ENCHANTING EUROPE - LONDON DELIGHTS

                          

EUROPE TOUR - 2015

Preparations 

It was not that Europe was not inviting enough for us. The fact was every other year saw us visiting our sons in the US and it was not possible to squeeze in another pleasure trip due to various constraints. So when it happened this year, we were more than excited. Though we have traveled extensively in the US, everything used to be taken care of by our sons. All we had to do was sit back, accompany them and enjoy - we had got used to this sort of pampering. Also we are no longer young and so planning a trip to Europe by ourselves was not happening. We had heard rave reviews about Kesari Travels and decided to choose their 'Best of Europe' tour of 14 days, spanning ten countries and 24 major cities. We chose the tour starting in the end of April 2015 as we felt May would bestow relatively warm days along with winter attractions. We booked our tickets, collected the complimentary 'roll-ons' and documents.

We  went through the formalities smoothly for our British visa, then our Schengen visa as per instructions from Kesari Travels, got Euros for our shopping, and we were all set. We didn't have to procure warm clothes as we already had them. Many of our new-found friends told us that they had to spend a sizable amount on sweaters / jackets / woollen caps and gloves, not to mention thermal wear and shoes.Usually I  always love to carry home-made snacks to enjoy during our trips . This time we were specifically told by several friends that Kesari tours offers us delicious snack packs which will last longer than the entire tour. So I spent the next few days browsing to study the weather as well as the details about the places on our list of visit and also preparing 'Musical Tombola' tickets which I am fond of conducting at get-togethers. We had a list of the participants of our tour but we had not got in touch with any of them. We were surprised to find that the majority were ladies; also most of us were senior citizens. The group also included three children and two youngsters and two couples who were in their mid forties. We were a group of 35. 

Day 1 - Off to London

We reached Mumbai International airport, waited for the representative of Kesari Travels to collect our 'goody bag' of snack -packs, electric kettle, cap, poncho and pouch, got introduced to our tour manager Mr. Sushant Kharat and went through the formalities of Check-in, Customs, Immigration, and Security Check and boarded the flight even as we exchanged smiles with the other group members. How did we identify one another? Oh the 'Kesari' roll-ons acted as our 'I-Cards'! As we disembarked in Zurich on our way to London, we exchanged hellos with them. Another couple of hours on the plane and we found ourselves at noon in London which cheerfully welcomed us with an unusual 'sunny' smile.

Our luggage was loaded in one bus and we boarded another which took us to an Indian restaurant at Hounslow, Bath for lunch. After a yummy Indian meal, we drove to Hotel Leonardo, very close to Heathrow airport and checked in. As we didn't have any program for the evening, we freshened up, relaxed and unpacked. 

 

We were bowled over by the stack of a variety of neat, small, resealable yummy snack-packets Kesari had provided each of us. And yes, we caught up with social networking with the free WiFi at the hotel rooms / lobby. It turned to become a pattern throughout our tour - as our Manager would collect the keys and allot our rooms, everyone would be busy inquiring 'What's the User Name? And Password?' And busy sending mails or messages or calling up on 'What's App'! Even the novices soon learnt the basics of Smartphone usage thanks to the helpful tech-savvy youngsters. We had dinner at the hotel - an interesting mix of Indian curries and European desserts - specially for our group!

Day 2 - London Delights

The early-birds that we are, we stuck to our schedule, woke up at 5.30 am, made invigorating morning cuppa coffee with the coffee pouches and the electric kettle provided by Kesari. Our policy - have it, use it! Not everyone from our group had the time or inclination to make the effort. After a rejuvenating shower, we joined our friends for the lavish European breakfast at the hotel - I gorged on croissants, cereals, hash browns, fruits and juice. 

London City Orientation Tour

We then boarded our bus for the City Orientation tour. Our tour manager Sushant Kharat  enlightened us with interesting tidbits about London. We were soon joined by our local guide Mellissa. As we listened to her, we were constantly shifting our eyes and craning our necks to get glimpses of landmarks on either side of the road. Not to forget our enthu for capturing them on our camera. 

We were not supposed to stand in the bus but as we all know, Indians will be Indians! Finally I ended up clicking pics of buildings on my side and extracted a promise from my friend seated on the other side to share our photos. Needless to say it didn't work out eventually as each one of us had ton loads of photos by the end of the tour!

                                     

                                     

                                     
We excitedly looked at the lavish stores fleeting past us - Burberry, Harrods (of Diana's boyfriend fame), Mc Laren dealer, Fortnum & Mason and Ritz Hotel (Charlie Chaplin's favorite; here afternoon tea with a lavish spread costs 50 pounds).........

