Two Lords...in a day...

Tried understanding the peerage - not too clear on what is what - and more importantly, why? Well, an important day in the Gurukul programme today. Have seminars by two of them in a day: Lord Meghnad Desai with his wiggy hair....and the newest minted Lord, Nicholas Stern.


Stern is very much in the news, and does seem to be very hot property days after his climate economics report. Have his session this afternoon. Stern is also the Academic Patron of the Gurukul programme, and Lord Desai was one of the prime movers of this scholarship at the inception stage.

Not bad...had lots of Sirs, now two Lords....

Hostelling at Van Gogh & Goutam's Musings

Our third hostel so far was a real charm. Combined the full efficiency of the Swiss hostel, as well as the backpacker charms from our Edinburgh experience. The rooms were immaculate – we found ourselves in a four seater, all to ourselves. All fitted with a wash basin ( useful for drinking water, if nothing else). Dorms were mixed, and the place was packed to capacity. This was supposed to be the offseason remember? Breakfasts were hearty – cornflakes, juice, bread ( whole wheat & white ) , hot chocolate or tea and coffee. The kitchen was spotless – but we did not need to use it. The in-house bar and the lounge area ( complete with a pool table, cane chairs and big windows) were the real great add-ons. The staff were very helpful- and knowledgeable too…the tips and directions were precise, well thought through. And everyone speaks excellent English. Lugging our big suitcase up three flights of steps was not a picnic though. The luggage storage facilities were excellent too. The Turkish town is next door.

Highly recommended. Stay here if you are in Brussels ( the age rules seem to restrict it to 18-35 yrs- thankfully, they do not seem to be implementing it!).

PS: Van Gogh lived and worked in these premises. And he died a pauper – the greatness recognised well after is death. Goutam is still in a daze on hearing this about the great man!

Mystery of the Missing Man...

The strange case of Mr Syed!

Syedbhai, our civil servant course mate from Pakistan, who joined us a little late was missing in action! He was with us for our meanderings around town till late Friday night, but come Saturday morning- he was nowhere to be found! Where is Syedbhai? Where is Syedbhai? The mobile is off. His luggage is missing. No note for any of us. Kept us worried all day – when were in Brugges. I returned late at night, to find him still missing. And we set out on a mission to search him out….what happened then? Alas, can’t put it on this blog…

To put all at rest, he is back with us in London, and back in the classroom.

In KC's Honour...

Beer is well, almost a national obsession. Antwerp is supposed to have a pub which serves nearly a 1000 varieties. The canned/ bottled ones do not even count as beer....it has to be fresh - and often fruity.

Peter, an old associate of Howard, took us around to a pub/bar named Sudden Death ( or the equivalent in Belgian) for an evening of sampling some exotic Belgian stuff - all served in different glasses, often with stems. A bustling place, great atmosphere.

One of the highpoints was to smell waffles in the air – in a way, it does seem to a national food in Belgium. Did justice to it a few time – varying prices, but uniformly good quality. But the sight of the fresh waffles stalls is heart warming. Am carrying some back.

This is what the official tourism website has to say:

"Aside from the delicious recipe, the authentic Belgian waffle is unique because of the special waffle irons used to bake them. These waffle irons are only available in Belgium and give Belgian waffles their signature crunchy-golden outside and fluffy inside.

In Belgium there are two types of waffles (or gauffres as we like to call them): the Brussels and the Liege waffle. The Brussels is rectangular in shape with a golden-brown exterior, deep divots and is usually eaten with a knife and fork. Brussels waffles are served with a variety of toppings such as powdered sugar, whipped cream, ice cream, strawberries and chocolate. The Liege waffle is golden-yellow, more dense in texture and has a burned sugar coating on the outside giving it a lightly sweet flavor. This hand-held waffle is sold by street vendors all over Belgium."

Am no fan of fries- or potato chips or whatever you call it. Very McDonaldish I would say. But it does have a flavour of difference. Served coolly in paper cones, with a dollop of a range of sauces- meat sauce was one interesting one, as was kamikaze. Couple this with the chilly breeze, and perhaps a drizzle – and it the right eat for the day. Fairly cheap I would say, with about a euro or half for a nice serving. Have frites at frietkots - and you're half Belgian.

