rued at my fate. But anyways, it was nice to touch the wheel. Infact I saw couple of Ferraris vrooming around. Loved this place. Really loved it. An unsavory incident happened in Monte Carlo. Hemanth became an instant hero when he was attacked by strangers. Anyways, all is well that ends well.
Monaco
This place is adjoining to Monte Carlo and is ruled by a King/Prince. This guy has a lovely palace and has a nice view of the Monte Carlo circuit. Way to go Prince. Rumor was that this Prince was looking out for a Princess which got the eligible girls in the bus excited to drop their resume. Unfortunately, the Prince was holidaying and was not present. We visited the Prince Palace and it was spell binding and majestic. Did not spend much time here in the fear of “Not Eligible Girls” also putting their resumes to the prince. ;-)
Nice
Nothing much to write about Nice. It was more of a drive through the city. Drove through “Promenade Des Anglais” which is like a mile long garden adjoining the road. Folks were very very hungry and we all ended up in NOORI’s restaurant in NICE.Kababs in NICE were excellent. There were other groups as well there and I saw Kannada actress Sudha Rani there and I sent a kid to confirm she was who I thought. She had come with Kesari and she looked pretty too! Did not bother her with introductions as it was her holiday. Nice had a nice Mediterranean Sea coast and lots of nice yachts were parked there.
Salem folks were fed up with the North Indian food and were longing for Dosas. Old folks were tired of travel/walking and were demanding a massage with Maria as masseur. Mr.Kataria suggested C & K should have Massage with Masala Dosa done by Maria. Slept in an OK hotel in NICE.
Cannes
Whoever loves movies must have heard of Cannes. Famous for its film festival which happens every year in May. We were also there in Cannes but one week before the actual fun begins. Went to the theatre where the Cannes film festival is held. Was murmuring inside my heart to myself “Manju, hope you will be here someday.” Nice beach and lovely surroundings. This whole of South France is the best spot for me in this whole trip. Very picturesque and kind of look which you will fall in love with. Visit it without miss.
Switzerland – Mt.Cox & Kings
The mountain owned by C & K. First entry into Swiss. Anticipation. Suspense. Disco Dancing. This place was really night. We reached the place quite late in the evening and when we took the cable car in the twilight, it was amazing. Been to lots of snowy places but never in such serene & calming ride. On top of the mountain, there was just one hotel and hot food and unlimited beer was waiting. (Though the beer sucked big time I must say). Folks gobbled up the hot jalebis and chocolate. It was one helluva dinner. After the eating, Disco dancing started. All people rocked. Who can forget the dance by Zainab and Mrugesha. Girls rocked the dance floor and from the guys side – it was Prateek all the way. And last but not the least – Mr.Gupta doing Big B steps to Don song. Everyone was chilled and rocked at the same time. Good idea by C & K. The descent in the cable car was more thrilling. Dark night, shining stars, cold air and no noise/pollution. This is what holidays should be made of. (Showing the romantic side of myself )
Jungfraujoch
Highest mountain in Europe. Standing tall at 3000+ meters. Took out all my winter wear and the journey was really exciting. 2 trains to change. Second train journey was in a long never ending tunnel. Bad for claustrophobic folks. There on the top, we were met with some really delicious lunch. Not sure if we were really hungry or the soup rocked. Whatever it was, we gobbled it real fast. Then there was an Ice Cave which had some really nice ice carvings in it. We went out into the open. Due to my newly acquired glasses, I could not wear my shades and man, wasn’t it bright there. I hate my spectacles. But anyways, couple of mishaps occurred for our tour folks. Mrs.Dunung was coming down after visiting the peak and she slipped and fell down on her hands and she had a fracture. And Kirthika had some oxygen problem due to high altitude and she had to be administered oxygen immediately. Both of them were back on their feet before it could turn uneventful. 3 cheers to the ladies. Me and my psychological symptoms. Not sure why I was feeling breathless while coming back. No, there was no Aishwarya on the train. J By the time we were back, we realized RAUL family were missing. Sarvesh got late and we had to leave them as the train timing was set. So we decided to go to the next spot which was Trumbblebach falls. This was an amazing falls. The falls cut through rocky mountains and for tourists, Swiss folks have built a stairway which will take one very near to the falls. This is a falls not to be missed where you can not only hear the roar of the falls but actually feel the pulsating sound of the falls. Wow! What a time we had. Night stay in a decent hotel in Engelberg.
