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Author Archives: Rajan’s
Medical professional’s by occupation and explorers by heart for all things exotic, be it food, fads or faraway lands.
“Sri” is the vagabond husband, whose passion for exploration knows no limits. He loves trip planning almost as much as the travel itself and could really pursue this as a carreer! Every trip is unique, meticulously planned and researched to the D, by Sri to accommodate the littlest whim of the youngest member and the craziest fancy of DW.
Ruchi is the partner in crime, stoking the embers of restlessness and egging the hubby to plan the next one! And to pose graciously and get clicked.
We love nature and though we land in a big city always, we quickly drive out to the country! This blog aims to be a compilation of our travels (not wanting the memories to fade), our experiments with foods and beverages ;) and sharing everyday novelties of life...especially with an adventurous young tyke amidst us! Also, a catalogue of our travel pictures.
Most of the trips have been as a couple but we decided long before conception, that travel can never stop. So post the baby, it was the the baby carrier which was an essential item on the travel list which has helped us traverse the underground caves in vietnam, bylanes of bali, sauntering in the central park or hiking in the Swiss Alps!
And then there are the Fockers...both sets of in-laws, who have been our travel companions on some of these journeys which makes things even more interesting while balancing everyone's tantrums!
We hope these pages can inspire some of you guys to get out of your comfort zones, rent that car and go vroom….
Leaving Cotswold behind, we proceeded North towards Lake district.
While researching Lake District, I had spent a long time trying to figure out where to stay as we needed three rooms and most hotels were sounding too expensive. I then chanced upon Winster cottage at Masons Arms, Strawberry Banks, Carmel. The rub was that this cottage was situated above a pub, and again I had to quieten the apprehensions of the family about potentially noisy surroundings with drunkards around. They were not convinced but I was quite impressed with the reviews and pictures and we went ahead. This place is off the usual touristy trails, and after traversing some thickly wooded areas, with the road winding through small hills and dales, we finally made it.
Despite everyone’s apprehensions, it was fantastic. A huge multi-bedroom cottage with lovely skylights, bunk beds in one room, wooden floors, well-equipped kitchen… you could choose to go self-catering or ask for meals.
The cottage had a separate entrance overlooking the most dazzling vista, rolling hills, and ditzy sheep gamboling in the rain. And with the temperatures plunging down, in comparison to London, we loved it. Not a wee bit of noise from the pub nearby. We even liked the wooden floored bathroom, great for cold mornings. The minor hiccup was one bathroom for all of us, but it was manageable.
I surprised everyone with dinner at Masons Arms, the pub downstairs, preceded by a round of ales.
While the expectations were of a noisy pub meal, the folks had reserved a huge dining table (that could have seated 12 for the five of us) in a private dining room! The food was good, and the ambiance was perfect. DW loved that she had the freedom to open a window and enjoy the beautiful weather! The menu was vegetable soup, lasagna, pasta, and honey-glazed ribs, for me the only omnivore.
The next day we went to the Windermere tourist center, got a map, were suggested a walking route, and set course.
Saw a bunch of school kids launching a yacht under guidance, peacefully walked around a bit, and then drove towards the next lake, Ambleside.
Ambleside, in memory, would always be associated with a huge scone with cream, blackberry, and strawberry compote, that I managed to successfully divide into five! It really was huge!
We decided to drive to all the lakes in the district, at least the major ones, and halt when something fancied our eyes.
We passed by a quiet, pretty little, English village called Grasmere, and I recalled reading somewhere that their gingerbread was good, so we decided to take a break. While having pizzas, and looking for gingerbread, we noticed two ladies having a triple cone of ice cream. Mom being the intrepid person she is, went up to them, cheerfully talked to them, and asked them where they got their ice creams from.. We promptly set out and had this crazy slurpy delight, and have pictures to prove.
One of the most beautiful of the lakes on this car ride was Ullswater. It’s the second-largest lake in the region, and surprisingly free of tourists, tranquil with ducks coasting quietly and hills in the background. DW insisted on taking time out in this peaceful location.
In the evening, after leaving the car, we took the walking trail, up Windermeyer Lake, traipsing along the winding path, crossing quaint bungalows, woodlands, and fields till we spotted the placid lake and spent some more time here watching the sun go down.
The next day we set course for Scotland. Our GPS went crazy, probabaly due to overcast weather, and routed us through tiny hamlets and villages, with steep one-car-worthy roads, stunning to behold but challenging to navigate, till we finally reached a main road… The two most frustrating statements our Aussie accented GPS would say, about a km after a turn.. “recalculating..” And ” lost satellite reception”!
Somehow, there’s not much to write about Lake District,..but our memories and the incredible photos say tons more!
I wanted to do a gastronomic tour of the UK and Scotland. We had been planning a holiday with my parents, forever, so finally the friendly neighborhood trip planner which is me, Sri, started off.
Initially, I was keen on visiting Edinburgh, then Speyside (the protected region in Scotland for whiskey distillation in the UK) and some isles as part of a whisky trail. DW let me dream on and then month before leaving she innocently enquired as to what else there would be to do in Craigallachie, Speyside. And I go..”we could play golf…maybe see some castles..”. She (not so gently) brought me back to earth making me realize that this whiskey trail dream, would remain just that, a dream. What with four of the five of us, not being whisky admirers, and if I was driving, then neither would I get to appreciate any!
Back to the drawing board. Along the way, we heard from friends about Arran Island and Arran Aromatics and shifted our trip northward. Then, some complaints later about not getting accommodation for five (odd number) people”, a few more grumbles, looking up ferry schedules, etc, we were set.
We eliminated Loch Ness (a big lake without any Nessie), Inverness (who wants to visit a war memorial), and sundry other tourist places.
After struggling with train schedules, and trying to get us on the Harry Potter train (we’d end up wasting a day going there, and promptly getting back), we decided to rent a car as the best possible solution for all issues. We read awful tales about the bad roads and questions about our foolish plans to cram so much into so little time, but after doing it all I can vouch that the roads were be-u-tiful, a pleasure to drive, without a single bump, even in the most remote villages.
I felt that driving at one’s own pace also gives one, the freedom to tweak one’s itinerary if something interesting comes by, and a lot more adventurous, like driving the car into a giant ferry to cross a bay, and the ability to explore the islands which can’t be done otherwise. We wanted a mix of Highland and Island experience and started our Scotland trip from Stirling, reaching here, from the Lake District on Day 1. This is a beautiful small town with the William Wallace monument as a highlight.
