Euro Trip - Part 1 Venice Rialto Bridge

                          Now after getting out of the palace I couldn't control my hunger so I sat down on a staircase and ate my 'khakhras' with 'namkeen'. Generally I wouldn't prefer such kind of food in lunch but at that time anything would work and it did. I again sat out for my voyage and landed up at one of the famous places where the song 'khuda jane' from the movie 'Bachna e haseenon' was shot Rialto Bridge. It was crowded and at first one cannot recognize that this is the same bridge but it is. People were all round there and beside that bridge lays one of the most beautiful market places in Venice and the specialty of Venice is its Masks which they wear on some carnival or something. Well it was all beautiful and lively I couldn't resist myself singing the tunes of 'ye sama..sama hai yai suhana suhana' by none other then KishoreDa and 'gata rahe mera dil..' again by the legend himself and many others. Markets were flooded with fancy clothing like 'I LOVE VENICE' t shirts and many other funky crazy clothing.
                                      My eyes sat on a shop which displayed only hand made works of wood and Pinocchio was their main attraction and children were going crazy to see him long nose skinny yet so funny. I came to church as usual but didn't stayed long as I had to catch the train to Milan my third and last destination for Italy. I sat down at the bank of a very small canal and again had some refreshments and this time I was accompanied by white, yellow, whitish-yellow, brown all kinds of birds eating their food :) and also by a couple but this time I was in no mood to talk to anybody, I think I was well sunked into the ambiance of the place after walking for like 2 hours continuously I needed this break and what is the better place than a bank of water body. Now the rain was completely off and a bright sun was glooming on my head not that like in India specially in Rajasthan and that too in Jodhpur where sun has some kind of special pact with the place to shine with all its strength no matter people like it or not. I then decided not to roam around on my legs rather give Venice Transportation a chance to make me do the same and I just traveled hearing now to Hindi songs from my creative i-pod and sitting on the edge of the boat from one station to another watching people boarding and leaving. I than came to Venezia Santa Lucia and then took a local train to venizia Mestre and I was this time early than to my scheduled departure and to my rescue there was a McDonald right there in front of me so I took a LONG coke and sat down and this time I was accompanied by a guy whose name I don't remember but I do remember that he didn't liked that place he was working there as a marketing manager for some mobile company. Well I then sat on my train to Milan.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Venice Palace

The first thing when I entered the palace was WOW..Its HUGE!
where am I really. Is it for real...No it can't be. I immediately started clicking from my NIKON 10X optical zoom 6 mega pixel camera. I can't let thing this go without being captured in. I was really amazed to see such a big palace. I told to myself that well it was all worth taking all the pain to reach here...all those hundreds of mails and staring eyes and researches for topics and professors, departments, universities..all the pain that I took to make tickets and planning my "Euro-Trip". I without any doubt was more and more curious to know what is the history of it and who were the people who lived here. To my rescue came an European guy, well I will come to that later, but the funniest thing happen to me. Not knowing the way and places of the palace, no map I straightly went pass to the exit gate and found myself outside from the other side where a lot of people were standing in a long queue and I thought may be that is the main entrance but then i figured out that I had come outside the palace so I ran to the main entrance again and convinced the lady in charge that I made a mistake so please let me in again. It was my good luck that she allowed me to enter and then I went to the first floor seeing the glorious and the most beautiful dining hall I have ever seen in my life. Chandeliers hanging from the rooftops. Crystal shaped glasses neatly placed on the tables. Huge painting covering every bit of the walls. Beautifully colored and preserved for a very long time. I then began to enter to the numbered halls from 1 to 30 and each one had its own history written at the entrance of each hall, photography was not allowed and each having a all together a different setup and aura. Some were having paintings depicting the history of how the Jesus was killed and the era before that that how happy were all the people to find God to their rescue. People started believing him some sort of incarnation of GOD and some people just thought of him as a rescuer some scolded him another some treated him as king, but whatever he was he came as a helping hand to the common people. How he transformed the lives of many.
The pictures were depicting how the people were again ill treated and how they cope up with that. Mythology along with wars was so beautifully carved that one cannot imagine. In India Mythology is always been treated more or less similar to secularism and communal ism but in European countries it was all but different and nothing was mixed up and people knew where to draw boundaries that is why there are a lot less differences in there. Well coming back to this palace I was really amazed to see that big globe and maps and people all around he palace old young couples Americans Europeans Indians, though far less than I expected everybody was happy to be there. I was still raining outside, now heavily, I was not surprised to see that because in Europe you can see all the four seasons in one day.
Now I met this India who was working for Whirlpool in Venice only and he was with a European guy which knew a lot about the stuff so I hanged around them and he said that pointing to one of steel structures this was forced by the kings to the ladies to wear so that they cannot have sex with other men and they used to have the key. How pity that was, well what we can do.
Their were armours and long swords which the warriors used in the wartime. It was all very awe-spiring. That time they didn't have the machine guns and modern artillery that we all know about form the movies, so they somehow managed to device to shoot the explosives to a very large distances with a very large speed. They used to write in Roman numbers. The caves like cells where the kings used to keep the prisoners from the wars. That was really scary. There was a well also from where the prisoners were allowed to take water but now that was sealed for safety purposes.
The tour of the palace came to end with the music playing outside and I couldn't asked for the better ending for that remembrance that encounter to the history to such an amazing place.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Art Gallery

