Once a cousin of mine asked me "is there no racism is America, do you know how many Indians were fired during the recession, could there be no racism in all that". I then told him quietly, "no it could not be racism, at least for most part". Here is why. Most Indians, during 2001 bubble, were consultants meaning temporary workers who, by definition, can be let go when the quantum of work dips or no new business prerogative exists. Most Indians also preferred to be hourly paid consultants than become employees. Billing rate was an obsessive "mine is larger than yours" type of talk amongst Indians in the 90's. Come Aug 15th an infamous mail would circulate about how Indians as an ethnic group have the most college educated, the highest tax payers, the most number of doctors etc etc. The tech sector in Financial industry in New York is virtually captured by Indians and Asians. There are teams where whites are not just in minority but practically absent too. When the going is good nobody questions any of these. But the moment we pay a price for being free market we raise the "racism" bogie.
Without digressing too much into wider racial issues let me restrict this discussion to Indians in US. A cousin tells me that being an Indian actually enhances your chance to be selected at a Med School because Indians are 'presumed' to be hard working. Have I personally faced racist treatment at office or in stores. At office, zero. Probably I faced more difficulties with North Indian colleagues than with Americans. At stores I can remember only once or twice over 11 years have I experienced rough treatment. It could have been racism yes but equally possible that the store guy was just what he is a rude fellow. Often times minority ethnic groups readily interpret any slight as "racially motivated". Indians above all have no business acting holier than thou on this. A tamil inKarnataka or a South Indian in Mumbai are prone to much more racism than they ever would experience in US. Look at how Tamil Nadu and Karnataka tip toe around opening statues like they are some warring Baltic states.
Come summer hundreds of aged parents visit families in US. Every apartment complex swarms with visitors, visitors who get 10 year visas without paying an extra penny (unlike UK which charges a princely $500 for 10 year visa), children get admitted to schools as a "right" no recommendations needed, they go to school in 100% safe buses that come right to the door step, libraries buy hindi books to show "diversity", parks host Indian festivals, temples are constructed, Empire state building lights up in tri-color for Aug 15th, White house celebrates Diwali, our children are much respected for high SAT scores (not for the caste), team meetings feature Indian food, Indians yell across the hallway in Hindi/Tamil/Telugu, entire streets feature Indian shops, Indians are elected as councilman etc, America named a satellite after Chandrasekar, honors were heaped on Kalpana Chawla, Indian communities are courted by politicians in Northern Virginia, high earning Indians have changed entire demographics in many communities buying out the locals. Sivaji Ganesan was honored by the mayor of Columbus (a city in Ohio) and was given the keys to the city in 1995. Sivaji had to wait for a long time to get Dadasaheb Phalke award compared to Bollywood actors. Lets no go on a tangent comparing Sivaji with Marlan Brando etc or his demerits on over acting etc. As an Indian actor he stood tall.
Nothing riles me up like hearing an Indian accuse US of racism. Indians, amongst the recent immigrants, have had it best.
Coming to the visa shambles. Visa, is a gratuitous permission given by a country nobody can claim it as right. The US consultate has been the most sensitive to public relations. Compared to early 90's Indians are now so much more well treated by consulates. Indian consulates in US treat Indian "citizens" much worse than US consulates treat Indian applicants. I've seen first hand how US consulate in chennai went to great lengths to address inconvenience to visa applicants and I've seen first hand the Indian consulate at NY too. Could the visa process be more transparent and simpler. Everyone wishes but its just impossible. An officer gets a few minutes to judge whether the guy sitting opposite him/her would a possible "immigrant" or will the applicant truly return back. So much of human element is in all this.
Coming to airport screening and stamping at airports. This same pompous King Khan has been to US many times and has visited without a problem. One time somebody questions and King Khan thinking he is truly King takes umbrage. Priyanka Chopra twitters that he is a "global icon get real". Yes he is a global icon for Indians across the globe how many Americans (white or black) see his film? Almost zero. Just because a bunch of film crazed Indians swoon at him across the globe they cannot assume he is a global icon. Actually her twitter post smacks of a different racism. Bollywood thinks Hindi cinema is Indian cinema. I can bet there are corners in Arunachal Pradesh where Shahrukh is unknown. Dont we know how Bollywood treated Tamil stars, especially in the 60's and 70's. Bollywood goes gaga over flesh baring Aishwarya Rai at Cannes while an unassuming Nedumudi Venu in dhoti goes unnoticed despite the fact that only his movie was selected for the competitive section. Once veteran Malayalam actor Sathyan was humiliated on stage at a Bollywood awards function. Damn guys could not even get a name of their own and have to steal it from Hollywood. Bollywood. Kollywood. Tollywood.
Then there is the reality side. TSA (Transportation Security Administration) screeners are underpaid contractors. The guy who pulled up Shahrukh did not wake up that day swearing to humiliate a Indian superstar. He just played by the book. Now, the false alert, the screening process etc may have stupidities in it, loop holes in it but why shout "racism". That too Khan was not harassed or any derogotary remark made, he was not unduly delayed etc. Khan, now imperiously declares he will not step foot on US soil. Who cares. Let him take it one step further. Stop screening his movies in what he thinks of as a racist country. That would be something aint it?
The security screening is painful. But what can we do, its a sign of the times. Better technology could help do it more sensibly and with better results. I've seen experiments carried out for new kind of whole body detectors at train stations in Jersey city. Improvements are happening.
The Kalam frisking incident is another PR disaster. Any flight to USA has two stage screening process. The second stage is done prior to boarding at the gate. What is not known is if Mr Kalam, an unassuming person, declared who he was and if he was frisked despite the attendant knowing his diplomatic clearance. From subsequent events it appears that the attendant was totally unaware of who he is and was just going by the book. Kalam, the person he is, probably did not throw a tantrum and just went through.
Again I remind that so many parents, so many tourists come to US everyday without a hassle. My parents and in-laws have been coming for 7 years. Parents of my friends, cousins all have been coming and experienced zero harassment despite the fact they come loaded with Indian spices, goodies from sweet shops etc.
US is a country where a Mel Gibson, when drove drunk, was shackled. Bill Clinton, as President, was asked to pay for books when his card did not pass through, Bush's daughter was caught for under age drinking, Ted Kennedy was on a "no fly list" (that was really hilarious).
I'd be naive or incorrigbly blind to say there is zero racism in US. US, like other countries, has human beings, some harbor hatred, some show it too. But those instances are rare and mostly they are addressed.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Swiss Economy and shopping
I always wanted to shop in Europe because the toys, children clothing and chocolates are so much better there. We set aside Aug 7th for just shopping.
Switzerland is plain expensive. For a group of 3+ traveling by cab is definitely cheaper than travel by train. A 24 hour train ticket costs 8CHF. The automated ticket vending machine is a complex maze even for a tech savvy guy like me. That a ticket has to be validated in a machine after buying from a person at the counter is perplexing. Traveling on NJ transit I often wonder as to why we still have conductors on trains, an anachronism in the electronic age. Zurich is excellently networked with trams and buses. All public transport is ultra swanky, punctual to a second, very eco-friendly. The route is displayed on a LCD screen with the time to reach the stations displayed and its an accurate prediction. If it says 1 min to "Radiostudio" it is 1 min.