River Forth.. spectacular view of Stirling, from atop the William Wallace monument
We decided upon a night stay here as we wanted to catch the next morning ferry to the Isle of Arran from Ardrossan, which is a short distance from here.
Relying heavily on trip advisor recommendations, we booked 2 rooms at Argyll House B & B. A short distance from Stirling, we, as a routine, called up the B & B to announce our impending arrival. Our, to-be host, Joan seemed very surprised on the phone, as she didn’t have any such booking on her calendar. Why I am mentioning this at all, is to highlight that, despite making bookings way in advance, one can be in for a mighty surprise! Thankfully, Joan was an exceptionally friendly lady who despite the mix-up, went out of her way to arrange for rooms to host our family, in her friend’s B & B’s. Here, I may mention that the makeshift arrangement was in no way inferior to the standard we were expecting and we had a comfortable night’s stay!
On her recommendation, we had one of the most outstanding meals of the entire, month-long, England trip in this small town of Stirling, at a local gastro-pub called “Birds n Bees”.
The next morning, I was sweating bricks, because we had to reach the port of Ardrossan on time, en route to Arran and the family was least perturbed. Predictably, a wrong loop on the highway, and we were in the middle of a bustling jam in Glasgow, (which we had planned to bypass) at peak commute time! Somehow, extricated ourselves from the mess and reached the port on time.
At Ardrossan ferry terminal, we positioned our car such that someone else would be driving in before us (we had never done this before). The ferry itself was a humungous ship that offloaded 121 vehicles, including cars, trucks, and trailers. When the time for boarding came, as our luck would go, we were asked to lead the way, and it actually turned out to be a breeze. The entire operation is very well coordinated. By the time we had parked, put the hand brake down and informed the sailors that someone behind us hadn’t put on the hand brake. Everyone was loaded and set to go.
After landing we promptly put Arran aromatics in our GPS.. and toddled off.. Bought a load of toiletries, and tried about eight types of cheese at the creamery next door (including chili, pepper, garlic, burnt onion, grape!).
We then drove around the island (it’s a miniature island with a kind of ring road encircling it) and appreciated the change in micro-climate from point to point.
From Arran.. we crossed back to the mainland via another ferry (Claonaig- Lochranza) ..which was a mini-adventure on its own. We got so busy soaking in the beauty of Arran that we nearly missed our ferry from Claonaig!! When we reached the port, we saw the ferry already pulling out and our hearts nearly skipped a beat as we hadn’t booked a night stay on Arran, which is such a small place anyway. Luckily, we brought attention to ourselves with a couple of car honks and one wouldn’t believe.. they brought the ferry back for us!! Can anything be sweeter than that!! (BTW, I had read on a blog about this ferry being helpful enough to accommodate people !)
And thus, we arrived at Oban, one of the most spectacular drives of the trip, as well as a very beautiful quaint bay town. This was a pleasant surprise as our expectations were low, this being often described as a fishing town! We stayed here for two nights in a manor like B&B, called Argyll House.
Very scenic with awesome views of the bay! This is a large B&B, with permanent staff, and near hotel-like service. Dad and I appreciated the sherry and whisky after chilly walks. Breakfast was black porridge and haggis and oats with whisky and cream and more civilized offerings for the vegetarians. Btw, I had also made Atholl Brose, a concoction with oats, cream, honey, and whisky in India… Resembling Bailey’s Irish cream in taste…
Kilchrenan House
There are multiple day trips from here to other islands like the Isle of Mull where u can do birding, Golfing, and stuff! Oban also has a famous distillery with some high-end single malt whisky by the same name. Me and dad went for a tour while the ladies shopped…Oban happened to be the first place in England, after London, where we found some shops open after 5 p.m!! Bought loads of Scotland trivia here, clan-patterned Tartans, golf balls, and such. Also, had a delectable blueberry pancake that could fill the tummies of 5, by itself!
I recall having a scrumptious dinner at a local restaurant we remember as “Kua Mua” actually called Cuan Mor.
From Oban, we started on day 4 and drove towards the Isle of Skye via Kyle of Lochalsh. Amongst one of the most scenic drives of Scotland! On the way, we saw the fairytale castle of Eileen Donan and passed some very picturesque Glens and Dales.
On the way, we happened to catch the Glengarry Highland games, which was a very authentic Scottish experience! Other than the Bagpipes, the games, and the races, also saw a Dog show, here! Fun-filled 3 hours!!
If you are a “Harry Potter” buff, you could alternatively take the famous train to Hogwarts. This train journey, I think begins and ends at Fort Mason and requires pre-booking as well as a day at your disposal. We couldn’t, unfortunately, fit this into our schedule but it’s again highly recommended!
Reached Skye by evening, after taking as many stops on the way, as possible, and spent two nights in Skye. Staying at Skye is way better, again to soak in the place and I would highly recommend the B & B called Carter’s Rest, one of the top-rated ones on TripAdvisor!
This is if you are a nature lover wanting only peace, serenity, and beauty to surround yourself. If you would rather see the main points and move on, you can see the city of Portree, the Talisker distillery, the Neist Point lighthouse, and some famous waterfalls there.
I dragged the family to the Talisker distillery and along the way sampled some brilliant “pub food”, a biryani look-alike called Nasi Goreng, at the “Old Inn” at Carbost, along with some awesome coffee.
At Skye, I and DW set out at 10:30 pm, in blinding daylight, with the last few dregs of petrol in the car tank to see the Neist Point lighthouse.
Other than the lighthouse, the crazy Scottish sheep and Highland Coos (long-haired) cows were the main attraction. Even after so many years of marriage, we drove down there like giggly adolescents, leaving Dad to teach Mom Snooker. I got to taste unchilled, filtered Skye whisky (Port Dubhe) thanks to our hosts. Our hosts were uber-sweet and shipped back a scarf to India which DW had accidentally left behind.
Another attraction at Skye included Skye Silver, where I got a Jacobite rose earring.
After spending two nights at the Isle of Skye and nicely exploring the island, we undertook, what we expected to be an arduous, long tiring journey to Edinburgh, via Pitlochry. But we were pleasantly surprised, as the journey took no time at all, what with all the beauty to behold, it became yet another trip to remember!
On the way, the over-enthusiastic moi with very supportive Parents and wifey chalked out a personalized whisky Trail (considering it to be a mandatory part of the Scottish experience) and visited small boutique distilleries like Dalwhinnie, adding to our collection of single malts.
Pitlochry is a small, picture-perfect, postcard town and also hosts the smallest Scottish distillery close to it, called Edradour.
