The Color Purple

The Color Purple

Evanston, with a population of approximately 74000 is in the state of Illinois, 

12 miles north of Chicago downtown.

The drive to it from O’Hare International airport can take 35 to 50 minutes.

The city’s claim to fame (according to me) is because it is home to Northwestern University/Kellogg School of Management, it is the International Headquarters of Rotary,and it lies on Lake Michigan which lends it not just a very scenic constant but also the most breathtaking moments of sunrise and sunset…especially in summer.

Grand Mother - Kiran Mehta - Mallika Bhandari  -The Graduate

 

Photographer - Mallika Bhandari

Lest we forget that it is a university town the large rocks at the lake’s landfill have messages painted on them by the students.

 

Many of these are the typical :
 

Jack loves Jill......

 Marriage proposals…

….. and there are some with a philosophical bent…

The city turns purple in June when Northwestern students graduate….
There is excitement…and every one celebrates….
We were there for my grand nieces’ graduation..and our hotel was in full support of the event.

PURPLE ACCENTS

CHEERS TO THE GRADUATE

We had decided …like many many others to be Northwestern.

The University giveaways were visors , little fans…

and we the parents, uncles, aunts… of the graduates  ensured that there was a touch of ‘purple’ in our wardrobe.

 June 21, Commencement Ceremony. 

June 22 - The Convocation.. 

From Left to Right - MOTHER -GRAND  MOTHER- GRAND AUNT

 The Convocation was full house and as expected there was applauding and cheering each time your loved ones' name was called out. Your neighbours also joined in, though a little less vociferously.

There was one  graduate that got every ones applause -

 a young man who after he was handed his degree whipped open his gown to reveal a shirt with ‘I LOVE YOU MOM” stencilled in bold black letters right across it.

Peacocks are not just Blue

Peacocks ..Blue and White.

When I was in my D.H. Lawrence phase I saw in his list of publications a novel called

The White Peacock.I did not read it. For me peacocks were a brilliant blue who fanned their tails when the sky was overcast, heralding rain.

And then, on June 10^th this year I went with my niece and her husband to Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore, Italy.

Manish Bhandari- Kamal Kapur - Radhika Bhandari

 Lake Maggiore - Isola Bella

A ferry from Stresa took us to the Island Beautiful.We were looking forward to seeing the transformation of a rock into a Palace with terraced gardens.
There was a light drizzle........

Rain Ready

.

It was not a deterrent to walking through the narrow streets lined with cafes and craft shops nor to exploring the 400 years of work resulting in magnificent Baroque Architecture and gardens at various levels...each with its own story.

Everything Lavender 

A Grotto in the Palace in black and white stones 

The View.. As you enter the Gardens.

Planted 1819 Camphor Laurel Tree

White Flowering dogwoods

For me, like many, there was a Wordsworth “Daffodils” moment.....

white peacocks .....only white......walking.. strolling ..nonchalantly…seemingly unaware of the gasps of their audience.

I want to find them in India…not in a zoo.…but in a garden…

Recommendation :

 Add a couple of days to your Milan Visit.

Take a train, bus, car to Stresa or Bavena.

Take a ferry..they are frequent, inexpensive well appointed.

There are 3 islands to visit. I loved Bella.

Credit: Photographs, Video - Manish Bhandari, Radhika Bhandari

Traveller ... Kamal Kapur .... 45 Countries

According to “Copyright@2013 Maps of world.com there  are 236 countries in the world. 

“If we add all the pieces of land under jurisdiction by other countries, like Aruba, Christmas Island, Isle of Man…then we can argue that there are 247 different countries.

www.world-country.com 

Another argument : You can be part of the  “World Country List “ If you are member of the UN…and then there are  193.

On June 22, 2017 I set out for Slovenia and Croatia and by July 15 my tally was 45 countries visited. 

I had almost ruled out Slovenia because I could not pronounce the name of its capital city. 

Ljubljana.... The J’s were throwing me off. .and then I was told to ignore them..and  Loo..Blee..Ana   just rolled off my tongue.

Not that different from Loo  Dhee Ana.

Slovenia , Croatia and five other countries were  carved out of  Yugoslavia.

I visited two of them ( Slovenia and Croatia ) and drove through a third Bosnia

Map from the WEB

My strongest memories are of great natural beauty…


Shades of Blue  and Green

Red Roof  Tops 

There are cable cars, easy to attempt   grassy   tracks…and my special mention goes to the cows I encountered…an unbelievable size with lovely tinkling bells around their necks. 

Both countries are Adriatic..Slovenia has only 46 km of the sea..but it has the Julian Alps and Croatia has an 1800 km coastline.

It was summer. There were plenty of tourists, mostly from Europe, families, students, back packers; and tour groups from the far east.  The numbers were manageable. I did not wait in long queues and there was no jostling. 

I loved the fact that my hotels in Ljubljana  ( Slovenia)and Split ( Croatia) were in a pedestrian only zone. You walked or rode a cycle . Food and other provision trucks came in before 7.30 am and thereafter you could cross the busiest street   as many times as you liked..where ever you liked and there was no danger of being knocked down. .

6 AM

 A great rule that ensured no pollution be it noise or fumes. It allowed for pavement cafes  which ranged from rustic tables and benches to elegantly laid ones with silver cutlery and little posies.

Slovenia is primarily a catholic country.

 I had visits to several churches on my itinerary. Their interiors  were ornate , but not garish. Some had tiny souvenir shops and almost all of them had little cafes serving simple snacks, soft drinks and coffee.

 I suppose that since my entire schooling was in a convent  I felt a kind of kinship when I entered them. 

