Lichtenstein castle

Five days is enough to get into some king of routine and mine starts with a morning walk. Used as I am to hot and humid weather I am not at all sure how eight degrees feel and can't understand how eight can go up to fifteen,the sun can come out,it can go from sunny and warm to bitterly cold. So like a proverbial cat I step put into the cold,watch the locals for a while and gather some valuable tips on how to dress like a local but I don't quiet get it. Having spent a lifetime wearing as little as possible it's a huge challenge to wear more than one piece but I compromise. I slept out in a heavy sweat shirt ( I think this is heavy but I don't have a clue) and jeans. No jacket as I think it's not so cold. Within minutes my breath is coming out like smoke rings,my hands are cold and I can feel the chill biting into my skin. Not having the key to the house to grab a coat,I decide to do some running. It warms me up. Talk of survival skills.

At seven in the morning there are very few people around but the baker is on his rounds and the aroma of freshly baked bread has my taste buds tingling,so I follow the sent which leads me to the local church compound where local traders are setting up shop for the Saturday market. The efficiency has to be seen to be believed. My mind goes back to India . At seven in the morning the local market will be littered with the rubbish of yesterday. Rotten fruit and veg will be strewn on the roads and cows will eat them,while the days vendors will unload their produce and litter some more. Back in Germany,the stalls are finer glass tents and cool trucks. Everyone has his own electricity supply so the fridge is running  the meats are cooled despite the temperatures being in single digits. The flower seller unloads a huge truck of produce. All flowers are placed in boxes and everyone cleans up after themselves.i search for litter and find none. The traders have their own designated spaces and there is no shouting no raised voices. Everything is quiet efficiency. I marvel at the difference.

Having filled our baskets with food and eaten fit to burst we set off on a long drive to Lichtenstein castle. Winding village roads through flat green meadows. Not a pot hole in sight. It's better than our highways back home. We hurtled down the road,the sharp wind whipping through our hair and the nip in the air is exhilarating.

The castle itself is old and small. Moats and little wooden drawbridges complete the picture. It's an old ducal property not grand in any way but equipped with chapel and smaller homes . The views are breathtaking. Chalk hills surround it and I am transported back to Enid blyton tales of children finding adventure in abandoned castles. Rambling roses climb every available opportunity and their sent mingles in the sharp breeze. It's all fresh and green . It's also a day for weddings so we have seen four brides already. Some built like houses but all in happy white flowing gowns. The guest are also in hats,dresses,suits etc. flowers everywhere,wine and food in abundance. I would like to get a sneak peek,but that's just a dream.

Back in the house we build a roaring fire,watch a French movie,drink our red wine and eat our home made pizza and are a happy bunch. It's warm and cozy and I am tucking away every little experience to be relived back in my hot and searing city.

Day 4 Germany revisited

It's day four of my trip to Germany and it's yet another wet day,but having done more of my share of eating and drinking than usual I am in danger of running out of clothes that fit me so unlike my usual self of needing company for a walk,I decided that the surrounding are too beautiful,the weather too perfect for me to laze in bed so I set off to explore the place on my own.

It is Germany so following in the footsteps of hansel and gretel I set off towards a park I remember from my last visit,mentally marking my surroundings into landmarks so I don't get lost. Not for me the smartphone dependence,I revert to type and follow fairy tales.

A long tunnel alwaits me,it's pedestrian only so no danger of cars rushing in my path. The sky is a brilliant blue,nip in the air,the grass is green and as autumn has set in the leaves in russet red are all over the green grass. The river necker flows through this town and at this time of the morning it's a still green not yet disturbed by ducks or swans. I continue on my tranquil walk not passing a soul and after a short walk I enter the park. It's a wide expanse of grassland with walking and cycling paths that lead to the railway station . A large glassy lake is the centrepiece of the park. In the early morning it's banks are dotted with speckled ducks of all sizes all busy packing for worms in the grass. A red squirrel bright eyed and bushy tailed is also busy cracking chestnut s in the area under the trees. I watch fascinated never having seen red squirrels before. The ducks jump out of my path and flee into the lake causing it's glassy surface to ripple with the movement. I am not sure how much beauty I can absorb without breaking stride but I simply have to. For someone used to walking in humid 30 degrees c this is a breathtakingly beautiful experience. Walking done the next thing on the agenda is market day. The main square is full of locals traders selling their produce,so vegetables,flowers,herbs,cheese,sausages and mushrooms of all varieties. Of course everyone has their favourite stalls. It's bustling and busy with people shouting out their wares and long line at the most popular ones. But we wait patiently fill our bags with a variety of produce. Sometimes it's greed to be able to feast ones eyes on such a variety of things. For a meat and cheese lover like me the variety is mind boggling and I am hard pressed to know what I want. There are a variety of soft cheeses some with odours like dirty socks,some with mould,some hard cheeses,olives filled with anchovies,paprika filled with feta cheese and sausages to eat on the go,pate varieties,and what have you . We spend a pleasant two hours and round it off with lunch sitting outdoors near a stream rushing by,a glass of wine to sip on and some great food to eat.

