The year that was...2011!

It's nice to go back in time and reminisce how the year passed by...and the first thing that comes to my mind is that it whizzed by....whoooosshhhh!!

Though the year began with uncertainties about where we would be living, work and all other important things that affect our lives, by God's grace, things settled down favorably and S and I, both happily settled in our respective jobs. God has been kind to us, just that it takes time to understand and acknowledge his blessings. Human, that I am! :)

We did a lot of traveling this year too and visited some gorgeous countries - birthday in London, wedding anniversary in Berlin (Germany), a reasonably long trip back home for a big milestone - brother's wedding, weekend getaways to Bruges, Ghent, the French Ardennes, and a lovely year-end holiday in gorgeous Slovenia ( this country needs a lot of marketing for its gorgeousness, which calls for a new dedicated post altogether). I must say, we are super blessed to visit and experience the beauty of gorgeous places, nature and the lovely people and culture everywhere...we are indeed thankful.

I was so excited about my brother's wedding throughout the year that when it actually did happen, it was all over in the blink of an eye and we were back home too! :) I am so excited and happy that he is a married man now. The highlight of this year, for sure! After several years, we managed to see my SIL and her family and the adorable kids - and it was an awesome reunion of laughter, love and good memories for S and I, short and sweet! :)

We have found a lovely friendship in C and P, and they bring a lot of happiness and love into our lives and we are very grateful to have met them! They are such a lovely couple, bless them...In fact, last year, C was here spending time with many others, and it was good fun! Good times...

Wishing you and I, a very beautiful beginning in the new year - of new memories, new friendships, abundance of love and happiness, excellent health and may all our dreams come true! Looking forward to some wonderful new beginnings in 2012! Godspeed! 

For the blog, I am going to start 2012 afresh - with a new template! :)

DIY Memorabilia

On our holiday to Austria back in 2009, we visited Vienna. We bought this lovely (The Kiss) painting by Gustav Klimt, in the form of a ceramic tile as a memorabilia! We have a huge collection of fridge magnets from all our travels and it is our most prized collection! (that requires another post!)

Anyway, It has been lying around for a long time and I wanted to make sure it is not lost over the years, in some insignificant corner or lost in transit when we move homes! Its a small piece and to get it framed was such a pain AND when we did find someone, it cost 10 times more than the tile itself! So I set out doing it myself!

1. I bought a standard picture frame and removed the glass.
2. I also bought a plain textured wrapping paper ( I wanted something that looked grand, enhance the painting, not be a distraction!)
3. I wrapped the cardboard in the matte-gold textured wrapping paper.
4. The ceramic tile had a velvet patch on the back and it was convenient to stick it on to the wrapped cardboard.
5. Finally, I put it all into the frame, and voila!...

 

P.S - I have not been very successful in sourcing glass slabs, so I can use the one that came with the picture frame, to work on a glass painting! :D Two birds with a single stone!!!

Spoils from our Berlin Trip!

S's funky watch and my chunky flower ring - a match made in Heaven! ;)

My historical trip to Berlin!

Keeping with our tradition of celebrating every anniversary in a new city, we decided to celebrate in Berlin this time! On our to-do list for a long time, we thought it was high time we planned this trip...with this, we have almost covered all of Europe! Whoop!

We stayed in this lovely apartment (http://www.all-berlin-apartments.com/en/berlin-apartments/ref_1519/)...and we made our own breakfast and the odd dinners too...felt right at home, fighting over who would wash the dishes ;)...it was on the 4th floor with no elevator, so we got some free exercise too after the long walks around the city everyday! But we always prefer an apartment or a B&B to a hotel, it is economical, homely and very convenient! If you are planning a holiday in Berlin, I would highly recommend staying here...

