May 25 - Left Paris for Zurich
May 26 - Saw Zurich, Uetliberg & Rhine Falls. Left for Lausanne
May 27 - Lausanne, Ouchy, EPFL. Left for Interlaken
May 28 - Left for Jungfraujoch. Went till Kleine Shedigg. Got stuck. Managed to come down to Interlaken and miss my connections to Paris.
May 29 - Interlaken - Bern - Lausanne - Paris. Last leg in TGV !
Descriptions later
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Friday, 25 May 2007
Cooking up Stories - 1
Pranav and Shantanu's Experiments with Cook :
Normally - both try and avoid cooking. And our only claim to fame in the kitchen till today, has been heating the Pizza's in an oven & relishing them to the hearts contents!
Today Pranav's enthu got us as far as the grocery shop - Target 1 reached.
After a lot of brainstorming, we decided that (for confidential reasons) Sauce Napolitaine was better Sauce Sicilian. Pasta - Step 2.
Brought expensive soft bread, to go with the Pasta.
Target - Cheese Sauce :
Grated cheese using a knife, :P added Mirchi Powder for flavour, kept in a plastic container and into the microwave. 2 mins later - container has warped, cheese has mostly evaporated and mirchi powder gives a murderous intent.
Mission Aborted.
As a night sortie, we decide to move on to more achievable targets - Boil Water. Bonus targets - do it incident free :P, detect when the water is boiling appropiately.
5 mins later, speculations of steamy movements are spotted by aerial eyes, on the plains of water. Quickly moving in, Pranav makes an expert manoeuvre to rain down a stream of Oil, on the surface. Bonus targets achieved. Mission Aims updated.
As per instructions, from Wing Men, who have done this operation before, and more specifically Mohammad, the pasta is sliced at exactly at points indicated. The smaller part, as expected falls to ground into boiling water. 2 pairs of eyes, make remote observations as the resistance weakens and softness sets in. Smiling contently, the two make mental note of their c(r)uisine hours.
In a post-op log :
Pasta was well made, although not as tasty. Dollops of pickle had to me made, so that no Italian or for that matter European, would think it was a pasta. A hi5 later, our heroes close another experiment.
Normally - both try and avoid cooking. And our only claim to fame in the kitchen till today, has been heating the Pizza's in an oven & relishing them to the hearts contents!
Today Pranav's enthu got us as far as the grocery shop - Target 1 reached.
After a lot of brainstorming, we decided that (for confidential reasons) Sauce Napolitaine was better Sauce Sicilian. Pasta - Step 2.
Brought expensive soft bread, to go with the Pasta.
Target - Cheese Sauce :
Grated cheese using a knife, :P added Mirchi Powder for flavour, kept in a plastic container and into the microwave. 2 mins later - container has warped, cheese has mostly evaporated and mirchi powder gives a murderous intent.
Mission Aborted.
As a night sortie, we decide to move on to more achievable targets - Boil Water. Bonus targets - do it incident free :P, detect when the water is boiling appropiately.
5 mins later, speculations of steamy movements are spotted by aerial eyes, on the plains of water. Quickly moving in, Pranav makes an expert manoeuvre to rain down a stream of Oil, on the surface. Bonus targets achieved. Mission Aims updated.
As per instructions, from Wing Men, who have done this operation before, and more specifically Mohammad, the pasta is sliced at exactly at points indicated. The smaller part, as expected falls to ground into boiling water. 2 pairs of eyes, make remote observations as the resistance weakens and softness sets in. Smiling contently, the two make mental note of their c(r)uisine hours.
In a post-op log :
Pasta was well made, although not as tasty. Dollops of pickle had to me made, so that no Italian or for that matter European, would think it was a pasta. A hi5 later, our heroes close another experiment.
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
The Hitchhiker's [short] Guide to Paris.
Lesson 1 :-
Scope - Max!
Epilogue - If you succeed, come and finish this book!
--
Edit dated:- 31.05.2007
Got offered a lift, out of nowhere today :D.
Someone was leaving INRIA, late at night, quite like me. Pitied me walking all the way back. Dropped me off half a kilometer. Cheers!
Scope - Max!
Epilogue - If you succeed, come and finish this book!
