Hitchhiking to Stuttgart and back again

Lets start at the very beginning
(a very good place to start)

I always planned to do some traveling in Europe this June. Two chief plans were considered, viz. making a bike trip around the tabletop lands of The Netherlands, or hitchhiking in Germany. The totally unpredictable Dutch weather, where it can be bright, sunny, and 25 °C on one day, and rainy, damp, and 12 °C the next made me set my sights on the German highways. I decided on making a trip to Stuttgart because one of my Carnival friends (Matthias Müller) lives there, and we really hit it off in Köln (Cologne). Whats more, Matthias was planning on making a trip to a small Bavarian town called Neumarkt, around 200 KM from Stuttgart in South-East Germany, where his girlfriend (Simone Kaag) lives with her parents and I was invited to stay with them. There was a festival called the Alstadtfest going on in Neumarkt over the weekend as well, so it seemed promising! The interesting part of all this is that I never considered the fact that my trip would coincide with the start of the football World Cup and the associated fever! That turned out to be an experience in itself.

Enough of context. Here we go!

The Hitchhiking Story

Eindhoven to Stuttgart

Once I decided to go to Stuttgart, and once I decided to hitchhike there, the nerves began to set in. It is all well and good to think in a vague sense that one will hitchhike someday. It is all well and good to hear stories about it. But when the push comes to shove, when the time comes to actually get out on the road and stick ones thumb out for the first time, I think nerves are inevitable. When you hitchhike there is no schedule, no plan, no route, nothing. The uncertainty of it all was daunting for me.

After doing some research on the internet (which has a wealth of information for hitchhikers), I decided to start my journey from the Dutch town Venlo, which is right on the border with Germany. I bought a wonderful road map of Germany which marked all the highways, all the exits, and all the gas stations along the highway as well. The gas stations are important, because they are the best place to switch rides. So armed and ready, I stepped out of my front door with a mixture of anxiety and excitement flowing through my veins.

I took a train to Venlo and reached the town at around 1300 on June 8. From the station I took a bus to the last stop which was around a kilometer from the on-ramp of the highway towards Germany. In most parts of Europe it is forbidden for pedestrians to walk on the highways themselves. There are no footpaths and it is too dangerous. So waiting by the on-ramps is the best option. From the bus stop, I started walking toward the on-ramp. The plan was to stand on the side of the road and hope for a ride at least to the first gas station on the highway. After a while, I reached the German border and as luck would have it, there was a gas station right there! That was really good, because I could just walk up to people and ask them for a ride, rather than standing on the side of the road with my thumb out in the air and with a board naming my destination. As I will describe later, the latter is much more inefficient.

Now came the time to actually approach people and ask them to give me a lift. I hesitated for around 10 minutes and then finally screwed up the courage to approach a group of students who were filling gas. Unfortunately, they were not going in my direction. I then considered approaching one of the numerous truck drivers, but never did do that. After a while, a Dutch guy pulled up in a mini-van and started to fill gas. I walked up to him, and told him that I wanted to go in the direction of Stuttgart, and asked whether he was headed in the same direction and could give me a ride. He was not headed to Stuttgart but my fantastic map told us that a part of his route coincided with the route to Stuttgart. He agreed to give me a ride, so off I went. My first ride! That was easy!

My driver was named Nicoh, and he was a trader of furniture. He was driving to the German city of Kaiserslautern to make a delivery there. He had a dog as his travel companion, and I shared the passenger seat with this dog. She was very friendly and after a while was sleeping comfortably on my lap. Nicoh was very sweet and offered me all manner of things to eat like chocolates, liquorice, etc. I was his first hitchhiker even though he has been driving in Europe for around 20 years!! I was surprised to hear that. I drove with him till just west of the city of Wiesbaden, 265 KM from Venlo. I got off at a gas station on the Autobahn, around 250 KM from Stuttgart. So far so good!

Somewhere in Germany, waiting at a gas station
on the Autobahn (German for Highway).
When will my next ride be?

At the gas station, I took the opportunity to freshen up, drink some strong coffee to ensure that I stayed awake on my next ride. I think it is the rudest thing to fall asleep in the car when you are hitchhiking, not to mention that it is also a bit risky. I was at this station for an hour and a half. I approached many people including families, couples, traveling businessmen, truck drivers, you name it! The families and couples were unwilling to take a hitchhiker on board. None of the truck drivers were heading in my direction and I had trouble communicating with them as their English was virtually non-existent. The businessmen were the most willing to help and in the end I found one that was headed in my direction. He was a German guy named Hilmur, and was a manufacturer and seller of lampshades. His job included lots of driving around to take orders and make deliveries. Again, for all the driving he did, I was his first hitchhiker! Very queer since I thought it was popular in Germany!

He was heading home in the direction of Manheim, and so he could give me a ride for a while. I rode with him for around 120 KM to the next gas station. So far, so very good!

As with Nicoh, I had a nice conversation with Hilmur. Both were very curious about India, about what I was doing in Europe, what I thought of it, and how it compared with India. Both gave me an insight into the life of the middle-class Dutch and German people. They are just like any other people, really. The details and degrees may differ, the standards here may be higher than in India, but in the end, the complaints are the same, the attitudes are similar, the desires are identical. You may travel a thousand miles, but people are people, and essentially nothing much changes.

Anyway, I was waiting at the next gas station for an hour and had a really nice exchange with a German guy over there. He was a working for a (Polish? Can't remember now) logistics company. He gave me a broad smile the moment he noticed that I was a hitchhiker so I naturally approached him. It turned out that he was heading home, which was only 10 Km away, so he could not help me with a ride. But he tried to help me in other ways: he asked if I was hungry, thirsty, or wanted a smoke! Sometimes the kindness you find in complete strangers is heartwarming!

Eventually, I was taken on board by another businessman named Ramadan. He was headed toward Munich on a business meeting, and Stuttgart was right enroute. He was a German of Tunisian descent, and he worked in a company which dealt with Bharat Forge! His company sold parts to the big trucking companies of Europe: Man, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, etc. The parts were all purchased from Bharat Forge. He was all praise for the quality of Indian Engineering, he said that they produced high quality goods at very low cost. It is worth mentioning that the parts we are talking about are safety critical parts like the axles of the trucks etc.. He also told me that his wife LOVED Bollywood movies and that there are a number that are released with German subtitles, or even with German dubbing! It was really cool for me to hear all of this.

I got off at Stuttgart airport as that was only a small detour for him. I rode with him for around 115 KM. From there I took the S-Bahn (Stuttgart metro train) to the Hauptbanhof (central station). From the station I took a tram to Matthias's house. I reached his house at around 2245.

And that was my first hitchhiking journey. I could not ask for a better one. Only two and a half hours spent waiting, great rides, direct routes. Perfect!

Stuttgart to Eindhoven

I had planned to return to Eindhoven on Tuesday, June 13. So I set out in the morning from Matthias's house. After studying all the maps the night before, I deduced that it might be possible to walk upto a gas station on the Autobahn to the south-east of Stuttgart. I could take the S-Bahn to the general region of this gas station, and the rest of the way would be on foot. Since I had experience with hitchhiking from gas stations, and no experience with standing on the side of the road with my thumb out in the air, I decided to venture out and try to reach this gas station.