It was unbearably hot, as much as it would be at "home" aka India...though I expected it to be sunny and kind of summery, it was scathingly hot! I have to put this down here, we found this amazing bubble tea promoted by a company called BoBoq ( http://boboq.de)...the "bubbles" are tapioca pearls and I could not stop dreaming about the drink all day! S would very thoughtfully plan our day to include a visit to Boboq and left to me, I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Try it, its amazing! It was the highlight of my holiday, indeed! :D
I love watching people and when you travel, it is so much more fun - you see a wide variety of people, clothes, behavior, trends, smiles, food, life, culture....the list goes on! Here's my personal observations in Berlin!

• Every single person in Berlin has a tattoo - the most popular places being the nape of the neck, ankles, chest and shoulders! If there was someone who didn't have one, it must have been a tourist or "outsider"! S felt at home coz he has one too! I want to remain untouched...
  

• Women are very tall and well built, no petite women there....mostly!
• People are pretty friendly and try to be helpful, even if they could not speak English, sometimes!
• I don't understand a word of German except for the usual "Guten Tag" or "Danke", but I felt as if I understood the language. Weird, right?

• The city is very very clean and people are very disciplined. S and I were pleasantly surprised to see that every single person makes it a point to buy tickets on the metro. There is no check or a checkpoint to stop people from simply taking a free ride. Pretty impressive ethical conduct!
  
• Brimming with history, there are so many historical monuments and things to do...we were spoilt for choice! The "story of berlin" was very informative and very very interesting...would have been great if the commentary was in English too!

• We managed to go see the "Berlin Wall" and I got a mini-history lesson from S! What? I learnt Social Studies in Hindi...so am kinda weak in History and Geography and add topography to that, while we are on that topic! ;)

• In the midst of a super-hot day, as we roamed around the city, we found this lovely fountain and I literally jumped into it with all fervor....like someone ravaged in a desert who found the oasis...
• Of course, we did a little bit of shopping...found some interesting stuff in a market filled with lovely artsy pictures, knick-knacks and other pretty things for your home! I did bring something back for our home, will post pictures later on a different post, maybe?
  

S ( I know, he is the BEST!) got me a DSLR for my birthday and I am like a little kid with the best new toy, full of glee...I can't stop clicking! :) Will be posting lots of pictures on the photoblog!

My Winter Fashion!

It's cold and I am always covered in layers and layers of clothes. After the initial excitement of the snow and winter clothes, it tends to get repetitive, wearing jackets ALL the time! For our weekend trip to Annecy, I decided to try and wear something different from a jacket atleast one day! Though, it was pretty cold, I managed to stay warm!

With the sales happening in Paris ( there are major sales here only twice in a year - January and July; discounts are as much as 70% off), of course I decided to check out the stores! ( I mean, OF COURSE ;)... I found this knitted skirt for a real good bargain, and I decided to wear it with a formal blazer under layers and layers of sweater-tops! For once, I decided to skip the winter jacket!

I do like the structured look of this ensemble, the skirt is a military-green with large pockets on both sides! :)

I also carried some colorful scarves to brighten up my regular black-grey jackets...they are the simplest accessory and a total space-saver that makes S most happy! ;)

Incidentally, the jacket is also from the Sales and I bought it at 50% off and it really keeps me warm! :) I am a big "red" fan and I add a lot of red in my clothes and to my home decor! It brightens up your day, IMHO! You can find many "red accents" in my living room too!

I bought this light blazer from H&M about a year back, when I started working here. But I never got a chance to wear them...so I chose this weekend trip to Annecy to wear it! When you wear formal clothes, rather mix a bit of formal with casual, it makes you look chic!

Annecy was gorgeous and I felt like it was a combination of Venice and Amsterdam with all the bridges and canals! I am having a ball regularly posting pictures from Annecy, Check it out too! Many people are unaware of this beautiful little city near the Alps, they also happen to be one of the contenders for the Winter Olympics in 2018, so there was a lot of promotion everywhere around the town!

Making all the right choices!