Food is very expensive in Zurich. A Jack Daniels burger at TGIF near my home is $8 the same burger at a TGI-Friday near Grand Central Station NY is $14. Zurich takes a NY price and multiplies it. Americans used to ordering off "dollar menu" at McD beware. Indian restaurants are in a class by themselves, any dinner at their restaurants would rip you off by $100 minimum for 2 people. I am talking regular janata Indian restaurants.
I inquired the hotel about shopping and as helpful ever they gave a nice brochure giving the store layout on Bahnhofstrasse the primary shopping street. One half of the street was supposedly affordable shopping the other half well if you can afford it congratulate yourself. My dad needed a pair of slippers badly and we were glad to find a....BATA. Yes Bata it is. So we bought a pair of slippers, pretty OK at 30CHF. The toy shop was cool but we could not find anything suitable to pack or bring over. That was a disappointment. However we found a good toy at the airport later, never seen such nice faux fur on toys in US. Our dress shopping was very unsuccessful. When you see a Tommy Hilfiger knitted T-shirt at 80CHF, after 50% discount what can you do but just keep it back. The same T-shirt costs $30 at a nearby factory outlet. Ag well in US we have factory outlet for LIndt chocolates too, where 'irregular shaped' chocolates are sold at disccount. I was very surprised to see the Tommy shop located close to Salvatore Ferragamo, Hugo Boss and Zegna. The latter 3 are uber luxury brands. Having been used to buying Boss shirts in Nordstrom during Men's half yearly sale at $50-70 I coud not fathom the prices there.
We stopped by a perfume shop. We saw the usual brands of Chanel, Bulgari etc. We got a ladies perfume of a brand not sold in US. I saw a piggy bank like bottle with a tap and inquired. Its a refil bottle with 1 liter perfume costing $3500. I found the idea of refilling a perfume to be unique. Make up sets from Shiseido were there. Shiseido factory is just 2 minutes from my home in NJ and they hold a mega annual sale at throwaway prices.
Finally we decided only one thing could be genuinely bought in Zurich. Chocolates. We spotted Sprungli. Sprungli is the producer of Lindt chocolates and is famous for chocolates and ice cream served at their cafe. The ice-cream was truly delicious. Lindt sells only a fraction of the flavors in US. The "luxemburgerlies" macaroons were just too good. We were advised by the cashier to eat them ASAP. They are delicate. Check out the Lindt history at http://www.lindtusa.com/info-exec/display/lindt_heritage . I bought some champagne filled chocolates and few other varieties.
Given the cost of living, standards of living I was curious about Switzerland's taxation. I thought it must be much higher than US, but its actually lower than US. By every economic criterion other than GDP Switzerland is a better place to be. But US remains the super power with a 12 trillion dollar economy. It may be as easy to start a business in Zurich as in NY but it is certainly easier to hire immigrants and access a much wider talent pool in NY than Zurich. Walking through NYC one can sense that it is a cauldron of ethnicities, Zurich is more homogenously caucasian. NYC, especially Times Square, throbs with life, its a city that never sleeps. Zurich goes to sleep at 8 PM. Well that's true of entire Europe including UK. Switzerland has a Germanic influence mostly, the Eastern part comprising Geneva is distinctly French. Military service is compulsory in Switzerland. They claim it is to defend their neutrality.
We finally wound up on Aug 8th. Zurich airport is sprawling and would put to shame JFK in NY. Terminal 5, the new terminal, at Heathrow and Zurich airport are ages ahead of any US airport.
When I flew out of Heathrow to US I chose Virgin Atlantic. I experienced first hand why Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic rails against British Airways being treated favorably since it is government owned. BA has monopoly over the multi-billion new terminal 5. Virgin Atlantic shares a terminal,3, that would make central station Madras look more organized.
As we boarded the flight from Zurich to Heathrow I saw an in-flight magazine with a cover story titled "Surviving the family vacation". I survived mine but hey its family after all.
Switzerland is plain expensive. For a group of 3+ traveling by cab is definitely cheaper than travel by train. A 24 hour train ticket costs 8CHF. The automated ticket vending machine is a complex maze even for a tech savvy guy like me. That a ticket has to be validated in a machine after buying from a person at the counter is perplexing. Traveling on NJ transit I often wonder as to why we still have conductors on trains, an anachronism in the electronic age. Zurich is excellently networked with trams and buses. All public transport is ultra swanky, punctual to a second, very eco-friendly. The route is displayed on a LCD screen with the time to reach the stations displayed and its an accurate prediction. If it says 1 min to "Radiostudio" it is 1 min.
Food is very expensive in Zurich. A Jack Daniels burger at TGIF near my home is $8 the same burger at a TGI-Friday near Grand Central Station NY is $14. Zurich takes a NY price and multiplies it. Americans used to ordering off "dollar menu" at McD beware. Indian restaurants are in a class by themselves, any dinner at their restaurants would rip you off by $100 minimum for 2 people. I am talking regular janata Indian restaurants.
I inquired the hotel about shopping and as helpful ever they gave a nice brochure giving the store layout on Bahnhofstrasse the primary shopping street. One half of the street was supposedly affordable shopping the other half well if you can afford it congratulate yourself. My dad needed a pair of slippers badly and we were glad to find a....BATA. Yes Bata it is. So we bought a pair of slippers, pretty OK at 30CHF. The toy shop was cool but we could not find anything suitable to pack or bring over. That was a disappointment. However we found a good toy at the airport later, never seen such nice faux fur on toys in US. Our dress shopping was very unsuccessful. When you see a Tommy Hilfiger knitted T-shirt at 80CHF, after 50% discount what can you do but just keep it back. The same T-shirt costs $30 at a nearby factory outlet. Ag well in US we have factory outlet for LIndt chocolates too, where 'irregular shaped' chocolates are sold at disccount. I was very surprised to see the Tommy shop located close to Salvatore Ferragamo, Hugo Boss and Zegna. The latter 3 are uber luxury brands. Having been used to buying Boss shirts in Nordstrom during Men's half yearly sale at $50-70 I coud not fathom the prices there.
We stopped by a perfume shop. We saw the usual brands of Chanel, Bulgari etc. We got a ladies perfume of a brand not sold in US. I saw a piggy bank like bottle with a tap and inquired. Its a refil bottle with 1 liter perfume costing $3500. I found the idea of refilling a perfume to be unique. Make up sets from Shiseido were there. Shiseido factory is just 2 minutes from my home in NJ and they hold a mega annual sale at throwaway prices.
Finally we decided only one thing could be genuinely bought in Zurich. Chocolates. We spotted Sprungli. Sprungli is the producer of Lindt chocolates and is famous for chocolates and ice cream served at their cafe. The ice-cream was truly delicious. Lindt sells only a fraction of the flavors in US. The "luxemburgerlies" macaroons were just too good. We were advised by the cashier to eat them ASAP. They are delicate. Check out the Lindt history at http://www.lindtusa.com/info-exec/display/lindt_heritage . I bought some champagne filled chocolates and few other varieties.
By the way Swiss watches are certainly more expensive in Zurich than in NY.