   

We were also enlightened about the cycles sponsored by Barclays for public convenience - you can hire a bicycle for a meagre sum - of course it is free for the first 30 minutes. You can guess the modus operandi of a smart Alec! 

                                             
We reached the famed Piccadilly Circus - also termed Little Times Square. 
                                             

             

               

              

Then we saw Her Majesty's Theatre, Somerset House (which serves as open air theatre in summer and skating rink in winter), Methodist Central Hall, Trafalgar Square, .... 

                                          

                                          

                                           
Nelson's Column, Egyptian Sphinx, Hyde Park .... 

Tower of London

We went to Tower of London with great excitement to see the royal jewels and of course the historical Kohinoor diamond which was originally 'ours'!  We ladies went 'ooh' and 'aah' by the blinding razzle-dazzle of the crown jewels ... - here photography is prohibited. Our tour manager sent us once again to have a second longing look at the 'Kohinoor' lest any one should complain about missing it! 

We made a round of the the Tower where political prisoners and others had been confined as also the traitor's gate ......

As we came out, we clicked the famous landmarks looming majestically at a distance - Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Thames river, Shaltz (the tallest building in West Europe made of glass), Millennium Bridge, Putney Bridge, London Bridge ..... 

We had a good look of the grand Buckingham Palace - from the outside.

We then went for Indian lunch at Red Heron. Then we got more details about the expensive Chelsea area and Victoria & Albert Museum as we proceeded to London Eye.

London Eye

                                      

London Eye also known as the 'Millennium Wheel' is second only to the one in Las Vegas. This has 32 capsules, each with a capacity of 32 persons for a ride lasting 32 minutes. We went clickety click with our cameras while taking in the royal splendour of London - Big Ben, Westminster Abbey ..... - as we got a fabulous birds'eye view from the London Eye - its movement was so slow that we could not even discern it! We felt 'paisa vasool' for the London leg ..... till we were in Madam Tussauds.

Madam Tussauds Wax Museum

I had always had a hankering to visit this place and had made sure this was in the tour's agenda. I had had the opportunity of visiting Madam Tussauds in Las Vegas but I was sadly disappointed as I was mostly unfamiliar with the personalities lined up there - mostly American sports-persons and stars. How I loved to be here in the midst of so many legends; my better half was tired out clicking my pics (I didn't pose with every one of them, still ...) and he proceeded ahead. So I had to resort to selfies.... and be obliged to friends - a case of 'I'll click you, you click me' which works. 

Whether it was the British Royal family or politicians / stars / writers / scientists of the West, they looked life-like. 




Only our Indian luminaries were a let-down - be it Big B, Ash or even Indira Gandhi! Ooh that was some elite company! After that we enjoyed the fabulous 4 D show 'Super Heroes'. When all of us felt fagged out, we were treated to a cup of hot coffee which revived our spirits.

We returned to the hotel at 7.30, freshened up and relished a sumptuous Indian dinner at the hotel with continental desserts.

Every night we would be briefed about the timetable for the next day's program. Accordingly we'd set our alarm for the morning. Of course we'd get wake-up calls too! But as we were early birds, we'd be up before 5.30 every morning. But the next day had to dawn super early for our group - wake-up call would be at 4! We had to take the Eurostar train to Paris.

THE MUSEUM HOUSE

                     

Front view of the house ....

Many of our friends visit their native places and their ancestral homes there. I've always envied them for their opportunities to relive the wonderful days of yore and share memories with the next generation. Actually I do have a native place (Manjappara) but there is nothing native about it because I must have been to the place one odd time as a toddler. My grand parents had their houses not in our native place but in Ernakulam. My maternal grand father as the Chief Engineer of Cochin Port Trust, lived in the sprawling government quarters in Willingdon Island as long as he was in service. So childhood trips to native place meant visits to Ernakulam and Cochin as we shuttled between one set of grand parents to another. By the time I was twenty, 'our native place' had 'moved over' to Chennai! And with no home to boast of in Kerala, our visits to the place had come to a full stop.

Last year my uncle conveyed a great news to me. My maternal grand father's government quarters in Cochin Port Trust - the house where I was born (as also my siblings and cousins) - had been converted into a museum - Maritime Heritage Museum, the pride of Cochin District where a good collection of unique and rare navigational equipments and photographs connected with the saga of construction of Cochin Port are on display. (This is not to be confused with Maritime Museum). A proud moment which revived nostalgic memories .... and sowed the seeds of a secret desire to visit the place some time. I felt as if I had been elevated to a status comparable to Rajeev Gandhi's - yes, if he had a Teen Murthy Bhavan, Brinda has a Maritime Heritage Museum - ha ha! 