This turned out the be a big mistake. The maps I was using were not meant for pedestrians and hence were not detailed enough. I was relying on the sun for direction (in the morning it would be in the East, and I would use this information for orientation.) However, after a few delays, I wound up walking close to midday, when the sun is directly overhead!! So it provided no information at all! Unsurprisingly I got lost in the countryside! It was actually pretty cool, alone and walking along dirt paths in the midst of beautiful hills and meadows, with birds chirping and streams gurgling! I quite enjoyed it!

I ultimately stumbled upon the town of Esslingen, which is to the South East of Stuttgart. I got oriented and then made my way to the on-ramp of the highway. It was a 45 minute walk and once I reached, I set up camp. I made a sign which said Karlsruhe, which was the first major city on my route. There was a gas station on the highway between Esslingen and Karlsruhe, and I was hoping to reach it at the very least.

So there I was, standing at the side of the road with my thumb out in the air, and holding a board on my chest. It was a very strange feeling, being stared at by all and sundry, something which usually does not happen here in Europe -- most people keep their eyes straight ahead! I had some nice gesturing with drivers who were passing by. Some looked at my sign, smiled, and gestured that they were going in the other direction. I smiled back and tried to gesture a 'Thank you', mostly by giving them a thumbs-up . I really enjoyed these interactions. I was standing for an hour and a half in the hot midday sun (it was around 29 °C) before a car with three beautiful girls nearly stopped for me. But when they saw my sign, they moved on. Oh well, that would have been fun!

It turned out that the spot I had chosen was not at all ideal because most of the traffic was headed in the other direction. After a couple of hours, a German woman stopped for me and offered to take me to Stuttgart, where I could try my luck from another route. This seemed like a good plan, and I welcomed a chance to sit in a cool car for a while.

She dropped me off at the first chance she got on the exit of the highway, and I crossed over and set up camp again, hoping to get a ride to the first gas station on the highway at the very least. I was on a very high-traffic ramp, but was totally out of luck. Nobody stopped, and by 1530, after waiting for nearly five and a half hours, I was still in Stuttgart! I was tired, hungry, and not in the mood to start a journey. So I called Matthias and asked if I could spend another night at his place. He was happy to let me stay, and so back I went! It turned out to be a Good Thing™ , as there was a World Cup game between France and Switzerland being played in Stuttgart that day, and I got to experience the atmosphere. More on that later.

That evening, Matthias logged on to a German website (I forget the name) from where you can 'book' rides to various cities. The idea is simple: people who are driving on a particular route put the details of the ride up on the site. People who want a ride just search through the available rides and get in touch with the appropriate drivers. There is usually a fee, and I payed €€20 for a ride to Köln, a journey of 380 KM, and which would take me very very close to Venlo!

So I met with the driver (Markus) the next morning at 1015 on the outskirts of Stuttgart, and off we went. That morning, there was a huge accident on the Autobahn Markus had chosen to use and traffic was backed up for nearly 30 KM! My brilliant map came to the rescue once again -- we devised an alternative route to Köln, and off we went! It was slow driving because there was unusually high traffic on the road. We rolled into my drop-off point (a gas station just North of Köln) at around 1515. Markus said that it was very nice to have me onboard and gave me his email address and said he hoped that we kept in touch. I found this a bit strange, as he barely knew English and we hardly spoke at all!

I got off at a very fancy gas station which had a Burger King! I ate a big meal, watched a bit of the Spain vs. Ukraine game, and then got back out and started asking for a ride again. After about an hour I found a Dutch man who was headed to the Dutch town Enschede. Venlo was not enroute, but he agreed to make a detour for me! Another instance of how nice people can be! He was the owner of a trucking company and was very proud of his business. He told me all the details of all the trucks and vans he owned, the drivers, their education, etc. He was also curious about India, and what I thought about the Netherlands, the quality of education etc. He was pleased with what I had to say about his country.

He dropped me off near the centre of Venlo, and I walked the through the town centre to the Central Station. Venlo is quite a picturesque town! Then it was on a train, and back to Eindhoven and home. I had started at 1015 in the morning, and reached my space box at 1830. Phew!


Impressions

I think that hitchhiking is a brilliant way to travel. It is virtually free (always a good thing!). It gets you in touch with new people. It teaches you not to be shy, to be able to communicate with complete strangers even though you may not know their language. A successful hitchhiking trip is magical for your confidence in your ability to solve problems and get out of sticky situations. It is a masterclass in learning to stay calm and patient, in dealing with people, and in learning the importance of a nice smile and an honest look into the eyes. Most importantly for me, it really drives home the reality that most of the fear and suspicion of strangers that we tend to grow up with is without much basis. Sure there will be dangerous people, and sure you may get burnt sometime, but for most part people are good and helpful, and I think that it is best to trust them and learn to tell what kind of people you cannot trust as you go along. Life becomes so much more straightforward and beautiful this way. There are hardly any worries and no anxiety or suspicion. I will always remain thankful to my hitchhiking and couchsurfing experiences for teaching me these lessons.

My stay with the Kaags

The Kaag residence

On Friday 9 June, Matthias, his roommate Nicoh, and me drove to a small Bavarian town called Neumarkt, where we would spend two nights in the home of Matthias's girlfriend Simone. Other friends of Matthias would also be joining us, though they would be living in another house. And so we had quite a large group of people. The primary interest was in an annual festival called the Alstadtfest. Nobody seems to know why this festival is celebrated, I guess they just need an excuse for a party once a year where all the people of the town can meet and make merry.

The festival comprises of rows of stalls selling food and drinks, and some live bands performing different types of music along the main shopping street of the town. That is pretty much it!

It was a strange experience for me. Being a small town, nobody was comfortable talking English. Being an unknown town, there were no other foreigners around. So I was probably the only non-German speaking person in the vicinity! That forced me to do what I do best, keep my mouth closed and my eyes open.

I enjoyed the beer and the food. In particular, the various Bavarian brews. There is one brand of beer which is manufactured and sold only in Neumarkt. It has a long story behind it and it is conceivable that any local will be able to get into a long discussion about its fine qualities. However, I did not have any such discussions because almost all of the locals were very uncomfortable with English. But it is an indication of how much they like their beer in that part of the world. One thing that I do know about this Neumarkt beer is that it is made of ingredients which are grown in very controlled environments. These ingredients are reputedly of very high quality. All I can say is that the beer tasted very good. I had quite a bit of it!

I imagine that I was a bit of a novelty in the Kaag residence. They are a very local family. Mr. Kaag has almost all of his family living on the same street as him! His wife also comes from close by I think. None of them know English. Neither of the daughters have lived away from home and Kathy (Simone's sister) has probably not had to speak English for years. As a result, it was natural for them to maintain a little distance initially.

The front lawn of the Kaag residence, with a lovely little pond!

But even so, they are really fantastic people. They tried to be as nice to me as they could. Always offering me things to eat and drink, trying to make me feel at home. A smile was never far away, and that made me feel a whole lot more comfortable. It is amazing what a difference a smile can make in situations like these. The father tried to tell me about the region, the history, the construction of their beautiful house etc., but the language barrier was too great to bridge. Simone was more comfortable as she has met a few foreigners through Matthias before (through couchsurfing.com ). But Kathy did not speak to me for the first day and a half simply because she did not know how to deal with a total stranger like me! In the middle of all this, I did not feel the least bit uncomfortable. It was awkward at times when someone would rattle off entire sentences to me in German, and then realize that I don't know the language. But apart from that, it was pretty nice to just observe the people, their mannerisms, and get a feel for the place.