Given the cost of living, standards of living I was curious about Switzerland's taxation. I thought it must be much higher than US, but its actually lower than US. By every economic criterion other than GDP Switzerland is a better place to be. But US remains the super power with a 12 trillion dollar economy. It may be as easy to start a business in Zurich as in NY but it is certainly easier to hire immigrants and access a much wider talent pool in NY than Zurich. Walking through NYC one can sense that it is a cauldron of ethnicities, Zurich is more homogenously caucasian. NYC, especially Times Square, throbs with life, its a city that never sleeps. Zurich goes to sleep at 8 PM. Well that's true of entire Europe including UK. Switzerland has a Germanic influence mostly, the Eastern part comprising Geneva is distinctly French. Military service is compulsory in Switzerland. They claim it is to defend their neutrality.
We finally wound up on Aug 8th. Zurich airport is sprawling and would put to shame JFK in NY. Terminal 5, the new terminal, at Heathrow and Zurich airport are ages ahead of any US airport.
When I flew out of Heathrow to US I chose Virgin Atlantic. I experienced first hand why Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic rails against British Airways being treated favorably since it is government owned. BA has monopoly over the multi-billion new terminal 5. Virgin Atlantic shares a terminal,3, that would make central station Madras look more organized.
As we boarded the flight from Zurich to Heathrow I saw an in-flight magazine with a cover story titled "Surviving the family vacation". I survived mine but hey its family after all.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Zurich 2: Hindi at Mt.Titlis
My rationale for choosing Zurich than Lucerne or Interlaken is because it was the most easily accessible by train from Paris. However from the outset the idea was to take some day tour to Alps region. The best one to see is Jungfraujoch but its a 12 hour trip, with a kid it was impossible. The next choice was to go to Mt.Titlis. Its a 8 hour trip from Zurich. The group tours, by bus, depart from Sihlquai near the main train station. Our bus tour was to include a stop in the famously picturesque city of Lucerne en route to Titlis. Only when I reached the departure point did I see another tour operator going straight to Titlis, ah well one can only do so much from so far. I shall tell later as to why that would have been a better choice.
It's an hour and half drive to Lucerne from Zurich. The route reminded me a lot about Kodai. Ooty is ugly while Kodai is cleaner, at least in 90's. The Blue ridge skyway trail in the Smoky mountain bordering Tennessee and N.Carolina is famous for its scenic trail but it was a huge disappointment for me, typical American marketing hype. This drive though was really beautiful.
Once we reached the city the tour guide pointed out the famous Chapel Bridge decked with flowers. Window sills in homes were usually decked with flower pots. Lucerne is really exotically beautiful, one has to really experience it. We stopped for 40 minutes, supposedly to eat and shop. But time was not sufficient for neither activity. The bus actually stopped in an upscale shopping area that had lakeside restuarants. I don't know if they get some commission, I bet they do. The guide told us to be punctual because any delays at Lucerne would shorten the time at Titlis. One raucous family promptly disregarded it and delayed the bus for 15 minutes. We proceeded further to a rest area over looking Lucerne lake. Here we dropped off those going to Mt.Pilatus, also part of lower Alps, no snow. Another 20 minutes goes by. By now I regretted not going directly to Titlis or doing it on my own like I did at Versailles.
From Lucerne it was another hour's drive to Engelberg from where we ascended to Titlis via multi-stage cable cars. Our guide cautioned us that the cable car would stop at a junction but not to get off since we were to go to the very top. At the junction he warned about I was surprised to see a notice in Hindi saying "Do not get out please sit to to go Titlis". The final leg of the journey was the much advertised "rotair - 360 deg rotating cable car ride". We disembarked from our six seater car and lned up for Rotair. Suddenly a bottleneck. Guess what, a large family stood at the entrance for a picture, the one who took the picture took his sweet time. Indians. The Rotair ride was cool. The floor rotates 360 deg giving a good view of the mountainous range.
Having seen Hindi on the way up I must have expected Indian food at the restaurant. My parents were happy to see rice and curry served atop Titlis. The climate was balmy, our jackets lugged from NJ were a bother. A small chair ride called "Ice Flyer" took us atop a small hilly stretch. A little scary when there is a kid who has to sit to without a seat belt. I found the safety standards a tad lax compared to US. I guess not much of suing or ambulance chasing trial lawyers in Switzerland. I'd rather do snow tubing in Pennsylvania than at Titlis. The snow capped mountains were a sight to see. Jungfrau or Rigi would be more scenic. In fact Rigi is a popular ski resort.
Our trip down to Engelberg had a surpise. A sort of dhaaba was set up selling idli/vadai etc. For once the prices were OK. But we had to argue that vadai needs chutney not another bhajji. The masala chai was great.
That evening we went in search of Indian food for my mom. We went to that "Kerala" restaurant. They had only dinner buffet at 39CHF (almost 38 USD) per head. My head spinned a Indian buffet in US costs $15 max. At $38 per person for 3 adults it was too expensive. We got out. Not wanting to disappoint my mom I inquired 2 Indians standing at the station if there was another restaurant. Thanks to a Sri Lankan tamilian we found aSouth Indian restaurant close by. I really had to budget out and plan the dinner at a Tamil restaurant!!! Idli was 25CHF, Masala dosai 18CHF, Thali meals 30CHF, note Swiss Franc CHF was almost on parity with USD so each price is almost the same in USD. If I can get chicken pizza for 15CHF why not chicken curry too. Its the same bloody question as in US. Indian hoteliers think they are cooking something very exotic with ingredients rare to get and with chefs rare to procure. Neither are true. If an Italian can give affordable pizza in Switzerland why not Indian? In both Indian restaurants I was not surprised to see a single Indian eating, only whites who probably thought they are paying for ethnic cuisine. Swiss restaurants are expensive to eat and Indians true to form take it several notches higher.
The only jarring experience was at an Italian restaurant. We ordered 2 medium sized pizzas for 4 adults like we always do at PIzza Hut or any pizzeria. The server refused to give additional plates and in fact snatched the appetiser plate Preeth already had. Well if he can show his Swiss temper I had to show my American temper. We practically took the pizzas on napkins and ate it off cleanly. I later inquired and found that it is indeed true that no additional plates are given. Charging for water, no extra plates...boy the Europeans are truly snobbish. God bless TGI Friday next to my home which gives free water, any number of plates and crayons with paper to draw for kids, oh the kids get a kiddie cup with lid lest they spill.
The next day after shopping we did go back to "Kerala", since we decided to forego a trip a Lucerne I thought I have monetary leeway to do this. It was horribly overpriced but the food was just fantastic. The biryani was just out of the world. We ordered a second helping. The bill was a whopping 200CHF but at least we ate well.
About Zurich transport, shopping, Swiss economy in the next blog.
It's an hour and half drive to Lucerne from Zurich. The route reminded me a lot about Kodai. Ooty is ugly while Kodai is cleaner, at least in 90's. The Blue ridge skyway trail in the Smoky mountain bordering Tennessee and N.Carolina is famous for its scenic trail but it was a huge disappointment for me, typical American marketing hype. This drive though was really beautiful.