I grabbed at the opportunity when we made a nice, long, relaxed trip to Kerala this year. We made this trip to Cochin exclusively to pay a visit to the Museum and also visit the road named after my grand father Mr. C.V.Venkateswaran. 

We hired a prepaid auto to Cochin Port Trust from Ernakulam Junction. As we were riding along the backwaters, I remembered the numerous times I had taken the ferry as a little girl with my aunt or driving with grandpa while commuting between both the sets of grand parents.

I had been looking for signs for the museum and also dropping the name several times but our apparently all-knowing auto driver stopped in front of a building which by no stretch of imagination could be linked to the house etched in my mind. It turned out to be one of the Taj Hotels! We corrected the auto driver and now he went on asking for directions for Maritime Heritage Museum at every nook. We were guided and misguided by some of the Army fellows around. A couple of driving around in circles and diminishing hopes later we reached the place. And wasn't I pleasantly surprised to note that not much had changed in these 56 years - in the sense I could identify and remember the place which I had last visited in 1959!

Proudly posing at the gate of the house where I was born ....

I stood enthralled at the gate admiring the building's fresh coat of paint and the newly tiled pathway. Otherwise the house looked the same but our fabulous garden had vanished with the years. 

The old garage has been converted into the office at the entrance where you buy a modest ticket of Rs. 10/- per visitor to this Museum and also buy a souvenir if you choose to. There were very few visitors. We bought our tickets and then we told the person at the counter about my connection with the building, about my late grandfather .... about my uncle's visit last year. And the guy stood up and enthusiastically accompanied us to show us around the museum. I was like an excited little girl pointing to various spots and telling my husband about the house, the rooms, the changes ....

                     

The very first feel was that of entering a temple - you see the sign board that tells us to leave our footwear outside. What is most attractive and unique about the building is the flight of stairs outside leading to a fascinating sit-out. We entered the long verandah running from one end of the house to the other - the most obvious change is that it has now been enclosed. Also there is an extra tiled roof at the entrance. 

The unique stairs, tiled roof and the present enclosed verandah

The space in the above picture used to be our hot photo-spot.

With my grand parents ...

With my mom at the entrance ....

My maternal aunts & uncle with the first grand kid of the family

All my baby pics were taken on the verandah or in the front yard / entrance. 
                                  

With my paternal cousins in front of the house  ....

Even my paternal folks found the spot ideal for pictures during their visits.
                    
                                   
At times a bunch of golden yellow 'kolaambi' flowers would do the trick of keeping me in good cheer for the photo sessions. 

                     
The entrance to the drawing room is almost at the center of the verandah - as it was earlier. Then we had a couple of bedrooms towards the right and left. 

The exhibits .....

Now all these rooms house interesting exhibits related to Cochin Port Trust. 

My grandpa is 4th from left in the back row .....

I was more interested in pointing to my grandpa in the photos adorning the hall. I couldn't help remembering the house during my childhood - its wooden floors, the inviting sofas, the antique curios that had added to the grandeur of the palatial house ..... There were bedrooms to the left of the drawing room too (which are now shut out). But somehow I don't remember much about them except that one of them had huge framed pictures of Gods and Goddesses - must be Raja Ravi Varma's. All I remember now is that I used to feel they were very pretty.

The room where I was born .....

The rooms on the right have exhibits currently. The bedroom at the right end was the room where I was born. I have heard stories from my mom and grandma about my birth in the corner bedroom. The lady doctor would be called home and deliveries those days would be at home. Interesting, heh? I have spent months in this house during weddings of aunts and whenever a sibling was born - well, I have just two. Incidentally, each of those times my aunt too had her kids. So it was a set of two boys in 1955 and then a set of two girls in 1959. 

The window to the rear of the house  which is  not accessible now ......

Next I entered the small room behind the drawing room. I pushed the half-closed window and looked to the right - and sure enough I got a view of the kitchen used to be located at the back of the house. 

The kitchen and dining room

Adjacent to it was the dining room minus the dining table as all of us would sit on the mats on the floor for family meals. 

The servant quarters right at the back ...

Beyond that I could get a glimpse of the servant quarters where our Man Friday Padmanabhan was put up. I remember a tree at the back which yielded the sweet-sour 'poochapazham'. There was no way of exploring those areas as they had been shut down. 

