Food times Contd. ...

There are plenty of options in terms of restaurants offering international cuisines in Herzogenaurach. Its a boon for a food connoisseur like me because I get to try new and interesting dishes and not get saturated.

My favourite restaurant here is Corfu which offers authentic greek cuisine. The food is delicious and owner has really become a friend now that we frequent the place so much. This is a very beautiful thing that I have observed in european restaurants...you are welcomed warmly as if you are at somebodys home...everyone seems to know each other...there are smiles all around and no one is in hurry to move..you can sit for as long as you want and no one will rudely give you the cheque or give you any indication that now that your meal is over you can go and make room for others. This general feeling of warmth and merriment really makes the entire eating-out experience pleasant for someone like me who has always stayed in big cities.

There are Chinese options here as well in form of places like Asia Garten, Mr. Deng etc Italian restaurants are also here in plenty and for authentic mexican cuisine Pura Vida is your best bet.For Fast food there are a few Pizzerias and ofcourse McDonalds. Obviously this list would be incomplete without mentioning the German restaurants here. Some like Kreisl offer the Bavarian cuisine and its very important to note that beer plays a very important part in every German meal and your meal is considered incomplete without it and therefore Beer Gardens (known as Bier Gartens) are very popular here.

For authentic Indian food one can go to Erlangen and try places like Bombay Haus, The House of India, Curry House, Boliwood etc. Road side coffee shops and open air bistros are also very famous in Europe where weather permitting, one can sit outside and enjoy a quiet cup of espresso. The coffee chaain of Der Beck seems to be very popular here and its various outlets are present in both Herzogenaurach and Erlangen.

Ofcourse for vegetarians, the options are very limited but if you are a non-vegetarian, then its a good place to be. :)

Food Times...

I am going to talk about the food options and grocery retail stores in Herzogenaurach. The retail store chain of Norma seems to be very popular here and is conveniently located at all the key points. It is a kind of Supermarket where grocery stuff, meat,vegetables, dairy products,toiletries and even cheap wines are available. Although not exactly a discount store,but things are comparitively cheaper here then the usual market price and is convenient location wise. Then there is Handelshof which is a huge Discount Store and therefore ideal for large scale weekend shopping. Except for the  fruit and vegetable market which only opens on wednesdays and saturdays and one or two meat shops,these stores are the only shops to buy groceries from. I am yet to see a Mom n Pop or Kiraana store here...they have been wiped out I think if they ever existed. There are convenience stores on the Gas Stations too which are open 24/7 but nothing much except for milk,beverages,cigarettes etc is available there.

If you are ready to take a 18 minute bus ride to Erlangen in the bus which is very frequently available (the buses are manufactured by Mercedes and the ride is as comfortable as in a luxury car), you have more options in terms of grocery stores in terms of Lidl, Aldi, Kaufland etc.
Interestingly, Kaufland, Lidl and Handelshof are part of the same business group Schwarz Gruppe.Lidl has a cash and carry discount supermarket and its chief competitor is Aldi. Another interesting point here is that Lidl copied the discount supermarket concept of Aldi in 1973 and now is its chief competitor.

Kaufland on the other hand is a discount hypermarket founded in 1984 which operates in about 7 countries. Being a hypermarket, it has a lot of offerings besides groceries in terms of utensils,electronic items, curtains,clothes etcetc. For Indian grocery stuff like spices, Lentils, Wheat flour etc there is Gandhi Asia.

 Coming to restaurants in Herzogenaurach....one has a lot of options considering whether you are a vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

To be Continued.....

Schweinen Grippe Impfstoff

Above translated in english simply means "Swine Flu Vaccine"...I have written the title in Deutsche to create a mystical aura around this blog  :P:P

Anyway, we got our swine flu shots today which are supposed to protect us against this deadly virus which has spread around the world. For the ignorant folks...swine flu is the name given to Type A or H1N1 virus which is a lethal strain of influenza virus.It originated from Mexico and now has spread all over the world. Although, there are not many cases of swine flu in Europe, we took this vaccine because of the travelling we will be doing next month.

The road towards this vaccination has been rocky to say the least. In Germany, there was a raging controversy when the vaccination program first started. The reason of controversy being that the German Government introduced two types of vaccines..... Pandermix which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithkline PLC,that contains an Adjuvant is being given to the general public whereas the German Politicians, government employees and the military is being given Celvapan manufactured by Baxter International and does not have any adjuvant.

On further research, I found out that Adjuvants are the chemical compounds that boost the human body's immune response but there is not much data available on how safe they are esp. on pregnant women and children. No flu vaccines with adjuvants are licensed in the U.S.

Now the question which arose was why the german government was adopting a two-class health policy?....is this vaccine really safe? are there any fatal side effects??.....these questions plagued my mind for days and days.....
 But then I realised that all these controversies aside....We are essentially Indians....and where the German Government has ordered 50 million doses for its people....India still does not have any vaccine with or without adjuvant or even adequate supply of Tamiflu or essential medical assistance for those who contract this virus. While people are dying, our government is more worried about the Babri Masjid Demolition in 1993 and so on.....