Once we reached the city the tour guide pointed out the famous Chapel Bridge decked with flowers. Window sills in homes were usually decked with flower pots. Lucerne is really exotically beautiful, one has to really experience it. We stopped for 40 minutes, supposedly to eat and shop. But time was not sufficient for neither activity. The bus actually stopped in an upscale shopping area that had lakeside restuarants. I don't know if they get some commission, I bet they do. The guide told us to be punctual because any delays at Lucerne would shorten the time at Titlis. One raucous family promptly disregarded it and delayed the bus for 15 minutes. We proceeded further to a rest area over looking Lucerne lake. Here we dropped off those going to Mt.Pilatus, also part of lower Alps, no snow. Another 20 minutes goes by. By now I regretted not going directly to Titlis or doing it on my own like I did at Versailles.
From Lucerne it was another hour's drive to Engelberg from where we ascended to Titlis via multi-stage cable cars. Our guide cautioned us that the cable car would stop at a junction but not to get off since we were to go to the very top. At the junction he warned about I was surprised to see a notice in Hindi saying "Do not get out please sit to to go Titlis". The final leg of the journey was the much advertised "rotair - 360 deg rotating cable car ride". We disembarked from our six seater car and lned up for Rotair. Suddenly a bottleneck. Guess what, a large family stood at the entrance for a picture, the one who took the picture took his sweet time. Indians. The Rotair ride was cool. The floor rotates 360 deg giving a good view of the mountainous range.
Having seen Hindi on the way up I must have expected Indian food at the restaurant. My parents were happy to see rice and curry served atop Titlis. The climate was balmy, our jackets lugged from NJ were a bother. A small chair ride called "Ice Flyer" took us atop a small hilly stretch. A little scary when there is a kid who has to sit to without a seat belt. I found the safety standards a tad lax compared to US. I guess not much of suing or ambulance chasing trial lawyers in Switzerland. I'd rather do snow tubing in Pennsylvania than at Titlis. The snow capped mountains were a sight to see. Jungfrau or Rigi would be more scenic. In fact Rigi is a popular ski resort.
Our trip down to Engelberg had a surpise. A sort of dhaaba was set up selling idli/vadai etc. For once the prices were OK. But we had to argue that vadai needs chutney not another bhajji. The masala chai was great.
That evening we went in search of Indian food for my mom. We went to that "Kerala" restaurant. They had only dinner buffet at 39CHF (almost 38 USD) per head. My head spinned a Indian buffet in US costs $15 max. At $38 per person for 3 adults it was too expensive. We got out. Not wanting to disappoint my mom I inquired 2 Indians standing at the station if there was another restaurant. Thanks to a Sri Lankan tamilian we found aSouth Indian restaurant close by. I really had to budget out and plan the dinner at a Tamil restaurant!!! Idli was 25CHF, Masala dosai 18CHF, Thali meals 30CHF, note Swiss Franc CHF was almost on parity with USD so each price is almost the same in USD. If I can get chicken pizza for 15CHF why not chicken curry too. Its the same bloody question as in US. Indian hoteliers think they are cooking something very exotic with ingredients rare to get and with chefs rare to procure. Neither are true. If an Italian can give affordable pizza in Switzerland why not Indian? In both Indian restaurants I was not surprised to see a single Indian eating, only whites who probably thought they are paying for ethnic cuisine. Swiss restaurants are expensive to eat and Indians true to form take it several notches higher.
The only jarring experience was at an Italian restaurant. We ordered 2 medium sized pizzas for 4 adults like we always do at PIzza Hut or any pizzeria. The server refused to give additional plates and in fact snatched the appetiser plate Preeth already had. Well if he can show his Swiss temper I had to show my American temper. We practically took the pizzas on napkins and ate it off cleanly. I later inquired and found that it is indeed true that no additional plates are given. Charging for water, no extra plates...boy the Europeans are truly snobbish. God bless TGI Friday next to my home which gives free water, any number of plates and crayons with paper to draw for kids, oh the kids get a kiddie cup with lid lest they spill.
The next day after shopping we did go back to "Kerala", since we decided to forego a trip a Lucerne I thought I have monetary leeway to do this. It was horribly overpriced but the food was just fantastic. The biryani was just out of the world. We ordered a second helping. The bill was a whopping 200CHF but at least we ate well.
About Zurich transport, shopping, Swiss economy in the next blog.
Zurich:Very expensive and very beautiful.
On Aug 5th we left Paris for Zurich aboard TGV. A very comfortable 5 hour ride to Zurich. Only when we reached Basel did immigration officers get on board and asked for passports/visa. Having a US passport makes a difference. No questions asked. When we got off at Hauptbahnhof, Zurich's main station, just as at Paris, no immigration check in. Again we were stuck not able to take a trolley just because we lacked 2CHF in coins. Have they not heard of credit cards???
As a westerner we do take it for granted to find an "information booth" that is manned to answer questions. With their help we found our way to the taxi stand. Yet again the same problem of 5 passengers. A cabbie was polite enough to use his cell phone to call in a mini-van cab. Such mini-van cabs do not charge much more than a car. Off we went to Marriott at Max Bill Platz. We crossed by a drab looking Indian restaurant called "Kerala" on our way, our cabbie said it was close to the hotel we were staying.
After checking in at the hotel I inquired about booking a trip to Mt Titlis, part of Alps. The hotel receptionist helped us with the booking. It cost 140 CHF per person. Then off we went shopping at a mall opposite the hotel.
Coop is Zurich's grocery store. I was irritated that we could not get a shopping cart, again for lack of coins. At the grocery store next to my home we grab shopping carts at will and drop them off close to our car when we leave. Thanks to low-priced immigrant labor some guy would then collect all of them. No such thing in Switzerland. We grabbed a shopping basket instead, luckily being a basket they cannot latch them together like carts. Even at one look we could realise that the quality of food, the cartons, the packaging etc were a shade superior. Especially when it came to dairy products and fruits they were a cut above US grocery stores, well its Switzerland after all. The strawberries were the luscious best. We finished some quick grocery shopping picking up some lassi (yes lassi and it was much better than what I was used to in Madras and Tanjore), milk, fruits, bread, chocolates etc.
That mall had a "One franc store" akin to the dollar stores we see in US. It had the same pungent smell. I did not venture in.
A small pizzeria was our best introduction to how the Swiss love artistic settings. I had a wonderfully seasoned gnocchi served in nice polished wooden tray. Zurich was all about cleanliness. Even the small deli is clean and serving wares are pretty classy. That said when I came to know McD opens at 10 AM, no breakfast, I just wished for the American type. Just today morning I was at NYC McD and a Spanish speaking girl took my order for pancakes at 7:00 AM. I shall save more comparisons for later. When a McD server tells you "please take your seat, I shall bring the burger to your seat" and you get it 10 mins later you know you are in a different culture. This from McD that in US measures its serving time for drive-through in milli-seconds.
On Thursday, Aug 6th, we had "American Breakfast" at the hotel, the only difference between "American" and "Continental" is that "American" includes the hot omlettes, cereals etc. A kind of cereal made up like cole slaw was just delicious. Off we went to join the bus tour to Mt Titlis.