How can I go anywhere and not bring something for our home? I got a bunch of yellow, blue and purple-colored tulips from Amsterdam to match the blue-themed decor at home which began with the blue carpet and all the Van Gogh paintings at home...

I just googled about the significance of each color and to my pleasant surprise, I made all the right choices. Yellow tulips symbolize happiness in one's life while purple tulips stand for royalty (yeah, sounds about right!). Blue signifies tranquility and peace.

Maintenant, there is not only beauty, there is happiness, tranquility and peace and how can i forget?...AND a touch of royalty!!! Sounds fancy, eh?

Amsterdam, you were gorgeous!

As you already know, I celebrated my 30th birthday and the weekend in Amsterdam! Contrary to what I have often heard about Amsterdam being more popular for its kinky sex shops and red light districts, I saw a more beautiful and amazing side of the city! Its like a dream to walk through the city, with its smiling and friendly people ( most important factor always!), beautiful canals, boat cruises,an absolutely wide variety of different towers I have ever seen....I could just go on! I felt I could'nt get enough of this city and actually wanted to go back another time, which is a first!

The weather was pretty chilly and windy so after a long day of wandering, the houseboat was a haven of warmth and comfort to unwind and relax every evening! I was pleasantly surprised to talk to the owner (Jan), who had travelled extensively all over India! I felt nice to be welcomed to flowers and cake ( courtesy S's preparations) and some good wine and a card from the owner! ( Though he speaks in English, the card was in Dutch)...a very sweet gesture, coz I am practically a stranger to him.

Amsterdam was full of surprises coz I do love to visit Museums but not for hours together! They had a unique concept for a Museum of Bags and Purses!!! I was definitely intrigued and told S that I was really excited about going there. The place did'nt disappoint one bit, every woman's dream come true! They have bags dating from the 15th and 16th century till date. It was really interesting to learn the history of Bags since the days of yore and how it has evolved over the years! ( you are not allowed to click pictures, so I just got the entrance to the Museum!). I definitely recommend it as a MUST visit when you go to Amsterdam!

Another MUST-visit was the gorgeous Diamond Museum, a woman's delight. I could'nt have enough of all the gorgeous glitter and sparkling diamonds everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that diamonds were first found only in India and also that 60 percent of tulips are found in the Himalayan regions in India! Ironically, Amsterdam is world renowned for tulips and diamonds and I have never seen Tulips anywhere in India - strange that! I swelled with pride when the 'History of Diamonds' began with this pride-inducing fact! My country is indeed blessed with so many wonderful things, pity we don't market it as well as the Western world. (Some beautiful tiaras and crowns to drool over!). Everwhere in the Museum walls, there were captions that read " Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown" - so true!

I must add, a trip to Amsterdam was definitely a gorgeous way to turn 30! Thank you S!! I will always remember this birthday. Bring it on, I am gonna have so much fun in my 30's than the 20's, if this trip is any indication of what is in store for me...

The big fat Greek Holiday!

I love new beginnings...the new year is not just another day for me. It brings new hopes and dreams for me. From small beginnings come great things and I firmly believe in it. We spent the end of 2008 exploring the Bella Italy, and what an exciting ride 2009 was! Maintenant (now), we spent the end of 2009 in another beautiful country - Greece! I am really excited about 2010. I am positive that its going to be a fun ride this year too! :-)

Exploring a new country and that too, Greece and to spend New Year's eve in a lovely country was a double bonanza for us. For me, the best part of travelling is about observing the people, their characteristics, the culture and of course, the beauty of nature and the finer aspects of every region.

1. The islands of Greece have breathtakingly beautiful beaches which was expected...but I didn't expect to see the islands nestled between lovely mountains and the beautiful blue waters everywhere. Expecting to see dry lands, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of greenery as well.

2. The Greeks are very well known for their prominent features globally and are indeed blessed with sharp features, especially noses and most of them have very attractive facial features. I had a great time simply watching people ;-)( What??!! Nothing is wrong with appreciating beauty, right?)