--
Edit dated:- 31.05.2007
Got offered a lift, out of nowhere today :D.
Someone was leaving INRIA, late at night, quite like me. Pitied me walking all the way back. Dropped me off half a kilometer. Cheers!
Monday, 21 May 2007
Avez-vous su? - 6
80 yrs. ago, to the day - Charles Lindberg became the 1st person to fly a solo, non-stop flight from New York to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis.
He flew from Roosevelt Airfield (in Garden City, New York) to Le Bourget, Paris in 33.5 hours. He left NY on 20th May 1927, and arrived the next day.
In his words,
His grandson Erik Lindbergh repeated this trip 75 years later in 2002 in 17 hours 17 minutes.
He flew from Roosevelt Airfield (in Garden City, New York) to Le Bourget, Paris in 33.5 hours. He left NY on 20th May 1927, and arrived the next day.
In his words,
I first saw the lights of Paris a little before 10 P.M., or 5 P.M., New York time, and a few minutes later I was circling the Eiffel Tower at an attitude of about four thousand feet.Although he was a decorated hero, later in life - he was accused of AntiSemitism and of being being a Nazi sympathiser.
His grandson Erik Lindbergh repeated this trip 75 years later in 2002 in 17 hours 17 minutes.
Saturday, 19 May 2007
Aeroport
Am having the most amazing time of my life. Aai-Baba had come to Paris, for a short vacation, and left on a guided tour of Europe for the next 9 days. In the 3 days, they were here - there were quite a few incidents :P.
1. Airports and ME !
Apparently, I have an uncanny knack of landing up on the wrong side of Runways. While the Bombay CS Airport incident, where we on the wrong side of the wall, law, airport, runway and the 'line' (of the 'line not to be crossed' fame), all at the same time, might be known to some of you, I continue the same in Firang Land, as well.
Aai Baba were landing on 16th, so I was to pick them at the airport. CDG handles more traffic than BOM, atleast a few times over, but over-confident that I am, I make a lot of mistakes, very frequently. They were landing at 08h10. I woke before the alarm, bathed, dressed, and was out of the hostel at sharp 6am. 06h25 reached Chantiers.
Now I was in a queer situation. Having a Zone 1-4 Pass enabled me to get to the last station before CDG, but not the terminals itself.
Smart that I am, I deduced that it would be a waste buying an additional ticket, and a morning walk from the last station in Zone 4 to the terminal, would help hide the extra cheese calories, so that I appear in shape to Meet my Parents :P
Google Maps, helped me estimate that, I had to walk about 5 kms. So far so good, said the smart me.
07h20 - Parc des Expositions, on time.
Now a short walk was all that was left.
I hit the road. Now since, anyway who wanted to take the train route to CDG, wudnt get down here (except ME, of course, Smart that I am). Anyone, driving to CDG wudn't come to a RER arret. So the road, had no English directions to the aeroport. I trusted my instincts and started walking. With a little help, I was at the walls of CDG at 7:45
. Out of the host of french signboards, I figured out that the one saying Fret Terminal. Since, there were only big trucks going that way, there was no one to confirm directions. Doesn't matter. I was at the Aeroport wall, how far could the terminal be.
I walked, but there was no let-up from the walls of the airports. At 08h20, I finally located a Gas Station attendant, and after a lot of 'Je ne comprends pas.', understood that I was walking towards the Freight Terminal [Hasn't someone warned against, Half Knowledge!].
Never being the one to give-up, I re-traced my steps, until I realised where I had taken the wrong turn, in life. Others wouldn't have any more confidence in their smartness, but I persisted with the head of mine, and steadfastly refused to alight a bus, that would take me. The bus stops, said only 4 stops, how far could it be?
Now Roissy, the suburb that houses CDG, is so bloody far, that the distance between stops, that is about 300m in Paris City, goes up to 1 Km here.
Another long walk later, I reached the terminal, just about 100mins late.
For my parents, their 1st time on foreign soil, was spent in anxious wait for their unreachable Son to turn up. [My phone didn't ring - I Say ... With iPod in my ears, I didn't hear it - My mom contests]. With people from 3 continents, trying to contact me, I had 9 voice messages, with instructions in Francais to retrive them, meaning they were complete, consistent and useless for me.
