Is it possible to write about France and not talk about the food? Much more plastic conscious than ever before, I didn't buy any of the little cups of fruit yoghurt, or the chocolate mousse at the supermarkets, or anything that stood there on the stands in single-use plastic. But staying in a French family brings so much to the table that I missed nothing!I've written before about being what I once called 'impure veg'. I do eat meat, yes, once in a while. But I rarely - if at all - choose to eat meat. When I was younger, I was keen on eating everything; I tried hard to fit in. Now, I continue to try to taste everything, but I don't push myself to do so - no FOMO anymore!In Europe, my favourite meal, I realise, is breakfast. When our French friends came here, they commented, "Indian breakfast is typically savoury; how lovely!" A savoury breakfast is possible in France, of course, … [Read more...]
Chartres
I visited Chartres last about ten years ago. When I told my French family that, they were concerned. Would I like to go to the same place again? Should we try to do something else instead? Was there something else I had in mind?I shook my head. I remembered how struck I was by the grandeur of the cathedral and I knew I would love to go again. The problem, always, is that the memory retains so little. Or maybe it isn't a problem. It allows us to experience things afresh, almost as if it is for the first time, with just a warm sense of familiarity that adds to the experience rather than taking away from it.From my previous visit, I remembered only the cathedral, not the beautiful town or the typical crisscross architecture of so many of its buildings. I didn't remember shop-signs tucked away into corners or beauty on the pavements on which we walked. This time, just like at … [Read more...]
Paris
I have so many stories about Paris by night. During the exchange programme, we were sorely disappointed because Paris by night turned out to be just Paris by evening because we went in May and were told we couldn't stay too late. As a result, as soon as the lights of Paris started coming on, we were indoors once more.To make up for that, a few years later, my sister took me to see the Eiffel Tower by night, and that was another experience altogether.In winter, it's much easier to sit and gaze at the lights of Paris, for night falls conveniently early. Shortly after dusk, two days before Christmas, we made our way towards the Seine and took the famous boat ride through the city. Ah ... Paris! It is special, this city full of magical lights! People talk about the charm of Christmas and how everything is lit up and festive in December, but even without the added festivity, the … [Read more...]
Travelling to France during the Strikes
Only yesterday I read about Paris transport being set to return to normal after a 45-day strike. 45 days. It's a long time. For part of this time, we were in France too, and there, we learned about why these strikes are important to so many people. Despite my faltering, rusty French, we spoke about the gilets jaunes, about the importance of protests and the effect of the proposed pension reforms on teachers, rail workers and others.For many, Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020 were perhaps the worst times to visit France. The country witnessed the longest strike in decades and of course travel plans went awry. A co-passenger on my flight to Paris told me of a friend who visited France for just a day and could not even see the Eiffel Tower because of the strikes.As for me, I realised once more how lucky I am. What began with an exchange programme between Fergusson College and a … [Read more...]
My Year in Travel
I've seen and experienced so much this year! I brought 2019 in in beautiful Pench, shivering in the cold and rejoicing in the sight of a jackal and a leopard amongst so many other wonderful wild animals.Later the same month, we travelled to Sikkim and Kolkata, a city I love. I also wrote a travel article about our experiences in north Sikkim, reliving the adventures we had.For work, too, I travelled quite a bit - to Mumbai of course, but also to Goa, Aurangabad, Bhusaval, Akola, Chandrapur ... I love it!And finally, we ended the year in Europe, which I visited after seven years. I've written extensively about other visits; this one was special in its own way.On the flight to Paris, someone sitting next to me told me about a friend who hadn't been able to see anything - not even the Eiffel Tower - because of the train strikes in France. Thanks to our wonderful, wonderful … [Read more...]
Chambery to Torino
From Lyon, I went to Chambéry to meet my correspondent from the French exchange programme and her family. It was a lovely stay, though short. My 'Maman' in Chambéry is a boat-driver, and, as I was there in summer, she had long hours of work, so I did not want to impose on them for too long.My sister came to Chambéry to meet me, and we stood in queue to reserve places on a train to Milan. The plan was that we would get to Milan, go from there to Bologna and finally, find our way to Greece. With Eurail passes, we did not need reservations for most trains, but for trains from one country to another, we did. The train to Milan was full, though, so we considered our options, and then booked tickets to Turin instead.With a few hours to spare, we wandered around Chambéry. Nostalgic about the exchange programme, we looked around happily, but made sure we got back to the station well in time … [Read more...]
Lyon
On the 15th of June 2006, I validated my second Eurail pass, officially valid for fifteen days. Maybe the official at the station was being nice; maybe he could not count. He marked the end date as the 30th of June, giving me 16 days of free travel.Building up to my departure from Grenoble, we did many, many things. I visited museums and churches. We played children's games like 'Duck-Duck-Goose'. I took a ride in an 'egg' - the ropeway up to the Bastille. My sister was leaving Grenoble, perhaps never to return, so we filled our days with things she wanted to remember. And then, I left Grenoble for Lyon so she could say her last goodbyes alone.Lyon is a place to spend a lot of time or none at all. Around the station, there are business hotels. Reach Lyon, and you get the impression that it is a no-nonsense, commercial place. I'm an unabashed people-watcher, and I felt even the way … [Read more...]
Paid Artists
I have been learning dance for 22 years. Yes, that is a lot. Often, people ask us whether this means that we have our own dance classes. No. That is not the only reason to learn dance."How much would you charge for a performance?" is the next question. "It depends on what sort of performance it is," I reply. "If you want a full-fledged dance drama, obviously, our cost is higher, so we charge more."If it is not a dance drama, people ask, "Why is it so expensive?"I never know what to reply. I have so many ideas in my head, but I think, "Isn't it obvious?"1) We practise a lot. If we need to put up something that is professional, it is necessary, don't you think? 2) If you want us to be "professional", at some level, you accept that performance is our source of income. We perform three or four times a year, usually. Calculate how much a performance ought to cost if you think of it in … [Read more...]
Cet espace …
"Yuk, what is that disgusting smell?" I asked. My sister chuckled and pointed to a board - "Ici, je fais ce que je veux" - "Here, I do what I want", accompanied by the picture of a dog.I found that lovely. Not only were there designated zones where dogs could do "whatever they want", there were cute little signs saying so, all over the city.The next day, I took a deep breath, ignored passing stares, and took a photograph of the board. I went around Grenoble taking photos of all the dog boards that I could find, to the amusement (and sometimes wrinkled-nose disgust) of people passing by. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost all my dog photos from Grenoble. So much for my nose-holding, stench-standing commitment to taking photographs.I found two that I took in Annecy, though - here they are! … [Read more...]
Musée Dauphinois
"My parents loved the Musée Dauphinois," a friend told me. "It was the best one of all."Intrigued, I decided to go. As usual, I had nothing to lose - the museum was free for those under 25. It was farther than I expected, not being a fan of climbing the Bastille alone, but I did reach, eventually."The ground floor was - um - uninteresting, to say the least," I've written in my diary. The museums I had seen before, right there in Isère, were much better. All the Musée Dauphinois had was general information about the history of humankind, without even the audio guide that was available at the Musée de l'Ancien Évêché, a museum I quite enjoyed. What that meant was that I had gone all the way there, climbing up towards the Bastille, to see sharpened stones.The first floor was not much better. I could not understand what had earned such high praise - until I got to the second … [Read more...]