3. As opposed to the rest of Europe or France, the Greek women dress pretty conservatively; mostly wearing tights or leggings and a long sweater top mostly. I did see a huge variety of boots too which was really fun! I didn't see too many funky 'punk' hairstyles or piercings.

4. As we roamed around the city, I also noticed that the Greeks are not only hospitable and friendly,they are also family-oriented people and have large happy families. Beautiful little kids play with their parents/grandparents and enjoy themselves in the park or squares.

5. Though some parts of Athens are quite dirty except for the touristy areas; the Metro stations are impeccably clean and maintained beautifully. Every station looks gorgeous and is very interesting with old excavations retained, interesting pictures, huge clocks, beautiful paintings. Its a landmark in itself!







6. As we were holidaying during the festive season, we had the pleasure of sharing their cinnamon sweets sprinkled with walnuts, crackers dunked in honey in almost every cafe, restaurant and bakery. It was quite interesting to taste the local cuisine.

S could not get enough of the Greek coffee either! I tried it, but i think its an acquired taste.









7. The best part of our trip was our stay at Milos, one of the islands in Greece. Everywhere we saw these marketing captions towards promoting Milos - "Milos is for lovers". I could'nt agree more, Milos is definitely for those who love nature; as its blessed with loads of natural beauty and you can just never have enough of the calm serene views. S and I had a long walk along the sea-side and I think that sight will remain etched in my memory forever. It was GORGEOUS and CALMING, all at the same time!!

It was a long 8-hr ferry ride, 4-hr bus ride and tiresome ferry trips that made me nauseous. But it was really worth every inch when we reached the captivating islands of the lovely GREECE!

The Travel Extravaganza!

As I just got back from a trip to NICE and Monte Carlo (Monaco) in South of France, I can't explain how lucky and blessed I feel....for the opportunity to see such lovely places in the world. S and I were pleasantly surprised to note that we have visited at least 7 countries in 2009 alone!












Coming back to the trip, NICE is a small town but absolutely beautiful with the gorgeous pebble beach right in the center of the town. Obviously, it feels like the entire population lives in and around the coast perennially coz there is so much activity and people around.

I was surprised to note that a lot of people speak English there and so it was so much easier to communicate and shop!
You get some lovely homemade soaps in all fragrances like lavendar, apricot, orange, vanilla and the fragrances are mesmerizing. I picked up a few to gift my friends and family.

They also have cute diffusers that can be hanged in bathrooms in the shape of sun, moon....the 'home decor maniac' in me refused to budge without picking a few! :-)






After 2 days of slowly exploring NICE,we decided to go to Monte Carlo in Monaco which is a 20-minute train ride from there. I must add that it is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in my life. Apparently, it is a city flooded with celebrities and millionaires ( well, its a tax-free state!), you cannot see a single beggar on the road or anyone loitering around doing nothing. People are all rich, classy and sophisticated. Everywhere you see royalty, glamour and class, be it the casino or the shopping areas filled with designer labels. I was asking S where would the common people shop for anything? He was like there are no common people here, I guess!!! ;-)

(This is a picture of the Casino Entrance)

We lost some money in the casino; after we won the first I became greedy and ended up losing the entire money!!! :-) Anyway, it was a one-time experience and I think we should stick to hard work rather than luck
( sour grapes!!)
















The street lamps are decorated with chandeliers on every road! What more can I say?

Gorgeous Giverny!

We planned to go to Giverny, an idyllic village in the French countryside, Normandy....with yet another bank holiday in France, we got a long weekend and we decided to make a small weekend trip there! A few glimpses...

Some Trivia: Giverny attracts half a million visitors from all over the world; especially painters who are charmed by the unique light of the Siene Valley. Claude Monet, a very well-renonwed painter lived in Giverny for more than 43 years. His house, his gardens and his impressions of Giverny in his paintings are world famous! You have to see it to appreciate its true beauty, the colors and all the greenery is simply fabulous!

