Sunday, November 02, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thursday, January 03, 2008
It is magical to be here-5
I spend the remaining day roaming around the city. It was pleasure to take a tram line and go around the outer ring. With this line, I covered large areas of concentrated monuments. Vienna is a great place full of history and promise for the future. It is monumental to the Habsburg Empire across Europe. So far, entire Europe has been a revelation to me. Of what I am, what I like and what I should be. (Too many I’s and what’s, but nevertheless a beautiful sentence?) It is like a dream for me and I don’t know how much is there for me. I wish I could create such splendid empire like Europe. In Madrid I saw a part of Habsburg Empire. The other part of the empire is here in Vienna. My salute to such a great culture!! It was magical to be here, like going back in time during imperial days.
The evening came with a surprise. I knew that Mozart shows himself at every other corner but did not expect sleeping in my dorm. A very talented American guy, Tylor suggested me for a drink in the bar of our hostel. I was bit reluctant after a tiring day but later decided to join him. He turned out to be guitarist and a better one. He sang famous songs of Beatles and other hits which made my evening memorable. That’s what I was looking for!! Just a cool music and people sitting around and chatting lightly! I met one Indian guy traveling across Europe. It was nice talk with him. An important thing was that we did not talk as fellow Indians but as fellow travelers. Earlier discussed nationality concept crossed my mind
Sunday, December 23, 2007
It is magical to be here-4
The hostel was nice with young people at the reception.
When I asked the receptionist about the receipt, his answer was “What for?” I made a typical stupid face reserved for these conditions where my smooth talking is essentially of no value. It was a lovely hostel, very clean and in a good location. It would have been better to have breakfast included in the price or full fledged breakfast at reasonable price, just like some other hostels. People were really helpful. Unfortunately, my neighbor in the dormitory was snoring like a giant hippo. Another disadvantage of having rounded belly!! The sitting place and drinking bar I would recommend for the people who likes to talk while listening music in background. Overall: Highly recommended!!
My first task in Vienna was to find Museum Quartier from where I could choose other locations to go. Unfortunately, at the first hour of my Vienna morning I found myself staring at the great white shark teeth in natural museum. There were lots of creatures, living, and dead or in between as I feared. Next stop was to visit the MUMOK. I entered into the building and felt like Columbus. A Chinese art exhibition in Vienna!!!! Columbus went to find rich medieval India and instead found Western Indians with red feathers in their hat stairing at him as a savior from the heaven. (These days he stands to give directions to the traffic at the famous street in Madrid. Poor soul!! ) I entered into Vienna for its art, history and western culture, instead found hundred small Chinese eyes looking through the portraits. The art was fantastic and I got to know much about my China art. Such a beautiful paintings!! They have their own way of depicting things. But Red dragon seems to always consider these things as a symbol of their not-so-great recent past. Instead, I find new china of capitalistic culture. But these are dynamic things and can not be reversed. More we talk on this matter; less seems we know about it.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
It is magical to be here -3
Living native comrade lamenting about the loss of football match, I happened to meet another fellow Indian who seemed to be living in Vienna. As a rule, I don’t get easy with the people just because they belong to my country. I asked another guy (who seemed Turkish) the stop I should step down. He got troubled with my English. So, I asked the same question to that Indian guy in perfect English. He helped me to get down the place and gave the direction to hostel. These unplanned meetings with fellow Indians have often made me humble and think about my own country. What are we? Just a wonderer nomadic tribe, leaving our native land in the search of some fortune and little peace!! Sometimes, this question makes me so sick at my heart that I continuously seek to find solace in some other stuff. What defines the nationhood? Do we really have to be identified from the nation we belong to? When will our prejudices be over and people will face people as matter of fact? Is it so divine that people kill other people most of the times and sacrifice themselves? But then, we have evidence of crazy nationalism here in the heart of Europe!! Anyway, it is a separate matter worth of spending a lifetime of a philosopher. Much ink has been spent in dividing this zero. Mean while, I enjoy small pleasures of life like traveling!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
It is magical to be here-2
I was in a spiritual elevation after hearing my boss’s satisfied voice. He would look at the presentation and give it back to me on Monday or Tuesday morning. I considered myself hard worked and the boring talk at the conference made me achy for Schiphol. The road to Schiphol was uneventful. But the excitement of going was damped when I heard that the Sky Europe airlines plane is as usual late for one and half hour. Phew!! Killing time at the Schiphol is a costly affair. I paid triple price for my Bacon-egg sandwich and prepared myself mentally for late arrival in Vienna.
Flight like Sky Europe reminds me of my countries flight. What an untroubled way of traveling!! The service is not satisfactory. But again, I reminded myself that their 45 Euro return ticket has made my dream of journeying of so many places. I thanked for the revolution of low fare aviation industry and hoped that it does not mean any compromise for safety.
As soon as I entered into the arrival in Vienna, I realized that I do not have a single information about Vienna except the hostel address. No Map!! And my respect for German nation got bit lower when I realize that there are no direct trains in the night near to my living place. Phew!! Anyway I boarded the night bus which took me to the Center of the City from where I could take night bus to my place. After circling city center for three times in the dead of night (that is what they call when it is 1 O’ clock in the morning), I was helped by a local German to find the bus. He was like the guy straight from the YouTube videos of Second World War, minus any killing instinct. Actually he helped me to board the bus and gave his England-Austria football match ticket valid for the night buses. The bus conductor was not too happy with their fellow citizen’s kind behavior who was trying to economically help the tourist form the third world country. I was touched by this guy’s help and hoped that Austria wins next football match (What else can be greater thing to ask? I have limited account with GOD!!).
Sunday, December 09, 2007
It is magical to be here-1
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ~Mark Twain
It was very cold out there. But it felt like another world. Another world, in which you can lose yourself for a while before getting back into the harsh reality of cause and effect. The travel to Vienna itself was hefty affair for me. When my boss was giving lots of task on Tuesday, I considered my chances of catching Vienna on Friday were dim. I had presentation on 21st Wednesday which till Tuesdays 14th hadn’t done a slide. Making presentation was an uphill task for me. What should I do? Should I be here in Delft pretending that I am going to work on weekends to manage my deadlines (which rarely happen) or should I take a chance to work during the conference itself and then send the presentation to my boss? It was bit of dilemma. In any case, spending time behind desk is an obligation. But, traveling to various countries and meeting new people is my passion. I have seen beautiful places and nice people. But there could be even more beautiful places and nicer people that I would like to see. At the end I thought I might take a chance and go according to my plan of going to Vienna. On 16th November, I woke up 5:30 in the morning and went to Wageningen for the conference. As I already knew the conference was a great bore. I took this opportunity to work my presentation which with went fine my laptop (Media centre designed for entertainment, hardly for work) and took me 6 continuously stretched hours. While working on that catch 22 situation I realized how important the work is for me and how I like to work. I told myself that my real need neither in this travel nor in the imaginary world of artist that sometime I imagine. The world has enough Rowlings, Jacksons and even Picassas, but it has got not many Buddha. Why not follow the world through our work and check if we can make it better, more fair place to be? Even not for our selves, but for the generations which is going to after us.
To be continued............................
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
