Sunday, November 5, 2017
Mirror mirror on the wall !
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Croatia - Landed...finally
The husband and I are always running - to catch trains, to catch planes, and sometimes running for no reason, but we are always running. When we are not running, the husband walks at a pace that can easily pass off as running. Also we never plan our holidays in advance. So basically we are late and disorganised. So this new years eve we resolved to make a change.
Attempt 1
Just a month into the new year, we promptly planned the Croatia holiday for the May which was sort of an achievement but mostly that meant really cheap flight tickets. But some days before the trip, the husband had a bit of cough and some mild fever so we decided that instead of long arduous travel by the national express to Stansted airport, we take a cab. The flight was at inhuman hours - 600 am which means we had a 300 am start which given our 'always late' record already seemed unachievable. Anyways, we called an Uber who decided to cancel on us for no reason. So after haggling with the application which freezes at the exact moment that I need it to work, we finally got another one. All along the way, the Uber driver left no stone unturned in asking us every single detail of the trip (which I told with much reluctance) including the airfare and did not hesitate to show his utter disbelief on what an amazing deal we had got on flights. We were nearing the airport and I was day dreaming of the sunny sandy beaches when the driver took a left turn when the sign on the road clearly ordered us to take a right. His logic was that Google maps on his phone asked him to do so and that was the time I was convinced that machines have officially taken over humans. He tried to drop us at a random location but after much protest and with the help of a passerby, we managed to manoeuvre him to the airport. We were doing just about okay with time when the conveyer belt at the security check refused to cooperate. By this time, the husband had walked ahead (or ran) whilst his bag was stuck on the belt. We were now seriously running late and just as we decided to swap the bags to another lane, the belt began to move.
To add to our woes, the gate was as far as it could be. First there was a kilometre long passage full of shops on both sides of you name it and you have it brand which can easily give the Dubai shopping festival a tough competition. Then we had to take a train to get to the gate. If this was not enough, two teenagers decided to block the doors until the rest of their gang arrived.
After all this huffing and puffing, we finally made it to the gate ..which was already closed !!
Attempt 2
Many many requests, some begging and crying, a bit of blaming the broken conveyer belt and much of emotional drama didn't stir the crew member who was unrelenting even though the gate was just literally closed when we showed up. We were told to go back and speak to the customer care in the main entrance hall.
Contrary to our belief, getting out of airport was far more difficult and excruciating process than getting in. Firstly we were escorted by a crew member who already had a bunch of passengers from various other flights pretty much in the same plight as ours but shamelessly said "Welcome to the group" upon seeing us. I tried to smile a bit still fuming from inside. We were then put into a bus which literally zoomed off adjacent to the plane. If I were a Bollywood hero, I would jump out of the bus and made a run to the plane, but am a mere immigrant fearful of being deported so I refrained from any further dramatic actions. We were then dropped off at a gate and asked to take the stairs up but by the time we assimilated this information and spotted he stairs, he had disappeared. We took the same one kilometre corridor back until we got to security.
Now passing the security check to get in is okay but how do you pass out from the security. We waited and waited until someone showed up who then took us back the corridor and finally into main hall.
In this long journey out, we had explored all possible options - taking any alternative flight that day but there was none or taking the flight two days later directly to the second destination or sceptically attempting the same inhumane hours flight the next day. Now honestly speaking the husband was quite in a bad shape and the signs of his laryngitis had begun to show strongly due to this morning marathon but the husband had never missed any flight till now, let alone being sent back from the gate. So it was a bit of a hit on our ego and we eventually booked the next day morning flight from Gatwick hoping to make it in time in the second attempt.
We returned home much to the amusement of my parents who obviously did not leave any chance to make fun of this episode. Over the course of the day, the husband's condition worsened with high temperature and his voice was completely gone. At the end of the day, it became clear that we could not travel in this condition and we went to bed, bags still packed sitting in a corner.
Attempt 3
The husband's fever and cough lasted for almost a week. So I sort of think it was not my fault after all that we missed the flight. It was God's way of making us miss the flight so the husband could recover. Also I took total advantage of the fact that the husband had lost his voice until he discovered that he could irritate me by using the text to voice app on his iPhone. He further changed the voice to female and started typing in hindi. After that, there was nothing stopping him because he took it to the next level by using it on a whatsapp voice call to his parents. That night, Steve Jobs probably turned in his grave.
A month later, we decided to rebook this trip. Taking into account our historic experience, we booked an evening flight from the third airport- Luton. We decided that this time, we would keep a whole lot of buffer and but we being we, had to eventually sprint to catch the train to Luton airport. The train was on time and the conveyer belt at the security did not break down this time. All seemed well until we found out that the flight has been delayed by two hours.
I have been to many terrible airports but believe me when I say that Luton is pretty much at the top of the list. There was a sea of people, just standing because there were hardly any chairs to sit, the restaurants were full and it was crazily noisy. We were really hungry at this point. I have had pizza at weird hours and weird places but the top of the leaderboard is today when we sat down on the floor in the corridor and ate a pizza.
All is well that ends well - here we are finally in Croatia - one and half months and three bookings later !! Let the adventure begin...