So here's what the situation actually was -
The walk from the Parc des Exhibitions to CDG, wasn't any less than 11 Kms. I missed a turn, meaning that I walked a 2 Kms - in a direction, and as much back. I landed up on the wrong side, of the runway again!
1. Airports and ME !
Apparently, I have an uncanny knack of landing up on the wrong side of Runways. While the Bombay CS Airport incident, where we on the wrong side of the wall, law, airport, runway and the 'line' (of the 'line not to be crossed' fame), all at the same time, might be known to some of you, I continue the same in Firang Land, as well.
Aai Baba were landing on 16th, so I was to pick them at the airport. CDG handles more traffic than BOM, atleast a few times over, but over-confident that I am, I make a lot of mistakes, very frequently. They were landing at 08h10. I woke before the alarm, bathed, dressed, and was out of the hostel at sharp 6am. 06h25 reached Chantiers.
Now I was in a queer situation. Having a Zone 1-4 Pass enabled me to get to the last station before CDG, but not the terminals itself.
Smart that I am, I deduced that it would be a waste buying an additional ticket, and a morning walk from the last station in Zone 4 to the terminal, would help hide the extra cheese calories, so that I appear in shape to Meet my Parents :P
Google Maps, helped me estimate that, I had to walk about 5 kms. So far so good, said the smart me.
07h20 - Parc des Expositions, on time.
Now a short walk was all that was left.
I hit the road. Now since, anyway who wanted to take the train route to CDG, wudnt get down here (except ME, of course, Smart that I am). Anyone, driving to CDG wudn't come to a RER arret. So the road, had no English directions to the aeroport. I trusted my instincts and started walking. With a little help, I was at the walls of CDG at 7:45
. Out of the host of french signboards, I figured out that the one saying Fret Terminal. Since, there were only big trucks going that way, there was no one to confirm directions. Doesn't matter. I was at the Aeroport wall, how far could the terminal be.I walked, but there was no let-up from the walls of the airports. At 08h20, I finally located a Gas Station attendant, and after a lot of 'Je ne comprends pas.', understood that I was walking towards the Freight Terminal [Hasn't someone warned against, Half Knowledge!].
Never being the one to give-up, I re-traced my steps, until I realised where I had taken the wrong turn, in life. Others wouldn't have any more confidence in their smartness, but I persisted with the head of mine, and steadfastly refused to alight a bus, that would take me. The bus stops, said only 4 stops, how far could it be?
Now Roissy, the suburb that houses CDG, is so bloody far, that the distance between stops, that is about 300m in Paris City, goes up to 1 Km here.
Another long walk later, I reached the terminal, just about 100mins late.
For my parents, their 1st time on foreign soil, was spent in anxious wait for their unreachable Son to turn up. [My phone didn't ring - I Say ... With iPod in my ears, I didn't hear it - My mom contests]. With people from 3 continents, trying to contact me, I had 9 voice messages, with instructions in Francais to retrive them, meaning they were complete, consistent and useless for me.
So here's what the situation actually was -
The walk from the Parc des Exhibitions to CDG, wasn't any less than 11 Kms. I missed a turn, meaning that I walked a 2 Kms - in a direction, and as much back. I landed up on the wrong side, of the runway again!
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Smug !
Its pretty serene, in Versailles / Le Chesnay / Rocquencourt, at anytime after 21h30 and as a result, I was treading a lonely path on my way back from INRIA to Foyer (I had obviously missed the last bus!). With an iPod, for company, I was walking along the kerbs of the roads :-
Very incidentally, some of the songs that played :)
Its the Time to Disco set the tune for the road. With light rain sprinkling around, there was a pleasant skip in my step. I almost danced.
Mera Joota hain Japani said
Followed by 'Awara Huun' - Ya gardish mein hoon aasmaan ka taara hoon
and sometime thereafter in a feverish of nationalism - Marathi Paul padate pudhe, seemed very apt :P
I sang, as loudly as one can without being arrested for vagrancy, while Paris slept on! With the street for myself, and me for the street - was extremely smug by the time I reached the hostel.
Very incidentally, some of the songs that played :)
Its the Time to Disco set the tune for the road. With light rain sprinkling around, there was a pleasant skip in my step. I almost danced.