Lucerne
The day started pretty badly. When me and Rekha were climbing down to hit the breakfast bar, we were met with a tense Dunung. Overnight, Mrs.Dunung hand pain went from Bad to Worse and he took her to hospital. X-Rays revealed she not only had hairline fracture but she also had twisted bone. Swiss doctors suggested immediate surgery. We were just settling down and advising him when Rekha came and told another shocker news. Mr.Vyas uncle was not feeling good and the whole family decided to go back to India mid way. The whole team was not feeling good as 5 people were going out of the trip midway. But as Health is most important, we bid farewell to both the families. But Dunung said after operation, if his wife is feeling good – he will rejoin the trip. That was some good news.
There was silence in the bus on the drive to Lucerne. We dropped Dunung to the hospital and proceeded to the city tour/shopping in Lucerne. There is a lake and a statute of a crying Lion (which was crying due to loss of lives of few soldiers). Apart from that, there was a bridge also (forgot what its name was). Overall, its an OK place. Folks purchased some Swiss chocolates.
Glacier 3000
I had not read much about this place and with zero expectations got into the cog wheel train again to climb the mountain. All the mountains were giving a beautiful view. Except, there was an awesome surprise for all of us. There was ALPINE COASTER. Trust me, it is one of the most scenic rides you will ever go. Imagine going in a roller coaster which you can control in midst of lovely mountains. Words cant really explain this. I would rate this ride as one of my most favorite rides. Screaming ahead, all of us had fun. Most of the folks went on for second round of snow fun. Then we had to take a ride to go to the Snow Bus. Best thing was, there is a flat surface where they drive us around in a Snow Bus. Nice experience in terms of the sights. This place is suited for Cross Country skiing.
Gstaad
After spending 2 nights in Engelberg, we went on to Gstaad. (Not sure if G is silent in the word). Very scenic place and houses looked like Cuckoo clocks. Really nice location for a hotel. Murugan had a nice time talking to the store keeper who went out of the way to explain 3 + 3 = 6. Good laughs.
Mount Chamonix
We enter France again. This time to visit Chamonix/Mont Blanc. Another one of the specials from C & K. It’s a nice mountain which is on the tip of Swiss/Italy & France. Same train ride and mountain view. But the best thing was, it wasn’t cold at all. Pretty warm up the mountain. Nothing much to do on the top. There was a Crystal Museum and Stuffed animal museum. Other than that, it was scenic beauty all along. Infact I was getting bored with the Mountain views. I don’t think I can do 7 days in Swiss. Warning to all Honeymooners. (no, if its on a Honeymoon, I think u can do it) Since the tour was nearing an end and we were close friends with most of the families, we decided to take pictures with all of the families. It was a picture session and I was in my favorite SUISSE + t-shirt. In the evening, we were given a coupon to visit a casino with offer of a free drink. We and Goverdhans went there to be rudely shocked when they said ONLY non-alcoholic drinks. Another 250 years special of C & K. Anyways, we were building the appetite for the Gala Dinner tonight. Lots of ragging and rubbing in the dinner with our C & K brethren. We went around the small city so many times that maybe the localites themselves would not have gone around so many times or known so many streets.
Geneva
Next day was a leisure day till noon. Lazed around in the bed, went to a small market for shopping. Had lunch and got ready to go to Geneva. Geneva is a nice city with worlds tallest fountain. (These guys make anything and attract tourists.) Water looked more like gushing out of a broken water pipe than a planned water fountain. Jokes apart and respect to the Swiss ( I LOVE SWISS CHOCOLATES) – we ended up in the railway station to catch the Superfast TGV train from Geneva to Paris. Train’s top speed is 300 KMPH. Train started exactly @ 4:14 PM. What precision man. I liked that. I love people who are stickler for time. We had a packed dinner and when I opened my dinner ka dabba, alu bhajiya smell kicked the 2 french folks who were sitting next to me. Jai HIND!