As a westerner we do take it for granted to find an "information booth" that is manned to answer questions. With their help we found our way to the taxi stand. Yet again the same problem of 5 passengers. A cabbie was polite enough to use his cell phone to call in a mini-van cab. Such mini-van cabs do not charge much more than a car. Off we went to Marriott at Max Bill Platz. We crossed by a drab looking Indian restaurant called "Kerala" on our way, our cabbie said it was close to the hotel we were staying.
After checking in at the hotel I inquired about booking a trip to Mt Titlis, part of Alps. The hotel receptionist helped us with the booking. It cost 140 CHF per person. Then off we went shopping at a mall opposite the hotel.
Coop is Zurich's grocery store. I was irritated that we could not get a shopping cart, again for lack of coins. At the grocery store next to my home we grab shopping carts at will and drop them off close to our car when we leave. Thanks to low-priced immigrant labor some guy would then collect all of them. No such thing in Switzerland. We grabbed a shopping basket instead, luckily being a basket they cannot latch them together like carts. Even at one look we could realise that the quality of food, the cartons, the packaging etc were a shade superior. Especially when it came to dairy products and fruits they were a cut above US grocery stores, well its Switzerland after all. The strawberries were the luscious best. We finished some quick grocery shopping picking up some lassi (yes lassi and it was much better than what I was used to in Madras and Tanjore), milk, fruits, bread, chocolates etc.
That mall had a "One franc store" akin to the dollar stores we see in US. It had the same pungent smell. I did not venture in.
A small pizzeria was our best introduction to how the Swiss love artistic settings. I had a wonderfully seasoned gnocchi served in nice polished wooden tray. Zurich was all about cleanliness. Even the small deli is clean and serving wares are pretty classy. That said when I came to know McD opens at 10 AM, no breakfast, I just wished for the American type. Just today morning I was at NYC McD and a Spanish speaking girl took my order for pancakes at 7:00 AM. I shall save more comparisons for later. When a McD server tells you "please take your seat, I shall bring the burger to your seat" and you get it 10 mins later you know you are in a different culture. This from McD that in US measures its serving time for drive-through in milli-seconds.
On Thursday, Aug 6th, we had "American Breakfast" at the hotel, the only difference between "American" and "Continental" is that "American" includes the hot omlettes, cereals etc. A kind of cereal made up like cole slaw was just delicious. Off we went to join the bus tour to Mt Titlis.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
French Interlude: Michael Jackson and Learning in English
I started typing out a blog for the Zurich part of our trip but decided to write some more on Paris and somethings I observed.
My professor once said that I am, like him, "an incorrigible bibliophile". Owing to my compressed schedule I could do no shopping in Paris nor could I really savor the city. I consoled myself with a visit to a "librairie" (you guessed it, its French for 'book store', isn't English a great language?) at Gare de Est while waiting for the train to Zurich.
I was really surprised to see Michael Jackson related books and CD's. My surprise was foremost about the fact that the supposedly artsy snotty French would partake in the commercial benefits of selling Michael Jackson memorabilia. Or maybe the French truly love the self-styled King of Pop. What we think of the French based on media filters maybe as much true as what they think of America thanks to "Le Monde". Also contrary to what I heard I was never snubbed for asking in English, probably my Indian skin does not elicit the same derision as a white American might elicit if he spoke in English.
The Blu-ray DVD section had almost exclusively Hollywood movies, in French though. Not sure of the quality of dubbing. Hollywood is pretty pervasive in Paris (I dare not say entire France, don't know about that). Seeing the cinema posters on walls I was reminded of Mount Road in Madras, never seen the likes of it in US.
By hindsight it is surprising there is no famous museum for the French Revolution. The Smithsonian museum of history in Washington DC does justice to the American revolution. South Carolina and Virginia have a smattering of museums dedicated to Civil War. Also given the failure of French revolution I do not understand why, in popular imagination, it is more revered than the American one. The latter yielded a true republic, flawed yes, but a republic nevertheless. Even the Bastille is not a popular stop on the hop-on hop-off tours. Coming to think of it the world knows about French revolution through Dickens, an English writer, than through Carlyle. Who can forget the beginning of 'A tale of 2 cities', "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times". I studied it in my 7th grade as non-detailed text.
I saw Robert Ludlum books, Malcolm Gladwell's latest bestseller etc in French. It would be pertinent to point out that French bestsellers translated in English sell at bookstores in US. Its this traffic of ideas that is important. This is what is absent for vernacular languages in India. For a Tamilian with no knowledge of English or any other languages is totally bereft of such reading and wallows in linguistic philistinism.
I was much more surprised by several ads by a company that wanted to teach English to the French in order to get "Wall street type jobs". Who would have thought that French would love to learn English? Well money talks.
The state of Paris underground trains, the pathetic state of an arterial terminus, the stark poverty in the outskirts, the palpable racial tension were all sad blemishes in a beautiful city. I never understood why train doors have to be manually opened at a station. Also I found most places to be unfriendly to seniors/disabled people. US is clearly a leader in friendliness to the physically challenged.
2 days of lightning tourism is no justification to form any considered opinion of a great city or a country's culture but we nevertheless form opinions and do comparisons.
My professor once said that I am, like him, "an incorrigible bibliophile". Owing to my compressed schedule I could do no shopping in Paris nor could I really savor the city. I consoled myself with a visit to a "librairie" (you guessed it, its French for 'book store', isn't English a great language?) at Gare de Est while waiting for the train to Zurich.
I was really surprised to see Michael Jackson related books and CD's. My surprise was foremost about the fact that the supposedly artsy snotty French would partake in the commercial benefits of selling Michael Jackson memorabilia. Or maybe the French truly love the self-styled King of Pop. What we think of the French based on media filters maybe as much true as what they think of America thanks to "Le Monde". Also contrary to what I heard I was never snubbed for asking in English, probably my Indian skin does not elicit the same derision as a white American might elicit if he spoke in English.
The Blu-ray DVD section had almost exclusively Hollywood movies, in French though. Not sure of the quality of dubbing. Hollywood is pretty pervasive in Paris (I dare not say entire France, don't know about that). Seeing the cinema posters on walls I was reminded of Mount Road in Madras, never seen the likes of it in US.
By hindsight it is surprising there is no famous museum for the French Revolution. The Smithsonian museum of history in Washington DC does justice to the American revolution. South Carolina and Virginia have a smattering of museums dedicated to Civil War. Also given the failure of French revolution I do not understand why, in popular imagination, it is more revered than the American one. The latter yielded a true republic, flawed yes, but a republic nevertheless. Even the Bastille is not a popular stop on the hop-on hop-off tours. Coming to think of it the world knows about French revolution through Dickens, an English writer, than through Carlyle. Who can forget the beginning of 'A tale of 2 cities', "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times". I studied it in my 7th grade as non-detailed text.
I saw Robert Ludlum books, Malcolm Gladwell's latest bestseller etc in French. It would be pertinent to point out that French bestsellers translated in English sell at bookstores in US. Its this traffic of ideas that is important. This is what is absent for vernacular languages in India. For a Tamilian with no knowledge of English or any other languages is totally bereft of such reading and wallows in linguistic philistinism.
I was much more surprised by several ads by a company that wanted to teach English to the French in order to get "Wall street type jobs". Who would have thought that French would love to learn English? Well money talks.