We reached Edinburgh by evening. It’s a magnificent city with an old-world charm. By the end of the trip, we were so overwhelmed by castles that had no real interest in visiting Edinburgh Castle. Yet, we ended up doing the same, as it is one of the most famous ones!! Zillion things to do in Edinburgh with an evening spent strolling on the royal mile and those underground spooky trips!!
From Edinburgh, took a train to London (had booked this, way in advance and so got the tickets, dirt cheap for 5 people). On this picturesque train ride, we caught a glimpse of Alnwick Castle, more famous as the Hogwarts of “Harry Potter”.
Reached King’s Cross station in London, in the evening…did a photo-op at the station “9¾”… reached our hotel in a glum mood because another memorable trip was coming to a close. Spent a sleepless night, coz we had to catch the international flight the next morning…to Home!
The story begins differently for all of us. For some, it’s the culmination of long-standing desire and commitment, while for others, it’s the shock of a lifetime, served on a stick. How-so-ever it begins, the rendering for almost all, is a lifetime of battling indecision, questioning one’s judgment, and constant comparison with thy neighbor. Begrudgingly we also come to acknowledge the effort put in and the challenges faced by our parents in bringing us up.
We, of course, are discussing the quagmire that is parenting; the shifty, boggy under-belly of a superficially well-anchored family. The awkward challenges that we “the parent” are quietly facing, ‘to let be’, or ‘not to let-be’.
“He’s turning into a sloth, lounging all day!”
“But, isn’t this what childhood is all about? Care-free, not a worry in the world.”
“She’s so brave, didn’t shed a single tear despite this decidedly painful cut!”
“Is she really brave, or just pretending to be brave because the mother does not want a sissy?”.
“We are not competing with anyone. Every child has their own temperament and destiny that will lead them right.”
“Holy cow, my child is going to be a loser while all others are going to get scholarships because of all the sports they are playing and the instruments they are learning!”
You know that these, all-too-familiar conversations are not playing between a husband & wife, or between daughter-in-law and the ‘all-knowing’ MIL, or not even between two helicopter mums… these scenarios play out in our minds every day, as if we have split personalities, the two egos constantly at logger-heads, the antithesis that is the right and the left brain.
Am i doing this right?
No pressure at all
Of course, like any other sensible parent out there, I want my child to be an all-rounder. He has to be the sports star and the math whiz, and still, the coolest kid in his batch, nominated for the president students council.
With all that, he still should have free time to learn a language, do free play, read and code an application to fight climate change, AND visit an orphanage on his birthday.
If and If
If the child is smart and knows things, he’s a nerd. Will he be excluded from the mass of popular mediocre’s? Will he be bullied and called a geek?
If the child is not smart, not a prodigy, then… god help him! Will he ever move out?
The Logical Brain takes over
Every hobby need not be a passion and by extended logic, a source of future income. Let kids enjoy sports/ reading/ playing instruments for the heck of it. Every interest of the child need not be milked for potential scholarships and financial pursuits. It’s a hobby. Please.
Every kids who enjoys chess is not going to be a grand master
Every kid learning golf won’t be a professional Golfer.
Every kid who reads won’t become a writer by default (though she will be smart by virtue of reading)
By the same logic… Every Gamer will not grow up to build games and apps and be an overnight billionaire. Also, the same Gamer will not necessarily be a couch potato and a loser in life.
Like Daniel Kahneman (of thinking fast and slow) points out… Our thinking brain is built to ignore larger statistics. Hence we parents dream extraordinaire and dream illogically.
We ignore the simple fact that most kids are going to be average and lead average (though still substantially happy) lives which will be a big bonus if we only look at stats and the fact of how much worse it could get.
This was the second last leg of our “French road trip”, though Loire Valley commands a dedicated trip to itself. Spending 3 nights here didn’t seem enough, but basing ourselves in the picture-perfect town of Saumur helped cover all bases!
Loire Valley in central France used to be the summer getaway for the French nobility who built numerous Chateaux along the river Loire and its tributaries. The rich river banks are lush with vineyards and fruit orchards, and dotted with magnificent chateaux, each with its own individuality, not surprisingly, attracting tourists and locals alike!
We left L’isla’sur’la Sorgue (in Provence) at about 11 o’clock, after quickly visiting the Sunday market. This was expectedly a long road journey of about 8 hours and after traversing an “Oh-so-French” countryside, reached Saumur at about 7:30 pm.
Having ogled at the photographs of the Loire region in one of the travel magazines, we were inspired to cycle around, imagining happy summer days of tasting delectable wines and soaking our eyes in the magnificent architectural marvels while cycling around. On deeper research, we figured that it’s not easy for weekend cycling enthusiasts like us to bike from one chateau to another, as they are spread far apart. And we had a kid and grandparents along! For the abled cyclists, Loire is their oyster, and Chateaux a velo website, their guide. For us, there were two options, either hire our own car and cycle, lug them around, and use biking trails. Or one could tie up with local bike rentals who could drive around and carry the bicycles too. Unfortunately, none of the two options worked for us, the former was not possible because of our big troupe (place for either cycles or cyclists 😅in the car), and the latter was priced a bit too steep for comfort. We did manage cycling eventually, as the pic above proves, but you must read on!
During the planning phase, choosing a base to explore the Loire was challenging with many variables to factor in; like proximity to the chateaux, whether to stay amidst vineyards, or staying in one of the many quaint towns.
Town of Saumur (pronounced, saw-mewr)
Factoring in all these variables, we finally decided to base ourselves in Saumur, in itself a very picturesque town. We had booked ourselves in a downtown apartment (Air b& b) which was perfectly located close to all the best eateries, shopping streets, carrefour 😉and a hop across from the banks of the placid Loire river with its romantic vistas.
The first evening was a task to find dinner, as most restaurants/ cafes had shut shop, except for an Italian place. After our hurried dinner, we opted to walk along the river after dropping our car at the charming river-side parking lot. Being dusk, the most beautiful time of the day, and free of usual touristy hordes, (we prefer to call ourselves travelers 😀), this turned out to be a walk to remember!
Words cannot adequately express the feeling of tranquility as we wandered along, while feasting our eyes on the dreamy spectacle of twilight hues, reflecting on the placid waters. After clicking a hundred pictures in maybe 10 minutes we came upon a bridge where we heard some melodies floating in the wind.. and decided to follow the music. This whimsical decision turned out to be a wonderful experience, as we chanced upon an outdoor musical soirée with military bands playing from across continents! The band from Belarus knocked our socks off, playing all our favorite English oldies! Little one burst into an impromptu jig on the road!
