Eurotrip

Italy by Euro rail

1. Rome
2. Amalfi and Positano
3. Florence
4. Venice

 

 

As I am writing these names, I remember that the last time I was typing these names I had no idea that I will actually get to visit these places. Being a daydreamer, I used to dream about a euro trip since at least 2 years. Saving 4 lakhs solely for traveling would never have been possible if I and my husband had not taken those risks of starting our life from scratch in a new city and even living apart for jobs in different cities. But in the end, it was worth it. Although, I cannot even imagine living away from my husband ever again in the future, taking risks is what makes a life worth living.

Planning a huge trip as always seems to be more fun than simply buying the travel packages. The excitement of researching about a new country, its culture, places that are world famous, the famous cuisines of the country region wise is all that matters. After that, I go into even more details about the kind of hotel and what kind of view from my hotel room I need. Every day planning the trip in small portions is what that gives me an adrenaline rush. We booked our hotels, train tickets, ferry tickets and air tickets after days of research and planning. I had no idea that we will be taking a rental car in Europe and taking our own European road trip on one of the most beautiful coast lined roads in the world.

Rome

Coming all the way from India to Rome was in itself so exciting. My fellow window seat passenger was glad that I didn’t sit on her lap to click the aerial views while flying above Abu Dhabi. Not to forget was the tasty food that we were offered by the flight crew that included white and red wine, some cheese filled recipe and an amazing super delicious truffle and cheese filled dessert. We landed at 1 pm in the afternoon in Rome. Without any grand welcome into the city which we would get in any travel packages, we proceeded to find our hotel. It took us roughly 2 to 2.5 hours to find our hotel. We felt handicapped as our phones were not working. As soon as we brought a local phone sim, which we brought after roaming at least for 2 hours near Colosseum, we found our hotel.

After resting in our hotel, we went out in the evening to fulfill our appetite for Italian pizza, pasta and wine of course. As soon as we stepped out, we could see the Colosseum looking much more amazing at night. After strolling on Roman streets and eating the best pasta I have ever had I felt so lucky and blessed.

Next day, we were ready with our list of places that we wanted to visit. As our hotel’s location was just in front of Colosseum, we covered all the famous spots by walking on foot. On the way, we were able to spot a beautiful bride in a wedding gown, the world’s most expensive shopping brands lined in the beautiful market streets of Rome, a person dressed as a statue of liberty and we were able to indulge in shopping. After visiting Colosseum and Trevei fountain, we found a beautiful mall for scrumptious breakfast. We sat on Spanish steps and calmly absorbed the vibe of this beautiful city. Clicked some mandatory photos and then continued walking back towards the hotel. Guys! If you are in Rome, then you cannot miss eating Gelato with cream. We first indulged in shopping and then after returning to the hotel, we started planning to visit Vatican City.

If you want to explore the rich history and culture of Rome, then this place is a must. The beautiful paintings on the walls depicting the life story of Jesus and the versatile art of Roman ancestors are simply breathtaking.

 

 

2. Amalfi and Positano Road trip

As we had booked our Eurorail passes from India itself, we were not worried about our bookings and all. However, we were supposed to get these passes activated. Believe me guys! U need to take out separate time for this task as it was a tiring work. In our case we were lucky as our train 🚞 was late that day so we managed to stand in que and got the tickets activated. However, by the time we reached Amalfi coast we got another surprise!! I had booked the hotel in the country side and that place was too far from the main city of Naples and required a separate rain to reach there. We were exhausted by the time we reached Ascea. The only good thing of this day was our beautiful hotel. The views from my room balcony were breathtaking. The sunset 🌅 and the vast sea 🌊 visible from the room along with trains passing between the beautiful houses with red rooftop. All this along with the hospitality of the staff made my day.
Next morning we were determined to not waste a single second. After getting an amazing breakfast we got our train to Naples. As soon as we landed there, we checked for the rental car 🚗 services. It was not preplanned that we will do a road trip to amalfi coast and positano. But thanks to my amazing husband we rented an amazing car and started our first Italian road trip. The journey was incredible. Serpentine roads and continuous sea views on the other side as we had seen in movies. I could not believe that I was actually there and not seeing a movie. Sometimes we spotted people taking individual helicopter 🚁 rides in these areas and some travellers were going by buses. We felt lucky to get a car for fulfilling our road trip dreams. We reached the most beautiful positano. We enjoyed the mandatory Italian pizza 🍕 with lemoncello shots while gazing at the sea lined by ancient houses on the adjacent hill. A painter was painting this amazing view on a canvas standing on the beach. Some were just relaxing, some were going on a boat tour to capri and most were enjoying the delicious Italian food.

A letter for my future baby

I have no clue whether ur a girl or a boy, but I just want to tell u that I already love you to the moon and back and I am going to fight the whole world for you….