Mera Joota hain Japani said
Nikal pade hain khuli sadak par
Apna seena taane -2
Manzil kahan kahan rukna hai
Upar waala jaane -2
Followed by 'Awara Huun' - Ya gardish mein hoon aasmaan ka taara hoon
and sometime thereafter in a feverish of nationalism - Marathi Paul padate pudhe, seemed very apt :P
I sang, as loudly as one can without being arrested for vagrancy, while Paris slept on! With the street for myself, and me for the street - was extremely smug by the time I reached the hostel.
The Cold Saints
& what modern Science still can't explain!
Anyway, over the past few days, weather in Paris has been terribly windy and cold, and for a person like me, it leads to snoozing!
While, the day we landed, 1st May, was bright and sunny, the weather has turned sour over the last weekend. It rains every evening, and is generally cloudy and boring during the whole day.
Talking casually to a Ph.D. here, (again, the only one who manages Anglais), he mentioned something about "Cold Saints". Googling told me that this was the period where days of St.Mamertius, St. Pancras (or St. Pancratius) and St. Gervais, were celebrated and they together (along with a certain Cold Sophie) are known as the Ice Saints. This brief, weather inversion, is particularly well-known in German, Austrian and Swiss folklore. The days from 12th to 15th May, are known to bring in cold-weather across Northern Europe (in Julian Calendar). Germans refer to it as Eisheiligen.
And if this wasn't cold enough, apparently, in Gregorian Calendar, the Ice Saints are celebrated from 19-22 May, and the onset is thus still 4 days away.Brrr ...
No scientific explanation known.
Ref:
1. The ever reliable Wiki
2. Ski-ers Blog Entry 1 and Entry 2
3. McUniverse
Anyway, over the past few days, weather in Paris has been terribly windy and cold, and for a person like me, it leads to snoozing!
While, the day we landed, 1st May, was bright and sunny, the weather has turned sour over the last weekend. It rains every evening, and is generally cloudy and boring during the whole day.
Talking casually to a Ph.D. here, (again, the only one who manages Anglais), he mentioned something about "Cold Saints". Googling told me that this was the period where days of St.Mamertius, St. Pancras (or St. Pancratius) and St. Gervais, were celebrated and they together (along with a certain Cold Sophie) are known as the Ice Saints. This brief, weather inversion, is particularly well-known in German, Austrian and Swiss folklore. The days from 12th to 15th May, are known to bring in cold-weather across Northern Europe (in Julian Calendar). Germans refer to it as Eisheiligen.
And if this wasn't cold enough, apparently, in Gregorian Calendar, the Ice Saints are celebrated from 19-22 May, and the onset is thus still 4 days away.Brrr ...
No scientific explanation known.
Ref:
1. The ever reliable Wiki
2. Ski-ers Blog Entry 1 and Entry 2
3. McUniverse
Friday, 11 May 2007
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Along came Fred!
Since, there are very few people here - who speak Anglais, we have come to talk with Fred, the local postman, who does speak English !
Today, on our way back, we missed the last bus and Along came Fred, in an Opel SUV - that looked all nice and shiny - and offered us a lift back home!
You know you are in a developed country, when something like this happens.
Addendum - Prakhar was so core-dumped by this that he very loudly, said something like - Abe! Ye to saala postman hai before entering the car. Apparently, Fred's from Pondichery, he has been to India - specifically Bombay, New Delhi and Pondichery, his family lives in Bombay and most importantly, understands not only English - but also Hindi! Ahem.
Today, on our way back, we missed the last bus and Along came Fred, in an Opel SUV - that looked all nice and shiny - and offered us a lift back home!
You know you are in a developed country, when something like this happens.
Addendum - Prakhar was so core-dumped by this that he very loudly, said something like - Abe! Ye to saala postman hai before entering the car. Apparently, Fred's from Pondichery, he has been to India - specifically Bombay, New Delhi and Pondichery, his family lives in Bombay and most importantly, understands not only English - but also Hindi! Ahem.
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
Smokin'
Flabergasted by the number of people who smoke here - googled some statistics:
Avg. French person consumes 2,058 cigs. a year, thats abt 6 a day :o
Its worse for Swizterland and Spain, where the number exceeds 2,500 anually per person.