Beautiful Belgique!

When S and I met, we decided we would travel as much as possible and we would take at least 2 breaks every year! Boy! I am glad we stuck to it ( one common interest we have!)and every year has been a series of lovely holidays and wonderful memories! Travel exposes you to a different world, gives you a perspective into a different world and makes you feel really small at the same time! You feel you have been a frog in a well, literally!! We y(earn) to travel, that's all we look forward to! Its wonderful to have a glimpse of different people, their lifestyle, cuisines, the lovely locales, clothes, practices...this list goes on and never ceases to surprise me! I believe, you live only once, live life queen size and the way you want to! what say?

Even as a kid, I went all over India, thanks to Maa's passion for travel, every vacation was a new city, Mumbai, Kerala, Sikkim, Varanasi, Calcutta, Shimla, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Bangalore, Delhi....we have had fun times and long vacations! International travel begun after I got married. I travelled to the UK alone and we frolicked in Singapore for 10 days!! I have said enough about Italy here and here and here! We are lucky enough to be in Paris now, and it gives us a chance to travel all over Europe. We just about managed to see a bit of Paris, in about 3 months!! For the long weekend, we made a trip to Antwerp and on a whim, stopped on the way in Brussels too. Some glimpses...















Belgium is quaint and beautiful with an old-world charm....especially Antwerp with its cobbled streets, trams and old towers and big fountains...reminds of a slightly modern Calcutta!

Haute Couture!

Beautiful Clock Tower you can see from any part of Antwerp!

The man lying on the floor is impersonating the statues!

Amazing food at a Thai Restaurant....I was so happy to see Buddha EVERYWHERE!! From the decor to the candle holder!! I am inspired to learn Thai cooking now...very similar ingredients to Indian cooking but with a lot of aroma...

A beautiful ship stuck on the wall, in Brussels!

Preparing for the trip...

Preparations are in full swing for our Italy Trip...we have started processing the visa formalities and also been discussing what can be covered in Rome, Venice, San Gimignano, Capri and Naples...like the 'must-see' places...any suggestions are welcome, please hit the comment space!

Got an awesome bag yesterday while we bought a big trekking bag for the trip. I am going to inaugurate it only on the trip...which is exactly a month away, and if you know me personally, you would know how much self-control it required for me to not use something new! But i will wait...after all, patience is a virtue!

I finally found a cordurouy coat in Camp ( in Pune) and it looks pretty awesome! I love it, was not as expensive as I expected it to be...

S and I will need to take a day off for the Visa, as we need to go to Mumbai for the interview. I have heard so much about the 'Deccan Queen' from my friends that I wanted to go there by 'Deccan Queen'. S is not too keen, he prefers a taxi, but I convinced to go atleast one way, maybe when we get back here...So the plan is after the Visa interview, we will go shopping in Mumbai, I know of "Linkin Road", can localites or Mumbai-experts give me some suggestions for shopping? We might as well make use of the day off, and I have heard so much about the variety-price advantage in Mumbai, I have to see it to believe it. I am only going to window-shop, I promised S! Between you and me...yeah, right!! ( Again, please hit the comment space, if you have suggestions)

Edited to add: My Mumbai trip is cancelled and my shopping plans have gone kaput! Coz the visas got stamped without an interview as S has travelled to Europe earlier and I have also been to UK a couple of years back. So much for my plans! Hmmppph.....S is very happy about all the money we have saved!

This weekend was good fun, watched movies back-to-back on Zee Studio, HBO, Star Movies and Cable that I have lost count of how many movies we saw! Also, I am mighty thrilled about my culinary expertise. We go to a restaurant called 'East Street Cafe' and another Italian Cuisine Restaurant, I forget the name, they serve some amazing pasta with the most fantastic sauce. I figured out how to make that sauce at home by trial and error and I was able to figure out the ingredients as well. It was super awesome!! Now, we don't have to spend so much money eating outside, I can make it right here at home and that too that tastes exactly like the one served in the fancy restaurants. My love for pasta is an acquired taste, thanks to S! I am so glad I can make it myself now, I wrote it down in my recipe book lest i forget...any takers?

