Antwerpen..my temporary home town

I reached Antwerp on 13th February 2006 and left on the 3rd of August. During this time I bonded with my sister and Brother in law, welcomed my Mira into the world, became closer to Jeroen's family, made some good (hopefully long term!) friends, learnt how to knit and cook, spent quality time with myself, got to know the city- streets and vibes and travelled to and from it a few times. Coming home to Thaliastraat after my trips around Europe was a delight.

This city came alive as the sun set later.. www.antwerpen.be
Click this link to see the nicest cafe I hung out at.. a few times...
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Belgium/Provincie_Antwerpen/Antwerp-358974/Restaurants-Antwerp-Wattman-R-1.html
You come across this when you walk down a gorgeous street with breathtaking art nouveau houses called Cogels Osylei, from Didi's place towards a nice square called Dageratplaats (lots of restaurants and cafes - all had my patronage).

How could I forget De Nacht Wenkels! I wish I had taken a photo of one. These were very handy at times when you didnt want to pay exorbitant prices for a drink in a bar and just wanted a few cans of Kriek to sip on while sitting along the Scheldt or in a square in the centre. Good times!

1. Manu, Jeroen, me, Eva and Martin at Wattman on a warm Saturday night
2. Didi and I in the Antwerp Botanical Garden
3. Eva, Manu, me and Jeroen enjoying a meal at Overrloed (Overflow!) at Dageratplaats

De Nederlands

So its a small world.. I met Anna - my friend from Berlin in Amsterdam for a few days. Then I caught up with Julija.. my parent's neighbour's daughter.
I have to admit it was meeting these two crazy chics that made my trip to De Nederlands memorable.

I was a bit dissapointed in Amsterdam.. too much sin.. I ca ignore all the sex, drugs etc.. but it is very difficult to ignore the zillions of neon signs and 18 year old Americans on the streets. The quieter parts were much nicer. I also went to Utrecht - a small University town, for a day.
1. Anna and I posing in front of the Kaiser's canal
2. beautiful dom of the St Niklaas church
3. Julija and I, photo taken at arms lenght at an Italian restaurant in the suburb called "Pipe". Wnder why.. canals or bongs?
4. The Dom and the clock tower in Utrecht

Pays de la Loire www.enpaysdelaloire.com

Thanks so much Jeroen (Van Esbroeck) for inviting me to France with your sisters, brother in laws and their lovely children. Arent we lucky to have these nieces and nephews to play with!
(Note: In Belgium they often use the same word for cousins as nieces.. confusion!)

We got into a car with Jeroen's sister Lieve, her husband Dirk and their three lovely children Artuur, Barrund and Eward (forgive the spelling!) and drove from Belgium through the Ardennes, Lille, by passed Paris and reached Besse sur Loire. This is where we stayed at a Moulin (water mill) which had been converted into a huge holiday house.

Jeroen's older sister, Ann and her husband Greg joined us on the road with their kids Tobe and Hilljche (that is certainly incorrect.. please tell me the correct spelling someone).

At the Moulin we played Jeu de ball, drank wine and Ricard (I didnt.. I hate anis), cooked, watched the World Cup Final, sat on the Hollywood swing, played with the children.. and then did some short trips to discover the Loire region. Some castles, some little towns along riversides and of course churches.

1. Jeroen and I in a limestone cave
2. Jeroen enjoying some rotten cheese and Chillean wine (French one was too expensive) in the only fancy restaurant we could find for miles.
3.Me and the adorable kids
4.View of the town from the ruins of a castle

Some Belgian Music

I had the opportunity to be a groupie.. great fun. Eaten en Drinken with the band on a few occasions.. just a great experience overall.
Here are some websites to check out, find out more about these bands and hear some of their songs.
www.dedos.com
www.starline69.com
www.sopha.be
www.kbonus.com

I really regret having missed the Sopha performances, just wasn't meant to be. Linus: You just need to organise an Australian tour!
1. Dedos performing for an ardent fan at Ghent Feste
2. Dedos
3. Trippy photos of Jeroen(keys), Jelle(guitar) and Bruno(drums) aka SpaceJam at Cafe SOS - Excellent stuff.. I probably enjoyed this performance the most.

Catching Up with Friends and Family in London

"I am going to London for the weekend" How cool does that sound.. ok to an Aussie it does! This was a trip planned to catch up with Mila, my cousin who lives in New York and although she is wonderful person and I really love her, she does chant"USA, USA,USA"before she sleeps. And those endless examples of superiority.. Oh well..each to thier own :)
1.Mila and I on the double decker bus.
2. Stuart and I soaking up a bit of culture... went to watch Les Miserables. 3. Ankush and I at Nandos.. I missed that tasty chicken
4. Les Miserables

FIFA World Cup 2006 - Germany

I had to get out of Belgium to feel the atmosphere and enjoy the World Cup.. so I went to Berlin and Cologne.
1. Sunny, Charlotte and I. Sunny and I spent most evenings watching the matches together in different bars on big screens. She is a great girl seen here drinking Mathe (Argentinian Tea.. since she is half Argentinian.. her heart is!)This was before the Brazil Croatia match. I didnt take sides.. hate them both. Since they were in the same Group as Australia.
2. Some Aussie fans in Cologne
3. A fresco at the Cologne Train Station.