I again set out to roam around in the street and accidentally entered to an art gallery. Art and me have relation whatsoever. But still it was classy and I was at first point in my life felt that the artists have something in them that makes them a lot different from the rest of the world. They have insight to human mind, though not fully but somehow they manage to portrait somethings that are just in the fields of our virtual world of oneself. Beautifully crafted stones and paintings. Each telling some or other story.
Symbolism, difficult to understand, but draws you near to it somehow. You keep on thinking the grounds on which you are getting connected to that piece, but only few of us have the aptitude to get what was hidden in it. And then the role of artists gets started. A true artist is one who can not only portrait the realms of life or whatever message he wants to convey but most importantly that message should reach the onlooker, I should say.
As they say that artists are somewhat out of this world and that too sarcastically, I really don't agree with that completely. I cannot say that I understand art, but in respect to make someone feel the message and stops your eyes the minute you saw that painting and starts thinking that ok the artists must have thought this and that while painting his thoughts, I can say that I was a bit overwhelmed to explore that part of me.
And what I like also the most about anything that is being on the display that each and every bit of it was displayed beautifully and just like it is as important as the other one, and this is not only true for just painting but everything all over Europe whether it a roadside advertisement or a Picasso or Da Vinci.
Well I was all freshen by that half an hour experience and now took my luck, the usual khakhras and again set out to roam around the streets.
As I learned till this time if you don't know the place, follow the mob. And I did the same and reached one of the most memorable places. I always used to think the palaces to be huge and awespiring and well I was not totally incorrect as I entered the Palace of Ducale.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Venice

