Joie di vivre...

We were exactly halfway through our European vacation, briskly walking around the cobbled streets of Rome, just outside Vatican city...D, the very efficient navigator throughout the whole trip, as usual with map in hand, while I, the directionally challenged of the two, was lost in thought...we were trying to find our way through the 'borgos' and 'vias' of Rome, searching for this local Italian gourmet eat out called 'Angeli', which was highly recommended by Daniel, the caretaker of our hotel...I abruptly stopped for a moment, turned towards D and said something to the effect of, "Wouldn't it be great to have a vocation that was a combination of Anthony Bourdain's and Samantha Brown's !":)...D, for a moment, was taken aback by the suddenness of the halt to our walk...but then he recovered, soon enough, just laughed out loud and said, 'But of course!':)...After all, who wouldn't want an opportunity to travel whole year round to big places and small, exotic and not so exotic locations...discovering tidbits about different cultures and experimenting with local cuisine, food and drinks...

So yes for two weeks, we did exactly what Anthony Bourdain and Samantha Brown and ‘n’ other travel enthusiasts probably do the whole year round...

It was a whirlwind Europe trip...a trip that took us through the liberal and resilient streets of Amsterdam...gave us a flavor of the continental urbanity and sophistication of Paris...provided us with a glimpse of the 2000 year old Roman civilization...charmed us with the beauty and laid back life of the French Riviera...provided a peek into the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo and finally took us on a beautiful journey through the fairytale land of Swiss cities, villages, lush green meadows and of course the Alps...we did it all...from "Amsterdam's coffee shops", where coffee constituted the smallest section of the menu, to Moulin Rouge in Paris...from basking in the luxuries of five star lodging in the bigger cities to cozying up in local bed and breakfasts in the small Swiss villages, hosted by some very warm and affectionate locals...we did all...the touristy 'been there, done it’ kinda stuff as well as set out exploring locations and places that were off the beaten path...from hanging out over food and drinks with locals at gourmet eat outs to fine dining, from traveling by air to bus to tram to subway to train to boat...yes we did it all...mountains, beaches, snow, sunshine, lakes, rivers, meadows, villages, cities...and now we are back...back to the grind, trying to relive and share those two beautiful weeks through the memories we created , the photographs and videos, through which we tried to capture it all...yes that's 'joie di vivre', the joy of living !!

Our first stop was Amsterdam...the gorgeous, liberal, tolerant, freewheeling Dutch city...with beautiful canal lined neighborhoods and cobbled streets...the famous /infamous 'coffee shops' and cafes...and not to forget a huge red light district...The first day we were there, it was raining...but fortunately the weather got better soon enough for us to explore whole of the city in a relaxed manner...As far as the traditional Dutch food that we had, was concerned, the dishes were mainly based on dutch cheese, a lot of meat, potatoes and most dishes had a very distinct apple aftertaste in most gravies. In fact apple seemed to be a primary constituent in most Dutch desserts as well in addition to spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. As far as drinks were concerned, I stuck to wine...while D experimented with local Dutch beers:)...All in all, a fun city and good food...in fact among the bigger cities, I personally would keep Amsterdam high on my list if you were looking for a good balance of urbanity and coziness...

Next stop Paris...we took the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris...so got a feel for what life at 350 kms an hour feels like :)...As far as the city itself is concerned, this is what Ernest Hemingway had to say about it,"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast"...and the three odd days we spent in the city were definitely enough for D and I to get a pulse of this beautiful place and bow down and say ‘amen’ to Hemingway’s words...Paris is undoubtedly a landmark of continental urbanity and sophistication, but has something in some corner of the city for everyone...the writer , the painter, the dancer, the singer,the romantic, the lover, the banker, the shopaholic, the foodie, the traveler, you and me...that's what makes this city so special and interesting...a lot of memories...a tour of all the historical monuments and museums...an evening river cruise on the Seine...a traditional French dinner across the river and across the gorgeous Notre Dame Cathedral...the vibrant Latin Quarters...the historic St.Marais quarter...a sweet language...very friendly and helpful locals (despite the language barrier, contradicting a lot of our preconceived notions)...lazing around, sitting by the road side cafes and people watching...patisseries, creperies, wines, truffes, creme brulees, tarte tatins, chocolate mousse, macaroon cookie tarts,exotic croissants ..and of course, Moulin Rouge,the origin of the cabaret and the French Can Can...After a really long day of walking around the streets of Paris, I had almost convinced D to just couch in the hotel instead of heading out for dinner and Moulin Rouge...but am I glad that D insisted and persisted that it would be a lovely evening...and that's eaxactly how it turned out...a perfect evening!! So that's a must do whenever you are in Paris next...