The afternoon is still young. Like most people in Germany our friends have a little allotment which they call a garden and it's time to spend an afternoon on a hammock doing nothing. While our friends set up a barbecue,and burn some unwanted stuff the husband and I discover the joys of plucking fresh plums and apples from the trees. Growing up we are used to throwing stones to get at fruit but we find a stick and get enough plums to eat. They are juicy black and taste like sugar. Then it's time to check if the bees are doing their work making honey. We need to feed them ,calm them down with smoke and check if all is well. I am a little terrified of being stung but can't resist the temptation of seeing a bee hive at close range and it's an experience I wouldn't miss for the world. The little cottage in the woods is well equipped with a kitchen bunk beds and a toilet,an outdoor shower complete the picture. By the time we finish with the bees the husbands have got sausages and a variety of stuff cooked,glasses of red wine ready and plenty of conversations to keep us going. As dusk falls and temperatures drop its curtains on another wonderful day spent in the company of good friends and beautiful surrounding and once again I send up a prayer of thanks,determined to spend every moment enjoying the beauty of nature that I am lucky enough to enjoy and be a part of

The farm

The day dawns wet and cool. We wake up to the view of the castle and blue skies laden with rain clouds. Very soon the sun peeps out and the sky turns brilliant blue. It's our day to chill and do nothing. After breakfast we wait for our missing luggage that's promised to make an appearance soon and in true German tradition the lost luggage is restored to us. It's time to celebrate and we do it the village way. A long walk around the village to take in atmosphere and to work up an appetite. It's a mild day not too many people around,the shops are open and we look into each of them  some quaint,some modern,some just ordinary but it's not the shops or the houses,it's the setting. Very much out of a fairy tale. Dolls houses by our standards,little windows peeping out of roofs,lace curtains,people who cycle with children in carriers behind them. All very efficient.

We have mastered the kitchen in the house so come home to a meal of fresh salad and rice . The ingredients like all chefs will tell you make all the difference. It's fresh and tasty and simple.

The afternoon is spent sitting on the balcony enjoying mild sun and just a nip in the air,reading a book.

Then a long walk (a brisk one this time) and its tea time already. Home made cheese cake and plum crumble cake and while my heart and head tell me I should steer clear of it,greed takes over and I shovel it into my mouth,never mind the guilt.

While the sund continues to shine we set off to a farm and as we enter and walk to the cow sheds the smell of hay,cows and cowsheds brings back so many memories of childhood. The cows here have no horns,and are brown and white with blond eyelashes. They look harmless enough chomping happily on a mixed feed of corn and some other stuff,things I have never seen and can't identify. The calves are just a few days old and unmindful of danger,they are more than happy to be petted and played with. It's a huge farm with paddock s for horses,cow sheds,tractors that bale hay,huge preparations being made for winter and much activity. Horses graze peacefully on the grass. Beautiful majestic creatures who clip chop down the cobbled streets as elegantly as a woman in high heels.

The farms have large tracts of land with winding roads and some which enter a dark forest. We take the part to the forest as for us this is a new experience. The silence is defending and the only sounds are of birds twittering in the trees. Chestnuts ,apples and pear trees line our path . Some laden with fruit. Walnuts trees are also laden with nuts. It's all there for the picking but no one does. Autumn has arrived and leaves turn colour and fall. It's peaceful silent and absolutely perfect.