Well I reached Venice in the morning, Venezia mestre. Well I took a ticket for a euro to reach Venezia Sanata Lucia. Came out of the station and as usual inquired for the map and guidelines. This time it costed me 4.5 euros for the map and it always hurts when you find out some sudden expenses come into your way.
Well as I looked outside the station all the worries were gone it was raining just as I wanted it to be. Lots of people here and there and boats were there. First thing I said was WOW!I am here finally in the city which has houses and churches and buildings floating on the water. The Floating City as I call it. The fist thing that went to was the famous place from the Oscar winning movie "The Sound of Music" the basilica from that movie. It was huge and it is always good to see the place that u have seen in the movies:)
I was really amazed to see the place and was just thinking how it is all working. I crossed the bridge and went to other side of it and was just admiring the ambiance of each passing moment. All different kinds of boats. Gondolas(mostly being opted out by couples), Motor Boats, Big Boats, Large Cruises, Small Cruises, Ships, what they call it as prince of Venice, Taxis as boats. Parking spots for boats. All new to see to feel. There were some buses also but who is gonna look for them when the place have given me,for a water lover, boats to travel.
I already took the day pass from which I can now travel in any damn boat except of course gondolas from anywhere to anywhere. So I asked a guy how to use the card and I sat on a large boat and sat on a tour of 'Venice'. At first I was really amazed and had no clue where I was headed to, but after some time I realized that I am traveling on the boundaries of it. I went to the roof of the boat and started my new habit of clicking each ad every site that I liked...enjoying the rain and ups and downs of the boat..those strong currents of water..sometimes still water...some strong splashes. The weather and the place was much more endeavoring.
Finally I arrived at the same place where I left off...zero displacement but much more to remember this time. I went to a show gallery where these obscure videos were playing of some artists whose name I can never remember. Some new technologies at display. I like the building more than the movies. It had a small playground and like 70's-80's. Clean. White. Very sophisticated though. and since it was raining now a bit strongly so it was the best option for me to be there.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Italy Last Leg

Whats ironical about the place in each part of Europe is that one wants to visit them again and again. one does not get satisfied just by seeing and visiting it only once. your inner voice always says that i want to come back and see it one more time. Just once. Well I am no exception and felt it that way also. So after reaching station for getting my battery recharged, again one more thing I didn't thought over before setting out for Italy. It has become for me not to plan anything
and just go with the mood. And rest all of them were getting there next destination. I then returned to Colosseum to again have a look at it and you say that to Roma around the streets of Rome. My take is that one gets a very acquaintance of a city and only way when he sets out in the streets and see for themselves how the common people survive, live life, enjoy and have fun with their families. Luckily where ever I went I got a chance to look at it, the inside story you can say. One thing I noticed is that Indians there have a very state regarding money, same with Bangladeshis, Sri-Lankans. All the people there are either selling goggles or any other job and all the European people hold the better posts with better money and all. I don't know the reason but it is true.
Well I as usual had the map and went out towards Colosseum. I decided to do it by walk having no idea that how far it is actually from the railway station but like I said it was all Just Like that. Well in like about an hour I reached the Colosseum, having less time left in my clock I decided to take the metro for the return journey to the station. Meanwhile I bought a pair of goggle just for 2euros, saw a church and waling on the streets. You can imagine how much I was tired after two days of long roaming and a very little sleep. I was literally amazed to see that the same city Rome was a Lot different in the evening time than it was in the day time. And certainly a lot different from other parts of Europe. People here don't like to party much, far less bars and restaurants. Just visitors and those too in some kind of hurry.
Well after seeing Colosseum once again and this time it was more subtle and calm. Party going on nearby and cool breeze blowing. All very soothing and in that moment. No worries and music playing. Vendors selling some food items and others some remembrance for the Colosseum.
Well I took the metro and reached Roma termini. I began searching for the station and to my horror the train was not listed in the board. I thought that it might come after some time as it was still 1.5 hrs left. But as the time passed by it still didn't show up in the display and that put me back again in that horror state. I searched for my tickets and glanced it, this time with more attention and I found out that the train departs from another railway station. I quickly went to buy the metro ticket and searched for the station and all. Now I have made the habit of catching the trains and trams and metros in that period with quick foot. You must have got it to do all just like that I had to. I caught the train luckily. When the TT came to check my ticket then I shouted O Shit! Well I didn't loose my tickets and documents but I only then realized that I have lost my jacket having 20 euros in that. But the tickets were there and I was heading back to Graz.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Fontana Di Trivi & Spanish Stairs