On Saturday afternoon all of us went to the local recreation center. It is a beautiful facility with two swimming pools, a wonderful large water slide, large lawns for the sunbathers, a court for beach volleyball, places to play football, etc. I was amazed at the facilities that are available in even the smallest towns. I had a nice time playing volleyball, football, sliding up and down the water slide, and catching glimpses of all the girls sunbathing in their bikinis in the bright afternoon sun!

The most special moment for me was the walk back to the Kaag residence from the Alstadtfest on Saturday night. It was just Matthias, Simone, Kathy, and me, and that was when we really warmed to each other. They spoke English all the way through, and we really laughed and joked all along. We exchanged various stories, but the most interesting one was this: Simone and Kathy speak their own little language with each other which Matthias calls 'Kaagish'. It is basically German but spoken with like a baby would speak it. My sister and I do the exact same thing (with English!), and once again it goes to show that many things remain the same no matter where in the world you are! It was an experience similar to the one I had in Köln when I was a Wagonengel. In all the mirth and chatter, I felt completely at home and was totally immersed in the moment. It is moments like these, feeling totally at home in the midst of people who are otherwise total strangers, which I will always remember and treasure. They are what, for me, makes traveling priceless.

One thing which I find very cool is the attitude toward romantic relationships in this part of the world. Matthias and Simone slept together in her parents house from the very beginning of their relationship. There was no awkwardness whatsoever and they were intimate right in front of her parents. This is quite unheard of in India where public physical intimacy beyond holding hands is generally frowned upon, even among married couples! I must say that I much prefer this European attitude where people do what they feel like doing and nobody minds it. I really can't understand the Indian hang-ups anymore. I mean, on the one hand when couples (especially young ones) feel and get intimate, people around them apparently get antagonized and offended. As a result, the couples tend to feel awkward and start inhibiting themselves. There is tension created on both sides. And for what? Who gains? And how much is lost as a result? As I said, I don't understand it at all.

Here is a picture of part of the 'gang' on the front garden of the Kaag residence:

Sitting in front : Matthias and Simone.
Sitting at the back, from left to right: Matze, Kathy, Jan.

Stuttgart and the World Cup fever

The Stuttgart Opera House by night

Stuttgart is a truly beautiful city. It has loads of greenery, a huge park right in the center with lovely fountains and beautiful buildings (like the Opera house above) around it. It has a wonderful shopping street, many wonderful pubs and restaurants, and, reputedly, a very nice night life too. It is big but not too big. It really is just perfect. Walking around the city streets, eating at the open air cafes, and absorbing the atmosphere made me fall in love with it! And the public transport is wonderful as well, but that is common in most cities in Western Europe.

On my first morning in the city, I went for a walk in the park. And the first thing I saw were some (hott!) girls sunbathing topless! And people were walking by them as if there was nothing special about it. Later on, Matthias told me that there was really nothing special about it and it was quite common in most of the big German cities. With all the superb beer, and the topless girls, I quite like Germany ;) By the end of my stay in Stuttgart, I managed to get used to these sunbathers. I guess after a while the novelty just wears off and one accepts it as just another difference in cultures. But it was pretty cool nonetheless!

The central park, with some sunbathers scattered around

As I mentioned earlier, I was in Stuttgart the day the World Cup game between France and Switzerland was played there. The atmosphere was phenomenal. There were legions of Swiss and French fans dressed in Red and Blue respectively swarming all over the streets! There was a lot of banter between them and they made their fair share of noise. I was watching them with a detached curiosity, as were most of the locals. These people really do go crazy over football!

Stuttgart, being a host city of the World Cup, has huge screenings of all the World Cup manches in what is called the Schlossplatz, or the Palace square. It is a really beautiful setting to watch a football match -- surrounded by a beautiful palace, a nice castle, a fountain, etc. !

One of the screens, with the Palace in the background

The fans also turned out in large numbers. Particularly the Italian fans for the Italy vs. Ghana game, and the Croatian fans for the Brazil vs. Croatia game. The Italians were particularly vociferous and colorful, as you may well imagine if you know anything about Italy!

Some Italian fans with the palace in the background

Thats all folks

And that is my trip! It has been quite eventful and I really had a great time. I think it is the best trip that I have made in Europe. Now that my time here is almost at an end, I don't think I will have any more adventures to write about. But I may just write one more article summarizing my feelings about my time here. Till then, Enjoy!

Read the rest..

Trips to Antwerp and Keukenhof

I have been a rather busy traveler this week. Together with our new visiting guest, Dan Grundy, I made a trip to the Belgian City of Antwerp as well as the famous Keukenhof gardens near Leiden.

Click here for my photos from the Keukenhof Gardens.

Click here for photos of my visit to Antwerp.



Both the trips were very enjoyable. I loved Antwerp with its quaint streets and varied architecture. The Keukenhof gardens were simply fabulous. They are a feast of color and very well designed too. Probably one of the most beautiful places I have been to. I may write more about each of the visits at some point. But don't hold your breath!

Read the rest..

Viva Colognia!

The 'Couchsurfing International' Carnival Crew of 2006

Standing, last row, from left to right: Jennifer, Apurva, Andrew, Zach,
Matze, Matthias, Allison, Nico, Eric (in a Schroeder mask).
Standing, second last row, from left to right: Randy, Ulf (the boss) , Jennifer,
Amandine, Jennifer Kim (there were a lot of them!) , Tania.
Sitting, front row, from left to right: Adrian, Jimmy Page (in a kinky death mask)
Picture courtesy a passer-by.

So, those are the people with which I celebrated the Cologne Carnival of 2006. The picture was taken on 23 Feb 2006 and, while the group shrunk and grew over the next 5 days, the nucleus remained fairly stable. We all were hosted by Ulf Kleinings (the boss!), who we found through couchsurfing.com. Ulf managed to accommodate all of us in the dorm of a parish building in the Colognian suburb of Rodenkirchen. I found it ironic that there was beer flowing in our dorm all day to the sweet sounds of an eclectic selection of music and all the while we were supposed to be good christians piously celebrating the Carnival. That is what Ulf told the authorities in order to convince them to let us use the place. That was the first of many of my laughs!

There were two things that made the carnival extra special for me. On the one hand I met some fantastic people and got to know some of them quite well. All of us being couchsurfers, we were a bit more open than the ordinary guy, and that was the common thread that kept us all together in harmony for the five days. The free, celebratory, spirit of our group was intoxicating. Garnish that with a good amount of alcohol and the occasional deep philosophical conversation and you get a really heady mix.

On the other hand, I actually participated in a parade of the Carnival on Sunday 26 Feb. For those not in the know, during the carnival period, there are many parades that are held across the city. Each parade consists of a procession of vehicles (called wagons) , some of which are elaborately decorated. There are various Carnival clubs in Cologne and these organize their own wagon for one or more parades of the Carnival. The members of these clubs either sit on top of the wagons or walk around it and throw out sweets and roses to the spectators. The wagons also have their own music playing. Every wagon has a 'Wagonengel' stationed at each of the wheels in order to protect the spectators from any accidents (like preventing the little kids from making a dash for a candy under a wheel etc. ) . I was one of the Wagonengels of Ulf's Carnival club. It was a really special experience for me, and you will find out why later on in this piece.