India fares way better in comparision, with only 129 cigs. annually per person - though there is a catch, since about 7 Bidis are sold, behind every cigarette sold in India.
Ref:
1. WHO Stats.
2. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_tob_cig_con-health-tobacco-cigarette-consumption
--
Edit :- dated 23.5.2007
England Quits Smoking. Keeping fingers crossed.
--
Edit :- dated 01.6.2007
Disturbing US stats from NY Times say that
Avg. French person consumes 2,058 cigs. a year, thats abt 6 a day :o
Its worse for Swizterland and Spain, where the number exceeds 2,500 anually per person.
India fares way better in comparision, with only 129 cigs. annually per person - though there is a catch, since about 7 Bidis are sold, behind every cigarette sold in India.
Ref:
1. WHO Stats.
2. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_tob_cig_con-health-tobacco-cigarette-consumption
--
Edit :- dated 23.5.2007
England Quits Smoking. Keeping fingers crossed.
--
Edit :- dated 01.6.2007
Disturbing US stats from NY Times say that
- 4.4 Crores Adults smoke
- 4 out of 5, are addicted and can't quite
- 4.4 lakhs smokers die every year
- taking another 50,000 passive smokers.
Monday, 7 May 2007
Avez-vous su? - 4
That Pineapple in French is called 'Ananas', the exact same thing it is called in Marathi!
--
Edit :- dated 10.5.2007
The Scientific Name of Pineapple is Ananas comosus.
--
Edit :- dated 10.5.2007
The Scientific Name of Pineapple is Ananas comosus.
Slap her, She's french!
Its one of those days,
when you walk back, praising your profs. intellect and the capacity to work long hours,
when you use the bus all the while admiring the French simplistic engineering ingenuity,
when a supermarket attendant goofs up in pricing a pack of pizzas, takes aeons to be explained the same and when returning the difference uses a calculator to work out 2,99&euro - 1,99&euro is 1,00&euro
when you walk back, praising your profs. intellect and the capacity to work long hours,
when you use the bus all the while admiring the French simplistic engineering ingenuity,
when a supermarket attendant goofs up in pricing a pack of pizzas, takes aeons to be explained the same and when returning the difference uses a calculator to work out 2,99&euro - 1,99&euro is 1,00&euro
Camera and Tons of Action.
We had been to Louvre yesterday. It being the first sunday of the month, the entry to the museum is free for all - as a result of which, there was a lot of rush.
In between seeing artifacts and reading the French description - PK and Prakhar took some pics. Now, it was sometime between the Greek & Roman ages, that Prakhar lost his camera, but it was only after the Dark Ages had passed that we realised so.
:(
They went looking for it - tracing their path through the ages. Didn't find it. Its bad, because it was a functional camera and more so - because we had a handful of good pics in there. We reported to the authorities that they kindly let us know if such a camera was to be found. Things were compounded - since Prakhar didn't know the manufacturer or the brand of the camera. The only thing - that we could tell them, was that it was a roll camera (which lends it some rarity value, no doubt!). Hopefully, the Louvre ppl. don't think of it as an antiquity and keep it.
In between seeing artifacts and reading the French description - PK and Prakhar took some pics. Now, it was sometime between the Greek & Roman ages, that Prakhar lost his camera, but it was only after the Dark Ages had passed that we realised so.
:(
They went looking for it - tracing their path through the ages. Didn't find it. Its bad, because it was a functional camera and more so - because we had a handful of good pics in there. We reported to the authorities that they kindly let us know if such a camera was to be found. Things were compounded - since Prakhar didn't know the manufacturer or the brand of the camera. The only thing - that we could tell them, was that it was a roll camera (which lends it some rarity value, no doubt!). Hopefully, the Louvre ppl. don't think of it as an antiquity and keep it.
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Avez-vous su? - 3
The Roseline or the Meridian made so famous by Dan Brown - as to being passing through the Inverted Pyramid in Louvre - doesnt actually pass through the Inverted Pyramid.
While it does pass through the Louvre, quoting Wikipedia:
While it does pass through the Louvre, quoting Wikipedia:
I looked all over the area surrounding the Inversee Pyramid, frantically searching for the smallest black circles, that I could find, disappointed until - Wikipedia enlightened me !