The next day was dedicated to visiting the chateaux, and we sat with a map (acquired from the visitor center next door) and chose according to the grandeur (based on pictures), the attractive features, and proximity. Some are known for their manicured gardens, some for their architecture, others for the boat rides, etc The decision was also influenced by the help of fellow travelers and their reviews on various forums. A common sense advice is to wear comfortable footwear, as there’s lots of walking. Hats and sunscreen and water and munchies, the usual “day-in-the-country” needs.
We started with the furthest and worked our way backward. Chateau Villandry was first on the list, best known for its exquisite green spaces with manicured flower and vegetable gardens and a breathtaking water garden. It’s advisable to buy tickets online, though reaching before the usual daily hordes, we easily managed to acquire tickets onsite.
The trip was made worthwhile right from the parking lot. I presume, everybody is a photography enthusiast in their own way, and would understand when I mention my obsession with hay stacks…and trying to photograph them. Now on a road trip, one can see acres of fields and the geometrically organized, picture-perfect hay stacks. But it’s so not possible to capture them while on the go, driving on the autoroutes.
The point of this diatribe is that as we parked outside Villandry, a picture-perfect field with stacks of hay was waiting to be photographed! It was a dream(a long time) come true! Not dithered by the thin fence, I and the little one marched up to the nearest stack and had tonnes of fun, posing and clicking! Must have spent a precious half hour, with every moment worth it!!
As far as the Chateau Villandry is concerned, pictures are worth a thousand words!
Chateaux Villandry
Next, we headed to Chateau Chambord. And what a place. We never once ventured inside any Chateau for fact, not really interested in the grandeur of the nobility’s bed chambers or their dining rooms but definitely their vast green spaces and spectacular vistas around.
The highlight of Chambord, or more like the entire Loire trip, was the cycling we could manage around Chateau Chambord! This is a sprawling place, with a tributary of the Loire meandering and encircling the palatial grounds with biking and walking paths and availability of Rental bikes. This ticked our dream of cycling in the Loire! The grandparents and their grandchild biked around in a “Rosalie- pedal car”.. which can carry three or four bodies, while two can pedal, holding hands…could potentially sing “We are going on a summer holiday…”😊
Chateaux Chambord
The short, about 5-mile bike trail around Chateaux Chambord was spectacular. The chateaux itself is out of a fairy tale, and the cycling path goes along the stream, over footbridges and woods.. just perfect! No wonder we spent a bit too much time here…which made us a tad late for the next two!
Chateau Amboise must have been a spectacular chateau, but now seems hedged in by the overgrown town.. which limits a panoramic view. The town itself is like many other small French towns, beautiful and on top of the list for tourists to stay in. It sprawls on either side of the bridge and the views of the town are great from the opposite side. We found a dilapidated parking lot, across town, and took some great shots!
Now it was almost 4:30, and we really wanted to see Chenonceau, but knew it to close by 5:30. so decided to wing it, managing to reach by 5 pm, almost closing time. This was a drawback only in one way; that the souvenir shop was closed. In every other way, it was a blessing. Nearly empty parking lot, vacant and thus beautiful green walkway to the chateau, and nearly complete absence of the hordes (other than a Korean family)!
On the outskirts is a maze which was great fun for the little one. The Chateau is a novelty, like no other, surrounded by a moat which makes for great reflections. We meandered through the beautiful wooded grounds, so peaceful and awe-inspiring, just what’s needed at the end of a long day. It also was the time for the take-off of Hot air balloons, and we saw many colorful ones in the sky, making for another unique photo shot! We stayed as long as we were allowed and then started our drive back to Saumur.
Day 2 was about Saumur, the small train ride around town, up to Chateau du Saumur, shopping in town, and Degustation at Combier!
Petrichor, a beautiful word but rarely used in everyday conversations and language. Only times I have used it is in trying to explain to my little one, that the earthy, feel-good fragrance that he can appreciate is actually the fragrance of freshly soaked earth after a long awaited rainfall!
“Oh, I didn’t know this was called something, mumma… wow!” His words!
This is the point where, ideally, you should close your eyes and recall that aroma that fills the air during monsoons! It’s the fragrance of the previously parched earth, now gurgling and heaving in pleasure of being satiated. This is the season when all creepy crawlies are forced to venture out of their dark holes and onto the path of us humans. Walkway’s become obstacle courses as we try to avoid squelching a snail or an earthworm. There’s generally a feeling of calm contentment, when leaves have been freshly washed and seen to be singing in the rain.
Go back to the times of jumping up and down in muddy puddles. Perhaps not your own childhood but that of your little one! Sound of wet shoes and feel of wet hair after a rain shower!
Hot beverage of your choice… mine would always be cocoa.. and perhaps some fried goodies. Warm socks and wood wick candle?! Ok… now, I’m confusing rainy season with winter’s. Never mind… you got the gist, it’s all hyggelicht. (That’s my next favourite word, BTW). 😊
This New Year’s Eve was a bigger and an even more dramatic, “end of era” celebration world over (despite all the restrictions), honoured with even more zest and jubilation, than the change of millennia, some20 yrs back which I, a 20 something then, had participated in all its glory.
It’s heartening to see people embrace hope and positivity and look ahead wishing for a “normal “ year ahead. While I’m honouring positivity this January, I don’t much care for all the flak that the last year got.
Did you know that the word January originated from the two-faced, Roman god of doors (and transitions) called JANUS… with one face looking ahead to what will be, and the other looking back to what has been. The transition between a new beginning and an ending.
And looking back to the notorious year 2020, I honestly don’t have particularly strong negative emotions.
Accepting that “life as we knew“ dramatically changed, the last year was a unique time in all our lives.
• A unique opportunity to stay at home and wear PJ’s all day! It was like a summer vacation that we grown-ups never get.
• Even if there was work from home, getting up late (No horrid commute) and still enough time to enjoy brekkers with family.
• Potential morning hours for a quick run or spin.
• Casual dressing!! Yay! Bath, totally optional😂
• Leisurely lunches (despite having to have prepared it on your own)
• And the added advantage of having learnt new culinary skills!
• Now that we were spending so much time at home… the house was cleaner and better organised.
• My eyes opened to the fact that I have a beautiful house with many nooks and cosy crannies to lounge in all day. And Work could be done lounging in a recliner or on a deck chair!
• Made the effort to be in touch with family and friends with regular calls (no more excuses of a very busy day)
• I read so much more.
• Some others “watched” so much more.
• Had time to appreciate the sunrise and the sunset… the glorious skies and the cool breezes!