The people I met and other anecdotes

We were quite a mixed bunch. We had people from North and South America, Europe, and Asia (I was Asia's only representative! ). We had people of several different age groups coming from various walks of life. While a few people came in groups, most of us were complete strangers to each other. Yet, we all got along from the getgo. There was always something to talk about and we were all united in our zest for celebration. That in itself was quite special.

There were a few people who were particularly intriguing. The first one that caught my attention was Jimmy Page. The name itself has a certain ring to it (ask Led Zeppelin fans). He is in the US Air Force and he lived up to all the notions I had about US Air Force cadets which were gleaned from Hollywood movies -- He walked around with a certain swagger, he was full of all sorts of technological gadgets like wireless network detectors, high definition digital video cameras, air pumps for mattresses etc. etc. . If he introduced himself with the line 'The names Page, Jimmy Page' , it would have been pefect!

He turned out to be the nicest guy though. Certainly deeper than the stereotype he fit so perfectly. Unfortunately I did not get to know him too well as he left us after a couple of days to spend time with his friends from the Air Force. He dressed up in a kinky 'Death' suit, and there is one incident related to that costume that I must write about.

We were at a bar late in the night on Friday ( Feb 24 ) and we saw these two Spanish girls who were dressed in a kinky manner similar to Jimmy. At that point Jimmy's mask was off (It is hard to drink beer through it!) . So he put it on and then the fun started. Before I continue the story here is a picture of the trio so that everyone has an idea of what I am talking about.

Jimmy Page and his two ...

So these three started some of the wildest charades. The girls were not afraid to use their whips on Jimmy ( in a very playful manner, mind you) . Man, after all the beer I had drunk, it was so funny to watch them. Recollecting the crazy things they did still cracks me up!

So much for Jimmy Page. Another really nice person I met was a German guy named Matthias Müller. We spent quite a bit of the carnival together and I really enjoyed his company. He is a software developer at the French telecom firm Alcatel, and he was initially very curious about the Indian IT boom. Most Europeans infact are quite concerned, perhaps understandably so. Matthias and I shared innumerable laughs. He was really full of life, and that made him a pleasure to be with -- he had a bent for taking crazy 'action' pictures and was pretty ingenious on the dance floor. He also did his best to set me up with all the girls. He kept telling me things like 'You are in Cologne during the Carnival, not in Mumbai, nothing is too bold' and 'They will be very impressed because of your English' etc.. Unfortunately, I could not keep my end of the bargain to the fullest. He is certainly someone I want to visit when I travel in June. Here is a picture of us on a moving Colognian tram :

Me and Matthias, dressed as a butterfly catcher.

And then there was Ulf Kleinings, our host. The energy he exuded in organizing things for us is phenomenal. He was the epitome of the world famous German thoroughness. He printed coloured, customized, maps which highlighted all the points of interest and the bus and tram routes between them. He sent out a gigantic 25 page email to all of us detailing the itinerary, directions, how to use the parish facilities etc. so that we could be totally independent if we chose to go our own way. Unfortunately, he was so busy organizing things most of the time that I did not get to know him as well as I would have liked.

He was also the most imaginative in his costumes. He took great pains over what he wore and was in something new each day. Here are a couple of pictures of him in various outfits:

Ulf on the left in his Geisha outfit. Also Jennifer Kim, and Randy in his chicken suit.

Ulf on the right dressed as a court jester. Matthias, the butterfly catcher, stands on his left.

Now for some random anecdotes. Here is one of my favourite pictures, courtesy Matthias:

Me, an Indian, dressed as an Indian (but not quite!!) mimicing a rather
curious sign in post-WWII Germany. My partner in crime is Matze
(a.k.a Dr. Ichen (I think!) )

On Saturday 25 Feb, Matthias, Ulf and I were spectators at a parade in a Colognian suburb whose name I have forgotten. The parade was rather small scale. There were sweets and streamers galore being thrown from the wagons that were passing by. At the end of the parade, I looked upon the streets of the neighbourhood and they were strewn with candy wrappers, streamers, broken beer bottles etc. A total mess. Matthias and I were heading to a beer tent to grab a beer before returning to the parish and while we were on the way to the tent, we saw these huge Mercedes-Benz trucks approaching the messy streets. These trucks had vaccum pumps, brushes and what not -- real mean cleaning machines! Anyway, we went into the tent and, when we emerged ten minutes later, the steets were spotlessly clean! Not a wrapper or a beer bottle in sight. It was as if the parade had never happened! Talk about German Efficiency!

Partying hard is hard work.
Matthias and me taking a nap after being spectators of the Saturday parade.
This candid picture is thanks to Jennifer Kim.

Being part of a parade

On Sunday 26 Feb, I was part of the parade of the Rodenkirchen suburb as a Wagonengel. I was actually 'employed' by Ulf's carnival club to do the 'job' . The payment was free beer during the parade and for sometime after as well. If one uses those terms to describe my activities, then it is probably one of my most enjoyable days of 'work' ever!

Technically, the Wagonengels are not supposed to particpate in the distribution of sweets and roses, but Ulf kept us supplied with the roses for a good part of the parade. This is how the distribution of roses works: when a person in the crowd who is of the opposite sex calls out the word "Brushia" which means 'a bunch of roses' in German, we are supposed to give them a rose and they give us a kiss in return. Similarly, when anybody shouts out 'Carmella', we are supposed to hand them some sweets. In this case no kisses are expected or given.

I was stationed at one of the wheels of a wagon which had a music system on board. They played the typical Colognian folk songs along with some English Pop songs. I was also had access to a bountiful supply of the strong and delicious German drink Jägermeister. All of this meant that I was very loose and relaxed, and my general awkwardness while dancing completely disappeared (at least in my mind, which is all that matters in the end.) .

So there I was, dancing along the streets of Cologne, giving out roses, getting many kisses ( from some very pretty girls! ) , smiling at everybody and getting the broadest smiles in return. I felt completely at home. Everyone was there to celebrate and be merry and in that there was a complete resonance between us. Words were redundant -- the smiles and gestures said it all. And then I thought to myself "Here I am, thousands of miles away from home, with a bunch of people who were complete strangers only a few days ago, in a country I have never visited before, with people speaking in a language I do not know the first thing about. Yet I feel as comfortable here as I would be if I were with old school friends back at home." . That for me was the most magical part of the carnival. I think that, to the end of my days, when I recall those scenes and my state of mind during that parade, I will not be able to resist a broad smile. It was priceless.

Hedonism taken to the limit

If there are five words to describe the carnival experience, the title of this section is it. The beer would start flowing at noon or so and would continue to flow, un-tapped, till 0200 the next morning. Then there would be a little sleep before we had another go. Guys and Gals were always on the lookout for someone and generally did not have any inhibitions -- it was a real free for all. I had a few enjoyable encounters which did not go very far, but I was well entertained watching all the 'hunters' on the prowl.