The state of Paris underground trains, the pathetic state of an arterial terminus, the stark poverty in the outskirts, the palpable racial tension were all sad blemishes in a beautiful city. I never understood why train doors have to be manually opened at a station. Also I found most places to be unfriendly to seniors/disabled people. US is clearly a leader in friendliness to the physically challenged.
2 days of lightning tourism is no justification to form any considered opinion of a great city or a country's culture but we nevertheless form opinions and do comparisons.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Paris Day 2: Versailles and Eiffel Tower
I wanted to visit either Chartres or Versailles outside Paris, those destinations are not popular with Indians. I balked at joining a group bus tours because I had a child and aging parents who cannot keep up with the tempo of such group tours. I called Marriott ahead and checked out the options. Also thanks to the net, West Windsor library and Barnes & Noble I could plan it out in detail complete with which trains to take etc. Most commentators on the net suggested buying tickets to the palace ahead of time because that alone would take several hours. Also thankfully I checked the musem timings. Internet is a great blessing. Travel agents are an anachronism these days for the motivated traveller. We were scheduled to be in Paris on Monday and Tuesday. Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and Versailles is closed on Mondays. So my agenda was cut out.
Versailles is easily accessible by train. From Carrefour Pleyel, near hotel, we took a train to 'Invalides', changed to another train towards 'Versailles Rive Gauche'. The palace is walkable distance from the station. Bus tours typically take you close to the gates. Travelling by train, for 5, saved 100 euros. More importantly no tour operator to keep pushing us. I shall not dwell on the history of Versailles which can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles . If Windsor Castle was grand Versailles was opulent. Each room had benches to rest our feet. The biggest draw was the 'hall of mirrors'. A very large room with its walls lined with mirrors facing the sun with grand chandeliers, gilded statues is a sight to behold. Whether its Versailles or Windsor Castle or Eiffel tower photos are no substitute to savoring in person. Photos are impersonal. What you feel when you stand looking at such spectacular sights is irreplaceable. You take back a memory that is a confluence of your own personal tastes, idiosyncrasies etc. While its easy to be awed by such palaces we should bear in mind the squalid state of the populace and the wars behind such expenses. The 'Versailles treaty' which ended world War I was signed in the hall of mirrors, that treaty sowed the seeds for Hitler and World War II.
Napoleon's presence looms at Versailles. A wall long portrait capturing his coronation, crowning Josephine is popular. Napoleon crowned himself 'emperor' disgusting Beethoven who was about to dedicate his 3rd symphony tore out the title page and later called it 'Eroica'.
The gardens of Versailles spans several hundred acres dotted by rest areas and good speakers that play classical music. Better to hire a battery car if one wants to see the gardens in full. I just took a small stroll. Feeling hungry we stepped into a cafe on our way out. We had the best fruit tart and creme brulee. The yogurt was its creamy best, delicious. We then headed to the hotel for a much needed rest.
In the evening I, Preeth and Rowena went out to go to the top of Eiffel tower. I wanted to have dinner Paris style in a bistro. So off we went to Champs Elysees and found a bistro serving Italian cuisine. Pizzerias and Italian cuisine dominates Paris. After dinner we headed to Eiffel tower.
The queue at one of the pillars was short enough. Engraved on the Eiffel tower are names of Mathematicians and scientists. Nice to see science being honored. Many have seen photos of Eiffel but it is indeed an experience to such a geometrical structure. The cable cars, 2 storied, climbing on a curve inside the pillars counterweighed with massive pistons is amazing design. We went right up to the top. On a clear night it was fantastic. Having been on the top of Empire state building it was kind of anti climactic. We spent barely 10 mins atop the tower. Totally it took 2.5 hours but it looked like 5 hours thanks to the many queues we had to stand in.
I learnt an important lesson. Better book a hotel in the heart of the city. The money spent extra is worthwhile. Its better to stay, say near Champs Elysees. What we saved on the hotel room by staying on the outskirts I had to instead spend on transport, eating much expensive hotel breakfast to save time when we left early for Versailles. Food is expensive in Europe. Even water, tap water at that, is charged almost close to a glass of wine. But almost every place, non-Indian restaurants, use nice silver ware, coffee is served with a dark chocolate. Yet again Mc Donalds was pretty swanky and pricey. McD has a more ubiquitous presence than its competitors.
We did not stay long enough or venture outside Paris too much we could not really savor France. Paris city is truly fashionable and much cleaner than the slum lined way to St.Denis. English was more than enough to get along. It does not take a genius to figure out 'office de tourismus' is 'office of tourism'. People were pretty helpful. Cabbies do not cheat. I think, cabbies cheating, is a disease unique to Tamil Nadu, not even in Mumbai or Delhi its as bad. Anyone whom I inquired answered pretty easily in English. Not sure if that would be the case outside Paris city.
On August 5th we had to leave for Zurich by train from Paris. I missed many a sight in Paris. The Musee D' Orsay, Invalides (Napoleon's tomb), the Pantheon (houses Foucoult's Pendulum), Notre Dame inside, watch a show at Lido etc.
We left for Zurich about France's high speed TGV from Gare De Est. Gare De Est unlike Gare Du Nord was squeky clean. Though we were crossing from one country to another (Zurich) there was no immigration check. Pretty scary in a post 9/11 world. Unlike Eurostar food was not free aboard TGV. Having been used to styrofoam cups for coffee in US it was nice being served in designer quality dishes, nice solid clean spoons. The Europeans do love leisure and the US is, after all home to Dewey's Pragmatism. Au Revoir France.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Europe Vacation 2: Paris
We arrived in Paris on Aug 2nd evening 4 PM. I did not factor in the local time of Paris being an hour ahead of UK so we had to scramble at Gare du Nord to get out. Du Nord was very much like central station, Madras. As an Indian who has lived in US for 11 years my prism of reference was a juxtaposed frame including India (to lesser extent) and US (mostly). The vehicle trolleys were interlocked and required 2 euros to unlock. No credit card facility unlike US. A kind woman seeing us with a child lent 2 euros. I paid her $5, more than what was the rate but we needed the coins.
Trying to get a cab was more chaotic for 5 passengers. We finally decided to split up. Two cabbies, ours a woman, drove us to Marriott at St.Denis, just outside Paris city. The route was just ugly, imagine Renganathan Street, Madras and multiply it 100 times, take away even the little cleanliness on R.Street. It was Paris' seedy underbelly. The French disdain for Hollywood is well known but Hollywood reigns. I saw many a poster for movies. We checked into the hotel, freshened up and hired a cab for Eiffel tower. Being the first day I was not comfy with trains.
Seeing Eiffel tower was anti-climactic for my dad, Preeth felt elated. The area around Eiffel tower had souvenir vendors hawking ugly cheap replicas of Eiffel tower "3 for one Euro". Most vendors were Blacks, mostly from Morocco. France's colonisation of Northern Africa is a much bloody one. Even today France's colonial interests hold sway in Africa (that is why American's foam at their mouth when France lectures US). The hawkers were frequently chased by the cops, all white cops. Every now and then tens of these Afro-American hawkers would run helter skelter across the esplanade near the tower, the white cops would chase them grinning like cheshire cats. One cannot miss the racial element there. France recently had an outburst of racial violence. Unemployment amongst blacks is in double digits. Just last month Sarkozy stirred the hornets nest saying "burqas are not welcome in France". Sikhs had to fight to keep their turbans on. France 'prohibits' showing off the religion in order to be secular. Undoubtedly method like these are self defeating.