Next stops Monte Carlo and Nice...that's exactly what we needed after 5 days of walking through the streets of Paris and Amsterdam...the charm and laid back life of the French Riviera :)...We spent a couple of days lying around on the beaches of Monte Carlo and exploring the small hill town as well as old town Nice...Though fascinated by the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo, the playground of the rich and the famous in Europe, I was more in awe of the scenic beauty and charm of this beautiful , cozy , small little town perched on a hill...The beaches were pretty but were pebbled beaches, which made it slightly painful to go into the water...I personally prefer the sand beaches of St'Johns in the US Virgin Islands any day over pebbled beaches...but the beauty of the landscape of the French Riviera with those huge cliffs plunging into the ocean and the lush green hills dotted with small homes, lining the beach landscape, is absolutely breathtaking...was two days of complete relaxation…

Next stop Rome...what do I say about a 2000 year old civilization, that has the old and the new, the ancient and the current so perfectly juxtaposed next to each other...it was pretty overwhelming walking around this city in person...it also put of a lot of things in perspective as far as how this ancient civilization has had an influence on lot of newer cities in the world as far as architecture and culture is concerned...as far as people were concerned, I got a vibe that was very similar to India...and no it's not just full of thugs, like people make it out to be....again despite the language barrier, people were very helpful and warm...I guess that’s very characteristic of Rome and parts of Italy south of Rome...I wouldn’t say the same of Venice and Milan though, which we visited few years back...it's just that like in all big cities, you need to be aware and alert of your surroundings...that's all...

And then finally we started the last leg of our journey... a four and half day trip through fairy tale land...Switzerland...Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Gstaad, Spiez, Gilwis, Brienz...a small , but breathtakingly beautiful country...While maintaining bases in Geneva, Interlaken and Lucerne, we would just hop on to a train and randomly get off at a destination of our choice , spend a few hours there and then move on....cities, small towns, villages, lush green meadows dotted with beautiful chalets,lakes, mountains, glaciers...essentially unsurpassed scenic beauty...I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, as and when I put them up...but the doze of the train trip through the mountains, valleys and villages of rural Switzerland topped with swiss chocolates, fondues and Roschti...was a lovely, relaxing way to end to the European vacation...

We travelled by train from one place to another, across countries....though it's slightly more expensive than air travel, for people like me who hate being cooped up for hours in airports and planes when on a vacation, personally I feel it's the best way to see Europe...specially if you are on a short trip (less than three weeks), spanning multiple countries...it takes at least half a day to get your bearings in a new city and country, so getting used to a language and traffic signs could become strenuous if one opts to drive around instead...but train travel provides a very good feel of how the topology and demographics change as we cross regions, cities and countries and more importantly, it gives one the opportunity to interact with the locals...and believe it or not funnily enough, you find ways of communicating, interacting and getting a vibe of the culture despite all perceivable language barriers...that's what travelling is all about , aint't it !

But yes, now we are back...back to the grind...it feels good to be back home...to familiar surroundings and one's own bed...though we terribly miss the excitement and pulse of the life we led the past two weeks :)...and while I hope that some day I will have a vocation that's a combination of Samantha Brown's and Anthony Bourdain's...for now, I am happy just to dream and work towards the next stop...whereever, whenever it may be...yes, that's 'joie di vivre', the joy of living !!