So we thought prevention is better than cure and took the shots :)

Social Networking Sites

"Man is a social animal"...this we all have read, heard, studied.Now that internet has become so widespread, web based social networking came as no surprise.

With so many different social networking sites available,each having its own unique format...users have plenty to choose from....Facebook,Orkut,Twitter,MySpace,Blogger etcetc.....There is a social community for everything...Religious Groups...Education...Political Factions...Entertainment...Adult Material...you name it and there is a community for it where like minded people interact and exchange information.

These networking sites have their advantages....In this fast moving world where people are ultra busy or people who arent so comfortable socialising in person...its the best way to remain in touch. It is also a very cheap and quick way of communicating between people who are located at different destinations. People can send each other messages or IMs....upload pictures...music and what not...

Blogs are another method of communicating ones ideas and thoughts and reaching out to like minded people from around the world. These networking sites are also proving to be a boon for the marketers as they can easily spot their target market from the online communities and through these social networking sites,it is much easier and cheaper to create a buzz about a product or service....

One can do almost anything through these sites...even get married...join a matrimony site and choose...talk about convenience!!!....

These networking sites have made exchanging information easier. Reaching out to people is relatively easier and cheaper. Privacy,Security and in some cases Anonymity is also guaranteed. Today world has become a small tight knit community and these sites have a major contribution in that.

But not all is hunky dory here....there are some or depending upon ones own opinion...many disadvantages of these sites too....question which normally arises is "do these sites really help in socialising online?".....umm....my contention is not always....for example...take Facebook...how many times do people actually message each other except on Birthdays or some other event??....are you really socialising by playing Farmville...Sorority Life...Mafia Wars etc?....and are these really games or just mindless clicking???.... Then there is the issue of fake identities and fake profiles which limits people to only interact with those who they already know in person....there are questions raised on the security of these sites too because many profiles have been hacked...pictures copied and morphed...adult content inserted etcetc

These and many other issues are prevalent but inspite of all this, one has to agree that these social networking sites are very popular and are here to stay. More than anything it has become a status symbol... if you dont want to sound or look like a douchebag...you gotta be a part of atleast one such site.

In this digital age,where information means everything,these social networking site are and will play a paramount role.

Bombay or Mumbai....

Bombay which now has become Mumbai (because Shivsena wanted it) is the commercial capital of India. Its also known as the City of Dreams because of the opportunities it provides. Be it the Film Industry or the Media and fashion agencies or the thriving businesses..you will find loads of "Rags to Riches" stories here because its said that those who really want to succeed will succeed...ofcourse not everyone is able to fulfill their dreams but one thing is there....even when it does not give you what you want, you cant help falling in love with this city.

Whether described in best sellers or 8 oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire...the city continues to intrigue and attract.Bombay has its own beauty and elegance. Where there is shabbiness and slums on one hand....there is also the splendor of the arabian sea,beaches and promenades. One can find the foot prints of the British Era in stoned pavements,churches and buildings and also the stark modernity of today in Nariman Point and other areas. Its known for its fashion, movie industry, slums, underworld and what not. Its buzzing with life....here you can find young girls doing Rasta Shopping in Bandra and Colaba...Youngsters lounging about in cafes,pubs and discs in Andheri, Juhu etc.....Industrialists and executives rushing to their work in Nariman Point,Bandra Kurla Complex and elsewhere....Leather goods and thousands of other legal as well as illegal products being sold in Dharavi..the largest slum of Asia. Bombay has a lot of courage too....whether the 1993 Bomb Blasts...or the floods of July 2005 or serial train blasts of 2006 or recently the terror attacks of 26/11....the city has withered all of it and much more,but its remains unbent and fastidious.....the spirit of Bombay and its people have enabled it to get up everytime and rise like a phoenix.

The spirit of this magical city comes from its people who come from everywhere...it does not belong to any specific creed or state. Its an integral part of the indian nation and belongs to every indian citizen. Such people who create these differences should be arrested and tried in court for trying to create differences and unrest among the people.They should be asked why their band of goons only attack poor students from UP and Bihar who come to appear for All India Exams and where were they when the terror attacks were happening in Bombay....why Karan Johar, the film maker has to apologize for using the word "Bombay" instead of Mumbai in his movie "Wake up Sid"....why it cannot be Bombay and why it has to be Mumbai???...In America, a lot of cities were named by the countries who made their colonies there like Los Angeles, San Francisco to name a few...why havent these names changed there???....Its high time that people understand that a city is made by its people and not its name....we should be Indian first and then belong to any state not vice versa.

It says it all in the words of Sachin Tendulkar "Mumbai is for every Indian" and thats how it should be. Irrespective of whatever anyone has to say I will always love this splendid city.

Salaam Mumbai :))

Majestical Paris Contd....