In the land of Tintin & Poirot

Comics….

Missed seeing something that was very high on my list of things to do – a visit to the comics museum. But the feel is there all over the country. You see cartoons even in public signages – and am excluding the graffiti content for the moment. Tintin, the character and comic most easily recognisable by me, is clearly huge. Perhaps for the tourist potential, but clearly big in the Belgian psyche as well. There are Tintin shops all over, the wall paintings have him and Captain Haddock featured prominently. Nostalgic. Refer Soumya’s blog of a few days back with trivia and his musings on this (http://sc218.blogspot.com/2006/07/16-tintin-100.html )

Souvenier are innovative, and market friendly. Something for everyone- a big kick for he enthusiast, amusing for the average guy – bit lots of money for the trade in any case. Win-Win!

Tushar has bought a not so little Snowy for his Tintin mad sis!

Time Travel in Brugges....

Brugges ( pronounced Broo-jze, but spelt in three different ways in differing languages ) was not on my radar at all. Indeed I had not heard of it at all. And was a little zapped when I came to know that it was amongst the most touristed places in Europe – 3 million a year, I read somewhere! That is quite a bit. Well, it was on Richa’s agenda, and a very important part of it a that. So that is where comes into my agenda.

The agenda for Brussels, made possible by the study visit to the EU headquarters and the NATO office was a little iffy – after the official part of the programme got over on a late Friday evening. The weather forecast had not been too promising – cold and rain were what had been forecast. Amsterdam was contemplated – and dropped finally. It would have been too hectic, and not doing justice to either Belgium or Amsterdam. The ladies headed off to Amsterdam. The men stayed on.

A little bit on Belgium: had read about it being a failed nation-state, and a seminar had shed some light on that. Flemish, Flanders, French – and some Dutch all jumbled in added to the chaos. Howard tipped us off that it is safer sticking to English: the Flemish are not too happy being chatted up in French ( not that I was going to attempt it at all!).

Anyway, that Saturday we decided to head off to Brugges ( B). A short but cold walk to the Brussels Central station ( there at least major termini in the city), armed with the town maps picked up at the hostel ( and an outstanding, user friendly map come highlights booklet, rather innovatively put together with more than a dash of humour). The return tickets were for 12.80 Euros, a half price offer for the weekend. Happy with it. The trains are silent, efficient – but the stations are not really squeaky clean like the English stations. But they do have a fairly exciting graffiti culture.

B station did not give a flavour of what we were to expect, apart from the train emptying out with tourists. The busy road crossed, and suddenly one was time travelling…..it is indeed maintained very well as tourist city. In parts corny (the horse carts trotting around town, with their drivers on the mobile!), but it just fits in so well. There is a fair bit of history, but more than take it too seriously, the charm is in just soaking in the atmosphere….sitting at the foot of the belfry, watching the world and having the chimes in the background!

With cobbled streets, pedestrian bridges , the supermarkets hidden away from public view ( it makes for hugely inexpensive food sourcing!), B manages to re-create very well what it sets out to do. The youngsters map was a boon- and the tips priceless. Engaging old style eateries, hidden away beer bars with happy hours at just Euro 1 – places which are really there for the locals. Quiet, relaxed charming….something I’ll be very happy with!

Is there a Mc Donalds there? Yes, but it is best to ignore where it is….

Won’t write more…..the summers will have long days, but a lot of tourists. The days are shorter, but fewer tourists..enjoy the after dark time and the lighting around town!

Don't Cry for Me Edinburgh..

A delightful town , and a bit of a city split very neatly in to two parts by the railways station. The old town, and the new one. Both World heritage sites. Now, is that not an honour?

Edinburgh, though at the extreme south of Scotland, revels in being Scotlands capital. Scottishness is felt, as you walk through in any part of the town. Tourists visit – so the town is geared up for them. Hop on , hop off buses, souvenier shops filled with tartan pieces, kilts and the like. The two big festivals are in August ( The Edinburgh Festival) and Hogmanay (new years) – traditionally, the Scots worked on Christmas and had their holidays in the New Year, where apparently Edinburgh transforms into one huge street party.