Paris
I had least expectation from Paris due to wrong information about French folks. From railway station, we were directly going to Eiffel tower. (One more Wonders Of the World) Eiffel tower stood on the river side of River Seine and it looked different due to a new layer of color coating. We went to the top most layer on Eiffel tower and the view was breathtaking. It was fun waiting for 2 hours to reach the top and spending only 20 minutes. Luckily Edris and Zainab were there for company along with us as Mrs.Porbandarwala was tired of walking at 300 KM/Hr. ;-) In the queue, we met some touts selling Eiffel tower. At 8 PM, it was costing 3 euros for 1 key chain. At the end, when it was midnight, they were giving it away for 6 chains for a euro. Can anyone explain to me French Economics?
Disneyland
Though this was my 3rd different Disney park (after Orlando and LA) – I was still feeling like a kid. After some long delay in the ticket queue , we were let into the park. I went to the new Indiana Jones ride and man, though it lasted for 30 seconds it was great fun. Don’t know what all happened to my body coz most of the time, I was screaming. Disneyland was the same. Nothing new. But still exciting. How can that be? Kataria uncle and Guptaji were lost and we had to leave them behind as we were getting late for the next program. They were mighty pissed of that. Let me not rekindle those memories.
Seine River Cruise
One of the most romantic cruises a person can go on. But not with 1000 other people out of which 35 are desis. ;-) So if you plan on enjoying the romantic fervor of Paris, please go alone. I mean not alone as in alone but with your spouse. We get onto a cruise boat and go through the river glancing at various monuments and bridges. Some of interesting tit bits are “Lovers Bridge” – where lovers come in the evenings to confess or propose to the loved ones. There were scores of people on top of the bridge. Sad part was there were GUYS proposing to each other. No wonder global warming. ;-)
Another bridge was there. If you pass underneath the bridge and kiss your beloved one, and make a wish – your wish will come true. Cool isn’t it. I did make the wish and kissed my beloved one. Waiting to see if my wish turns true. But I feel its just a gimmick to force people to kiss each other. After 1 hour of going on the boat, the cruise finally ended and everyone was spell bounded. I was the most I think. I fell in love with Paris. City was neat, romantic to the core and very beautiful with lots of history in it.
Lido Show – Bonheur
The excitement continued. We had a show at 11:30 in the night. Lido Bonheur is a cabaret show and all the kids who I thought would have slept by now were wide awake. There was a long queue and I think we were the only group which had kids. I have been to many different shows – Good and the Bad. Nothing comes near to what I saw. 90 minutes of pure magic. I wish I could see this show again sometime later when new actresses come. Saw all the actresses from such a near distance that its boring to see them again. (U know what I mean) Courtesy C & K, we were given the front row seats. I mean THE front row. It was worse than Cheap stall in movie theatres. Don’t know why they gave us these stupid seats. I could feel the breath of the actors/actresses on my head. We were so near. It was kind of embarrassing to sit with kids and watch topless women and semi nude guys jiggling on the stage. Well, no complaints. Next time, leave your kids at home.
No Photos as Cameras not allowed. But trust me, 3rd girl from left will give Katrina Kaif run for money.
Paris Tour
Whew, guided tour at last of Paris. We went through Louvre museum (where Mono Lisa lives), Arc De Triomphe (my fav spot) , napoleon grave, Grevin Wax Museum, Montprannase towe which give a 360 view of Paris, Galerries Lafayette (biggest shop in Europe) etc. All in all, very fulfilling journey in France.
Brussels,Belgium
From France, we left for Brussels. Tiring journey and the whole bus was sleepy. Reason being previous night LIDO show. Belgium did not have much to see except the Mannequin Piss. Legend says a King lost his son when he was a kid and he announce a huge award for a person who finds the kid. Kid was found in the street nude and pissing and hence the statute was created. Quite fun. Folks munched a lot on Belgian Waffle with Choco, Cream, Strawberry topping. And of course, Belgian choco shopping. Night stay in Belgium.
Amsterdam – home of Heineken my fav Beer
Drive from Brussels to Amsterdam was easy. Amsterdam is another nice city. It is a reclaimed city meaning Sea was dried and city was built. Just like Madiwala in Bangalore. ;-) Except we have made a messy job here. We went in a canal cruise in Amsterdam. It was good. Amsterdam has more canals than Venice. But I think they are low on marketing. Anyways, water was cleaner also.
