Traveling to Europe for the first time: 10 days of bliss

Europe Tour

Family Travel Europe

Thanks to my illusion of being a smart travel planner I chose November to go to the Alps in Switzerland. Even the skiing season was to start 7 days after I would’ve left.  Leukerbad…not one of those places popular in Indian cinema.
It was already dark at 6 pm in those snow scaped mountains with zero visibility due to fog,when I set my first foot. My imagination ran wild in negative direction & felt as if I was playing some role in a Sherlock Homes thriller.I was scared to death running here and there trying to find a single person or a well lit house for help with the directions as we were lost on the very road which led to our apartment ‘les naturelles‘. Could only hear the sounds of our suitcases being dragged on the snow. Wanted to curse my wild affair with Yash Raj movies which made the Swiss visit mandatory. Swiss people are really helpful if you get to find them in November nights of such places. 30 mins brain storming with my husband on the road and 3 min walk made us reach the place.

No one …no one but an envelop at the reception with our room keys inside, was waiting for us. I wasn’t excited,it was my third year of marriage and I just wanted to be alive the next day.Every door opened on its own as we entered. Hi-tech systems without a single soul seemed spooky to my desi heart. Anyways I had to give my adrenaline levels some rest so recited all the God mantras that i could remember and went off to sleep.Woke up in the middle of the night out of shock…. Gosh : ( Its the alarm (some German song ) .
6 am ,curtains set aside …..Eyes glowing!!

I knew I was in some part of heaven and very much alive. To my relief, I saw PEOPLE !!….and yes ,at the reception too.They said,’O its very safe here.,we leave everything open’. I did check, they have yet to visit India.
The next few days were wonderful with Pinot Noir, Coop and the Poshe Nage (some word that means the next destination)..in our minds.Traveled extensively to the best of our ability thanks to the wonderful Swiss transport system. Only issue is if you have a husband who is all the time thirsty,hungry,sleepy and forgets to carry his woollen cap the day he would need it due to the changed weather, you do need to keep some extra time in hand when planning the places to visit. There are chances that you may promise to yourself that the next time you would find another one to visit Switzerland with 😉

Traveling to Europe with our toddler —UK, Amsterdam and Paris 

My next November was in UK and now I had to deal with my 10 month old as well who would cry at the top of his voice to wake even the earliest British visionaries up.My Optimism for English vision and traffic system that they boast of, made me plan the travel so aptly that we missed our bus from London to Birmingham . In London,processions can come up when you least expect them & traffic just wouldn’t move when you’re in a hurry ..Small country,narrow roads,cold weather but if you’re in love with English ways and Shakespearean plays,the experience is worth.

The capital is one of the fashion cities and I love fashion. For me,its the coats and the boots…
My boot story goes far and wide, in fact. For the first time in the history of ‘Palace of Versailles’ someone had fallen flat on its floors… and that was me.

I’m usually not that clumsy but had gone blind by the French beauty , I guess . Blame it on TLC which opened my eyes to the doors and windows of beauty & Fashion world .I didn’t want to miss a thing… in Paris. Ended up making two visits to the mandatory Louvre as our camera had to go haywire only when we reached ‘Monalisa‘, on our first visit.This was the result of my husband’s analytical bend to planning.

Museums, palaces and Seine river brings an artist out of a man, here.Haven’t used the word romance …we were with our 10 month old baby then:-) though Paris beauty had improved my son’s behavior considerably when compared to our Amsterdam visit. People would not spend as much time in the Zoo as we did, that too in Amsterdam. We were closest to the hot and happening street but as responsible parents, when crossing the street, we did close our son’s eyes keeping ours wide open for the displays of all sizes, shapes and variety.

Amsterdam reminded me of my boss and ING, found everything open other than lions, something wrong with the logo, I think. I do share my vision with ING guys hence I chose Amsterdam with the kid and Switzerland in November cold but in the process the old banker in me did make gains in terms of loving and unforgettable happy moments !