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Poland Diaries - Day 4 & Day 5 (Weekend fun) - Part 3
Poland Diaries - Day 4 & Day 5 (Weekend fun) - Part 2
Thus continued the intermittent history lessons and some photo sessions. The tour turned left besides Bar Vega and 0n the way, we were greeted by two dwarfs Bartonek, who apparently went to the North Pole in search of the perfect icecream and has been serving the most amazing icecream in Cloth Hall in Wroclaw since then and Lionek, who is a daredevil dwarf riding a lion. This is where the history of the Orange Alternative was revealed. Further down the same lane was Słuchacz RMF, the RMF listener who was enjoying some music sitting on the radio and then Tyncuś, the plasterer.
There we met the dwarf who apparently represents the men in Poland - sitting in an armchair with a remote in the hand watching tv. Apparently the only thing missing was a vodka in the hand.
The tour then moved through small lanes around the market square including the St Elizabeth's church. This church dates back to 14th century and the tower is around 91 metres high. The guide seemed to have a pretty cool attitude towards life - if you can do something then why not ! For e.g. he said, "You can go up this church tower to get some amazing views, so why not !". He was a parttime bartender himself so he showed us some cool pubs around and said "You can have a variety of flavoured vodka here, so why not !" It's nice if all of us could have such a easy way of living, if we can do something today, then what are we waiting for..
Moving on we come to a butcher's lane. It was a very picturesque lane and has one of Wrocław's most photographed monuments. This row has now become a row of art galleries however this small medieval lane was the essentially the town's abattoir. The animals on display - a goose, goat, rabbit, two pigs and a rooster - all fell under the butcher's blade here during medieval time. The tourist attraction here is the memorial to the slaughtered animals as a reminder of the street's history. Spot the egg and also the poo in the picture :). Nearby, you'll also find ''Rzeźnik, the butcher dwarf" with an axe in hand.
Taking off from the butchers lane, the tour went around small lanes around the main square and occasionally we were greeted by few dwarfs like the one raising a toast and offering a slice of pizza (Lo Gnomo Italiano) sitting on the iconic Vespa or the Więziennik - The prisoner sitting on the windows of the former municipal prison chained to the prison walls bearing a heavy ball. The story goes that the paperwork for his sentence has been lost and no one know how long he still will be behind the bars. So until then, the tourists are requested to take a pause and understand the torment he has to go through everyday :)
The tour continued through the bylanes and came to the halt at the University Square. The university of Wroclaw presents superb photo opportunities but the most popular has to be the naked swordsman proudly exhibiting himself at the entrance of the main building. In front of the main edifice of the university, on the top of a fountain, stands a nice sculpture of a naked young man with a sword, called the Fencer. The work of Hugo Lederer, the author introduced himself on the fountain and he did it as a warning for the students! The nude guy with the sword links to a not very pleasant adventure, which Lederer had while being a student in Wroclaw. After getting drunk with beer by local students, he had lost not only the whole property he owned in a game of cards, but also his clothes. The guide told us that it is a custom to dress it in various clothes on the first day of April. Dont miss the naked gnome there, Szermierz (The swordsman), who has mastered fencing, but holding a umbrella instead of a sword.
The guide also told us that we could visit the magnificent Baroque building of the university and also climb up the terrace of the university's 'Mathematical Tower' which affords great photo opportunities and panoramic views of the Old Town and Odra River, so why not !! :)
It was beginning to freeze now as the temperature was sub zero and we had been walking around for almost an hour now. The tour moved from plac Uniwersytecki to plac Nankiera passing by another Gothic church and a Baroque church which the tour guide insisted we visit. the street opens up in front of Hala Targowa, which is a local indoor market. We welcomed the small break and warmed ourselves with a hot chocolate from a shop at the end of the market. Apparently the owner there had won a local barista competition, which explained the diligence he had displayed in making my hot chocolate.
The tour then crossed the river Oder first via Most Piaskowy and then from Most Tumski to go towards the Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski). Cathedral island is one of the most historically significant parts of town, in addition to its most archaically picturesque. Note are the padlocks placed on the bridge by newlyweds to symbolise the unbreakable bond they share going forward in life together. There is also a dwarf signifying how the lamps are till date manually lit up by the lamplighters by climbing up the poles.
This ground of the cathedral island is not only sacred, it is also very scenic and tranquil compared to the bustle of the main square. The top of the list of Cathedral Island's attractions is - needless to say - the cathedral itself. Named after John the Baptist, Patron Saint of Wroclaw, the current incarnation of the cathedral started life in 1241 although it's had a lot of restoration and augmentation done as it had suffered bombing. The twin spires are the dominant feature of any Wroclaw postcard. You can even take a lift up one of them for amazing views over the city!
Another celebrated attraction on Ostrow Tumski is the Church of the Holy Cross. Actually there are two churches in one building, the other being St. Bartholomew's each having a separate main hall. After a stroll down the island, the tour came to an end and after exchanging some pleasantries, we made our way back to the main square. On the way we met Ciastuś, Amorinek who have a sweet tooth and cant keep away from the delicious desserts of the Amorinio cafe. Since we were hungry as well, we sat down at Burger King on the main sqaure before heading back to Monopol for a quick shower to warm us up.