We were hungry and went to the nearest restaurant. It was pricey but exquisite. Service was polite. Europe is an extremely difficult place for vegetarians especially those who cannot take salads. Even for non-veggies if they abhor veal/pork/beef the options are minimal. I've heard about Europe restaurants charging for water. Its true. In many places its cheaper to buy wine or for a few cents more you can get wine. English is truly a world language. I've survived with it easily in Paris/Zurich. In fact if your vocabulary is good many words would sound familiar. Credit cards are always swiped at the table.
Having fed ourselves we headed back to the tower. We wanted to go to the top. The queues were prohibitively long. Then we chose to go on a cruise on Seine. It was full moon night as we sailed on Seine listening to "le Paris" sung with an Edith Piaf like renditiion and "oh Champs Elysees". All along the banks of Seine many small parks were there with romantic couples. Nothing untoward though. Just simple love.
On Aug 3rd we started out early and headed to Louvre. When we visited London in 2003 we felt so easy to decipher the subway maps, trace the junctions to find changing trains etc thanks to having lived near NYC and DC. The same was true for Paris. The stations were dilapidated rivalling NYC subways. The trains were clunky metal boxes, the doors had to be manually opened. Louvre has a station right underneath. We took the tickets and headed to the 'toilets' (not restrooms as in US). We had to pay 2 euros for each. It was the most posh toilet I would ever see. The toilet papers were being sold at 9 euros a roll, they were artistic, they even had sudoku puzzles on them. We are ok wih buying charmin toilet rolls from Sam club, 16 rolls for $11, wipes as well these fancy ones.
The agenda was to see Mona Lisa. Everyone cautioned us to head out there as early as possible. So off we went. Da Vinci is a great crowd puller, more so after the blockbuster novel & movie. There are signs everywhere pointing to Mona Lisa. The small picture is housed in a glass encasement embedded in a huge standalone wall. Crowds mill around it. Its funny to see people snapping away with cell phone cameras from 30 feet away at the most famous picture in the world. Not even the best SLR can duplicate the eye and here are these guy using a cell phone, well each person to their own. There are thousands of art works. Da Vinci reigns supreme. Close second is Raphael. A bit of art knowledge would help, knowledge of Christian literature would certainly help. David slaying Goliath, St Michael, Madonna and the child, Stations of the cross are popular themes.
The statues were mostly of Greek gods, Diana the hunter etc. I was surprised to find the statues of all males showing them off in un-circumcised state. Circumcision was an important Judaic ritual. Some art historian might explain. But the hall of statues was no place for a prude. Knowledge of human anatomy owed a lot to these artists.
The famous glass pyramid is loved by many and hated by purists as having spoiled the purity of Louvre. Louvre was constructed as a fortress first. We did not have much notes on how France acquired all these treasures, mostly by Italians. What Shakespeare is to Stratford, Da Vinci is to Louvre. Its amazing how these two personalities stride like colossus.
Given my very compressed schedule this entire trip is more to get a flavor of the cities than to soak in the culture etc. So we skipped Musee De Orsay that houses art from Van Gogh etc. After Louvre we headed out and got onto a hop-on-hop-off. The first stop was Notre Dame church.
The Notre Dame church is immortalised in liturature by Victor Hugo's classic "hunchback of Notre Dame". On screen Anthony Quinn played the repulsive looking hunchback Quasimodo who would rescue Phoebe and shout "sanctuary, sanctuary", the famous gargoyles atop the steeples. Its an imposing work of faith. Thanks to a baby we had to hurry to a restaurant, then came the ticklish issue of finding some restaurant that would serve some palatable veggie stuff for my mom. Culinary taste mismatch in a group during tours can really be a flash point, a lesson learnt from an earlier trip with friends.
The bus tour was interesting from another perspective. Street names were "voltaire", "anatole france", "Montaigne" etc. France honors its literary giants.
The "Place de la Concord" where the guillotine stood during the revolution is chilling. An obelisk stands today and it marks one end of the majestic mile+ long Champs Elysees, with the other end marked by "Arc de triumph". Hearing the commentator say "this was where Marie Antoinette was guillotined" I thought of Edmund Burke's lament "I thought one thousand scabbards must have leapt out of their scabbards to avenge even one look that threatened her with insult, the age of chivalry is dead". Wordsworth sang of the revolution as "Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven". Unlike the American revolution, the French revoultion did not establish anything remotely democratic but only bequethed Napoleon, the Son of the revolution. Is it ironical then that Napoleon should construct an "arch of triumph" celebrating his military victories just opposite to where a queen was beheaded. Interestingly one railway line is named Robespierre after the most blood thirsty general of the revolution who himself was guillotined finally.
Champs Elysees is just like Rajpath, Pennsylvania Avenue in DC is a poor cousin of these two in imperiousness. Posh stores, typical parisian bistros, trees line the Elysees. When Paris was occupied in the War Nazis would take flag marches on this street to humiliate the French when finally America and Britain liberated Paris. Hitler's instructions was to burn Paris when his rump army retreated. He would ask "Is Paris burning". His general with the last remaining vestige of humanity in him refused to burn down worlds most beautiful city. Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins traced all this in "Is Paris Burning".
The trip to Louvre, Notre Dame visit, scurrying for restaurant, frayed tempers all tired us out and we headed for the hotel to cool down.
In the evening yet again I hunted for Indian restaurant since my mom was practically living on just soup and bread. We found one restaurant close to Notre Dame. Typical food, typical disappointments, typical frustrations. Interestingly the guy who served us was a Tamilian on a student visa. In our quick chat he expressed regret for not knowing Hindi enough. Mu.Kaa had crippled several generations with his linguistic chauvinism. We were seated near a window overlooing a very pictursque street lined with bistros. While I was eating undercooked, over priced, ill served Indian food, right outside my window people were sipping chardonnays on sitting on a rattan chair, tables with clean white linen, nice silver ware, ordering up nice pastas or desserts. Since we wanted to head out to Chateaux Versailles early next day we headed back to hotel after dinner. I was tad disappointed that we did not do little more sight seeing but then family was priority.
THe day I started dreaming up the Paris trip I was insistent on some day tour outside Paris, especially to Versailles. I shall stop for now. Versailles was the next day and I shall write about it and our trip to the top of Eiffel tower tomorrow.
Trying to get a cab was more chaotic for 5 passengers. We finally decided to split up. Two cabbies, ours a woman, drove us to Marriott at St.Denis, just outside Paris city. The route was just ugly, imagine Renganathan Street, Madras and multiply it 100 times, take away even the little cleanliness on R.Street. It was Paris' seedy underbelly. The French disdain for Hollywood is well known but Hollywood reigns. I saw many a poster for movies. We checked into the hotel, freshened up and hired a cab for Eiffel tower. Being the first day I was not comfy with trains.