In the end, it was a very memorable experience. It has redefined my ideas on travel. Whereas earlier my priority was to travel to places of historical importance and stare at old buildings, I now think that I will be better served traveling to places, and in a manner, that exposes me to new experiences and new people. Now, I would rather travel to experience new things, to walk the line, and possibly get myself into sticky predicaments and then work toward getting myself out of them again. Toward that end, I plan to hitch-hike around Germany during June and visit the small towns where I can stay with the people I have met in Cologne. That should be a fun experience.

Until next time, Enjoy!

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Recreating magic takes time!

The primary purpose behind the articles of this blog is to record the experiences I consider significant in a fairly self-contained manner so that when I read the articles ten years from now (say!) I should be able to appreciate the nature of the impressions recorded. I should be able to read the articles and smile at my naivete. Or, I should read them and be able to say "That truly was an amazing time!" . Or both. Achieving this goal requires me to first explain my emotions to myself and then to identify the stimuli that gave rise to these emotions. Finally, I must design an appropriate structure for the text and choose the appropriate words and phrases so that the article has the greatest impact.

All of this takes a fair amount of time and effort. And even more so when one has to record moments of sheer magic such as those I experienced at the Carnival in Cologne, Germany this week. The first hurdle is that I only have a loose grip on what I felt during the more special parts of the carnival. Once I get over that, I must then push the myriad details through the proverbial sieve so as to separate the grain from the chaff. Finally I anticipate a fair amount of deliberation when deciding on the appropriate words and phrases.

So, to all the eager beavers out there who are bursting at the seams to hear my tales, I politely remind you that patience is a virtue. Good articles necessarily take time to write and I intend to take all the time I need on this one. I don't want to miss a thing!

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An Eventful Week!

PSV Eindhoven vs Roda JC

On Saturday, 4 February, I watched a live football game : PSV Eindhoven vs. Roda JC. It was an amazing experience to be at the Philips stadium, and the match was absolutely awesome.

Inside the Philips Stadium. PSV player Beasley is being stretchered off the pitch with an "injury". Unfortunately this time it was for real. Usually football players can double up as Oscar winning actors.

I managed to get tickets for the game thanks to a guy I found through the website www.meetin.org. There was a group of 14 people coming in from Amsterdam for the game, and the organizer, Arie, is an ardent PSV fan. He organized everything superbly, from tickets, to printouts of the team roster (with details of the individual players), to the histories of the clubs and also the rules of football for those who didn't know! He also taught us classic PSV fan chants and also how to count down to zero in Dutch. He is a really loud guy, and while walking to the stadium, he would often break into a PSV fan chant. Initially I was a bit apprehensive --you don't do such things in the Netherlands!-- but eventually I got around and joined in. It was great fun to sing loudly in the streets, and I did not even have a drop of alcohol in me!!

The PSV stadium is lovely. I loved its looks from the outside, and I liked it even better from the inside. It is so organized, and 32,000 people can get inside and to their seats less than 30 minutes, without any pushing or shoving. It took us 10 minutes from the time we made it to the gate to the time we were on our seats! That is Dutch efficiency for you! Also, even though we had the cheapest tickets, we got an awesome view of the pitch and I could make out the individual players. During the warm up, there was nice music filling the stadium. edit: It was "Love Generation" by Bob Sinclair and "The Final Countdown" by Police.

The match itself was outstanding. Roda JC scored 2 goals in the first 5 minutes and the stadium was pin drop silent. Then 7 minutes into the game, PSV scored from a penalty. The scorer was Jan van Venegoor of Hesselink. Yes that is his full name! And they say Indian names are strange! Check the scorecard after 8 minutes :

All the makings of a classic!

The rest of the game saw PSV launch a spirited fight back. Roda defended well, but PSV were just too good, and with each attack they got even closer. It was wonderful to watch such fast paced, accurate football. They made it look so easy. PSV finally got their goals in the second half and the match finished a tight 3-2 to PSV. The stadium went absolutely crazy when the third PSV goal went in. I have never seen such animation and noise since I have been the Netherlands.

All in all it was a great experience. I was in the company of some very nice and friendly people. Curiously a around half of the company were from the US. Who said the Americans don't like 'soccer' ?

A Delicious Brunch

On Sunday, 5 February, Wim Feijen hosted a get together of the ETAC members, past and present. It was quite a large event, hosted at the "Golden Tulip Hotel" in a neighboring town of Geldrop. There were 26 attendees, including Jeremy and me. I was looking forward to it because I would get to meet many people whose work I greatly admire.

The plan was for Mrs. Dijkstra to pick Jeremy and me up at my spacebox and drive us to Wim's house where we would have coffee and cookies. Jeremy was scheduled to perform Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata for the chello and piano alongwith Maarten Boasson, who is a chello player and an ex-ETACer. So meeting them earlier at Wim's house would give them an opportunity for last minute practice. After spending time at Wim's house, we would all make for the Hotel together.

I had some delicious cookies and truffles at Wim's house, and, while Jeremy and Martin was practicing, I had a nice chat with Mrs. Dijkstra about her forthcoming visit to Mumbai and also about her experiences during World War II. The stories were quite shocking and at the end I was not surprised to learn that she still preferred not to speak German. It was quite scary time and it is fascinating to see how the Netherlands has managed to rebuild itself over the last fifty years. Here is a candid picture of us talking, picture courtesy Wim Feijen :

Mrs. Dijkstra and me. Look at those delicious cookies in the foreground! :-)

Once at the hotel, I noticed that, in the corner of the reception room, there was a table on which there were a couple of photo albums containing photos from the ETAC sessions of the past. There was also a collage of pictures of the ETAC through the years. A picture of Jeremy and me was also part of the collage! That drove the message home that we were part of a unique tradition, and I felt nice about it.

I met Rutger Dijkstra once more and we spoke briefly about his current work. I really enjoyed the food. It was a sumptuous spread. Check out the starters :

Yummy!

When it was time for lunch, I sat at a particularly special table. Here is a picture of it :

My lunch table : The empty seat at the front is mine. On the left, from front to back: Anne Kaldewaij, Ineke van Steenwijk, Lex Bijlsma. Opposite head : Jaap van der Woude. On the right, from back to front : Henny van de Woude, Rutger Dijkstra, Wim Feijen. (Wim joined us for the desserts, his seat was previously occupied by Erna Kaldewaij).

I had an amazing conversation with Anne Kaldewaij throughout the lunch. He is the author of "Programming: The Derivation of Algorithms", which is a book I am studying and which I find to be amongst the best texts on program derivation. He shared anecdotes about the ETAC and EWD with me. He told me about some of his other un-published work which may be of interest to me, particularly the calculational design of data structures, which is a very important part of programming. His experiences with teaching our style of programming and about why it has not caught on bore out Jeremy and my ideas on the issue.

Anne promised to send me his other work by snail mail, and sure enough, on Tuesday, I got a package with several papers and programming exercises with solutions. He said more would follow soon! The people here are so nice and helpful!