Our first night was at the Parliament House hotel, an old world hotel. Remarkable was the 70 year + night porter who single handedly takes care of the hotel all through the night shift….cleaning, wake up calls, attending the door etc etc. Breakfast had an option of haggis for the cooked part – and I tried it out. Strong smelling and tasting, but well worth it. Black Pudding will have to wait for a while?

Could not visit the Castle, or more importantly the whisky trail. The castle looms over the city – especially when all lit up at night, so you cannot really miss it. The Royal Mile stretches from the castle up the hill all the way to the Hollyrood Palace ( the residence of the UK monarch). The heart of the old town, it has any number of Wynds, Closes and other old English words. Good ny day, suitably mysterious by night.

The part of Edinburgh that seems to be a little off the tourist circuit but is priceless is the Hollyrood Park. With crags, moors, meadows, lochs, mountain paths – and any other geographic feature that you can care to think of , it is fabulous experience well within the city. Our last morning there, in the clear weather was an enchanted one.

Scotch Whisky? But where is it? All over Edinburgh, but at the same expensive prices as elsewhere. American Jack Daniel’s is surprisingly popular, or very aggressively promoted!! The one sneaky experience was to sniff out the free sampling in a few stores, and quaff down some single malt of unheard of distilleries…..

Loved the Scottish ties – replaced my much loved one that M had got almost a decade ago.

Yup, Edinburgh…you are on my list of cities that I will be visiting again…..

Handicap Management....at St Andrews

Here comes a long awaited part of my blog. Had wanted to write this two weeks back. The free Saturday, I had two choices: one join the rest of the group for a spin around Scotland ( Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Sterling castle etc ..all the scenic stuff that could be done) – or do the trip to St Andrews. Decided to go for it – and am extremely pleased at having done the trip. The recommended way is by train to Leuchars, with a bus connection ( 16.5 pounds), or to take the bus ride, a slower one albeit cheaper. Decided on the latter. Gave me a good flavour and feel of the undulating, laid back and very picturesque Scottish countryside.

There’s a lot more to St Andrews than golf – though that will always be the reason why it will have it’s place in history. It is a small town, with a single high street, called “Market Street” the old way – but all what you’d want would be there.

The tourist office ( wonder if any non-golf tourists come here?) is well organised and helpful – nice maps and tips. And then time to start walking towards the golf links, which include the ol’ course. There is a nice tingle to be there…to get a first glimpse of the home of golf: though the ol’ course ( or the parts of it that I got to see) are fairly plain. Am told that the new courses are a lot better – was a little constrained on time, so could not really see them. Interesting that anyone can book time to play on the old course – apply a year ahead, and take your chance in the lottery. Yes, there are many, many seekers for that round of golf. But missed my chance – clearly a lack of research – of hitting a bucket of balls at the range. That would have been closest to having played a game!

The famous Swilcan bridge….is a landmark. Was a trifle disappointed – had expected it to be a little bigger and closer to the clubhouse. But then, smart photographers manage this…wish I had seen the Nicklaus pix before I went. Would have been fun to replicate that!

To set the perspective, this is what is written:

The Swilcan Bridge:

"The 18th Hole of the Old Course, St Andrews Links St Andrews, Scotland
The golf world's ultimate landmark - The Swilcan Bridge crossing the
Swilcan Burn on the 18th Hole of The Old Course at St. Andrews.

From Old Tom Morris & Wille Park, to Jack Nicklaus & Tiger Woods, the
Swilcan Bridge has come to represent the crowning moment of each Open
Championship played at The Old Course.

As the player crests the Swilcan Bridge and pauses to acknowledge the
spectators, flashbulbs erupt and the images resonate through history."

Lots of golfers on the course, despite it being the start of the lean season. No caddies – carry your own bags. Maybe golf gets to be a better exercise that way?

So does my game get to improve? Will my handicap drop by one or two? Will know in a few months. Golf shops abound – a number of pro-shops, with one official one. Souveniers and merchandise of all shapes and sizes abound, and every second shop seems to be a souvenier shop. But good to pick up the odd knick – knacks. All with the proud St Andrews lettering on them. Are they all made in China? I think so….isn’t everything made in China?

Walked around St Andrews a bit. Quaint place. But with a full fledged University. Ducked into a delightful book store cum cafeteria to have a scone, butter and proper tea ( or tea served the proper way) for a quid and a half. Superb experience. Very friendly and charming staff.