What I sorely missed was the 'hand-washing-station' ('kottathalam' as it would be called) as you come out of the dining room. I could not view the spot in spite of craning my neck in different angles. I'll tell you why that spot was close to me - it was there that I had had my first and only accident! I would be a kitten on the prowl during afternoons as the whole house would be napping. I wasn't naughty - just indulged in harmless little pleasures. One afternoon I was leaning over the parapet of the 'hand-wash area' and putting my hand under the tap to enjoy the flowing water. It seemed so soothing .... till 'dhum' - I fell inside the cement tub. My screams and yells brought the whole house scurrying. I had broken my chin and the place was flooding with my blood. Grandma had the common sense to call grandpa from office and he was home in his Hilman car within minutes. I was rushed to hospital, got three stitches and was a pampered three-and-a-half year old for a month.

                      

I also associate the house with a 'poonal' ( thread ceremony) and two weddings. With such a palatial house, there was no need to hire a wedding hall. 

After my aunt's wedding ....

I was just two when my aunt got married and the above photo is the only memory I have. But I vividly remember my youngest aunt's wedding. The decorative 'pandal' was put up in the sprawling front portion of the house and could house the entire guest list and more and I remember having a gala time with my brother and cousins .... 

I have to tell you about another interesting spot unique to this house. It's the smaller corridor at the back. This spot was used whenever grandpa called the goldsmith home to make ornaments for weddings or otherwise. I'd interestingly watch the fellow using his bellows for the fire to melt the gold and hammer it to make ornaments.  

                                          

I also had a swing there. But as the area used to be dark, photos wouldn't come out bright.

The rear corridor ...

Now this place though neatly kept, has been shut off - I could get a glimpse of it from one of the windows.

Front view of the house ....

As I came out after a nostalgic round of the house, I couldn't help walking to the farthest end of the front yard to take a good look at the majestic house. I couldn't help remembering the mango, guava trees and pomegranate trees and vivid varieties of rose, canna and jasmine, kolaambi, chethi and arali flowers all along the fence around the front yard and the modest kitchen garden at the back nurtured by the ladies at home, specially my grandma. There was no leftovers of the garden of yore.

The garage used to be in the far left corner of the house  - now it is a part of the office (with red tiled roof)

Here I learned to identify flowers and fruits, colors and numbers, to share and care and adjust with others, enjoyed stories, cuddles and kisses and loving care of near and dear ones whose finger I'd clutch on to while taking a round in the garden. We'd also interact with the numerous servants who always kept a watchful eye as they were like family. I'd also gang up with my brother and cousin to play some innocent pranks in some corner of the sprawling house away from the prying eyes of the elders. We'd also climb up the trees, pluck guavas and mangoes and share the booty. I'm sure everyone who reminisces about childhood days has similar experiences in the kitty. What is unique for me is that the house associated with my childhood has been elevated to a museum. I also feel privileged because I am the only grand kid who remembers the association. All the others were too young to have such a treasure-house of memories. 
           

There was one more place to visit - the road named after my grand father which is pretty close to this museum. As I read the plaque, I could get a better idea about his laudable contribution as a Civil Engineer. 




In fact he is credited with the title of 'the first Indian engineer to design wharves and jetties' and the Aroor bridge.
                   
                                
I admire him for his achievements in his profession but I will always remember him as my tall, dark, handsome, prim-n-proper, principled and affectionate grand father.

ZOOMING AROUND IN A SHELBY COBRA

We were getting ready to say goodbye to Salt Lake City the next day as we were flying out to visit our other son. It was just the two of us at home that afternoon - I mean my husband and me. It was close to lunch time when there was a knock at the front door. Usually I’d answer the door-bell / knock only after 2 minutes because we don’t normally have visitors dropping in unannounced in the US. If at all, it would be the Fed Ex guy who’d leave the parcel at the door-step and ring the bell for informing / signature. I did my usual routine - peeped out through the window and was surprised to see a gentleman waiting.

I opened the door and both of us exchanged ‘hi’s. The American was tall and well-built, with silky blond hair - probably in his 50s. He told me, “I’ve come to take your husband for a drive - he told me this morning that you are leaving tomorrow.” 

I got it - this was the friendly guy we had seen during our morning walks. I had seen him only on a couple of occasions as I’d choose to do yoga instead of the morning walk. My husband had told me about this new-found acquaintance - that he was talking about India and Indian food once. Also he had met him in front of our house one day and even he had given him the location of his.

Not hearing any reply from me, he asked, "Is he home, your husband?"

"Oh yes. Of course ....," .

Before I could say anything further, my husband appeared and shouted out a big 'hi'.

"Oh there you are! C'mon, grab your shoes! We are going for a drive. In my Shelby Cobra!"

"Awesome! Thank you!" said my husband and off he went to get ready.

