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!!

Youth Hostelling...wah!!!

The decision to stay at the Youth Hostel was a straight forward one. The reasons a) Advised to do so by Jessica b) Cheapest 3) Sounds fun 4) Cheapest 5) Cheapest

The men were clear on this, the women were iffy - at the end they also stayed here. It had the nice traveller feel to it. No nonsense. You check in - given a card key with a bed reference and a locker, a travel pass, a fresh bed sheet and pillow cover and a breakfast token. The dorms, we were in a 10 berth one, are full of bunk beds - Koreans, japsm Czechs..we met them all....and you do not need a common language to get across. All enthu people - the czech had hiked across Europe!! Great fun. The loos were clean with hot showers. Great value for Pound

Breakfast was hearty - muesli, yogurt- plain and flavoured, milk, bread ( as much), butter, jam., hot milk, tea/ coffee/ chocolate ( as much )....and all included in the fare!! Hogged well on both the days.

yes, Hostellling - I like you... you are fun, and great value too!! Highly recommended. Caution: use your locker and do not tempt the devil.

In and Out of France....

Making the trip to Saleve 1000 metres up a steep hill + was on the cards - said to have spectacular views over Geneva on one side, and the Alps on the other. The only hitch - it is across the border in France - and two in the group were without valid Schengen visas ( the ladies had decided to make a full day package tour to Chamonix instead).... well, we just walked across the border, and took the steep, steep ( near vertical) but very swift ropeway up. Phenomenal views unfolded - despite not being the clearest of days.



The hike up was a steep one, but through a beautiful wooded slope - and sharp wind and cold!! real cold - the trip was well worth it. Celebrated with a small bottle of wine split all around. The ride down, the crossing back across the border - just as the Frontier Police landed up to do surprise checks...Tushar's expression captures it all! Safely back....an excellent outing!!



Some of the other sites and sounds of Geneva below...including the Turkish / Doner kebab joint, Aly Hyder!

WTO & The Sunny Afternoon....

Friday morning at the EU commission to the WTO - with tea and coffee in the meeting room! All happy. Howard made up for the no food the previous day with a lunch at a nice cafe..enjoyed pouring rose wine from a carafe ( like the Paris experience)...and a free lunch is always welcome. Need we add that the breakfast at the hotel had been done full justice to as well.

The session with the Indian Ambassador to the WTO was sharp, and Mr Bhatia held forth forcefully on India's position. Cleared perspectives all along. was this the office building that had been Sharad Mama's office? Thought so, but not quite sure.

skimming across the water, Mont Blanc looking down benevolently - quite a thrill. And a woAt the WTO were were met by a PR lady - not really equipped to handle our queries - but the superb afternoon by the lake more than made up for it! Cold, windy, clear skies, yachtsnderful photo-op. Let these pictures tell the tale...Abdullah at his happiest best here as well!
With the official leg over, we were on our own.

Meeting with an ol' pal...

Amandeep Singh, the chhota sardar, at IIM had long disappeared into the firmament. Quite co-incidentally, LinkdIn connected us a month or two back...he was in Geneva with P&G...wow! and quite by chance, I'd be at Geneva too for this study visit!

His directions were meticulous - and as I got off the train at Genthod-Bellevue, here was the smiling sardar with his lil' daughter Sargun....quite a delight to see him...now with a few strands of grey hair in his beard...but very much the same earthy, jolly self. Enjoyed catching up, chatting with his ten year old son Hardik. Bandana, his better half, was very warm - and superbly efficient at managing the spacious three storied villa single handedly without an iota of external aid. Felt most at ease, was fed a hearty dinner and dropped back to the hotel in his spanking BMW!! He had most graciously accepted our pile on request for the four men in the Gurukul group the next day - and Bandana was most kind to give us all a hearty meal. His parents were visiting, and it was nice catching up with them- as both Abdullah, the cop from Pakistan and Tushar spoke Punjabi well.

Aman is doing brilliantly well...from Ankleshwar plant of Asian Paints to P&G in Mumbai, Singapore, Frankfurt and Geneva - he's become an expert in his own field. Just as modest, just as quiet - good to see some people not change!

It is a small , small world!