'Fontana Di Trivi' - An utter pleasure for anyone to be at that place. To see the marvel by his eyes and feel the magic of the environment. You don't regret the amount of visitors there, all the people pushing and taking pictures and the mob just enough not to make any mishap and be in control though by policemen. In that scorching heat the water was so cold. This is the place where you wish to get your dreams come true. You throw a coin not facing the fountain, in a hope to get what you have asked from HIM at that very moment. I hope I will get it, though I don't believe in fate and luck and all the things but I was still feeling that somehow my wish will be fulfilled, that is how much magical the place was. You come as a impure soul and gets divinity in its simplest form possible. I fall in love with that place at once and was feeling relaxed and like I have completed my journey of life. I have done my hardships to reach there and now is the time to get relaxed. To feel the ambiance, to let the environment do its work of magic and take you away to some place you cannot imagine to be.
You can all read about its glorious history on wiki but what I felt is total bliss..somehow. Don't ask the reason. Nothing less then total happiness. Now I know that why they call that happiness can only be pursued. The art with which the place has been put together can only be described by great poets, telling how beautiful the place is by some analogies, may be. We all four made our wishes by throwing coins into the water. I truly wanted to spend more time in their but as usual we were running out of time. The next thing I knew was we were climbing a slant road, in spite of Spanish stairs that we were looking from last half an hour, to some place whose best part would be that we were chatting all the way. Its always good to make new friends and share your thoughts and weird experiences, likes, dislikes. Now somehow we reached to the Spanish stairs, I don't know why do they call them that, they certainly led to a beautiful church, Cathedral as it is called in German. Well it also had a bad memory for me, as I forgot my jacket in that church having 20 euros in its upper pocket. If somebody goes to Rome and to that church, please return my jacket:)
As we noticed that Rome is much similar to India, broken walls, deteriorated paints small houses and lots of tourists everywhere. Vendors shouting for various things. Some painters making sketches of the people at cheap prices. At the starting of the stairs there is a very small but beautiful fountain, where we took cold water, who cares if it was drinkable or not. And as we turned we all just stood still by seeing a black colored Ferrari, though reminds me of my first year when all of my friends used to call my old scooter Ferrari(as I used to drive it at 70 kmph, bit of daredevil though..huh) but the real one was nothing like that. Without a doubt I dream of that car in each and every one of my dreams riding in the suburbs of Europe empty roads greenery and with no speed limit music at its class.
Well let me come out of my dreams. We then now headed towards our next destination..railway station.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Vatican City

Well we didn't get a chance to see the Colosseum from inside, one thing that has left for me to do when I will again go to Europe...hopefully. We went along the bus displaying our photography skills all the way along and in spite of not knowing the names of all the sculptures we went on clicking. It was all fun. Well we all then arrived in the smallest country in this world. The place where one of the strongest personality of this world lives. Who has certainly more powers than the President of the United States but more importantly he doesn't uses it in negative sense. The place where movie 'jhoom barabar jhoom' was shot. Now without delaying and getting your nerves up I will start telling about the place The Vatican City.
Yes where the Pope lives. It is very difficult to tell the experience in words, you can see in my album on Orkut. The place is huge with long pillars standing symbolizing the more so pride. Its suitableness was the first thing that I notices and will be remembered that way. Fountain in the middle pouring us the much needed cold water in that scorching heat. We were hungry that time but still couldn't resist us to get in line to get in there. So we decided to first see the whole thing and then arrange something for food. We entered with the security check though we all get through. We saw guards standing as stiff as some pillar. I still remember people taking their pictures and laughing but they were doing there duty to stand still...and they were doing great I guess.
We then entered the building cracking jokes about meeting pope and all. There was a huge line for entering the building which we didn't opted for, considering the shortage of time. We saw graves of old kings and queens and some prayers were also chanting centrally so we were supposed to keep quite which we didn't:)
Now our gang proceeded towards the food arrangement. Well we went to a famous Italian restaurant as said by the people there and preferred the much said about food Pizza. Italian pizzas being famous all over the world and is being said to have taken the pride to invent this. Well we, well at least I was expecting the pizza to be thick with lots of stuff in it and we will be relieved by out hunger..like in India. But it turned out to be that the pizza was very very thin and it hardly made any weight to our appetite. We has to get satisfied to that only as the things which come in fancy packages are more expensive then they should be and each one of us paid 5euros, no need to convert it Indian currency to check my price for the half.
We again set on our open buses and headed off to our next destination.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Colosseum