• …. and the silence in the neighbourhood.
• Which meant we could hear the melodious song of the birds!
• For a change, life did not revolve about “me and mine”… but I felt part of a larger community, “the human race“ and part of a global phenomenon… the pandemic.
• Learnt to be more grateful. Grateful to God for keeping my family safe, grateful for a wonderful family, an awesome support group of friends, a comfortable house to be cooped up in, a cooperative neighbourhood and grateful to all public workers who made our lives easy while risking theirs every day.
• Learnt to be content. Life during last year was surely not about acquiring more but learning to make do with what we already had and being content with it. Be it the lack of fanciful groceries, premium wines or imported products that we thought we couldn’t do without. Well, we did manage with what was available and fairly well!
• Learnt to be calm. By basically tuning out negative news and negative people. Honestly, life is too short to waste on people that don’t add value and positivity to your life.
• Learnt the advantage of healthy habits- the endorphin rush! The most positive aspect of the whole year was the fitness regime that we started and have managed to make part of daily practice. A friend introduced me to a “20K steps for 20days” challenge… which thankfully lasted rest of 2020 and propagated to a fitter lifestyle where I started running and cycling as well.
So, you might see my point of view, that all was not lost and all did not go awry last year.
I don’t need to list the downside of this period, in our personal lives or through the world. There is no way we can ever forget. People lost their lives, their dear ones, their jobs, financial stability, basic freedom of movement and social interactions. But.
But. We survived. We adapted. We learnt and we grew. And perhaps become a better version of ourselves compared to the year before. We learnt to count our blessings. We learnt to be content. We deciphered how little one needed to still be happy and we identified true friends which add meaning to life.
Weed out unhealthy habits, useless people, and maximalist, unsustainable lifestyles.
And welcome the year to be, riding proudly on the small and big achievements of the year gone by. Be happy to be alive and be hopeful.
“Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin.”
― Napoleon Bonaparte
Infact, if you whine with wine, you’ll feel even lighter! 🙂 So, who else out there is missing wine country? Come on, let’s whine together!
Prologue:
Once upon a time, there was a studious city girl who went on a grand trip with her bae, to San Francisco, the city of her dreams and also the city hosting a Radiology conference. While this trip was being planned, she chanced upon a luxury travel magazine and fell in love with the pictures from Napa valley. “Oh, please can we go…” she chimed! “You don’t even know wine or enjoy wine!” stated DH, matter-of-factly. “Why do I need to know wine…I just want to enjoy the beauty of a lush countryside, the vineyards, cycle around the rolling green hills…!” DH…rolled his eyes so hard, he saw his brains!- True Story!
Yes, somewhat like that, in an unconventional way, started our life-long love of Wine-countries and then, Wine!
Though Australia and South America are yet to be uncorked, we have some of the European (the Old world vintage) and North American (new world charm) wine regions, bottled up! (do see the movie Bottle-shock, if you haven’t already!)
Sitting with a cuppa coffee (folks please, it’s early morning) I’m flipping through tons of pictures on Iphoto and drooling over wide open spaces, something we city dwellers sorely miss. Noticing that some of the greenest scapes are from our travels to wine regions, I started compiling a list of my favourites and hence this post, based in order of the impact they have left on our memories and the special charm they bring to the table!
Napa-Sonoma (Northern California) (2007)
Since this was the first-ever wine-country experience, it will remain our favorite. Though pictures 13 yrs back were not DSLR quality, we still had to discover wine snobbery 😉 and our palates were not as refined (not saying we are connoisseurs now but can differentiate the fruity notes of a Pinot Noir, from a spicy Syrah), we loved the experience which is etched on the memory as if it was yesterday!
Different notes that one can expect in a typical red wine
Right from the pre-planning stage when we read and acquainted ourselves with etiquettes of wine-tasting which included, practicing “spitting” in the wash-basin, to reading California Driving manual (for rules against DUI), extensively planning which towns to stay and which wineries to visit and pre-renting cycles, mapping the routes, this trip was an eye-opener.
It was like being Alice, in a wonderland, exploring wide-eyed, an entirely extraordinary world! It’s not only about tasting, buying and drinking wine, we learnt about viticulture (which is the art of growing wine) and vinification (the process of making wine, including the grape crushing, mainly staged for us, the tourists, but still fun!).
Ever visited a temperature regulated, cool and dry wine cellar, stacked roof-to the floor with wine barrels, collecting wine from a barrel using a Wine-Thief and keeping a straight face when all about you are claiming to sniff peppercorns or red berries in their wine.
Did you know that some of the wineries are actually housed in beautiful mansions or places of historical interest or simply owned by famous families/ popular personalities, housing memorabilia, made into museums, and giving private pre-booked tours of the properties? One such was the Jacuzzi-family winery, yes the same jacuzzi that we soak-in.
Some of the wine-makers might entice visitors with wine-food or wine-cheese pairings while others might break the ice with a game of basketball or Golf!
Almost every tasting room has a view to-die-for and prices of some of the “Reserva” wines on offer, to die-off. Most of the wineries predictably have shops selling labeled wine merchandise but also, wine-vinegars, olive oils, preserves, all produced locally, worth the money that you buy it with and worth the effort put into bringing it back home!
Though, this is not a Napa Valley exclusive post, its still worth mentioning that we stayed at the top of the valley, in a town called Calistoga, very scenic with hills dotting the backdrop, ideal for those long cycling days, and known for its Mud-baths!
France (2017)
Stop smirking right there and let me explain. Its very-very difficult for me to choose between the famous wine regions within France (hell we drove for almost 20 days and through some of the most scenic routes). I cannot choose between Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire or Provence and cannot ignore upcoming regions like Bandol.
picture-credit: winefolly.com
Before the trip, as usual, we scavenged for information on forums, as to which regions to visit for which wine, the wineries to visit, any festivals around that time, best cycling paths, and which child-friendly routes to take. A note that kept popping up was the snootiness of french winemakers and how making appointments was mandatory and sticking to them, even more. Now either we call the french snooty or accept that they appreciate punctuality and that’s no reason to think they are uptight.
In fact, our experience was in most part, very pleasant except for one very over-priced wine-lunch which, in all honesty, could be blamed partly on me being a vegetarian and partly on lack of vegetarian cooking skills of rest of the world. In one particular incidence, the host at a winery in the village of Pommard, in Bourgogne (popularly Burgundy) was so helpful and patient with us, despite us getting massively delayed due to a small biking accident, that he hosted us very pleasantly when we showed up three hours later for a cellar tour and tasting!