Slovenia Highlights :  

- A Gondola ride to the Bled Island.  The Gondola had a feminine name and I was told that It is customary to name your gondola after your daughter. I don’t know how they sort out an issue if there is more than one daughter.

The ride is approximately 20 minutes and then there are a daunting 90 steps to climb.. to reach The Church of the Assumption….this is a must..and I did…because you dare not disbelieve that when you ring the church bell and make a wish…it will come true.

-A visit to Ljubljana Castle..you go up in a Funicular…there is the charm of the views from the castle walls a lovely courtyard and when you are exhausted from climbing the turrets  you can rest on one of the several stools  around a tree with a book stand..not for sale just reading.

 The castle has a museum with its history and there are underground   prisons with an audio that has the sound of tortured prisoners !

- You cannot leave the country unless you have tasted their absolutely sinful cream cake; crisp on the top and at the bottom with a  custard filling which oozes out at the first bite!

Croatia is currently the more popular tourist destination.

 Perhaps it is the beeches and the  crystalline waters of the Adriatic

  , the over 1000 islands , and the absolute must see

 Plitvice National Park .

( Croatia has 11 Nature Parks , 8 National Parks and 2 Nature Reserves.)

It is a country, that in its 56.59 sq. km of space makes a huge variety of experiences available.

Over a stay of 4 days , I went truffle hunting, 

rambled around in Goznjan,an interesting hill town with private galleries and studios, then stopped for a snack at Porec where my guide revealed that she always shops for her clothes in Italy..there is a ferry service ..one and a half hour one way ride…to Venice…No visa required. 

I had a full day for Plitvice…and it was not enough. You need time to linger, reflect, savour.. and revisit.

You can cover the park on foot, by train or by boat….and there a lot of visitors, queues..but I did not mind because there was always a lot to feast your eyes on and it was well managed.

Dubrovnik…is the star of Croatia. 

I was recommended to take a cable car to Srd Hill..which I did, to get a view of the city…

take a boat to the Elaphati  Islands , which I did. The sea was very rough but luckily for me I have a strong stomach .

and to get another view of the city from the city walls …a tough climb !

My two evenings were wonderful. After walking approximately 10 km a day I returned to

 my  now deserted   hotel beach… not for any serious swimming …just cooling off and recording  memories

…and then on to the terrace restaurant where they had  musicians playing  and you could sit till as long as your eyelids stayed open. 

Recharging My Batteries.

Recharging  My Batteries.

There have been times when I have dreaded week ends.

I would form a task list for these two days that could be so formidable that I would feel guilty even reading the newspaper with my morning cup of coffee.

Its totally different when two additional days off are added to the Saturday and Sunday. There is a buzz and my brain switches to “mode planning…a getaway”.

The Golden Temple and the Wagah border; Binsar in Uttrakhand;  Tatta Paani  near Mashobra and Angkor Wat, Cambodia were all as a result of the buzz.

Binsar in Uttrakhand 

Tatta Paani near Mashobra

Angkor Wat  Cambodia

This year, March 29 was Good Friday, followed by a Saturday, a Sunday ( 3days)…and I gave my employers a choice:   Thursday 28^th or Monday April 2  to  pick  for an additional day off  which would give me my 4 days at a stretch.

I would use these 4 days to treat my physical self.

My target was to look one week younger and attain a fitness level of 5 years ago.

The other terms and conditions were that the Getaway :

-         Should not require a point to point travel time of more than 3 hours.

-         Should be in the Luxury Category.

-         Have within reach facilities to fulfill if the appetite required “other experiences”

I found Raas Devigarh. . 

An old palace…18^th Century; a fortress built using local marble – refurbished to incorporate all modern facilities and yet leaving its history intact.

It fulfilled all my criteria .

  A one hour flight Delhi to Udaipur and then a 45 minute drive by car got me to Devigarh.

 ( I was in no way influenced by the fact that Liz Hurley and her boy friend Arun Nayyar had chosen to celebrate his birthday there.)

 The “other experiences “  being  Udaipur with its bustling bazaars selling handicraft ranging from embroidered textiles to “jooties” ; a sound and light show at The City Palace , which I went to and if you want to be out every night then there is a sound and light show at Bagore ki Haveli, which many people vote over The City Palace one.

For those that look for peace and solace in temples there are approximately 1000 temples including 400 Jain temples that can be visited.

 Raas Devigarh has a  total of 39 suites…and for me that was another plus. I choose Boutique Hotels any day over the Chain Hotels with their swimming pools, dining options..and people, people  people.

I had been booked in the Garden Suite of the hotel

The Garden Suites are not located in the Palace. They were an add on , opening onto a garden and with little sit outs of their own.

I loved mine..large enough to play soccer, white and more white and rose petals on a lot of the surfaces, including the floor.

After a day I was upgraded to a “ suite” in the Palace.

It was in the “Zenana Khana”..with a courtyard, fountains and a swing.

You had to change elevators to get to it or you could climb 62 steepish..steps.

I chose the latter…. 4 times a day … on my way to yoga,

to breakfast and lunch; to and fro from a swim. I took the changing elevators after dinner, and after the body massages that were part of my package.

It was pretty going up and down the steps…with marigold stations, Nathdwara Paintings, and a sturdy handrail.

My calves came back to proportions of five years ago and no no I did not attain that same fitness level because I did make a few stops on the way up…partly pretext and partly true…the paintings needed time to be admired.

I returned “ fully charged”. And no I really did not wish for an additional day. 

Just as much as I look forward to recharging I am equally in favour to getting back to use the fresh energy.