Something to look forward to...

The long weekend was extremely relaxing and we were blissfully living in our own heaven! :-)

S and I crossed our fingers and finally booked our tickets to Italy! :-) So the preparation starts now, and we pored the net, travel books and some detailed information from a dear friend, Asha who made a trip to Italy and Austria in April this year ( she has neatly filed all the details and I get ready-made organized information!). Last time, when we planned a trip to Singapore, it was much easier as we stayed with S's mama there who also took us around a lot! Here, we will obviously have to figure out accomodation, finances, leave, clothes ( yup, I never let go of any chance!) among other things...

Anyways, I am very excited about the trip and wanted to put it down in writing!! Something that I am REALLY looking forward to... if any blog readers have some information to share, please comment...

The Baronial Ellora Caves!

Its a no-brainer that I went to the splendid Ellora Caves over the weekend! :-) We made plans last weekend but finally did'nt make it coz we did not make proper arrangements. I have read so much about the Ajantha & Ellora Caves in History at school, I had great expectations. It did not disappoint me one bit, the architecture and the grandiose is simply magnificient...

Its about a 4.5 hrs drive and we spent about 4-5 hours exploring the caves on Saturday and we left Aurangabad on Sunday and drove back for another 5 hrs...S drove the car throughout,put up my legs and slept halfway!!! The natural light falls into some of the caves so beautifully..its a sight worth watching and I am assuming it is a deliberate attempt for natural light to flow in!! Some of the caves smell of bat poo but i guess that is something that can't be helped...and in some of the caves, restoration work is going on and hence are closed for visitors...There are about 35 caves or more in Ellora alone! By the time we finished exploring all the caves, it became dark and it started raining! S and I went to a nearby snack place and had kandha bhajiyas (onion fritters), and enjoyed watching the rain, while talking about our childhood days...it was a very pleasant evening!!

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped to buy Paithani sarees, which is an Aurangabad special and an age old art of weaving. I don't wear any sarees at all, so instead I picked up a Paithani Double Bedsheet...in black!! ( Yes, I love black!!)

I guess i really need to build my stamina coz i am feeling extremely tired and dragged myself to work today! My whole body aches and I look like I have worked hard at the construction site with the local mason!

But, S and I really enjoyed this trip that we plan to do many more such trips often...

A weekend well spent...

Did a little bit of everything this weekend....and I have come to work with a good feeling! :-) Saw 'Jaane tu' on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it, a light-hearted romance with some humour every now and then...Both S and I did a bit of cleaning too, as I was equipped with the vaccum and S with Colin! ;-)...I am surprised to say that I actually enjoy cleaning and its almost therapeutic...went grocery shopping after the movie and made pasta for dinner! Pasta is something I could never imagine myself eating, but recently I have acquired a taste for it, thanks to S!

Sunday began late as I lounged around reading the paper in leisure and we had a heavy breakfast. S and I are planning to go to Rome in December and kept discussing the finances, leave at work and of course, the dates!! I have to figure out how to get the Schengen Visa done too and hopefully ( my fingers crossed!) our trip gets confirmed soon!!! I am soooooo excited...
That's how we planned our trip to Singapore last year and it was super fun!! We watched many movies too and played a game of scrabble in the evening, which was a lot of fun! All in all, we enjoyed ourselves TOTALLY!!

Edited to add: I am planning some new home improvements...will post pics soon as soon as they get done!..and oh! i almost forgot, I managed to get a haircut too!!

Courtesy: Travel and Living

" A man who does not travel, is like someone who has read only a page in a book" - I like, I like!!!