Dear All,

I was on a holiday in Europe in August but due to so many unavoidable circumstances I haven’t been able to post any blogs on that. I finally got the time so here goes…

But before that a big thank you to RAJ in Sweden who had written and kindly invited me to his house in Sweden. Couldnt make it this time.... maybe next time i'm in that part of the woods...

CHRONICLES of my EURO-TRIP 2008

His Master's Voice (Haupswatche square. Frankfurt)

Day 1: 14 August 2004

Abu Dhabi: The temp here has been nudging 52 degrees (yes Celsius) for the past week or so and the flight to Frankfurt is delayed. Abu Dhabi Airport has a huge skeleton (apparantly real) of a dinosour in the entrance which was bought for a huge sum but AD Tourism Authority and which is going to be auctioned off for charity later. Only UAE can do things like this.

Am waiting at the airport lounge and some people are shopping in the Duty Free shops looking teary eyed. I presume it’s because they are leaving someone behind and not because of the prices of the goods.

But they are in the minority.

Most seem happy to leave.

And most of the happy ones are labourers.

And they, quite inexplicably, are lugging huge tins of milk powder from the Duty Free.

Don’t understand why.

Frankfurt: Arrived at FRA Airport at 7pm local time to very bright sunlight which remained till 8:30 pm. Took a quick Skytrain to Terminal 1 where the hotel shuttle bus was supposed to be.

It wasn’t.

Found a hole in the wall for ‘Inquiries’.

Pressed a button and got a long sentence in German.

Told the “voice” that I was looking for the shuttle for the IBIS hotel.

The ‘Voice’ told me that the bus would be there in 7 ½ minutes.

“Thank You” I said, while muttering “smartass” under my breath.

And what do you know…
Exactly 7 ½ minutes later the bus arrived.

“Smartass” I muttered again.

This time to myself.

Tall, blonde & blue eyed, the bus driver said something in German. Told him I didn’t understand German. He asked me what I spoke?

“Nepali” I told him.

“Haan tum Nepali log bohut accha hai” he said.

Turns out he is Afghan. Small world!

IBIS Hotel: The staff in this small 3 star property show better customer service than some of the so called 7 stars back in the UAE
Wanted to go out for a short while but turns out the shops in Germany close by 8 pm.
OK then, UAE not so bad after all.

Day 2: 15 August 2004 Frankfurt:

Had a very heavy breakfast. (This, by the way, is the best thing to do while traveling. Heavy breakfast, light lunch). Took shuttle to Airport, left baggage in terminal and took the metro to the city center.

Got off in the main square, Haupswatsche, in the middle of a light drizzle, dressed in a flimsy polo shirt, in 18 degrees, in a city I’ve never been to before. ALONE!

And for the next 6 hours walked around Frankfurt like i'd lived there all my life. Ate frankfurters in the main market, visited a church and sent up a silent prayer, drank beer in a park, fed pigeons (probably illegally)....
Also visited a mall (for those who want to know name of mall pls see pic below) and among apparel, food and furniture shops, there was a sex shop.
For Strap-On dildos and other x-citing stuff pls visit....Zeilgalerie

Now with Frankfurt Airport being the first (and probably only) airport in the world with an X-Rated cinema in it, I’d quite expected this, but the odd thing was seeing a couple, very seriously, measure a strap-on dildo.

And the best part? The guy was the one wearing the didlo.

Welcome to Europe I guess.

cycle rickshaws in Frankfurt

In Konstablerwache square there was some kind of show going on. Went to have a closer look. A stern lady asks me if I want to watch from the inner circle of spectators or the outer one. Logically I choose the closer one and next thing I know I am handed a form to sign and 50 Euros in cash.

Turns out it is an ad being shot and I have to be part of the crowd.
“What exactly do I have to do” I ask guardedly.

“When we say ACTION! you have to clap along with the rest of the ‘crowd’ ” she says merrily.

50 euros just for some clapping?? I’m game and happily sign on.

Turns out it’s an ad for the Royal Bank of Scotland. And as shootings go, its not as simple as it looks and crafty Germans don’t hand out 50 Euros just like that.

I ended up clapping on and off for the next 3 hours and while it wasn’t exactly my idea of fun, if any of you living in Europe see the ad for RBS do look out for me.

I’m the one looking cold and bewildered in a thin t-shirt with everyone else bundled up in woolens.

4:15pm. On the tarmac at Frankfurt airport waiting for the KLM flight to take off. Realize that KLM plays FM music on their planes. I wonder if we will continue to receive the signals while at 35k feet. And now sitting in a plane on a huge tarmac surrounded by over 70 other aircraft I cannot help but grin when the next song on the FM is Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi….
‘paved paradise and put up a parking lot…..’ indeed.
Talk of Irony.

5.30pm Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport is HUGE. Very Bright and Very Airy and has 6 monster cans of Heineken on the roof. My kinda place.

7:00pm Boarding aircraft for Helsinki. A lone old lady in front of me is gently sobbing and struggling with a heavy carry-on. I offer and help her carry/drag it to the aircraft. The old lady mutters something in an unidentified EU language and hugs me. Reminds me of my late granny. Realize old people are the same everywhere. But still, I guess its best to grow old in Asia.

The flight to Helsinki is stunning. A dark royal-blue sky through the right windows with a full moon and a blazing red sky with the setting sun through the left. Local time 9:27pm.

Talk of long days.

Good Sign for me though.

Long days = Longer Sightseeing ahead.

Europe Here I Come.......... (to be continued)