The abbey ruins are also quite spectacular – did not manage to sneak up the tower though I would have loved to do that. Time over. To get back to the bus stand for the two hour ride back, through the verdant dales and next to sharp cliff faces overlooking the North Sea…

A happy trip. Something I had looked forward to.

Rail Journeys to Scotland...

Getting on from Kings Cross is a breeze...close by, a straight hop by bus no 73 had us there. Smart terminus, though said to a pale shadow of the all new look Eurostar terminal at St Pancras due to open soon. The train in smart blue livery had the insignia with words "Route of the Flying Scotsman"...reminded me of the legendary train...well here is something more about it..

"The Flying Scotsman is anexpress passenger train service that has been running between London and Edinburghj since 1862. It is currently operated byGNER.

The first Special Scotch Express ran in 1862, with simultaneous 10am departures from the GNR's King's Cross Station in London and North British's Waverley Station in Edinburgh. The original journey took 10½ hours, including a half-hour stop at York for lunch; however, increasing competition and improvements in railway technology saw this time reduced to 8½ hours by the time of the Race to the North in 1888.

From 1900, the train was dramatically modernised, introducing such features as corridors between carriages, heating, and dining cars. As passengers could now lunch on the train, the York stop was reduced to 15 minutes, but the overall journey time remained 8½ hours."

The train was swish, well attended, wi-fi on-board, excellent pantry car etc. Exceedingly picturesque journey, particularly north England and Scotland. Berwick upon Tweed was a quaint town, preceded by an ancient viaduct. The sea on the right, far below with cycle paths next to the rail track. Meadows, miles of them, with cows and sheep grazing ( big animals!), little rivulets - fantastic countryside scenery. Great stuff. Joy Whyte, the course manager, was in charge of shepherding us, and the ladies in the group took on the task of being her body guards... she made attempts to be at work - wonder how much work happened! Let the rest of us free for out chit chats and the Sainsbury beer.
Waverly at Edinburgh is an unusual station - it splits the city into the new and old halves, and is in a valley - so the castle and other baroque buildings seem to tower over the platform. It has 20 odd platforms, and they are not necessarily sequentially organised - but the signposting is idiotproof!

The return journey was by a different route - and the train did not originate at Edinburgh either - probably from Aberdeen ( which is as much north of Edinburgh as London is south of it!). But this was a different experience - the train was overfull, and though with reservations, we had seats, the aisles were full, as were the vestibules. Reminded me of the Pune - Mumbai trains on a Sunday evening! The journey to the Pantry Car, across 6 coaches, was as exciting as one oin Magadh Express!

People have to travel - and so they do....passed York, Doncaster, New Castle etc on the way...a little less fun than going, but a nice ride all the same. Amused that people, despite having to crouch on the floor, still had their books out and were attempting to read.

The views from the train on the sunny afternoon made up for a lot!! Railway man Mukund was suitably occupied - but on being poked would give us his estimates on the train speeds. We couldn't have out chat with the driver though - he had abandoned the cabin before we got to him.

Post Script: Internal travel within the UK is very expensive, particularly by the ( now privatised ) railways - but the fares can swing wildly. So plan well is the motto.

Edinburgh's Wee Bobby...

Heard a touching tale, rather lovingly told, by our Scottish bus driver. Realised I had not taken a picture of Bobby, and had to spend the last few minutes in Edinburgh hurtling up and down the steep slopes to locate and click the pix - and run to Waverly to catch the train!

The sum and substance of it:

Clever wee dog works with his master, a policemen, and is a general boon to his owner. Sadly, owner dies, but dog sits on his Master's grave "guarding" it. Villains try to get rid of said dog, but dog is gutsy and tenacious. Dog wins friends, becomes well known and has many adventures.
Believe a film was made some years back, around this story...must see it.


ps: The statue in the photo looks big, but is actually a wee one. You'd surely miss it unless you kept a sharp eye for it. Do not miss Bobby's grave in the Greyfriars Church next door either, with a nice tombstone ( Click on the picture for an enlarged version).

Here's a little more: extracted from the net, for those who want a better flavour:

Policeman, John Gray, acquired his world-famous Skye terrier sometime about 1856 or so, as a watch-dog. Man and dog became inseparable, until two years later, when Gray died of tuberculosis. It was then, Bobby began his lengthy, grave-side vigil.