There is something to be said about being the old world when you can boast of cellars about 1000 yrs old, all cobwebby, no electrical lighting, wax candle-lit tasting, and in all a bit vampire-style spooky if everyone is wearing black! 🙂 It’s only polite when you buy not one but four bottles! Pity we couldn’t ship back an entire case!
We had the time of our lives, cycling in Burgundy, picture-perfect in every way, on the Véloroute! Enjoy the scenic vistas and do check out the dedicated post from our trip to Burgundy, before planning your next trip (Don’t worry, it’ll happen sooner than you imagine…keep the faith)!
Repose in Bordeaux, in the middle of a vineyard, near St Emillion, was as high as it can go in terms of staycation experiences, and we cannot wait to go and park ourselves there, again! Pictures are worth a thousand words…so here they are!
It’s like a painting!
Can one have enough of cycling? Never, says me, through verdant wine regions, because that is one way to slow down your pace, your thoughts and soak-it-all-in! Here’s cycling through some of the most iconic landmarks of the Loire valley.
Chateâu Chambord, Loire valley, France
Lavaux, Montreux, Switzerland (2015)
Why Turquoise Blue for the Title? You may or may-not wonder but it’s my job to give you all unnecessary trivia.
Close your eyes and imagine vibrant green hills bedecked with grape-laden vines, rolling down to a turquoise-blue Lake-Geneva. The vista around Lavaux region of Switzerland is jaw-dropping in beauty and so exceptional that one has to go there to believe the stunning beauty.
Switzerland is not primarily known as a wine-growing country, because the world is not used to seeing Swiss wines on the aisles of their generic wine-shops. This is because the product is lesser in quantity, but great in quality, and is produced mainly for local consumption within the country, rather than for export. In fact, the Swiss drink a lot of wine per capita, import 2/3rd of the consumed quantity, and for a fun-fact, import more Beaujolais than the whole of the USA.
Spain (2009)
Spain as a wine-growing country is as complex or even more so than France!
Haven’t we all enjoyed a fruity red Tempranillo, one of the most famous red wine varietals, from the famous Rioja region of northern Spain? Cava, the sparkling wine, grown in the regions along the Mediterranean coast, which includes a blend of Garnacha (or Grenache in neighboring France) or the exquisite oaky Dry-Sherry (not the sweet sherry sipped by elderly English ladies) from Jerez de la Frontera, in Andalucia!
Spain is ideally located in terms of latitudes, with its warm to hot climate aptly suited for viniculture and the various influences on the wine-growing process from the neighboring regions.
Sant Sadurní d’Anoia
Though Rioja in the Basque region is still on the travel bucket list, we visited Sant Sadurní d’Anoia near Barcelona to sample their famous Cava and instead of cycling or driving, ended up on a long walking-trip in the country. Not definitely by design, was too hot to handle but makes for one hell of a reflection!
We drove through the spectacular Andalucian region of southern Spain, bedecked with charming Pueblo Blancos or white villages, stunning countryside dotted with wine and olive groves, ancient Moorish, or Romanesque architecture, and turquoise lakes.
Montefrío, Andalucia, Spain
Andalucia epitomizes the charms of slow-travel, driving through awe-inspiring landscapes and breaking for wine/sherry tasting in tradicionalbodegas, during the day.
Checking into a new town every-other-day, exploring street-foods or go on a Tapas-bar hop, in the evening, pairing food with Cerveza or Sangria according to your whim! Later, head out for some foot-tapping flamenco experience or just stroll to a local popular Plaza and soak-in, life-as-a-local!
Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain
If you ever felt like “there’s so much to see, so little time”, you will feel it a 100 times more in Andalucia. Needless to say, pre-planning is your best bet!
Moselle River Valley- Germany (2013)
The Moselle (or Mosel) valley is a region around the river Mosel, meandering through parts of western Germany, eastern France and Luxembourg and is known for its White wines, especially the famous Rieslings from Germany.
What makes this region spectacular and on this list, is the landscape, as distinctive and charming as it gets!
Close those eyes again, and now imagine… hiking through terraced vineyards on hill slopes while the placid river Mosel, calmly meanders below, and a medieval, almost fairytale-like castle sits atop a neighboring hilltop.
Alternatively, imagine cycling along a beautiful track right along the river bed, with bird-song in your ear, dense foliage along the banks, intermittently opening its curtains to panoramic vistas of hillsides adorned with palisading vines.
Pacific Northwest wine regions (Washington and Oregon states)
If you’re wondering what or where’s that…nobody will blame you. The lesser-known of the New World wine regions, over-shadowed by neighboring Californian wines, but holding the fort, are the wines produced in Oregon and Washington states of north-west USA. While Oregon produces Pinot Noir in the majority, inland of Washington, along the Columbia River valley which is warmer in climate, produces a mix of great whites (including Chardonnay) and Reds.
Columbia River Gorge
Having driven along the scenic Pacific Highway 101 in California earlier, we wanted to explore the more rugged northern Pacific coasts and the Olympic peninsula.
Thus, originated the mammoth trip to the North-west pacific (including British Columbia in Canada), including their famous wine regions!
While boarding a flight from Seattle airport, the immigration officer seemed dumb-founded when we said we were visiting Walla-Walla, and he went, “Who the hell visits Walla-Walla”…and hubby goes, “we crazy, wine-loving Indian nomads”. Another, absolutely true story!
One of the kid-friendly wineries…
If you consider yourself a traveler and scoff at touristy attractions, you just might understand the charm of visiting places that are off-the-beaten-path! The novelty of visiting unheard-of places, being greeted with warmth, enjoying uncrowded vistas, and never having to come across the terms “booked-out or sold-out” are all, “simple joys of life”. Sampling delectable wines amidst splendid country setting is a top endorphin-releasing experience too!
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Though, “there is so much wine and so little time” …the quest is on, albeit on a corona-break, and hopefully, we’ll be on a road-trip soon, on another continent, driving or cycling through sun-soaked, verdant countryside, sampling wines, cheese, and chocolates, keeping ourselves hydrated, sipping and spitting (part of the 4s’s…sniff, sip, swirl and spit) and minding speed limits.
A wine coloredlolly is always a good-idea!A can, really?
Truthfully speaking ;), all I knew of Galway was what Ed Sheeran told me. It wasn’t much till I heard the Johnny Logan version of “Galway Girl”, the peppy number crooned by Gerard Butler in “P.S. I Love You”, to serenade the American, in an Irish pub.
To be honest, that song takes me back to Kenmare or Killorglin or maybe Dingle… basically to all those smaller Irish towns and pubs on our way up to Galway, but not Galway itself.