Euro Night is a very nice train for long journeys, well not of course better than OBB (Austrian Trains) but you can spend a lovely time in that. I really wished that once I sat in TGV.
I was dejected by my tragic loss of 60euros for the can I took, in morning I was about to go to the loo and I saw Praveen, Suraj and Sougat (I didn't knew both of them, at that time...now very good friends) had a formal contact with Praveen. You cannot imagine how it feels when you see an Indian outside India. Well we hit it off pretty fast and found each others company very good. To start with we all collected maps and just after coming outside we hired a tours and travels for a open bus to take us the tour of Roma. Each of the ticket costing 20 euros, well totally worth it.
We started with the marvel structure of all times. The place where kings used to make their slaves fight with vicious animals in an open ground. You must have seen Gladiator, Russel Crow. Yes I am talking about Colosseum. I have only seen it in pictures and never imagined to see that thing in my whole life, but here I was in front of it, admiring its broken walls and the corridors where those fighters used to prepare themselves for their battle against the ferocious animals of all kinds. Colosseum do resemble the spirit of survival and to take revenge of what bad has happened to you. It symbolizes the desire for destiny, for salvation. Beside Colosseum there are roman ruins of the wars. Broken buildings but not broken thoughts. Broken bricks but not broken desires. Broken hearts but not broken soul.
I revisited Colosseum at night and it was a real taste of what people called as Roma. Music playing. Lots of visitors traveling across admiring the beauty. Lights from every window of Colosseum. Nice weather amazing attitude of surrounding. Feels like Rome at that point of time. I wish to be there and sit for hours just watch and feel. You forget all your worries and a new wave of energy surrounds you. All the tiredness is gone 'Just Like That'.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Italy Tour start mishap

now just after coming back from Salzburg I has to work till 9 in the evening..:( well it was not bothering me so much because I was about to depart for Italy. It was in the evening 8:20 I had to catch the train for Bruk Mur. and then from there to the city of culture Rome. I came back 5:30 in the evening and took a long long bath, as this pleasure will not be available for next three days. Had dinner and then took a temporary sim and then started for taking a tram to Hauptbanhof.
Fate has turned his face from me and everything planned was going against me from the moment I stepped out of my apartment.
The lift took 15mins, which generally takes 5min to come and 30seconds to take me from 14th floor to ground floor, well you never know what can happen.
I then realized that I can miss my train if I don't hurry up. I came to the tram station and to my bad luck the tram no. 3 and 6 were not running that day, which goes directly to the station...of course I didn't know that so I took the tram for Jakominiplatz, the center of the city and was cursing each and every person who were coming and going out of that tram taking a few precious mins of my rush hour.
I reached Jakominplatz and then started running towards the next tram station panting hardly, reached there and then took tram no 1 which goes via station. Each and every second prooved to me more longer than I expected.
People say that if you want to ask the importance of 1 sec you should ask a swimmer if you want to ask the importance of 1 hour you should ask a Olympic runner but if you want to ask the importance of catching a train then you should ask Ankur Singhal. As I said in Europe if the train s scheduled to go on 8:20 then it will depart at 8:20 no delays.