The diminutive tombstones are obviously tended with great devotion.

A tradition closely bound to Greyfriars Bobby and Edinburgh castle is the firing of the one o'clock gun. The legend tells of a sea captain who visited Edinburgh back in the 1860's. When he returned home, he reported that he had just seen a wonderful city, full of splendid buildings and monuments, where wise men and lovely ladies lived and where science was studied. There was only one problem; no one knew the correct time of day. There were plenty of clocks, but no two agreed.

In 1861, the situation was put right, when city officials decided to fire a cannon every day from the castle grounds, at exactly one o'clock. Thus, all the citizens could set their clocks accordingly.

About the time this tradition began, Greyfriars Bobby had been befriended by a soldier in the castle garrison, by the name of Scott. Sergeant Scott introduced Bobby to his companions and everyone welcomed their new furry comrade. One of the Sergeant Scott's responsibilities was to assist in setting off the cannon and Bobby always followed him to the ramparts to witness the action.

A sketch of this daily event was drawn at the time by an artist and printed in a popular magazine called Good Words which was read all over the English-speaking world. In the sketch, Bobby can be seen, apparently unafraid and eagerly

waiting for the big boom. In fact, Bobby was use to loud noises and considered quite brave for his small size. When the pipes and drums played on the parade grounds, Bobby pranced along.

Immediately after the one o'clock gun, Bobby would come trotting out and head for a restaurant called the Eating House, ( Perhaps it is this Eating Hiuse, now sporting Bobby's name that you see in the background of thepicture) where the proprietor regularly gave Bobby his lunch. It soon became a daily attraction to watch Bobby go for his dinner and a crowd frequently collected at the gates of the kirkyard to wait for him. But Bobby did not linger long over his food. As soon as he was finished, he raced off to the cemetery to sit patiently by John Grey's grave.

Because Greyfriar's Bobby is a cherished part of the Edinburgh story, his collar and dinner dish are preserved in the Huntly House.

Of Scottish Pride...

Scot? Scottish? Scotch? I checked out the use of these..but more on that later....

Had heard about Scottish pride and their passionate nationalism. The LSE had primed us for this through a series of seminars on devolution of political power, and the aspirations for nationalism. But still was not quite prepared for what we encountered…..the England is a country, Britain = Eng + Wales + Scotland, UK= Britain + Northern Ireland notwithstanding, Scotland is a unique experience.

The visible manifestations are obvious – the kilts, the tartan covers and bagpipes. But underlying all of this, is a strong feel of we-are –a –separate- nation feel. The technicalities include: The Queen is the queen of Scots, not Queen of Scotland, Elizabeth the II is the Elizabeth I for Scotland ( Rationale: Scotland was not a part of England/ UK when Elizabeth 1 was on the throne. This happened after the 1707 treaty ) – and so on! Interestingly, Scotland prints it’s own Pound notes ( which do not have the Queen on the note) issued by it’s local banks. Scottish law in most matters remains different- both civil and criminal. Little subtleties here and there- but leaves you with a feel that it is a little more evolved than the English one. Now, any Scotsman talking to us would rub this in!!

Learnt also that Edinburgh is also a major financial centre – and the banks here are very strong and powerful. Why? Have not quite fathomed it.

Now, at about 5 million ( a pop of say, Pune) - the whole of Scotland is not really very densely populated. Indeed, it is under 10% of the UK pop, so not really a major force in the electoral arithmetic. However, they do seem to have the right people in power - the current PM included! With a natural divide of the Highlanders and the "low landers" - the former divided into a number of proud clans themselves, there is a lot to divide Scotland.

We met a cross section of people- a former First Minister ( now internally called Prime Minister), the EU Commission and the European Parliament offices, a think tank on governance ( who was lost lost in his passion fr Scotland, behind his mighty, mighty beard) as well the normal junta - our bus driver included. The themes remained the same.

Will be careful now not to say English if I mean British, and certainly not club England and Scotland together.