I also asked Rutger about life in Groningen, where he lives. He shared a funny joke about the Dutch people in the area. Here is the joke: "A farmer in Groningen hired a helping hand for the farm. Every day the helping hand would come at the prescribed time, do the work and leave. This happened for several months until one day the helping hand came to work on a motorbike instead of on foot. They set to work as normal, and at the end of the day the farmer said to the helping hand: 'Nice Bike', upon which the helping hand retorted 'I quit'. The puzzled farmer asked why he would do this, upon which the helping hand said 'I do not come here to talk about bikes all day' . " . They are people of very few words. I found the episode quite funny!

Wim also gave away some ETAC memorabilia to the more regular members. These included the ETAC coffee pot which has been going strong for 31 years of the ETAC's existence. Also the coffee measuring cup was given away along with small mementos. A few people spoke about the ETAC, but it was in Dutch so I did not understand it. Mrs. Dijkstra spoke in English (just for Jeremy and me!) and spoke very nicely too. I have a copy of her speech.

All in all it was a memorable day and certainly very profitable in terms of my education -- thanks to Anne, I now have so many problems to solve that I don't think I will fall short for a couple of years! Thanks once again to Wim and Rina Feijen for hosting us.

Odds and Ends

I also managed to get myself a guitar this week. I borrowed it Jeremy's friend Igor Segers. The two of them play piano duets at the music school and I sat in on one of their practice sessions the week before last. During the course of our conversation Igor learned that I was interested in learning the guitar, and boom! he said he could spare his! It is amazing how things work out. Here is a picture of the instrument :

I finally got myself a bike, so now I can travel around Dutch style. It sure is very convenient around here, with all the specially marked bike paths etc.

that's all for this week. It has been one of the more eventful ones to date, and I still haven't recounted all the stories. Amongst the things I have not described are my trip to Amsterdam to participate in the couchsurfing meeting, my first experience with couchsurfing, nor the details of my plans to participate in the Cologne carnival from Feb 22 to Feb 26. Well, I do like writing, but I cannot write so much at a stretch!

Enjoy!

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Pictures from a snowy Eindhoven

Due to the persistent overnight snowfall, Eindhoven was buried under a blanket of pristine whiteness today. I took several pictures of the campus in this heavenly garb. You may view all of them here .

Enjoy!

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Dinner at the Feijens

The event I write about happened nearly two months ago, so my memory of the details are a bit hazy. I should have written about it earlier -- it was a wonderful evening and I would have liked to have record of all of it. Its never too late though, and I will write about the most memorable events of the night, lest I forget them as well!

Wim Feijen, the soup chef!

On 12 December 2005, Wim and Rina Feijen hosted a dinner at their home which is 30 minutes away from Eindhoven. The party included Jeremy and his visiting friend Sarah, Rob Hoogerwoord and his friend Irma, Mrs. Dijkstra, Arjan Mooij, me, and the hosts.

Wim lives in a very rural area and he keeps livestock including goats, hens and cats. Their house is a cozy, rustic place which is decorated very tastefully. We arrived at 1630. Mrs. Dijkstra drove us (Jeremy, Sarah, Arjan, and me) there. We started off in the sitting room with drinks and snacks. There was some delicious cream cheese with crackers. It went really well with the red wine I was drinking. I have do not recollect any details from the conversation that went on. It was more or less general talk of the kind one tends to forget after a while.

We then assembled at the dinner table while Wim prepared his soup and Rina Feijen prepared the rest of the meal. 12 December was a Monday, and we were told that Wim had spent most of the weekend preparing this soup, so I awaited it with anticipation. It turned out to be quite good, I certainly enjoyed it.

While Rina Feijen was preparing the rest of the meal, Jeremy and Sarah decided to give an impromptu recital of some music for piano and flute. Jeremy is a skilled pianist and Sarah is flutist by education, and their music entertained us while the food was being prepared. The also played a part of the first movement of Mozart's piano sonata K.331, which is one of my favourite pieces of music. Mrs. Feijen was certainly thankful to them since it took pressure off her as everyone's mind was diverted off the food and on the music.

Jeremy and Sarah

The piano is in Wim's study, and while the music was being played I took the opportunity to have a look at some of the books. It was nice to see some of the personal notes by Dijkstra and others in certain copies of the books. I am not sure that Wim approved of my reading them though. Alas, I should have asked beforehand!

Wim seems to love taking pictures and he suddenly got a grand idea of taking pictures of Jeremy and Sarah's feet while they were playing. So down he went, crawling under the piano to take these pictures. I have pictures of him under the piano, but I will not post them here. It was certainly a source of a lot of laughter!

Finally, dinner was ready and off we trooped back to the dining table. It was a splendid four course Dutch dinner. As an appetizer, each of us were served with a salad comprising of bacon and pineapple amongst other things. It was delicious.

The main course consisted of grilled meat with gravy and sauce, boiled French beans, boiled potatoes, and a mushroom dish. Dutch food is not spicy, but it certainly has a distinctive salt-pepper kind of flavour which I cannot quite classify. I definitely enjoy it though. All the food was cooked perfectly and presented in an impeccable manner. I thought I was eating at a five star restaurant! Here is a picture of the dining table, courtesy Sarah :

From left to right : Rob Hoogerwoord, Irma, Wim Feijen, Ria Dijkstra, Apurva Mehta, Arjan Mooij, Jeremy Weissmann, Rina Feijen.

Now, Wim is a huge fan of the Volkswagen Beetle. He has four of these cars I believe and often hosts gettogethers of Beetle enthusiasts. His house is also sprinkled with scale models of the Beetle. So, in his honour, the dessert was custard pudding with whipped cream and peaches, modeled in the shape of a Beetle! Check it out :

The Beetle!

After we had finished off that huge tray of dessert Wim said he would take the tray to his cats for them to lick clean. On his way out of the dining room with the tray, he stood straight up, held the tray by his side, at shoulder level, on the upward palm of his right hand. He folded his left hand behind his back, stuck his chin upward and marched out saying "Jeeves!" -- a tribute to that venerable butler from P.G. Wodehouse's books. It is a scene I will always remember.

After the dessert tray was duly disposed of, we remained at the dining table for coffee and sweets. There was a wide assortment of chocolates, candy, cookies, you name it! And all that after a huge dinner. I indulged myself with loads of coffee and loads of the sweets that were on offer. I think coffee miraculously provides one with a large appetite!

That brought an end to a wonderful evening. I had a great time and will always remember these incidents with fondness. Wim and Rina Feijen were wonderful hosts and I take this opportunity to thank them once again.

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Pleasure is ..

Pleasure is playing a hard and satisfying game of football for one and half hours at -2C and then stepping into a hot shower with lovely music playing in the background. It can't get better. (well, unless there was a girl involved I suppose ;-)

WOW!

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Then and Now

I landed in the Netherlands at around 2300 on 23 October 2005. That means tomorrow will mark three months since I arrived. Looking back over this time, I am pleasantly surprised to see what a difference three months has made to me. In this article I record my mathematical development. I do this for two reasons. First, such an article will be nice to read a few years down the line. Second, it always feels nice to record progress.

Lets dive right in.

I used to struggle while reading several (mathematical) works, but now I am a whole lot more fluent with the same material. I used to barely mumble out sentences (at least that was my impression!), but now I find myself talking a lot more confidently about mathematics. I am less hesitant about asking questions and more willing to provide my opinions.