Berlin..

A bit of a history lesson and then lots of fun.
1. Checkpoint Charlie, where they stamp your passport(or your arm!) to let you pass from the East to the West. Go West!
2. Getting ready for the Argentina Serbia match. What a sad day for Serbia 6-0 :(

Meri Mira

Three Masi's, mumma and Mira at her party in June 06.

The other two photos is just me showing off my gorgeous niece.. lovely eyes, crazy smile... could go on.

See lots more photos on www.zindagizindagi.blogspot.com

Paris

so here we are.. three photos from my trip to Paris.. way back in April!
So there is Sharad and I at the Republique or was it Bastille.. I don't know.. it was one of the round abouts with a statue in the middle signifying revolution.. new or old!

Budha Bar- had to do it.. yes touristy and yes over rated and very over priced, but was pretty cool. Well we felt cool being there. Nalini Aunty, Shweta, Sharad and I.

Then there is yours truly at Palais du Versailles. Magnificent gardens, labrynths, sunny day... The palace is spectacular.. that Marie Antoinette chic was quite ahead for her times.. or are we becoming more conservative?? don't know. I have been to a few palaces after this and try as I may to be unbiased, they just don't stack up.

By Road

Pic 1: Hooda and his comfortable automobile
Pic 2: Kali Pili (Black and Yellow) Fiat cabs in Mumbai.
Pic 3: Good ol Scooty in Bangalore.
Its fun travelling in India.
The pictures are also in Comfort level order!

Buses and Trams

Pic 1: A traingle base tram for the steep streets of Lisbon. Trams always remind me of Dadaji's bachpan in Calcutta. He talks about the trams so fondly.
Pic 2: BEST.. The Red and white buses in Mumbai.. Mumma's bachpan.
Pic 3:Me chatting with some lovely men at a bus stop in a small village in Portugal. "How long have you been waiting for the bus?"..The buses only run once an hour they told me..

Music is my aeroplane.. pleasure striked with pain....

For those who don't understand the title.. these are lyrics from a Red Hot Chilli Peppers song.. and I was singing it when I created this... Yes I am nuts..
Pic 1: View of Lagos from the air
Pic 2: Kingfisher is a tasty Indian beer. The owner is so rich he started an airline!
Pic 3: Vehicle of discoveries... in Belem, Portugal

Transport Obsession Continues... Marinas

Lagos and Barcelona

Mira and Vira

Some pictures of my beautiful niece.. she is such a peaceful little thing.. i can just sit for hours and stare at her. The facial expressions are just amazing.

Scotland

And then I went to Edinburgh... caught up with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time... it was nice.
Thanks for an enjoyable trip Meghna.. and sorry for making you walk up to Salisbury Craigs!
Edinburgh is such a fairytale city. I love that every second building is beautiful.. and looks like it should be something important.. I mean some tourist attraction rather than just a shop or someone's house...
Picture 1: Me at Edinburgh Castle
Picture 2: Meghna and I with the proud Scotsman in a kilt(skirt!!)
Picture 3:Enticing innocent young men to join the great Scottish army.. very nicely done

Masi

20th May 2006

I am now a Masi

Her name is Mira and she is a happy and healthy baby

Yippeeeeeeee

Ardennes and Liege

The Easter Weekend with Jeroen's family was great fun.
We went to a little town called Trois Points in the south of Belgium. This is the French speaking Walonian region. The Ardennes are the Álps'of Belgium. Very beautiful scenery. We went for a few walks, enjoyed the comfort of a house with a fireplace and even spent the whole afternoon at a Spa. This was in a town called Spa which has Natural Mineral Springs.. and the name Spa comes from this town.
Pretty cool.

On the way to the Ardennes Manu and I stopped in a town called Liege which is reputed for the best Waffles in Belgium.. of course I indulged.

Picuture 1: Vira and Manu in Liege

Picture 2: Didi and Jeroen at the house in the Ardennes

Lazy

I am sooooo lazy. Well I should really say busy.
I am back from my trip.. Infact it's been a few weeks since I got back. I just haven't had the time to sit in front of the computer.

So where do I start...

Update..

Other modes of transport to follow soon...
In the meanwhile, I am off to an Easter weekend in the Ardennes with the Van Hove family.
Get back and then next morning Eurostar to London, BMI to Edinburgh.. and then after visiting friends and places, will be back in Belgium by 4th May.
So lots more pictures and stories then..
Bye bye!

Love catching trains

I feel it's the best way to get a feel for a place.. ride through the countryside, sit with the locals etc. Although I didn't get a chance to sit on the roof, I enjoyed a few train rides.

The Oriente- a new age Metro station in Lisbon

Varkala Train station where we boarded a train going to Kochi

Faro train station in Portugal.. very cute cosy.. Platform 1 and 2.. but all trains came and went by Platform 1. I caught a train to Lagos from Faro.