Interestingly, noticed what Howard had pointed out - major buildings all fly atleast three flags- Scotland, UK and EU. The EU link is a big one. And flags do look nice and handsome fluttering in the strong winds. Very peppy.The picture here has the hotel flag not the EU one though!

have not bought a kilt, but must say I gave it a good thought! But had Haggis for breakfas - look it up!

Another Yo for Hostelling...

Am still new to hostelling. Have read about it for years but am experiencing it only now. A little late. But it is never too late. Had a little exposure at Geneva a week back ( see earlier post). The one at Edinburgh has only converted me fully. And I change my rationale for staying at hostels: earlier, I had emphasised the lower cost as the chief reason.

I think it is now a lot more. It is comraderie, home like feel, meeting a whole host of interesting people and exchanging a lot of news – both of the local travel, as well as of the wider world. With a few exceptions ( such as those found within our group...issues on "personal status" and the like....), people at hostels are the happy go lucky variety, and not particularly given to cribbing. Quite a happy lot I would say.

So, what was so good about Brodies- our Edinburgh haunt? First, it was bang in the middle of the Royal Mile – the heart of the old town, and the foremost tourist district. A good location is always a lovely place to start off f

rom. But there was more. The loos for example – a single WC fir about 25 people ( and another for approx the same number of women). But efficiently managed and spotlessly maintained, it was not in the least a worry. The showers were common for both genders, but excellent set of four cubicles , each with a tiny shower area, forceful hot showers, a tiny private dressing area too. Optimal utilisation of space.

The kitchen was the other wonder – and just an example of what can be achieved if everyone co-operates. Fully equipped: electric kettle, microwave, oven and electric burners, pots and pans, , jars full of tea bags & instant coffee with sugar and milk – you name it. The only caveat: use the equipment, but wash, dry and replace each thing to it’s original place. And the Lord be praised: all hostellers actually follow the rules! And the arrangement runs like clockwork. No dumping stuff at the sink – just wash ( liquid & other cleansing aids there), a cloth to dry handing on a towel rail- just do it. So much better to make your own cup of tea when you want instead of nipping down to a café every time. And a big, big cost cutter: consider this, a sandwich costs between 2-3 quid at and café. For 30p, we had a jar of cheese spead, for 45p a whole pack of ham, 30p for mustard and another quid for buns and bread. And this was enough to feed 5 of us a breakfast ( plus the free tea & coffee, remember), and get more than enough lunch packed for the train as well. Just use the implements, and then clean and leave them for the others.

But where do you store your food? ( You aren’t – and very sensibly so, allowed food or drink in your rooms). There are places in the kitchen to put it away, including a fridge and a freezer. With a marker pen, tied with a string, you are required to label each food pack with your name ( or berth number), and the day that you are leaving the hostel. And no one else touches your food. But what happens if you have food that you do not want to consume, or you have surplus food when you are leaving? Nothing much – just put it on the shelf labelled free food – and it is then open to all the other hostellers to access it. No hassles at all – and no wastage!! Was totally bowled over at the simplicity of thought and the seamless implementation of the whole thing!! No Hitlerian authority – a laidback, relaxed way of living yet disciplined in the places where it mattered.

Now, where does the interaction happen? At little cozy places within. Lounge like things. A few pack of cards and some board games around. We joined into some card games, learning as we went. People from all countries – Brazillians, Italians and all kinds of the rest. General, convivial interaction- and yet another example of globalization in all it’s pristine glory!

Other sidelights: access to the hostel is 24 hours with key card ( a five pound refundable deposit in one building, a daily password in the other), so come and go as you please – and in Edinburgh ( with it’s famous night life) the two ladies who were my room mates crawled back after three am each morning! The dorms were mixed, and everyone comfortable with it. For each room ( anything between 6 – 12 berths) there is a separate room key ( not quite sure if they work or the doors at open). Lockers on hire here ( 50 p a day) – they were part of the deal at Geneva – for your valuables. Liquid soap, toilet paper etc all in place. A little stall to buy stuff. Towels on hire for a quid if you so need. Laundry on a load basis. You get a duvet, clean ( well, hopefully!) linen – and maybe a little drawer. Internet is efficient – available 24 hours, just drop some coins into a slot, and you are online in a jiffy. Cool!

Yes – hostelling the way to go…travel well, travel cheap, travel comfortably and travel interestingly…a big thumbs for it!!