Brown is also wrong to imply that the Paris Meridian (the "Rose Line" of his novel) passes directly over La Pyramide Inversée. In the Louvre area, the meridian line actually runs through the museum and the great courtyard at a spot considerably to the east of the Inverted Pyramid.
Louvre
Had been to Louvre today. Its huge !
Could manage to see only a few parts of the Devon Wing of the Museum.
That is like only 1/5th of it in 4 hrs.
Had a great time.
Saw the Monalisa, but its really not that impressive to the novice eye.
More later - since the Louvre is free every First Sunday of the Month and every Friday after 18h00 to people under the age of 26.
Could manage to see only a few parts of the Devon Wing of the Museum.
That is like only 1/5th of it in 4 hrs.
Had a great time.
Saw the Monalisa, but its really not that impressive to the novice eye.
More later - since the Louvre is free every First Sunday of the Month and every Friday after 18h00 to people under the age of 26.
Avez-vous su? - 2
You might have known that the switches are switched in this part of the world.
A switch that, if fitted properly, would be considered off in India, is considered to be ON in here.
Also, electric power is 110V than the 220V that we are used to in l'Inde :P
More strangely, power points (& I dont mean the Microsoft dumbos), have a single Male Pin earthing and 2 Female Pins that supply AC.
A switch that, if fitted properly, would be considered off in India, is considered to be ON in here.
Also, electric power is 110V than the 220V that we are used to in l'Inde :P
More strangely, power points (& I dont mean the Microsoft dumbos), have a single Male Pin earthing and 2 Female Pins that supply AC.
Saturday, 5 May 2007
Hume to loot liya...
"Hume to loot liya... Mil ke husn waloon ne
Goore Goore Baloon ne ... Goore Goore galoon ne!"
Today, while we were waiting in queue to have some Crepes - that smelled delicious in an Champs Elysees store, two girls in front swung around and in broken English asked whether we spoke the language.
Elated at speaking to someone English, we (and in particular, yours truly) tried to help them out. We figured that they needed 30 cents change. Eagerly we scooped out all the coins we had.
It was only then, that we realised that they wanted 30 cents to lend and I, looking generous yet stupid, was forced to be chivalrous.
Goore Goore Baloon ne ... Goore Goore galoon ne!"
Today, while we were waiting in queue to have some Crepes - that smelled delicious in an Champs Elysees store, two girls in front swung around and in broken English asked whether we spoke the language.
Elated at speaking to someone English, we (and in particular, yours truly) tried to help them out. We figured that they needed 30 cents change. Eagerly we scooped out all the coins we had.
It was only then, that we realised that they wanted 30 cents to lend and I, looking generous yet stupid, was forced to be chivalrous.
Friday, 4 May 2007
Bonne fortune !
While keeping account of Cash:-
| 1 Can of Coke | 1,20€ | |
|---|---|---|
| A plate of smoked Ham | 3,90€ | |
| Monthly Carte Orange | 86,10€ | |
| Ending up with more cash than you can account for | Priceless |
Pics 1 - Versailles
A few pics. of a walk around Versailles have been posted at
http://picasaweb.google.com/shantanugangal/AEveningAroundVersailles
More later..
http://picasaweb.google.com/shantanugangal/AEveningAroundVersailles
More later..
Thursday, 3 May 2007
A keen eye & a keen I !
Here are a few observations that I made in my first few days :-
1. Paris has infinite cars, and most of them are parked.
2. Parisians are extremely bad drivers, but they are polite drivers. By bad I mean they will speed excessively, and what I think is unnecessarily. By polite, I mean they will stop for a pedestrian to cross the road - if they see you well in advance.
3. Cars here are moderately small, which works in the favour of any urban area.
4. Women here, carry themselves amazingly well. Even a 55 yr. old lady, will carry herself with great ease.
5. Women let their hair down, literally. I have hardly seen any girl / woman / old lady, tie her hair in any manner. If maintaining it is an issue, they just have cropped hair, but no 'bun'ning it, or plaits.
6. That they have great hair, obviously helps, since they have nothing to hide.
7. Paris , and more particularly, Versailles, seems like a family city (unlike the notoriously single NY). Couples are seen moving doing small chores and they are a number of them. Families have 1 or 2 kids, with a prammed infant and an occasional dog thrown in.
