My travel companion

Travelling with the husband is like a walk in the park. Overly cautious and always on high alert he is my navigator ,expert map reader,accountant ,personal shopper and travel planner. The kind of person who will plan most details of trips so we have a jolly good time. He wil scan price tags and remember them do quick calculations in his head so we get the best deals and all I have to do is make shopping lists,decide what to eat,read up on enough history and follow him around. The down side(there always is one) is that we will be in bed by ten every night even in the cities with the most happening night life. We won't take very early morning flights and will always get our beauty sleep unless economy dictates otherwise. I am the kind who can depend on a mobile aap to do most of my work. I will happily use gps to find my way in strange cities as physical maps have such fine print it's guaranteed to give me a headache in minutes. I am a wanderer ,it means I can go around in circles and eventually find my way and not get too bothered,while the husband can find the shortest way to any place and get anxious if we get lost. But we make a good travelling pair with a bit of give and take and frankly I can't imagine traveling with anyone else.

The sofa diary

It's three thirty in the afternoon and as is usual for me ,I am lying on a sofa . The big difference is that this is a large roomy sofa and super comfortable,the temperature is 18 degrees c, there are dark clouds outside with a threat of rain and the defending silence is broken only by the sound of a lawn mower in the distance,children's voices in the park ,my stomach grumbles and the sound of my breathing. In my ordinary life I would be lying on the sofa,the fan at full speed,sweating despite it,wondering if silence was a sound and contemplating what to make for dinner. How different.

Morning wa spent walking down many a cobbled street up and down ,curved and hilly and then down to the river to watch swans and ducks swim by peacefully. The walk took us through a tree lined park. The trees in perfect symmetry,the paths full of fallen autumn leaves,birds singing in the branches. People browsing in shops. From one park to another to a sudden spate of shops,we ambled for hours,huddled in coats enjoying the chill air on our skin. In my other life my mornings would mean a one hour walk after which the clothes would have to be peeled off thanks to sweat. The morning would then mean watering some wilting plants ,cooking breakfast while the heat continues to a increase to uncomfortable levels....such is life ...what can't be overcome must be endured.

It's the differences that I embrace.....the present is for memories to be relived in a series of pictures. The regular must be endured and that is life. Each with its own ups and downs. Holidays are all about the ups but real life is a mixture of joy,sorrow and living. Harder yes but also to be enjoyed. The collage of my holiday memories keeps me going. Someone asks why I laze around on a sofa when on holiday. Don't I want to see places and take photos and shop. Yes I've done that too but for me it has to be a mixture. Nature in all its beauty must be appreciated in silence,unbroken and peaceful and for someone who lives in a city this is almost like seeing a place ,it's a new experience. To be in sync with all that's beautiful and wild that for me is pure joy.

The sofa takes it all.

It's a faded pink must have been red at one time. It's the centrepiece of the living room and is about ten years old. I dream about it every so often . It's kind of a premium place to rest oneself ad it's everyone's favourite. A three seater sofa it is and in terms of comfort it's the intimate. One can sink into its comfortable cushions and I don't mean sit,I mean sink. It's relaxes you instantly . Getting out is always a problem,because one never wants to. No one spends much time sitting on it. Most often than not its occupied by someone lounging on it whoever made this piece of furniture was either a pretty lazy person who imagined spending most of his days lounging or it was someone who knew the meaning of comfort and that luxurious feeling. Now don't get me wrong,it's not those designer ones with soft cushions et al. It's cushions are made of canvas,it's colour is faded and in terms of looks it's just another sofa. It wouldn't get a second glance,it wouldn't get rave reviews in the looks departments either. But like a well worn piece of furniture it's not something one would give up easily. It's everyone's favourite seat in the house and when the present owner who has no intentions of giving it up,ever decides to do so I will be standing in line for it. Never mind that I don't have space in the flat. This is one piece of sofa that I have my heart set on.

It's a little bit special

The Italy holiday is over and we are back in Germany to our friends home. This is the last leg of the journey and it's a time to spend with friends and to simply chill ,enjoy the weather and not worry about a thing. We have spent our time in the town square mixing with locals ,enjoying three market days when Italian and French farmers showcased their produce in stalls selling cheese,meat,oil and fresh food. It's a time to eat and drink and browse. Staying at home involves barbecue in the garden,eating fresh apples and plums from trees,watching hilarious French movies and talking non stop with friends. What more can one ask for.

The sun shines and the temperature is around 18 degrees. It's warm in the sun and cool in the shade. I spend my time ogling at the shops. Kitchen stuff is my weakness and I can't believe my eyes at all the beautiful things that are available. The possibilities of decorating things the little art pieces etc are so lovely and simple I want to take it all back home. But of course I can't and will it stick out like a sore thumb in my city's flat. Of course it will so I look and am happy.

Lunch is eaten is and we continue to stroll. Plenty of grape wines in the neighbourhood and I eat them with juice running down my throat. Reminds me of the poem " the goblin men" . The beauty of living in a small town in Europe is are the quaint shops,the cafes,the people and the dogs. It's a laid back life but everyone is productive in their own way. There are no idlers around,no one is wasting time. It's clean and it bright and beautiful. It's another two days and I will be back home to India and I need these memories to keep me going until the next holiday. 

The silence as usual is so unusual I can hear myself breath. This is the kind of peace one craves for. Do I every get this silence back home. Perhaps in the hills but certainly not when houses have common walls and one can literally peak into the other house. Lovely is such a sad word to describe this place because it more than lovely....it's just so special