European Union entry

After a sleepless night in cramped aircrafts we finally arrive in Berlin to beautiful weather. A clear blue sky and temperatures at 15 degrees is all that one can ask for. Enter immigration and then to a connecting flight but first we need our passports stamped for entering the EU. A long list of Asians like us in front of the line isn't helping. I am well aware of the current refugee crisis in Europe with Germany at the forefront so am well aware that they are going to go over everything with increased scrutiny. Our turn arrives and everything is fine but my passport gets into a loop. Someone at the embassy's has made a clerical error with my name and its an issue. They spend some twenty minutes scanning my passport,putting it through some machine or the other,asking a lot of questions,all the while our connecting flight is inching closer to departure and we are late. Finally while I move heaven and the imigratration officer moves the German system,we are through. We run through Berlin airport to find our terminal is well away but the stress of missing a flight keeps us going. Panting and puffing we pass security only to have me pulled off the line into a separate room. Now this is the stuff of nightmares,what did I have in my bag other than an iPad and a coat but they look through my things not telling me what the problem is. My iPad seems to be the culprit so the officer does some stuff on it then they'd look disappointed and tell me I am free to go. I promise myself never to watch " jailed abroad" as it gets my imagination running wild. We get on our flight happy to leave Berlin with its depressing airport which looks like it's a relic of communist East Germany bing dragged kicking and screaming into modern west Germany. Well we arrive at our destination  and our troubles don't end. The airline has lost our baggage . The husband thus has just a pair of jeans and a t shirt , and a hope and a prayer that they'd will find the suitcase. It takes the shine off the holiday. To me it seems like it's one problem after another but I tell myself that I need to stay positive. So we move on and take the bus to the village we are to stay in and suddenly it's back to familiar ground almost like being at home. We hail a taxi and are surprised to see a girl taxi driver who has been driving for five years. We get into the swank taxi which back in our country would be the car of the rich and famous. We watch while she put on the gps,we reach home and the taxi driver whips out an iPhone 6 to make a call ( in our country this again is not some thing a taxi driver can own). In our country the taxi driver is trying to make ends meet and we then come back to the realisation that we are in one of the richest countries in Europe and have to shift our understanding of rich and poor. Once again it's a learning experience for us. Well settled we rest for the afternoon and enjoy village life. It's five in the evening and everyone is already out drinking beer. The beer garden in full of people. The river is full of boats with people having a grill dinner on board or just drifting past. It's a beautiful day and we drink our beer eat our sausages and are happy to be here enjoying great company of friends,beautiful weather and to watch the world go by. How far removed from our lives in India. For the moment we are happy and that's the only thing that matters.

Cattle class in mid air

They don't call it cattle class for nothing. It's a cramped crowded aircraft where we are lacked like sardines and it is by no means a budget airline. Welcome aboard etihad airlines. Not quiet fooled by the Nicole Kidman endorsement,we chose this airline simply because it was the cheapest available but didn't quiet bargain for this. As we enter the air conditioning is full on so much so that one is quiet suffocated but it settles down soon enough. We are told to be our bags under the seat simply because there is no cabin space available. So much for security regulations but they did start the flight with a prayer so divine intervention won over mere mortal regulations. Guess I can't argue with that. The entertainment is fine but a convoluted yoga pose may find you more able to manage the entertainment console.,so I am giving it a miss and watching a silent movie.

Now what is it with Indian parents that they can't seem to control their kids or simply don't know the p of parenting. I sit here with a splitting headache thanks to a brat who was screaming fit to die and insisted of kicking the back of my seat with the same intensity as her screams. If a momentary lapse of reason results in a murder most fowl don't blame me. I finally understood why Herod wanted all children below two killed in biblical times. If they were anything like the ones on this flight ,I am changing my opinion of Herod.

We are actually being served food at almost eleven in the night. Shouldn't we be sleeping ?. What's with the misplace hospitality. 

Announcements in rapid fire Arabic is fine by me,the language is pretty musical but the English announcement is in some accent I can't detect.

Mercifully the kid behind me has either been sedated (highly unlikely) or has fallen into a tired sleep. Thank god for respite.

It's well past midnight and dinner is served ,vegetarians getting a half an hour handicap. At midnight I get fish with potato,and beans,rice and a sweet. Now in this cramped space and with the amount of carbs that have been consumed methinks there is no fear of running out of jet fuel. There is enough gas being generated by passengers to take this flight all the way to Berlin and back. What ever were the chefs who dream up this food thinking of. Why not a nice healthy salad and some fruit at the witching hour. My legs have gone to sleep and I refuse to think of deep vein thrombosis at this point. 

Now for all the bitching I've done on this first leg of my journey well it's probably a good thing. I have lowered my expectations to an all time low. Of course if your anything like the husband then the Angels will bless you. There he is in deep slumber and I can hear content little snores from him. He has been sensible and not had his midnight meal and has drunk enough water to drown this aircraft but all said and done here is one happy individual taking care of himself while I write my bitchy piece .....must find lots of positives to write about after all God and man love a merry face and they are still 24 days to go.