8:18 the gate opened and I started running..pusing a lady out...I shouted sorry, well it didn't came out that loud but was enough to apologize at that moment

8:19 I crossed the main road and still running panting hard enough to blow somebody out

8:20 I reached the gates of the station..still hoping to catch the train

8:21 I was looking at the display chart and to my horror surprise and utter confusion the train that I was looking was not on the charts..I am doomed

8:22 with still some hope left I reached the inquiry counter which was about to close down..I asked the guy for the train to Bruk Mur. he finally said the thing which I didn't want to hear...
2 mins late..you are 2 mins late...
And suddenly all the things came rushing to my mind..and world stood still for a few seconds..my mind stopped working, nothing to do, nowhere to go and nobody to help me out...
There was nothing that I could do and now the only option was to take a cab for Bruk mur.
The connecting train to Rome was an hour from that time..so I had to take some quick decisions. I came out of that place and hit the road with a cab which took 60 euros to save me a loss of 159+47 euros and in 45 mins I reached Bruk mur. and to my utter surprise the train was an hour late, the trains which are on time is an hour late. What do you call at that time you all know.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Salzburg

Well I reached Salzburg in the afternoon 2:30 and it was raining all the way and the weather was awesome, well to me..mind it European people don't like rain they like sunshine. On the way to Salzburg in the train as my mind goes crazy on long trips, I spent my journey listening to my i-pod and reading NEXT:).
On my arrival I did what I do on my first arrival at any place, went to the inquiry counter and asked for map. I sat out in the open roads holding a map rather than umbrella, strange but all that was happening was more than strange. Luckily I was wearing my jacket because it was cold out there believe me, much more for me a person from the deserts to a land where green is everywhere and by everywhere I mean 'everywhere'.
As my intuition proved to be correct this time also I reached out to the river in no time and it was beautiful. Every city has one river and every place for the visitors is located nearby it. Salzburg is all about Mozartium, I first saw the national museum and in front of that was a school for mozartium. I wish I were there for a longer time so that I could also try to understand Mozartium. Well then it was my turn to watch a palace, which was having in my mind a image that it is meant for princesses and price charming..and I was correct palaces are awesome and 'Palace of Mirabell' proved to stand to its popularity and its beauty lies in its environment location and the way it has been designed. Reading my explanation, go check out the palace and one will not regret spending ur money.
I appreciated the beauty of the palace and then at around 6:50 p.m. I started for the railway station called as Hauptnhof in German.
I then witnessed the most sweetest goodbye ever in my life..a gal came to see off his bf with all the love and tender..a moment of despair, a moment to remember, a moment to regret, a moment to express your love..happiness and realization of the importance of each other...well I talked to the guy afterward and heard an amazing love story, which I love the most to hear.
I reached Graz at night and was very tired...so just had a good night sleep as I had to get back to my dept. to work whole day.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Food and all

Well days passed by and I now managed to reach department in 5 mins:) and now I was feeling much happy to be there. At the time of depositing my rent for two months, warden broke the news to me that I had to register to the police that I will be here for two months. Another formality means another head back to roam around and search for the police station was not that exactly I wanted at that point..now that I didn't know that the offices are also very very punctual of time I reached, after again searching for an hour and the women in charge said that I am 5 mins late so I should come tomorrow...huh!
Well as and when the days were passing by I ran out of my storage of food like 'khakhras','Maggi' etc so finally it was my turn to do what I had not done in my entire life. I only went to kitchen for eating but this time it was me who had to cook so after asking the whole recipe from my mother via e-mail I cooked my first meal the 'daal chawal' and I didn't expected it to be tasty, but it turned out to be eatable, I will not brag about my cooking skills but...well the food as the time passed by turned out to be good(as u can see from the pic)
I sat out to work very hard. And one of the time pass was also to plan my euro trip which turned out to be much more difficult considering less amount of funds and more amount of opportunities and places to visit. People buy Euro rail pass to roam around but I opted for Global pass of 159euros plus the reservation fees. So I finally planned for Italy tour first keeping in mind my interest for exploring the cultural part of the place. My department was having some construction so I went to Salzburg for one day rather a few hours just like that without any planning whatsoever...just packed my bag and caught the next train available.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Checking in