Earlier, I could barely understand certain fundamental mathematical concepts, and any proof which appealed to them was very hard for me to grasp. Now these same concepts (monotonicity anyone?) are second nature to me and thus a whole class of proof techniques and heuristics have been added to my mathematical toolkit.

My ability with formal program derivation has finally materialized. I now can read formal derivations and understand them and also perform my own derivations with a certain comfort. However I still have a long way to go and there are many techniques to learn and programs to create, but I have got a foothold on the cliff and I love the view from up here.

My appreciation of science, technology and mathematics has become more refined. Especially in the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of introspection about what I am studying and its utility in the production of software systems. I am now convinced more than ever that these methods and this training has potential to boost programmer productivity and software quality like nothing else. It really addresses the core concerns as far as I see. As a result of these insights I am more excited than ever about what I am doing and I have a stronger justification as to why it is worth it.

I have been exposed to mathematical writing the like of which I have never seen before. Wim Feijen and Netty van Gasterens book "On a Method of Multiprogramming" is probably the best book I have ever read (and this includes Dijkstra). They way it seperates concerns and utilizes mathematics to bridle the complexity in the extremely complex discipline of multiprogramming is a joy to behold. It is an inspiration. I can't contain a smile while reading it and often it induces me to let out a low whistle. Such is the beauty. Additionally, seeing Wim Feijen talk and work has allowed me to gain insight into the kind of discipline in thought that is required to write such a book. I have tried to pick up his habits up in the hope that one day I would also be able to produce writing of this standard.

So much for my mathematical development. I have more to write about personal and social development, but I will leave that for another time.

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The ETAC Chronicles

(ETAC = Eindhoven Tuesday Afternoon Club)

A pictorial walk down memory lane.

1981

From left to right: Ronald Bulterman, Maarten Boasson, Rob Hoogerwoord, Martin Rem, Frans Peters, Alain Martin, Wim Feijen, Edsger Dijkstra, and Netty van Gasteren

1986

From front to back: Lex Bijlsma, Edsger Dijkstra, Netty van Gasteren, Wim Feijen, Carel Scholten

1990

During the celebration of Edsger Dijkstras 60th anniversary in May 1990.
Standing from left to right: Martin Rem, Maarten Boasson, Jan Tijmen Udding, Edsger Dijkstra, Rob Hoogerwoord, Jan van de Snepscheut, Netty van Gasteren, Anne Kaldewaij, Alain Martin, and Mohamed Gouda. Sitting: Wim Feijen.
Everyone in the picture was a member of the (E)TAC for some period of time.

1993

From left to right: Carel Scholten, Frans van der Sommen, and Ronald Bulterman.

2002

Standing from left to right: Frans van der Sommen, Netty van Gasteren, Ronald Bulterman, Arjan Mooij, and Wim Feijen. Sitting: Gerard Zwaan and Edsger Dijkstra.
This was Edsger Dijkstras very last appearance at a meeting of the (E)TAC.

2005

This was the last ETAC session headed by Wim Feijen. For the occasion, chocolate balls were eaten and the colleagues and secretaries of the daprtment were invited.
Standing from left to right: Riet van Buul, Hanneke Driever, Ronald Bulterman, Jaap van der Woude, Gerard Zwaan, and Arjan Mooij. Sitting from left to right : Apurva Mehta, Jeremy Weissmann, Wim Feijen, Rik van Geldrop, Rob Hoogerwoord, and Tom Verhoeff.

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View all my pictures.

I have uploaded all my pictures to the dotphoto.com website. You will find the link to my albums on the right hand side in the "Links" section (duh!). Now all of those who demanded more photos cannot complain anymore.

I will upload a new album after each trip and will link to the new album from the corresponding blog entry.

Enjoy!

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Snow storm!

The White Carpet.

There is quite a snow storm going on in Eindhoven right now. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to walk in its midst for around 45 minutes earlier this evening. It was a pretty exciting experience. I did not really feel cold at all, even though the reported temperature was -2ºC and the wind was pretty swift at 25 KM/h. And I was wearing only my Northface Jacket for protection, no overcoat or anything!

Anyway, it was a lovely walk. The fresh, soft, snow was puffing up at each fall of my foot. I looked back with pleasure to see my deep footprints in the snow. I enjoyed the sight of the virgin snow stretching out in front of me -- it seemed that not another soul had walked my path before me! I watched with pleasure as the snow swirled in the wind ahead of me. It was great to see the sky glowing orange because the snow was reflecting the street light back up into the sky. I really enjoy snowfall, the sharpness of the cold air really wakes you up.

The only unpleasant thing about the walk was the snow hitting my face. The snow was very fine and the wind was quite strong. As a result, after a while it felt like I was being poked in the face by a thousand needles because the snow was hitting quite hard. But I managed to ignore that disagreeable circumstance and overall the walk was very enjoyable. Kudos to a European Winter!

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A Tale of Two Cities

Rotterdam


Rotterdam is the Netherlands second city. It has one of the largest ports in the world and was once a major trading town. The Germans threatened to completely destroy Rotterdam during World War II in order to make the Dutch surrender. The Dutch surrendered, but the Germans razed Rotterdam to the ground anyway. There are very few buildings from the pre-war period.

As a result Rotterdam is quite a unique European city. It boasts of very modern architecture that ranges from being downright ugly to being completely breath taking. Anything seems to go in Rotterdam and the eclectic architectural styles give the city a unique feel. Anywhere you look, you will see some building which is worth looking at for a few moments. That cannot be said for any other city I have ever been in.

I stayed in a youth hostel for one night. I had an interesting encounter there. I was having dinner with a Canadian guy called Bryan who has done quite a bit of travelling in his life. Then some Germans came down and we started talking to them. The Germans were telling us that they had been told by their countrymen not to visit Rotterdam as they might be in danger. It seems that German cars are known to be vandalized and German people are treated with hostility in Rotterdam. I was quite surprised to hear about this -- it seems most unlike the Dutch. Then I just mentioned that it is probably because of what the Germans did during the War. Our German company got very uneasy at the mention of the War. Bryan changed the subject quickly and saved an awkward moment. Later he told me that I should never mention World War II in the presence of Germans. They seem to be instilled with guilt about what happened and get very uneasy when anybody talks about it. I think that this is pretty ludicrous. I wonder how many future generations of Germans will have to live with this un-earned guilt. It is quite sad.

So much for Rotterdam. I did not go out to witness the famed nightlife because on the night I was there everything was closed. It was the second day of their two day Christmas holiday. That was sad. If I had known, I would have re-scheduled my trip to accommodate this information. Here is one more sample of the Rotterdam architecture.


Amsterdam


I find it difficult to describe Amsterdam. It does not have the grand palaces and boulevards of Paris. It does not have the magnificent sky-scrapers of Rotterdam. It does not have the energy and chaos of Mumbai. But its vitality, nonchalance and quaint looks have made me fall in love with it. Just walking around the city for a few hours in the beautiful sunshine got me very excited about life. It was an invigorating experience.

I met some really nice people in the hostel as well. There were two Brazillians in my room, Flavio and Frank. They really had a fun attitude and were always keen on partying Brazillian style. We went to a bar which was playing Spanish music and they really showed me how to dance! The night life in Amsterdam is top-notch, with plenty of options to suite everybodys preference. The next night I met some nice people from Austin, Texas. I think I might join them for the New Years celebration since they have rented an apartment in Amsterdam for that night. That should be fun!