I want to tell you that your mother is a strong lady. I always fought for what I wanted in my life. As Bhagwad Gita says, “ If u don’t fight for what you want, then don’t cry for what u lost”. Always remember in your life that thing will not always be in your favor and if you believe that you want something in some way then only you will have to fight for it.

I entered my medical college with a harsh sentence from my grandmother “You are a girl, u will first ruin your dad’s money in this education and then will again ruin the leftover money in your marriage.” I could not forget this sentence throughout my 5 years of college. Just after I completed my 5 years of college everyone in the family started literally forcing me to get married. When I refused the relatives started making stories that she might have a boyfriend that’s why she is refusing. I got a marriage proposal for settling in a gulf country, oh that’s a long story. But, I always fought hard. I fought for myself. I fought for what I believed was right for me.

I think most of the times my decisions landed me in temporary troubles but later proved to the best in the long run. I first decided to get a job before getting married. This proved to be the best ever decision of my life. In the next years, I was financially independent and never had to beg for money from my husband or parents. Instead, I was capable of gifting my husband a brand new car, my mother a fully automatic washing machine and my father a laptop and myself an awesome Europe trip.

Nobody supported me when I decided to go alone to another city for my first job. I fought for myself coz felt that it was best for me. Paulo Coelho says “When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

I just kept on dreaming for myself with open eyes. This is the best thing my dad has taught me. When I was young, he brought me a book of Sh. APJ Abdul Kalam. The main crux of the book was this that every child should see dreams. I never stopped dreaming.

My grandmother stopped talking to me for a few months after I rejected that gulf country boy marriage proposal. I worked without any salary in a civil hospital for which my brother helped me a lot. I used to feel so happy and satisfied at the end of the day after returning from the hospital. I met an amazing dentist –Dr. Hooda in my civil hospital Paonta Sahib where I practiced for four months. He taught me the perfect RCT. I made lifelong friends with dental technician-Kiran. With her 10k salary, she used to save money for gifting me clothes. I was not earning at that time, but I always dreamed of gifting her something when I will start earning. I used to be so damn busy in the hospital work. In the evening I and my friend Kiran used to sit on the shores of Yamuna river and discuss life.

After some time, I felt that I should get a salaried job just like some of my batch mates. One day while returning from my home to the city where I worked, I sat on a wrong bus that was going to Chandigarh. I decided to remain seated on the bus and I went alone in search of a job I had heard about from one of my friends. I managed to find an office building. I went inside and enquired about the interview schedules and email Id from the guard. I then came back disappointed but determined to go back to that company one day for the interview. One day after a month or so, I received an interview call from that company. I was thrilled. I was a dumb girl who lacked any personality and common sense which are the basic prerequisites for any job. The interviewer asked me “Have you applied anywhere else?” I said proudly “Yes” I started describing the government job and salary and everything to them. After which they asked me that if you get selected in both the jobs then will your parents allow you to change your field from dentistry to pharmacovigilance. After this, I answered in a doubtful tone something dumb like “M not sure” After this, they told me to go outside and be sure …Ha ha…

I was confused because I knew that my father was against this job as it involved a 2 years contract.

I was sitting outside when my college friend who was working in that company came and started shouting on me, “R u mad ? not everyone gets this chance that you got. And about that contract, u need not worry as u will earn enough to pay for that contract within a month or two”. I called my dad who told me to return home. I went outside for lunch when I asked myself what I wanted. After this, I had no doubt. I pleaded for a second attempt for the interview. They simply said no. But then me being me. The guard was observing me and asked me what happened. I simply told him the whole story. You know what!!! This guard pleaded to the interviewers from my side for my interview rescheduling. And the interviewers were laughing on my stupidity, innocence and wit may be…

I got another chance for the interview; I answered all the questions correctly.

I went back and my relatives asked me how the interview was, I said that it was not that good. Then she said that I was not going to get selected for sure. I believed her. I went back to the normal routine. After one week I got a call for selection. But I was too busy in my negativity and believing my relatives instead of myself that I missed that call. Never in history, had having missed a call cost me as much as this one. I had kept my mobile on silent mode and was sleeping. When I got up I saw 3-4 missed calls. One was from my senior dentist, whose name I had given for referral in that job CV. Another 2 were from that company landline. They selected the next candidate which I confirmed after calling my friend in that company.

I spent the next whole year working in some odd jobs with pathetic salary packages in some secluded rural locations of Himachal. God gave me a very good lesson for not believing in myself. After this life-changing experience, there is not a single day when I do not believe in myself. This attitude changed my life. I always think positive and believe in myself. This attitude gave me everything that I wished for in my life.

 

I am sharing my stories with you, not to be preachy but so that you learn from my mistakes as life is too short to repeat such mistakes and then learn from them by yourself. Also, I know life is unpredictable as I always used to tell to my roommates. So, I wanted to share my experiences with you in a written form so that you will learn from them.