I stood there transfixed .... Did I hear Shelby Cobra? Yeah, I knew exactly what he was talking about. Thanks to my young car-crazy grandson, I knew quite a bit about this sensational sports car. 

                          

Involuntarily I quipped,"Oh it's my grandson's favorite car. He's gone to school. Could he .....?"

"Of course he can come home and check it out any time!"

My husband was ready and the gentleman excitedly said, "Okay, let's go!"

I watched the duo from the door. There it was - the white Shelby Cobra awaiting them. Lucky man - I mean my husband! I saw the guy giving hubby some instructions before he got onto his seat. I ran in to get my camera. But I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to take their picture. So I sneakily did so. I zoomed and clicked a couple of pics from our door.

                                 

Soon the car made a noisy start and moved on noisier than ever - that reminded me of young bikers zooming around without their silencer!

It seemed really surprising. An American taking the trouble of dropping in to offer a joy ride in his race car to a casual Indian acquaintance before he left the place! A really sweet and appreciable gesture. How lucky my man was .....!

Minutes ticked away by the time I realized that it was more than half an hour since they had left. I had expected a fifteen-minute drive. Or twenty perhaps - considering the fact that they would have left the neighborhood and taken the highway to enjoy the thrill of its speed. Another ten minutes ticked by .... my mind was visualizing all sorts of unsavory thoughts - the result of marathons of 'Criminal Minds' / 'Mentalist' / 'Law & Order' hubby would be glued to .... - glimpses of which I would indirectly be subjected to - from wherever I was - a sort of passive onlooker. I started worrying. I didn't have a clue about the gentleman's name or address. Except that he lived in the neighborhood. And of course owned a white Shelby Cobra! Wasn't I smart to take photos of the duo in the car? May be not that smart after all - as I hadn't captured the number plate. Nevertheless ....

I composed an email to my son and daughter-in-law: "Dad went for a drive in a Shelby Cobra with a neighborhood acquaintance. It's over 40 minutes! Hasn't returned yet." Sure enough I attached the picture too. Before hitting the 'Send' button I went to the window to check whether they were back. Still no sign ... So I clicked the send button. Two minutes later, they arrived.

I kept watching them from the window - the gentleman got down and helped my husband get out of the car. I could see them exchanging 'Thanks' and 'My pleasure'. I quickly dispatched a one-liner to my son and daughter-in-law : "Dad's back." By the time I came to the door, my husband was already there and waving to his friend who was all set to drive away.

My husband came in. Needless to say he was in great spirits. He started pouring out his experience -

"Ooh! What an experience! My friend gave me instructions before we started off. You know he showed me how the car works. Warned me I had to be cautious getting in and out of the car - lest I should accidentally touch the hot metal exhaust pipe just outside my door. The seat belt was like the ones in the planes. And he gave me these ear plugs - had to plug them in to drown the LOUD noise during our drive. So we could barely hear each other! As we entered the highway he was zooming off! On rare moments he touched 100 mph...."

"Hmmm.... that's not true!" I interrupted.

"Seriously! Just to show off - I mean - what the car was capable of. Of course he stuck to the speed limit most of the time."

"Wasn't the wind beating on your face?" I inquired.

"Not too bad."

"Surely your buddy would have lost some of his silky hair", I said as I gently patted my husband's scanty hair on the rim behind his bald head, "I'm glad these few hairs here have not been blown away. Anyway you have nothing to lose or worry about as it's 'top-gone' in your case!"

He didn't seem to mind my leg-pulling as he continued, "After we got out, my friend clicked a picture of me posing in front of the car."

"Really! Then I too should have come out and taken a picture of both of you and the car! " I regretted that I hadn't gone out in time; not he - he's not photo-crazy like me, you see!

"Whew! That was one unforgettable drive!" he continued.

"Do you know how long you had been gone?"

"20 - 25 minutes?"

"More than 45 minutes! Enough for me to press the panic button!" Now it was my turn to do the talking.

"What?"

I showed him the email I had sent.

This time he went, "Whaaat! You went on to the extent of imagining kidnap case or accident? This is the limit!"

"It's not funny," I retorted and showed him the attachment to my mail.

That only made him guffaw more. Noticing my squirm, he patted me and said, "Good job clicking the picture. Thank you, ma'm!"

"You better be, you lucky guy!"

"Wait, wait. I see something green on your chin ...."

"You bet!" I laughed. 

Needless to add that the entire family was enviously excited to listen to dad's thrilling experience at tea time. The grand kids could not take their eyes off the photos. Grandson had countless curious questions about the car. And guess what - my children found my fears imaginative and highly far-fetched!

I