Galway is a harbor city on the west coast of Ireland, much bigger, vibrant to the senses, musical & whimsical to note. It has everything that a tourist visiting Ireland can ask for. And not in a bad way.
Days can be spent dawdling along the tributaries of river Corrib, taking pictures, picnicking, or simply walking the Long walk, shopping around the Latin Quarters, lauding the buskers on the High Street or at Eyre square, breaking for a meal accompanied by that perfect roast Guinness, buying doodads at the farmers market or just shooing-off seagulls.
Galway is optimally positioned, roughly midway between the towering cliffs of the northern Island and the southern peninsulas along the Wild Atlantic Way. A hurried tourist could get her effort’s worth here, dipping into and sampling the Irish life, whereas, for the leisurely traveler, it is a perfect pit-stop on their long coastal drive.
One can drive straight from Dublin on the East coast to Galway on the west, in about 2hrs. Galway can be added with day trips to the nearby highlights like Connemara & Kylemore Abbey, Achill Island to the north, and Cliffs of Moher to the South.
Since we were driving south to north, we visited Cliffs of Moher in the day and reached Galway by 9 pm, just after most restaurants close for families and open up for the pub hours. Having a little one in tow, we had exactly two options in the vicinity of our Air B&B, an Italian place and a French restaurant. We chose the latter, called the Rouge, which served decent French cuisine and splendid wine.
Walking to our Air B&B, we chanced upon our very first Silent-Disco street party in Galway. It looked spooky as if the crowd was under some magical spell, gyrating to an unheard beat, transfixed & bewitched.
Our apartment was downtown so we could explore without having to venture far. Though we could barely keep our eyes open, the hub-hub from the Irish bar next door was serenading and after putting the little one to bed we sauntered down for some Irish beer and Irish music. This happened to be one of those best impromptu decisions which remain etched on memory.
This Irish Bar was none other than the famous “Crane Bar” and gifted musicians were playing traditional Irish or Irish trad music, a kind of Irish folk music. One has to experience this to believe it. It was transcendental, an experience that was beyond human emotional or spiritual understanding (so the definition goes) or simply other-worldly. Beautiful beyond words. Attaching a small sample below. Do listen. As a culmination to this already magical experience, an Irish lass stepped on the floor with her step-dance moves, rocking the floor with the tap-tap of her block heels.
The next morning, still under the Galway spell, we walked towards the market square, chancing upon a farmers market, my all-time “favorite experience”, eating and shopping our way through the lanes.
We ended up spending more time here than planned. Which was the reason that the rest of the day did not pan out as planned. Kylemore Abbey was something we had put on our agenda, it being a breathtakingly beautiful castle next to a picture-perfect lake, and on top of all tourist agendas. Though us being “us” we had planned to see this from outside, panoramic vistas if you must, and then head to another great adventure which was cycling in Achill island. We love cycling on our trips since we cannot do much of that in our country and were greatly looking forward to this, Achill Island Greenway being one of the most spectacular and scenic cycling routes on this coastal segment (check it out).
Added the abbey on the Google map which was about an hour and a half away from Galway, and set off on a very cloudy evening. Maybe it was the clouds and hence poor connectivity but that afternoon, we lost our way not once but a few times, accidentally taking some long detours that ended up taking us away from Kylemore Abbey. It was already 5 something by now, and we knew that last-cycle rentals would be closing by 6 p.m. Took a tragic decision to skip the Abbey and head straight towards Achill.
Though all was not lost since the drive through Connemara was breath-taking. Had to resist stopping at every bend to take pictures!
Hubby having researched ahead, drove straight to Mulranny Park Hotel for Greenway Bike hire (we did call them in advance, which is a useful habit anywhere abroad) and managed to secure some cycles, just before closing time! This cycling bit was also very important to us as our little one had just learned to cycle a month back and was excited to test his skill in a foreign land on a picturesque track.
Cycling @ Achill Island
Did part of the loop, as an entire day is ideally needed to do any of the loops and should be accompanied by a picnic on the island itself. We needed to head back to Galway, and on the way back, had a quick meal at Nevin’s Newfield Inn.
The next morning we explored the Latin quarters in Galway, the perfect place to get the vibe of the city. Chanced upon the fairly famous Emma O’Sullivan, tap dancing at the square, got serenaded by some more traditional music at Tig Choílí, and had brunch at The King’head Bistro, before saying bye to Galway. Slán!
Emma O sullivan @The Latin Quarters, GalwayTig Choílí
The online world is full of posts labeled lockdown diaries, lockdown blues, how to cope, etc. That makes my task, of having to write an account of lockdown, for posterity, a tough one. The two major challenges are, what to call the post, without it sounding redundant and secondly, the approach for the article.
I must have spent 15 minutes trying to decide if my post was going to be a motivational speech, a rant about people and attitudes, or a post full of positivity. Not finding peace with any one approach, I decided to do what I think I always manage best. Blurt out everything pell-mell. Because since when do we have fifty shades of black or white? It’s always a shade of Grey…or is it Gray? 🙂
Let’s start at home. We fall squarely in the classical mid-zone. Happy to be home but unhappy without the bai – the bane and boon of our lives. We were definitely happy about being home 24 x 7, days on end…the feeling was akin to a summer vacation which we grown-ups, never get! As our little one put it, it was two months of back-to-back Sundays, because Sunday is the day when K has no school, momma has no cases and Daddy has no office. Family-time, in a big big way!
But (…and there always is a but), we didn’t have house-help. And have a big(gish) house which though, utilized to the hilt, did not seem all that cool, now that all 3300 sq ft needed to be swept, mopped and dusted, some of which in the form of balconies which were a playground of pigeons (I’m sure some of you urban dwellers would get me when I confess that the first thing on my amazon pending cart were bird-spikes)! Yes. Painful.
The Pros.
I discovered that when forced to, I could cook well and honestly don’t care about being modest. I fed my family for two months and churned out some remarkable, inspired dishes. The north-Indian bahu, finally fermented idli-dosa batter at home, good enough to knock the socks off of a Tam-Brahm.
I was given ample opportunity to be grateful. Grateful that we have mentored a calm, patient kid who can entertain himself, most of the time. Happy that we could spend so much time with him, reading, cooking, baking, doing chores, and hopefully, imparting some wisdom.