Meeting the many interesting people was one the highlights of my stay in Amsterdam. The other was to see the red-light district. That is really something that must be seen to believed. There was nothing clandestine about it. The girls stand or sit in full length windows and wink and smile as pedestrians go by. It is a large district in the center of the town, so many people just walk through it out of normal course, with their children and all! This openness about what is usually a touchy subject is refreshing. I think the people of India would do well to learn from it. Awkwardness about sexuality can be crippling to the enjoyment of an adolescent life, and people should learn to talk and understand it, because it is perfectly natural and potentially enriching.

I think everybody owes themselves a visit to Amsterdam. It is simply a fantastic city and I will certainly be visiting it more often while I am here. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures.

A few random buildings in Amsterdam.

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Some snapshots from Eindhoven

Here are some snapshots from Eindhoven which attempt to capture things the significant things that have been going on with me in the past couple of weeks.

On the left is the picture of the nameplate outside our office door. It feels nice to see that in print.







A rare beauty! Spotted in Eindhoven just above the space boxes two days ago.













On the left you see a home cooked meal of Pepper steak, potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and beer.






On the right you see a home-cooked meal of butter chicken. The rotis were not made by me, only heated on a stove and served relatively hard.




On the right you see a great new addition to my space box. These are superb set of speakers which deliver a really mean bass due to that huge, wooden cased subwoofer you see at the bottom. While cooking I crank up the volume and jive away until the meal is done. Cooking can be loads of fun.




A picture of my beloved Mac glowing in the dark.

Snowy Eindhoven -- A view from my window.

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A Walk in Paris -- Part 1

Versailles

I spent a day at the Parisian suburb of Versaille. It was quite a cold day and it was the first time I witnessed snowfall! It was really cool to see my black coat becoming fully white. I really did not feel cold as I was well protected with that coat, a muffler, a hat and gloves. All black and grey, looking chic ;-).

Versailles is home to one of France's grandest chateaus. It was home to the Kings of France from King Louis the XIV. I took a guided tour and learnt quite a bit of French history in the process. I learnt about how the Kings used to use the palace and also about their idiosyncracies. I saw some amazingly decorated rooms and also places where some history was made. For example, I saw the desk from where Louis the XVI signed the treaty which authorized French support for the American independence struggle against the British. I saw a room where Mozart once played. I saw many wonderful pieces of machinery and furniture. For example :

The clock on the left was built in the 17th century. What makes it so stunning is that it can count the time, un-aided, until 31 December 9999. It keeps track of leap years, dates, lunar cycles and all! A truly marvellous piece of technology for its time. I stood there looking at it for quite a while. Classical clock-making is a trade that has declined with the advent of electronics. That is quite sad, because we no longer are likely to see masterpieces such as this.

The chest of drawers on the right is supposed to be one of a kind. The decorations are done purely with butterfly wings and something equally delicate (I can't believe I have forgot that detail!). This chest of drawers belonged to the daughter of the King Louis the XV and was placed in her room. She loved music and as a result the King had Mozart play in this very room for her. Such is the life of royalty!

I ended the day with the walk in the gardens of the Chateau. These are huge expanses of land which the Kings used for hunting. Here are some pictures of the gardens taken from inside the chateau. It was a beautiful snowy expanse!


After walking around in the chateau for a while, I decided to explore the gardens. They were really beautiful to walk in. And my feet made a nice crunching sound on the snow. And as you might be able to make out from the photographs, the gardens are huge, so I had lot of latitude for exploration. As it happens, it was around 1645 and in the winter, the sun sets at around 1700. I started walking, thinking I would walk for only a little while because it was cold and I didn't want to get lost in the dark. But it was such a peaceful walk, and with the snow ahead of me and the trees around me, I just got more and more absorbed in all sorts of pleasant thoughts. Somwhere along my wanderings I spied a pathway to a nice nook in the woods with its own fountain. I went up to it and looked around. I then saw another path which looked very pretty in the dusk, so in my self-absorbed state I started down this new path of pleasure. After a series of similar unfortunate decisions I suddenly realized that I could not see anymore as it was completely dark! And I was surrounded by tall trees so all I could see was the sky. In particular, there was no chance of catching a glimpse of the chateau. Add to my plight, there was not a soul around -- the gardens close at 1700 in winter just to protect agaist people getting lost in them. I had no idea of where I was and no idea of where to go. I had walked up and down a number of indistinct paths, all of which were covered with snow and lined with trees.

But I was not completely out of luck. I could just about a sight a faint glow in the sky at a distance. I reasoned that either it was the chateau which is lit up in the dark, or it is a road of some sort. So after winding through a long series of paths in the general direction of the glow it was with great delight that, after making a turn through the trees, I saw the chateau gleaming in the dark in front of me. It never looked so beautiful. By then it was around 1900 and I was quite cold. I managed one last picture of the chateau in the dark. Enjoy it :

The Lourve


One of the major attractions of Paris is the Lourve museum which houses what is possibly the most famous painting of all time : the Mona Lisa. I must say that I am not a fan of paintings in general. They never move me like music sometimes does. I have never understood what was so great about the Mona Lisa. I thought that if I see the real thing, it might make more of an impact. However, the Mona Lisa was just about as disappointing in real life as it has been when I have seen prints of it. What is so remarkable about it that makes it so remarkably popular is beyond me. Perhaps I am just too coarse-grained in my appreciation of fine art, but I just don't see. I even walked around it from side to side at the prescribed distance of 6 metres and that re-affirmed my opinions on the matter.

I did see some other nice paintings though. Opposite the Mona Lisa is a gigantic painting which depicts a Roman feast. I was more impressed by its grandeur and size than anything else. I did notice something strange about the paintings of the Renaissance Italian artists. Particularly in their depiction of battles. These fine men seemed to identify fierce battles with passionate sexual orgies. I mean in all the paintings which depicted battles there were naked men with armaments, and naked women in all sorts of poses and naked children crying on the floor. I just didn't get it, but they were fine spectacles in themselves. All in all, the paintings at the Lourve did not strike much of a chord in me.

One thing I have learnt from the Lourve, however, is that I love sculptures. I went to the Richeleau wing which houses several busts and sculptures of the French and Italian emperors of the years gone by. They were truly impressive. In particular there was the sculpture of an Emperor Constante tucked away in a corner of some room. I was drawn to it the moment I entered the room. It was an imposing sculpture in marble. Looking at it, you would think the marble was alive and the emperor could unsheath his sword and chop off your head at any time. It was truly a powerful image and if it was meant to inspire fear into the Emperor's subjects then I would imagine that it did an excellent job.

Many of the sculptures I saw were of the same quality. Almost lifelike in their stillness. Gentle on the surface but hinting at some sort of turbulence underneath. I spent hours examining the sculptures and in the future I will not pass up an opportunity to see more of them.

So much for my time at the Lourve.

Still more to come

Over the next few days I will write some more about what I have seen in Paris. Particularly about the Champs de Elysee, the Arc De Triomphe, and the Notredamme. After that I will write about the interesting nights I spent in the youth hostel in the montmarte district of Paris.

Enjoy!

Read the rest..