My parents have made so many sacrifices both physically and financially to gift me and my brother such a beautiful life. We survived to be minimalists. From saving money on uniforms, grocery or even milk we learned the importance of hard work, money and time from our parents.

Sabbatical of an Indian Girl

It is 12:16 pm and I am sitting in my cozy blanket with an electric blanket underneath in my parental home. It is raining outside. From my window, I can see snow clad mountains and my college friend’s house outside. It’s like a dream come true. I had never ever thought about the possibility or probability of this dreamy situation ever. When I was working in that 9 to 6 corporate setup in Delhi, I used to get up from the bed and just like a machine my body clock used to start since the moment of getting up from bed till the time my body got totally exhausted at night and this cycle used to repeat itself till Friday. Saturdays and Sundays were like a compulsory recharge pack so as to continue that vicious cycle again. Get up-prepare and pack lunch-catch metro-go to office-Do a job that I hated-return home-Sleep.

I hated my job back then. This started affecting my work quality as well. This caused a series of unavoidable events including me hating my job-my TL hating me-Boss hating TL-Finally Boss hating me-TL shouting on me in front of the whole team-Me getting expelled slowly and steadily via teamwork.

Although I got my sort of dream job after this, where I was allowed to work from home whenever I liked and I got the chance to learn new subjects on a daily basis. Life had planned something else for me.

I landed in a government job in a rural set up in Uttrakhand. Adjusting in such a slow and no-work culture after having spent almost 6 years in corporate setup was really challenging. I was left alone in a remote village filled with alcoholics and leopards without any family or friends. Somehow, I survived. I badly wanted and dreamed of only one thing after working my ass off since these 7 years-A sabbaticals.

Firstly I am an Indian, secondly, I am educated and thirdly I am a girl. Dreaming about a sabbatical is almost next to impossible. But, my dream has come true as I planned it in a clever way. I laid the foundation of this year-long sabbatical by planning my own pregnancy. I gave a deadline to my husband and things somehow fell into places after that. Here I am at my home sweet home watching travel shows on Netflix while enjoying the rainy and icy-cold weather of Himachal with a hot cup of Chai.

In the first month of my sabbatical, I completed my dream of traveling to Europe. I still do not believe that I have actually visited the dream locations anyone can ever imagine. I visited Rome, Amalfi coast, Positano, Firenze (Florence), Venezia (Venice), Athens, Mykonos, Santorini. Guys I even landed in Russia while Returning home. Can you believe?

Being a Bania, I used to famous for being Kanjus since school time. As my father is the only earning member for all 4 of us, I was never used to luxury and lavishness. Spending the money on traveling is another level of luxury for me. I am grateful to God for making this possible.

This sabbatical is even more interesting. I get to live at my parents’ home in Himachal and enjoy mom made food. Moreover, this is the first time in my life when my dad is telling me –Don’t focus on your career right now. Haaah!! Can you believe!!

Everyone is telling me to take everything at a slow and steady pace. Be it household work. Being a lazy bitch, I am so glad that I do not have to work now. I can sit surrounded by my favorite books, Netflix, TV and just try to cook new experimental recipes every day. Back in Delhi job days, even chopping vegetables for dinner or making gajar ka halwa used to be a celebrated event for me.

I cooked my husband’s favorite dishes after returning from my lavish, adventurous Euro trip. I made Sarson ka saag, Makki ki roti, gajar ka halwa, pao bhaji, and gobhi k paranthe for him with white homemade butter. This feat was impossible back in Delhi.

I was able to live a life like that of our parents days filled with fursat k pal. I enjoyed soaking in sun in winters while reading my favorite books. I enjoyed playing with my sister-in-law’s kids during their summer break in their nani house. I enjoyed talking endlessly with my sis-in-law while we exchanged our college memories. I enjoyed talking endlessly with my college roommates and laughing uncontrollably about our embarrassing college incidents.

Back in my parental home, I love every moment of re-living with them post-Vidai. I used to come home for a week like a jail se farar kaidi (prisoner) in Delhi job days. Once I remember that I felt so homesick that I simply dropped an emergency fake mail in my office and left for home. However, office people as expected didn’t leave me even at home. I was provided work-from-home even at home. I could not even watch a small movie with my dad in those 7 days. But now, I am sitting at home for 1 and a half month. I go for evening walks with my mom and dad every day. I enjoy mom-made tasty healthy food. Sometimes I go out with my best friends from college who live near my home. My roommate whom I know since I was 18 years of age is also my neighbor. I went to her home and we bragged about our interesting college life to her husband. These are the little things that matter the most to me. She knows me since I was a kid. I longed for actual friendships and having the time to keep those friendships in Delhi.

I feel blessed to be able to enjoy these little things in life as these little things matter the most in life. At least for my mental peace, this sabbatical is working its magic really well. I feel blessed.

Nainital: City of Lakes