Seeing Eiffel tower was anti-climactic for my dad, Preeth felt elated. The area around Eiffel tower had souvenir vendors hawking ugly cheap replicas of Eiffel tower "3 for one Euro". Most vendors were Blacks, mostly from Morocco. France's colonisation of Northern Africa is a much bloody one. Even today France's colonial interests hold sway in Africa (that is why American's foam at their mouth when France lectures US). The hawkers were frequently chased by the cops, all white cops. Every now and then tens of these Afro-American hawkers would run helter skelter across the esplanade near the tower, the white cops would chase them grinning like cheshire cats. One cannot miss the racial element there. France recently had an outburst of racial violence. Unemployment amongst blacks is in double digits. Just last month Sarkozy stirred the hornets nest saying "burqas are not welcome in France". Sikhs had to fight to keep their turbans on. France 'prohibits' showing off the religion in order to be secular. Undoubtedly method like these are self defeating.
We were hungry and went to the nearest restaurant. It was pricey but exquisite. Service was polite. Europe is an extremely difficult place for vegetarians especially those who cannot take salads. Even for non-veggies if they abhor veal/pork/beef the options are minimal. I've heard about Europe restaurants charging for water. Its true. In many places its cheaper to buy wine or for a few cents more you can get wine. English is truly a world language. I've survived with it easily in Paris/Zurich. In fact if your vocabulary is good many words would sound familiar. Credit cards are always swiped at the table.
Having fed ourselves we headed back to the tower. We wanted to go to the top. The queues were prohibitively long. Then we chose to go on a cruise on Seine. It was full moon night as we sailed on Seine listening to "le Paris" sung with an Edith Piaf like renditiion and "oh Champs Elysees". All along the banks of Seine many small parks were there with romantic couples. Nothing untoward though. Just simple love.
On Aug 3rd we started out early and headed to Louvre. When we visited London in 2003 we felt so easy to decipher the subway maps, trace the junctions to find changing trains etc thanks to having lived near NYC and DC. The same was true for Paris. The stations were dilapidated rivalling NYC subways. The trains were clunky metal boxes, the doors had to be manually opened. Louvre has a station right underneath. We took the tickets and headed to the 'toilets' (not restrooms as in US). We had to pay 2 euros for each. It was the most posh toilet I would ever see. The toilet papers were being sold at 9 euros a roll, they were artistic, they even had sudoku puzzles on them. We are ok wih buying charmin toilet rolls from Sam club, 16 rolls for $11, wipes as well these fancy ones.
The agenda was to see Mona Lisa. Everyone cautioned us to head out there as early as possible. So off we went. Da Vinci is a great crowd puller, more so after the blockbuster novel & movie. There are signs everywhere pointing to Mona Lisa. The small picture is housed in a glass encasement embedded in a huge standalone wall. Crowds mill around it. Its funny to see people snapping away with cell phone cameras from 30 feet away at the most famous picture in the world. Not even the best SLR can duplicate the eye and here are these guy using a cell phone, well each person to their own. There are thousands of art works. Da Vinci reigns supreme. Close second is Raphael. A bit of art knowledge would help, knowledge of Christian literature would certainly help. David slaying Goliath, St Michael, Madonna and the child, Stations of the cross are popular themes.
The statues were mostly of Greek gods, Diana the hunter etc. I was surprised to find the statues of all males showing them off in un-circumcised state. Circumcision was an important Judaic ritual. Some art historian might explain. But the hall of statues was no place for a prude. Knowledge of human anatomy owed a lot to these artists.
The famous glass pyramid is loved by many and hated by purists as having spoiled the purity of Louvre. Louvre was constructed as a fortress first. We did not have much notes on how France acquired all these treasures, mostly by Italians. What Shakespeare is to Stratford, Da Vinci is to Louvre. Its amazing how these two personalities stride like colossus.
Given my very compressed schedule this entire trip is more to get a flavor of the cities than to soak in the culture etc. So we skipped Musee De Orsay that houses art from Van Gogh etc. After Louvre we headed out and got onto a hop-on-hop-off. The first stop was Notre Dame church.
The Notre Dame church is immortalised in liturature by Victor Hugo's classic "hunchback of Notre Dame". On screen Anthony Quinn played the repulsive looking hunchback Quasimodo who would rescue Phoebe and shout "sanctuary, sanctuary", the famous gargoyles atop the steeples. Its an imposing work of faith. Thanks to a baby we had to hurry to a restaurant, then came the ticklish issue of finding some restaurant that would serve some palatable veggie stuff for my mom. Culinary taste mismatch in a group during tours can really be a flash point, a lesson learnt from an earlier trip with friends.
The bus tour was interesting from another perspective. Street names were "voltaire", "anatole france", "Montaigne" etc. France honors its literary giants.
The "Place de la Concord" where the guillotine stood during the revolution is chilling. An obelisk stands today and it marks one end of the majestic mile+ long Champs Elysees, with the other end marked by "Arc de triumph". Hearing the commentator say "this was where Marie Antoinette was guillotined" I thought of Edmund Burke's lament "I thought one thousand scabbards must have leapt out of their scabbards to avenge even one look that threatened her with insult, the age of chivalry is dead". Wordsworth sang of the revolution as "Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven". Unlike the American revolution, the French revoultion did not establish anything remotely democratic but only bequethed Napoleon, the Son of the revolution. Is it ironical then that Napoleon should construct an "arch of triumph" celebrating his military victories just opposite to where a queen was beheaded. Interestingly one railway line is named Robespierre after the most blood thirsty general of the revolution who himself was guillotined finally.
Champs Elysees is just like Rajpath, Pennsylvania Avenue in DC is a poor cousin of these two in imperiousness. Posh stores, typical parisian bistros, trees line the Elysees. When Paris was occupied in the War Nazis would take flag marches on this street to humiliate the French when finally America and Britain liberated Paris. Hitler's instructions was to burn Paris when his rump army retreated. He would ask "Is Paris burning". His general with the last remaining vestige of humanity in him refused to burn down worlds most beautiful city. Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins traced all this in "Is Paris Burning".
The trip to Louvre, Notre Dame visit, scurrying for restaurant, frayed tempers all tired us out and we headed for the hotel to cool down.
In the evening yet again I hunted for Indian restaurant since my mom was practically living on just soup and bread. We found one restaurant close to Notre Dame. Typical food, typical disappointments, typical frustrations. Interestingly the guy who served us was a Tamilian on a student visa. In our quick chat he expressed regret for not knowing Hindi enough. Mu.Kaa had crippled several generations with his linguistic chauvinism. We were seated near a window overlooing a very pictursque street lined with bistros. While I was eating undercooked, over priced, ill served Indian food, right outside my window people were sipping chardonnays on sitting on a rattan chair, tables with clean white linen, nice silver ware, ordering up nice pastas or desserts. Since we wanted to head out to Chateaux Versailles early next day we headed back to hotel after dinner. I was tad disappointed that we did not do little more sight seeing but then family was priority.
THe day I started dreaming up the Paris trip I was insistent on some day tour outside Paris, especially to Versailles. I shall stop for now. Versailles was the next day and I shall write about it and our trip to the top of Eiffel tower tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)