Grateful, that I have a kind husband, who helps. Having heard of some true-blue “Husbands”, who live up to their status of bread-earners and remained foolishly proud of not doing any house-hold work, making their trophy- wives realize their actual role of a “kam-waali” (who cooks, cleans, mops and preens, herself) during the lockdown. Obviously, I could not, but thank my stars…that aligned so well on the Janam-patri! 😉
Once again had to be thankful that I chose Radiology for post-graduation, when I did, as we were well suited to working from home and were practicing Telemedicine (in the form of Tele-radiology), long before that became a norm in the Corona-times.
So much more, time to read!
Re-discovered and put to good use, the miracle machine, Dyson, that was only randomly used in the pre-lockdown era to vacuum the carpets but now took over as the mainstay in cleaning. Wow, what is with us Indians, that we would first sweep the whole house ensuring all dust particles get afloat and settle on our precious tchotchkes and upholstery. Then we go about dusting the hell out of everything, thus re-displacing this “not-so-magical-dust”, only to be mopped up this time with a wet cloth. Seriously?!? all that precious time wasted!
Ramblings aside, it was fun to be the Queen of my own house, though it was more like Queen-bai, than Queen-Bee. There is to be found, immense satisfaction in knowing exactly what is kept, where in the house, and kept the way interior designers planned them to be kept, not like a dumping ground. It was very tiring but yet satisfying to cook meals the way Thomas Keller and such, have propositioned that mankind should cook. It was smugly satisfying to wear smart clothing, gently ironed by your own hands. And talking of hands, I now understood how Rhett Butler figured that Scarlett’O’Hara, was working in the fields, just by holding her hands. I, the working woman in the most honest way, had now developed hard calluses, holding the mop and the hoover.
I was proud to be self-reliant in the department of self-grooming, unlike many of my comrades who suffered the loss of self-esteem having gained a near handle-bar.
The Pros and Cons.
It was all very interesting, to study mankind, and how people respond to confounding conditions. Of course, life turned topsy-turvy. All of his conscious childhood, we have tried to teach our little one the importance of a firm handshake. Now, tucking our not so proud tails, we had to teach him and ourselves, the value of a humble Namaste.
No more eating out or ordering in, no more home deliveries, no catching up with family or friends on weekends or jumping into cars and heading to Sunder-nursery.
In an instant, times changed from when kids would be deterred to have an online presence or their own web-accounts, to times when schooling including PE and extra-curricular, shifted online. Kids now had their own zoom, teams, and such accounts, were constantly attending online classes, chatting with friends, playing chess online, and sharing screens. It took absolutely no time for a seven-year-old to learn how to export documents to word/ notability/ other such apps, modify, save and import their answer-sheet, and finally hand-it-in to the class teacher. I’m sure some teachers would have spent more time figuring all this out, compared to these COVID-kids or more acceptably, the Generation-C kids!
Tech-worthiness was now, even more, a necessity than ever, not only to be able to work from homes, but to be able to learn from home, what with a plethora of webinars, zoom sessions, free online classes and discounted courses, social-media challenges, and likes, hounding you to be productive! The pressure to achieve had never been more. How to smartly utilize this unusual amount of time that some of us had on hand and what new skill to learn?! The pressure to be funny when you don’t feel it, and upload quirky videos on Instagram, just to amuse others? Raging online debates about China and China-made, including Tik-Tok!
These were the times to be part of social movements, helping your fellow human beings, and the non-human strays. Make more Rotis, donate here, help, feed there. At no time, have the upper/ middle classes been made to realize the value of those less fortunate, who until now, silently build our worldly castles and now had been left, literally in the lurch. Commendable are those who came forward with ideas to help those in need, because every roti-donated for the needy and every vegetable peel for a stray was much-needed.
People realized the art of simple living and re-visited the teachings of the older generations. Remove your “chappals” outside the door, wash/ sanitize your hands after you enter, clean the vegetables, and clean them some more and cover your mouth. Not that any of this was new or path-breaking, but it was something that most people only preach to their kids but somehow, forget as they themselves grow older and in their heads, wiser. As a party host, I have been previously scoffed at, for asking guests to leave their footwear outside the door, but now was happy to see, everywhere shoes piling outside the pretty facades.
These times also brought to fore the germaphobes and mysophobes of the world, who went about locking themselves in a world of extreme cleanliness, and sometimes paranoia. But, we would leave everyone to their own devices as long as that gesture is returned. People needed to do something, I agree, but that should be mostly about minding their own business and being less of snoops. There were those who had to shame that one father who chose to take his son, cycling in the sunny afternoon when most choose to stay indoors anyway, or those joggers who forego their sleep for an early morning or late night run. While firmly believing in the importance of distancing and avoiding walking paths in the crowded evening hours, I don’t understand the rant against those maintaining social distancing and choosing awkward, uncomfortable hours to get their bit of exercise.
Definitely, interesting times. Not because people being sick or dying was something interesting, but interesting to see the power of human adaptability. No wonder that humans have succeeded where no other species did, adapting to changing times. It’s heartening to hear stories of kindness, stories of survival, and those of perseverance. We have and will continue to change but hopefully in a positive way.
But why all that plastic again? My one rant which will never end. Just to hide from Corona, we have produced probably more plastic than ever, in the form of sanitizer bottles, shields, masks, etc. Time to ponder people. Time to change.
1. The starless sea: mentioned on some Instagram post but what caught the eye was a quote from the book “not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime.” So of course, I picked it up.
2. The song of Achilles: which I came across on Scribd… and how can one not read a book about a hero after whom is named one of the thickest tendon in our body. Ok, I’m a medico. I can’t help this weird thought process.
3. Grandpa’s great escape: because my son made a book review for the same and I needed to have my facts correct
4. Twilight: because I wanted to feel mushy and romantic… again
5. Gone with the wind: because I haven’t read it in last 5 years… so high time for a Re-read. Plus I need Scarlett O’hara’s tenacity right now.
6. And yes… intermittently some cookery books. Self explanatory.
This is in the midst of all house work (we Indians are used to house- help, cooks etc and we are truly struggling under lockdown) and WFH. Though also rediscovering our passion for cooking, getting over some of our cleanliness OCD’s and finally getting work done without domestic squabbles.
For some, end of the day relaxation is achieved via Netflix (or some such…). For me and hubby and the little bibliophile that our combined genes have concocted… a good book and a good story is the way to wind up a day. Or to catch a break. Or just relax.
So when you’re prompted to say something about books… people like us don’t know where to begin or end. And we babble…
“For in books, one can climb the highest mountains and dive into the deepest seas…” well, Dumbledore said something similar about dreams, but he wouldn’t really mind if I extrapolate dreams to books… cause at both places we are lost, on purpose.