Keukenhof Flower Garden
The famous garden. Silsila for Hindi fans. Anniyan for tamil fans. Girls/Women were all excited to visit this. Wadia was extra careful explaining the exits this time after the Paris fiasco. Tulips and flowers greeted us. Made good pictures but I did not take pics of mine. I don’t like flowers so much to pose in front of them. But my lady wanted pics and I was clicking away to glory.
From the garden , we directly went to Hook Of Holland which is the port. From here, we were supposed to catch the Ship cruise to London. Huge ship but a small cabin. There was a bunker bed just similar to the one which they show in Titanic. As usual, I had to take the top one. Dinner was good. For confirmation ask the salem ladies. ;-) Sitting in the ship , then it stuck me that I was almost near to the end of the tour. I remembered my office and my boss here for the first time. Ouch, that was not a good feeling. Reached London early in the morning.
London
London began with a Guided tour by a tough English speaking women feminist. We started off with visit to the Tower of London. People always confuse the tower to London Bridge. The climate was as usual gray. I hate London climate and also London traffic and London streets. But anyways, this made for a nice picture.
Then we ended up in Buckingham palace. What a site. Change of Gaurds and Queens Palace. Palace stinked of royalty.
Piccadilly Circus and Big Ben – we just whizzed past these places and took a photo stop. Afternoon we were let off in Oxford street where we went shopping for Aryan. It was a good shopping experience.
London Day 2
Day started off with rain drizzling and luckily all the places in the first half was indoors. We visited the Swami Narayan temple. Awesome marbel carvings inside but the gods inside were different than ones I am used to. Demi Gods were given more importance than the real ones. But who cares. The marbel and wooden carvings were magnificent. A good place to spend peaceful morning.
Next was Madam Tussauds. World famous Wax museum. Met my dream stars Spielberg and Hitler. Took pics with them. Good for 2 hours of time pass. Visited the famous Kohinoor Diamond museum. Not interested in Diamonds as Diamonds are womens best friend only. Later in the afternoon, we went to LONDON eye which was a huge giant wheel which showed London like a birds eye view. But when we went up, most of London skyline was marred by big cranes which spoilt the view. But could see Lords Cricket ground, Big Ben and all other stuff in there. Had a quick dinner and came back home. Few folks were staying back and bid bye to them. Also bid farewell to CALLE – our coach driver. He was a magnificent driver – always on time and driving to perfection. We celebrated 25 years of his driving in the bus. Thanks CALLE to make this trip unforgettable.
Final Day
Woke up early and left the hotel to reach London airport. Spent time there shopping for chocolates, Chivas Regal for FIL. Boarded Turkish Airlines which was with personalized entertainment system which made the journey really comfy and finally after one more stopover in Istanbul and Mumbai landed in Bangalore.
Cast
- Mr. & Mrs. Dunung – Made For Each Other (They made a real nice couple)
- Gupta & Family – Angry Young Man (Big B) and known for the famous dialogue “Mere Bachhe Bhooke aur Pyaase the”
- Mr & Mrs Rajani – Golden Couple (almost nearing 50 years of marriage)
- Mr & Mrs Kalro - Youngest Grandparents
- Mr & Mrs Doctor – Prateeeeeeeeeeeeeeek
- Porbandar Family - Live life King Size (Loved the way they ate lunch and dinner ;-)
- Mr & Mrs Vyas – Globe Trotters family
- Miss Nidhi – DD (Deadly Dentist)
- Mr & Mrs Madhukar – Dancing Duo (Belly Dance and Fusion Dance specialists)
- Mr & Mrs Murugan – Funny Fundas (Murugan was a well proven comedian but the first week, never heard Yamini’s voice. Later on in the tour, she formed a perfect foil to him. They should start a comedy show)
- Goverdhan family – Shopaholics (Uncle – Alcohol, Aunty – Mementos, Hemanth – Coke, Gomanth – Bike Pics)
- Advocate Basavaraj – Forced Bachelor
- Mr & Mrs Kataria – Masala Dosa Massage
- Mr & Mrs Muckra - Communal Harmony
- Raul Family – Different Strokes (each member of the family is unique and different.)