The park is about 40 minutes train ride from the main city and is a whole new world in itself. Its divided into three parts viz. Disneyland, Walt Disney Studios and the Disney Village. The Disney Castle is the main attraction in the Park and the kids throng to see the well dressed princes and princesses and other royalties...adults are no less enthusiastic about meeting and getting photographed with these characters here. There are many theme based rides here which all are different and exciting in their unique ways.Since Halloween was around the corner when we had gone there, the entire park was decorated on that theme and one could see a lot of colored pumpkins around which gave the place an air of joy and festivity.

In the Walt Disney Studios, there are various famous Disney characters milling about and children and adult alike line up to meet them and get photographed with them. It was thrilling to meet Goofy, Ratatouille etc. As a 25 year old adult, I may be sounding silly but people older than me were as excited as the kids there...such is the infectious atmosphere of the place. Theres also the toy train ride which takes you on a tour of the Disney Land and all the famous action scenes of famous Walt Disney Movies like Titanic, Pearl Harbor etc are depicted here....sitting on the train you can experience a bomb blast,torrential rain and fire all around...all seems so realistic that it leaves you spellbound and amazed.

Disney Village is more inspired with the Hollywood theme and there are lots of restaurants and souvenir shops here. We also bought some for friends and family although they are a bit expensive and over rated but then souvenirs always are.

On our last and final day..we went to Louvre in the morning. Louvre is one of the biggest museums in the world and is famous for the artwork it has notably Mona Lisa and Venus de milo. The entire museum is vast and is divided into sections and its easy to get lost here...though 6 hours are never enough for this place which houses so many artistic treasures of  mainly Gothic and Renaissance era, we completed the tour nevertheless and proceeded towards the famous Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame....it is well maintained and preserved and some of the best artworks of the Gothic era is visible on the church walls and the ceiling. In the end we took a cruise on the River Seine. It was very romantic sitting on the top of the boat in the breezy afternoon with the tour guide telling about the places on our left and right and about so many bridges that we passed under...it was very informative and I was surprised to find so many bridges and each had its own history.

Finally we scrambled to catch our planes as we had got very late and thought we might miss our flight. But thankfully we reached right on time and a friendly airport official got us our boarding passes very quickly than expected.
The last image I saw was from the plane after the take off was of the Eiffel tower lighting up the city and proudly adorning the Paris Skyline. It was a wonderful and an unforgettable trip...one I will cherish forever.

Majestical Paris.....

I have been meaning to write about this trip for a long time now.... Paris trip was fascinating for many reasons....this is one of the oldest cities in the world and one of the most important and major cities even today.....its a great combination of the history and modernity in the sense that there are well preserved symbols of its both glorious and tumultous past and of the present.....

Paris is like any other major city...I saw a lot of traffic and a lot of people of different colours and nationalities rushing to their work....rush in their steps....stern expressions...clipped sentences....all the typical signs of big city dwellers.....also there were lots of beggars and con men and con-women....unclean streets....overflowing garbage cans.....it will be suffice to say that it reminded me of Bombay in more than one way...but ofcourse its cleaner than bombay and the transport system is more efficient....

Our first stop was the Sacre Coeur....this big white monument of christianity reminded me of Taj Mahal and its huge from inside...after this tour we headed towards Eiffel Tower and indeed this great monument lives up to the fame it has been accoladed with....although the queue was long and it was chilly and windy but after getting to the top it was worth the wait as the view is breathtaking. The entire city of Paris stretches out in all directions. A funny incident happened while getting down....we thought of climbing one floor down by steps as there was a huge queue waiting for the elevator, and after coming down one floor which was "too down" than we had estimated we found that the elevator only started from the top and that its not available now. So gamely we decided to climb all the way down by steps and although my feet hurt a bit later...it was lot of fun. Next stop was Arc de Triomphe and this huge monument built in honor of French people who took part in the Revolution is very much like our own India Gate in Delhi or Gateway of India in Mumbai.....there was again a climb here and my darling husband had to literally drag me upstairs and again the view from the top was amazing. We finally ended our day by spending the evening roaming in Champs de Elysees..the fashion street.....I bought some clothes for myself as I couldnt resist the amazing styles offered by Zara.....the store I always wanted to shop at.

Next Day was scheduled to be spent in Disneyland and indeed even a week would be less for Disney enthusiasts because its huge......

To be Continued......

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil....

Again a wonderful read...this book by John Berendt amuses, scandalizes and captivates. A mesmerising account of the writer's stay in Savaanah and his description of the people and places there is fascinating.....

A gripping story of a decadent society,its people and how they anyhow want to maintain their ties with the past and their resistance to change.... the social parties...scandals and the old world charm keeps you thoroughly entertained.....the amazing part was how learned people still believe in voodoo and black magic and inspite of the integration,there is a thin line of demarcation between the blacks and the whites and theres segregation between blacks themselves where the lighter skinned are getting more preferences....guess black isnt so beautiful afterall and then there is the interesting murder trial of antique dealer Jim Williams which again goes on to show the way of life in Savannahians where money and social status means everything....homosexuality and aany other free world thinking is abhorred and gossip and scandals rule....

Its an interesting read which will keep you turning the pages till you get to the end.....