Geneve...here we come!

The Air France flight was noteworthy: managed to have two helpings of the breakfast, with Anita, sitting next to me, very politely setting the trend. And the other important aspect was to get hold of enough plastic glasses for our stay. Mission accomplished.

Outstanding weather in Geneva - blue skies, with a chilly breeze. The airport set the mood for the town. Quiet, and well organised. Immigration was a breeze- a quick look at our passports, the student visa of the UK and we were waved through. No stamping, no fuss.

Picked up our bags, and followed Howard Machin ( our course director) around the airport. Howard switched effortlessly into French - Geneve is entirely French speaking. Before long, we were on one the ( double decker) super efficient trains that the Swiss have in plenty- and were are Gare Cornavin ( Geneva's Central Train/ Bus station). Too quiet still. A little stroll along rue de Lausanne gets us to Hotel Royal - a nice, mainstream hotel for the"official" part of our stay.

A new thrill of Geneve is the Travel pass, which you get the moment you check into a hotel - it entitles you to all public transport in Geneva ( Tram, Train, Bus & Boat!)....so, if you feel cold, as we did one day - all you have to do is to hop into one of these and be in a nice comfortably heated environment without paying a penny!

To the ILO we went, suitably suited and booted- the cravats surfacing too. A tram from right opposite the hotel to "Nations" ( please, please...pronounce it right....it is Naa-cee-on) whizzed us to the UN. A hittle walk ( hike?) uphill got us to ILO. Passports deposited in return for entry passes, in we went....Impressive building but ever so empty! There was a coffee break scheduled, which had us salivating...no breakfast or lunch ( oh, you an't count two helpings of the plane food can you?)...

The Chair with the broken leg outside the UN offices - see the pix - must figure the whta and why of that!1












till the coffee break meant that we were directed to the paid cafeteria....pooh!! struggled with the French to get the much needed cups in place and fortified returned to the sessions.

The gentleman in the last session, very thoughtfully, I must add, re-located his meeting to a higher floor with windows: and from, one had the loveliest view of the lake, Geneva town - and looming in the distance Mont Blanc ( Maun Blaan, if you please -the highest peak in Europe). Cameras came out, and the shutters clicked. Attention was a bit low in this spell - blame it on the weather and the view. Check out the blue sky, and the view from the ILO office!

The London City Airport....Cute!

Not normally a word I would use for an airport - Cute! Well here comes a backgrounder...

London has two big and major airports -Heathrow & Gatwick. Then comes along two more, a little distant, and normally used by the low cost airlines- Stanstead and Luton. City airport, is the the closest to the heart of the city,located in the rapidly developing docklands area ( the most devastated part of London in WW II. There is a catch - it has a short, short runway: and so can be used by a limited number of aircraft, and that too of a particular type. More of that later...

We chanced upon using this airport for the trip to Geneva. Getting to LCY is half the fun- a normal Underground ride to Bank, and then a seamless switch to the Docklands Light Railway ( DLR). These pilotless trains are indeed a delight to ride through, and are mostly on the surface. Take the front seat, and you have a wonderful view of the dockland area, with the new architectural masterpieces ( the Millenium Dome, which Tushar has made me admire a million times) - and the water bodies and surface craft all over. The ride takes you right into LCY - a neat, squarish and very compact airport. Check-ins are largely self service, and the whole place is very cozy. A courteous security check procedure, and into an area with cafes duty free ( only if flying to outside the EU - and Switzerland is NOT a part of the EU). A very cozy, and unlike international airportish feel!

Our flight was on Air France Cityjet ( a cross, I guess, between the low cost short hop airlines and good ol' AF). Avro's, with 4 jet engines. 6 abreast in about 15 rows. Short, stubby aircraft. Why? Because of the short LCY runway. And you feel this in the take off thrust: sharp, acceleration, throwing you back - and in a few seconds you are airborne ( and treated to some very views indeed).

And as we discovered on the return, LCY has the Arrival & Departure traffic merging very seamlessly. No two levels, or other paraphernalia.

Yup, LCY - you are a hit. Close to the city, no hassles and still have the modesty of size with you. Mogambo khush hua....

An evening in Paree...