Lufthansa as it promises gives us a pleasant flight..I enjoyed the movies a lot...finally arrived in the afternoon in Graz, second largest city of Austria, three times been awarded 'The Cultural City' and has the most intake of students round the year. To be true I didn't have any idea what it would be like to be in Europe or should I say a country with so much different environment than India, will come to that latter. I was in that awe spirit from the time I took off from India and it continued for a while. I asked a lady smoking in the Smoking Area that from where I can get the Shuttle Bus to go to Jakominiplatz('J' is pronounced as y..well of course I didn't know that:))she pointed out to me to wait under the symbol H..and all this conversation was loosely a sign language communication, but I still didn't get her and went to taxi stand and asked a guy, he knew English and told me that it will cost me 15euros it I take the taxi so keeping in mind the financial restraints I waited for 45 mins in cold weather tired from a long long flight and finally the bus arrived at its scheduled time and at that point of time I noted that trains, buses, trams any damn thing in Europe is never late in departure or in arrival. Well I spent my expenses in euros as a bus ticket 1.8euros. I now was on a journey to see the most beautiful houses and colonies..I was literally dumbfounded by seeing such a beautiful locality..the bus driver dropped me somewhat at a distance from my destination..he didn't know that I am new to this place..I saw many railway lines at a distance and figured that it should be Jakominiplatz..well I was lucky..it was. I now had to take a tram no. 5, this time I took the wrong one and at the next station I asked a guy that I want to go to Haffenerigel 53 and then I got to know I am in wrong tram. I get sown and got the correct one, and after wandering for another an hour I finally reached the dormitory. As instructed to me by Anne Marrie I collected my keys from Berat Gashi(it was then very difficult to remember those names:P) and I entered my room.
Now the moment came which i will never forget, I was wandering how to get drinking water and I heard a beautiful voice saying 'hi' I turned around to see one of the hottest girl in brown top and mini skirt. I saw her for a few minutes, well more than anybody should look on their first meet. I finally managed to come to reality and asked her where I can get drinking water(stupid question though..made my first impression more worse..:() now I got myself on my feet by eating 'khakhras' and set out with my camera(I don't know why I took it..)to look for the way to university. I had to be on my toes to remember the way back to dorm, I noted the wrong way..another blunder:) next morning well prepared to start my new journey of a different professional life..I reached places which I shouldn't and after walking for an hour for a distance of 5 mins I finally reached my department IGTE. I was welcomed in a very good manner by the professor and was introduced to his whole team. I was somehow confident and managed to communicate well. I was then instructed by my mentor Andrej Stermeki. I got lost both the times for going to lunch and coming back to university and was much tired at the end of the day. Gergey, the genius a phd. student helped me buy stuff from spar, German for super market, finally I reached my dorm and got a long awited sleep of 12 hours, but still couldn't feel relaxed. All these tiredness and all the things happening so fast took out my excitement to come this far to such a prestigious place.