8. When a man and a woman, are driving together, empirical observations show that the guy will be in the driver's seat.
9. Ohh! almost forgot :- French women are damn beautiful.
10. French moms are just as beautiful.
11. The chores of parenting are majorly done by the mother - the French equivalent of Soccer Mom. I saw a handful, of ladies accompanying kids to / from school.
12. French are amazing engineers - atleast amazing civil engineers. Eiffel Tower is just one of the examples. The Paris rail system , is so meticulously planned and well executed - that grudging that I was to accept any system betters Bombay Suburban system - it must easily the best mass transit system. Subway trains, RER trains, local bus, Trams are well co-ordinated with each other as well as the vehicular traffic. They have atleast 4 terminals - of the scale of CST, perhaps not in terms of traffic handled - but surely in terms of area. That each of them is exquisitely designed goes without saying.
Various transports run on multiple levels. Viaducts run for considerable stretch along the turns of the Siene.
13. There are items of artistic interest at every turn and crossroad.
14. Versailles (and probably Paris as well) closes very early, making it an uneasy stay for an IITian :P
15. People say 'Bon Jour' and 'Bon Sour', even if there is a probablistic chance that they will see you again.
16. A simple 'Merci' makes them happy, especially if you are a foreigner who doesnt know French.
17. Segolene Royal is cute.
18. and to wrap up - a myth shattered - Eiffel Tower isn't visible from every place high enough in Paris !
1. Paris has infinite cars, and most of them are parked.
2. Parisians are extremely bad drivers, but they are polite drivers. By bad I mean they will speed excessively, and what I think is unnecessarily. By polite, I mean they will stop for a pedestrian to cross the road - if they see you well in advance.
3. Cars here are moderately small, which works in the favour of any urban area.
4. Women here, carry themselves amazingly well. Even a 55 yr. old lady, will carry herself with great ease.
5. Women let their hair down, literally. I have hardly seen any girl / woman / old lady, tie her hair in any manner. If maintaining it is an issue, they just have cropped hair, but no 'bun'ning it, or plaits.
6. That they have great hair, obviously helps, since they have nothing to hide.
7. Paris , and more particularly, Versailles, seems like a family city (unlike the notoriously single NY). Couples are seen moving doing small chores and they are a number of them. Families have 1 or 2 kids, with a prammed infant and an occasional dog thrown in.
8. When a man and a woman, are driving together, empirical observations show that the guy will be in the driver's seat.
9. Ohh! almost forgot :- French women are damn beautiful.
10. French moms are just as beautiful.
11. The chores of parenting are majorly done by the mother - the French equivalent of Soccer Mom. I saw a handful, of ladies accompanying kids to / from school.
12. French are amazing engineers - atleast amazing civil engineers. Eiffel Tower is just one of the examples. The Paris rail system , is so meticulously planned and well executed - that grudging that I was to accept any system betters Bombay Suburban system - it must easily the best mass transit system. Subway trains, RER trains, local bus, Trams are well co-ordinated with each other as well as the vehicular traffic. They have atleast 4 terminals - of the scale of CST, perhaps not in terms of traffic handled - but surely in terms of area. That each of them is exquisitely designed goes without saying.
Various transports run on multiple levels. Viaducts run for considerable stretch along the turns of the Siene.
13. There are items of artistic interest at every turn and crossroad.
14. Versailles (and probably Paris as well) closes very early, making it an uneasy stay for an IITian :P
15. People say 'Bon Jour' and 'Bon Sour', even if there is a probablistic chance that they will see you again.
16. A simple 'Merci' makes them happy, especially if you are a foreigner who doesnt know French.
17. Segolene Royal is cute.
18. and to wrap up - a myth shattered - Eiffel Tower isn't visible from every place high enough in Paris !
Avez-vous su? - 1
This is an observation, which might not be correct -
Cars in Paris have a weird system of number plates.
The Front number plates are the standard black on white.
But the same car, has a black on yellow number plate on the rear.
Cars in Paris have a weird system of number plates.
The Front number plates are the standard black on white.
But the same car, has a black on yellow number plate on the rear.
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