Paris and weekend trips

I'd like to say that a badly updated blog is a sign of much activity :)

Im sure you've enjoyed the bubbly golden champagne that is usually popped at celebrations. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Reims in the Champagne area of France.Just 45 minutes from Paris, this unassuming little village is the base of some of the largest champagne makers in the world!



We decided to visit the home of Pommery where we took a tour of the champagne cellars. About 30 meters underground, the cellars cover acres and acres of damp tunnels where the precious bubbly liquids are delicately nurtured.The cellars were built some 2000 years ago by Gaullo- Roman tribes who used the underground stones for their buildings.

I can also say that I've been going to Church every Sunday with the number of cathedrals Ive visited here :)

A few weekends ago ,I went to Chartes,which is home to one of the most ancient cathedrals in Europe.The cathedral is supposed to be famous for holding Mother Mary's original robes which were presented to Emperor Charlemagne in the 9th century AD in the crusades in Jerusalem.
The town of Chartres has the cathedral right in the centre, and Im quite sure that even if you gather all the people from the town, the cathedral would still be quite empty!!



One curious thing about France that Ive seen so far is that even in the smallest of places you visit, you will encounter at least 3/4 museums- and of the most absurd things- Museum of trains, museum of automobile parts, butterflies (?!)

Will keep you updated on my adventures!You can get a more visual idea of my words above by clicking on the flickr badge on the left.

Would you like a baguette?

It's now been about 3 weeks since Ive been in Paris and I keep noticing things that surprise me and make me smile.
One such thing is the way French are about their Baguettes (a long loaf of bread)!

The French can eat their baguettes anywhere and anytime. So much so that they carry them around every where they go. At the supermarket, when you ask for a baguette, they give you this long piece of freshly baked bread almost unwrapped in your hand!
A French family I spent time with a weekend ago, was carrying 3 baguettes in the trunk of their car! And when we were leaving the car, the head of the family took two out and left one in the trunk. When I unknowingly asked why not take out the third loaf, I was told that it was for breakfast the next day (?!) (Somehow,this unknowing Indian girl didnt really picture a car's trunk as a storage area for bread!)

You see Frenchmen crunching on their baguettes on the streets and peeping out of their backpacks while on a run!



In my pursuit to find out the reason why such an attachment to baguette, I found this little piece of information.
"The story goes that the baguette was developed during Napoleon's campaigns against the Russians. His soldiers were told to pack extra clothes for the cold weather in the East but this left minimal space for food. The baguette was shaped so that it could be stored down the soldiers' trouser legs. The myth becomes less convincing, however, when it is known that Napoleon's armies traveled with mobile bakery units,[3] making it less likely that the individual soldier would have had to carry his own bread. Furthermore, a glance at the uniforms would dispel any remaining suspicion that the trouser legs might have had room for loaves of bread. [4] Napoleon did, however, help influence the shape and size of the baguette; in the past, there was a competition to see who could bake the longest baguette, but due to the association with excess consumption, Napoleon denoted the current length"

The slim, two-foot long baguette and its heftier cousin, pain parisian, are as much a part of Parisian identity as the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower.
Well, I guess as long as it tastes great, I shouldnt really ask questions, about where they put it...

First impressions

Greetings everyone from a hot and sunny Paris! After 8 hours of traveling on a flight to get here, I reached safely on the 11th afternoon. Thanks for all your emails and messages, I’m doing very well.
So , my dear friends, this is a relation of my adventures so far…

I arrived at the Mumbai airport at 4am with all of my 60 kilos in check-in luggage. (Learning number 1: However many times officials confirm your weight allowance- don’t believe it unless its written down!!) So, unfortunately, I had to leave behind 14 kilos comprising certain essentials (?!) for my Paris existence- viz: a pressure cooker, hair dryer, books etc. Travelling light is an art that I am still to learn!

On the flight, it turned out that my dad knew a pilot who knew the commander of the aircraft and I was upgraded to First Class on Air India :) So I spent 8 hours on the flight sipping on my wine and having caviar! To my pleasant surprise, my neighbor on the sofa behind me in first class was none other than the famous Indian lyricist and script writer- Gulzar! Poor guy, Im sure he wanted to have a nap on the flight but was too distracted by my gasps as we flew across the Mediterranean sea and the Balkans. Nevertheless, I think I made the flight a little more interesting for him too.

When I arrived, I was ushered to my new (temporary) home at the India house in the Cite Universitaire campus in Paris and whisked around to get the basics to set up a life in this city. The Notre Dam, the Metro, the Champs Elysees- its amazing how much you can squeeze into 24 hours!



The first weekend that I arrived was the 14th of July- the French Independence day! The day started off with a parade on the Champs Elysees followed by a concert sponsored by Sarkozy under the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. About 600, 000 people turned up to groove to the beats of Nelly Futardo, Bob Sinclair and an old favourite French singer- Polnareff. Post this, there were fireworks to the tune of music just behind the Eiffel tower! I even begin to describe how spectacular the sight was.. Please check the pictures on my flickr badge alongside- however, even the pictures don’t do justice!

After a brilliant start to my life in Paris, I began work at Alcatel Lucent. As an incredibly huge office, with departments and sub-departments , the atmosphere is completely different to what I am used to. So far, so good- friendly people, a challenging assignment and an interesting time to be in the company with the newly formed merger.

To say the very least, my first week in Paris has been exhilarating and everything that I expected it to be. I hope my chain of good luck continues!
This blog will now have a second life- and I intend to post soon. For pictures and comments, please check my flickr badge alongside. Mail me!

Here I come

An update is much overdue...
So after quitting my job, moving back home, working on a lot of small and random things, I managed to get hold of a great opportunity through old connections at AIESEC. Im going to be working with Alcatel-Lucent based in Paris!

The last few weeks has been packing, running around, getting papers stamped,etc,etc. Im due to leave on the 11th of July. Paris, here I come!



Watch this space for more updates :)

A tarot card reading?

I've been trying to answer a lot of questions for myself over the last few months- and the search has lead me to some interesting places. One thing for sure,I know Im not going to invest much time in again is tarot card reading- Ive had some crazy interpretations.
After this, though, I promise..

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

brb

Havent been here for a while.Back soon, I promise.

Chapter closed

Bags packed.
Old newspapers sold.
A rose plant given away.
Dues cleared. Pictures taken.
Tasklists complete.
A lock on the door of my appartment.

The end of a chapter.The story goes on..

A little wiser.
A little less naive.
Mixed Feelings .

No regrets.