Euro Trip - Part 1 Beginning

Well it all started with my "CV", the most critical one page of anyone's life, and the so called Cover Letter. Not a while ago these terms would have meant either a movie or some cool slang and the cover page of your love life(:))but now these are the integral part of me. I prepared my CV and cover letter and as the "procedure" goes I started mailing all the professors and research assistants all across Europe and on most of the days I got the same old reply like-"Mr. Ankur(it feels good when somebody calls you that, but in mails I figured from this line that OK something bad news is following) we don't have enough means to call you, although your CV seems pretty impressive"(all the credit goes to my brother rather than my results and other stuff:P) or may be they once in a while ask me-Do you have financial assistance?(whose obvious answer was no..!) but after like many many many mails I got positive reply and I was like on cloud nine!!
Well after all the formal mails and phone calls to the professors and the follow ups I went to apply for visa for Austria. The date for which was decided after messing up with college gundas("dudes" as they call themselves..:)),long story though, and asking a thousand times to all the people from teachers to classmates about the exams dates, canceling tickets to Delhi a few times I managed to decide the dates, which by the way didn't turned out to be quite correct...:(
I sat in the general coach(believe me no one ever wants to travel in that..I know I will not ever in my life) of the mandore express,which as the name suggests should be a express but it has something against me that it was not willing to go that fast that day and was 9hrs late, which made me the last person to apply for visa in VFS Center(the name that I will not forget)....tired and exhausted after applying I got out of that building and saw McDonalds and sat there for a long long time just sipping my coke as I had to travel again in that shithole general coach.
Now the time has started when I had to wait for the visa and trust me that seemed pretty long than I ever expected. Again follow ups with VFS and Embassy of Austria..mails and faxes and phone calls...I ended up making a loss of 6000/- as a penalty for date change of Air ticket. Tired of waiting and making lab records for the upcoming examination I went to college to chill out and do some formalities while returning I met a accident, my first on my pulsar, got my knee injured and some bruises on leg spared me of much bigger pain than it could be.
Finally I got my visa 'just like that' and that day will be written in my obituary..trust me it is hard to pack for two month stay in Austria n just 5 hrs with all the tickets and formalities also, again the credit goes to my brother, mother and father also...I once again prepared myself to travel from mandore express(I don't know why do they call it a express..:))as this time it was late from here only by 4hrs. I went punjab hotel and tried to get heeled by taking a long long sleep...and by long I mean pretty long:). Thanx to Luftansa for departing the flight in the early morning I got to see what it looks like morning 4a.m. worried about my extra luggage, but I was lucky to get cleared.
Paper planes of my dreams finally were coming to fly and take me to Austria, one of the most beautiful part of Europe.

dua!

vo masum sa chehra

us chehre pe muskurahat

vo chehre ki masumiyat

us masumiyat mein chipi hansi

vo pyari si hansi

us hansi mein chamakti ankhen

vo jheel si ankhen

un ankhon ka nasha

vo chehre par ati jhulfen

un jhulfon ki chaun mein rehti chandni

vo jhukti-uthti palken

un palkon mein behte sapne

sada poore hon vo sapne

yehi dua hai hamari..

jise piroya hai shabdon ki mala mein

jise sameta hai samay k un palon mein

jise dekha hai osar ki bundon mein

jise samjha hai kisi kavi ki kavita mein

jise sajaya hai kisi shayar ki gazal mein

jise bandha hai moti ki sundarta mein

jise buna hai asmaan k taron mein

vo aur kahin nahi yahin hai

mere dil k kisi kone mein..

hathon ki lakiron pe likhe tere naam ko mita na paunga..

meri hansi mein teri khushi ko chupa na paunga..

mere dukh mein tere saath ko bhula na paunga..

ankhon ki gehrai mein chupe tere chehre ko mita na paunga..

palkon ki nami mein teri yadon ko bhula na paunga..

mathe ki shikan mein tere hathon k ehsas ko chupa na paunga..

sangeet k un suron mein tere lafzon ko nikal na paunga..

mere dil ki us dhadkn se tujhe mita na paunga..

kasam hai mujhe us khuda ki..

tere saath bitaye un palon ko bhula na paunga..

Wouldn't it be better watching
..morning sun glow
..little children playing in the streets
..birds feeding their young ones
..young lads talking about their future
..evening blues around the street corner

Wouldn't it be better watching
old man laughing on the park bench
...remembering their old days
...remembering their great lives
...remembering their love

Wouldn't it be better watching
..leaves falling over to the barricade
..moonlight falling over to thousands of stars...glowing
..music playing from leaves...from everywhere

Wouldn't it be better
to love someone from the bottom of your heart
and.......be loved!

Something Somewhere inside me..

Something Somewhere inside me
is searching for shelter
is searching for happiness
is searching for freedom..

Something Somewhere in me
is died because of failures
is dying because of circumstances
will die at eternity..

Something Somewhere inside me
is feeling lonely
is feeling guilty
is feeling tired..

Something Somewhere inside me
wants to be just me...and
not what people want me to be!