Sundays in my City..

Have you seen this vehicle before? It is an autorickshaw, a three wheeler. In short, we call it an auto. It is a popular mode of transport for us in India, much like a taxi. A ride in it is thrilling, thanks to the openness behind. During one of our trips to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we were excited to see one on the cobbled streets of Germany.

Do you feel the same way as us, pretty excited when you see a familiar being from your homeland in a foreign country? We stood and admired it, wondering who it belonged to. The guy had also fitted make shift doors onto it. In India, we have no doors fitted to it. So, when the autorickshaw is actually moving, you have got to hold on to your seats tight. Otherwise, you will feel you are flying. And if you have jazzy music playing along, then even more the merrier..:D

In preparation..

Remember the post I had done here. Well, my daughter and I have been busy searching and reading blogs on how to make deco, flowers, centre pieces etc etc. When we like something we read, we just about get into action to see whether we can do it. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes not. At times, the result is beautiful, but not always.
    We both are having fun together preparing for the big day. You can see the sense of excitement building up in her. She doesn't tire and it is pretty hard to keep up with her pace. The moment she enters the house she says"Shall we make something for my big day??" I cannot imagine, how will it be, when the time comes for her to marry.

P.S: The roses are something which we made with paper and are planning to do many more. This was just a trial piece. The pot was painted by Anna.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Incredible India!!

I have never shared anything about my homeland on this blog. Well today marks the 62nd Republic day of India. When I first moved, I was astonished by the questions that were put forth to me by the people here...the most prominent being "Now that you are here, do you want to return to India??" At first I was aghast, then slowly realized how ignorant people were about my land. 

     India, with its rich heritage and diversity, from snow capped mountains to sun kissed beaches, palaces, temples, festivals, villages., the list is endless.....never fails to charm the foreigner. It is hard not to fall in love with India. 

The above advertisement presents to you my homeland in 2 minutes. It is my kids favorite and the only one which comes on our TV channels here. It portrays a tourist traveling around India, experiencing the land to the fullest. I wish i could explain the entire ad in detail. In the end, he says "Bahuth accha" which means "Very good" or "Very nice".
This post will give you reasons enough for us wanting to return HOME..

ENJOY!!!!!

   

Peek a boo..

Growing plants and nurturing them is quite challenging in Deutschland. Thanks to the winter and controlled temperature inside homes, am unable to keep the plants alive for long and no, I am not a plant killer..:( 

   When new life sprouts, like the one in my tulip bulbs, I am over the moon. I keep watch gently and cannot wait to see the first bud and then the bloom..:)

Sunday's in my city.

When a very good friend of ours informed us that he would be in Frankfurt over the weekend, we were more than delighted. Making new friends in a new country takes time. So when old friends pop in even for a very short time, it brightens our day and lifts up our spirits.

We headed over the weekend to Frankfurt to pick him up, already prepared with the sights we would be showing him around. And that would be the romantic city of Heidelberg. For the first time I wasn't keen on looking out the window during our drive. There was too much to catch up on and very little time. 

Heidelberg is famous for its University, Museums and the Schloss or castle which are now world famous ruins. After a meal at the kids favorite joint MAC Donalds, it was a pretty long walk over a steep mountain all the way to the Schloss. Cursing under my breath, pausing to take a shot or two in between, I was breathless by the time we made it to the top.

The castle is nestled on hills 300 feet  above the city. It is a combination of several buildings, each building highlighting a different period of German architecture. It is over 600 years old and had three destructions which brought it to its current state. The first two being due to wars and the third was a lightning strike.

From the castle and its gardens, you have amazing views over the city of Heidelberg and the Neckar river.

Weddings at the castle are allowed. You have got to book a spot in advance. I think it is one of the most romantic places to say I do.
After a guided tour of around the castle, we were told that the castle also houses the World's largest wine Barrel built in 1751 by the Prince Elector to house the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers. Made out of 110 oak trees, it holds  220,000 liters of wine (58,124 gallons) and has a dance floor built on top of it. Look how tiny we are in comparison with the barrel!!!

The day ended with a long walk on the old bridge and through the old town, walking, taking in sights and simply enjoying each other's company.

Weekly Winners

Tuesdays around the world...

If I was a Tulip

And you were wind’s-wings,

I would not count

My broken dreams,

But bless the coming spring.

I would let you see me

In colors-

Pink, yellow and red.

You’d find me blooming

By the riverbed

Or, down in the valley

By the little creek,

To make proud

The water falls,

To make you feel meek.

But strong winds

Of late May

Again could make me weak.

My petals scattered

On the ground

And gone in a week.

But I will come again

To let you see…

Life is but a circle,

I will bloom

Again next spring:

Isn’t it a miracle?

I would be happy

To know that you would

Touch my face

When the sun sets in.

I would feel you in full force,

Gently from within.

You would come to me

Each day-

Again to disappear,

But when the sun’s-rays

Touch at noon-

Again I would feel you near.

Its official!!

It's official. After a lot of thought, my kids will be receiving their First Holy Communion( It is a catholic church ceremony which is very important in every child's life) in Deutschland. None of our family will be coming over from India due to various reasons. Over the past year, we have made a few friends and we will be celebrating along with them.

   There is a lot to do. The major one being deciding the kids clothes, especially of our daughter. She has something in mind, more in lines of wanting to look like cinderella in a gown!! It is going to be hard, to please her..:) Then we have our boy, who is a simpleton. He is satisfied with whatever we get him. There are invites to decide, food and menu to think about, cutlery to buy, decorations to make, lots and lots of work.We are excited about it and eagerly looking forward to the day, which is 4 months away.

    On Saturday, we thought we would head over to Würzburg, to get an idea as to what is available in the markets. Nothing prepared us for the visual treat we were about to see in the sky..

It ain't fair if don't share this with you. The image has not been altered, edited, nothing at all. This is exactly how the sky was and my husband was asking me to hurry up with the shots before the colors faded away!!!

Sundays in my City

Hello everybody!! Welcome to my favorite day of the week where we get to travel the world along with Unknown Mami via Sundays in my City. 

   This year, we as a family, have decided to get out of the house and explore new places every sunday, when and as the weather permits. And to help us keep our word, we have been experiencing the best of weather, which according to the Germans is unusual..:) It has gotten warm, the sun shines and there is no snow..:D

So today, we headed to the ruins of Homburg in Gössenheim, a short drive from home. Germany is filled with ruins of castles, big and small. Some are maintained, some not. It is quite expensive to maintain these places and it is a shame to see them crumble down due to lack of maintenance.

These ruins are more than 1000 years old. We timed it well, so that we got to see the ruins against the setting sun. We have a boy in our midst, who loves to dwell on the past. He loves to see the old walls, imagine what it must have been like to live in those times, wonder how people lived....

It made for an interesting outing. Some of the rooms still had their gates locked and the tiles of the floor were in good shape. Maybe, it was where the prisoners were held. Since the ruins were high atop a mountain, it also made for picturesque scenes of nearby villages and meadows.

Did a damsel wait by this window, for her knight in shining armor?? Or a lady for her love?? You can let your imagination run wild and yet, have no answers.

It was a day well spent. Hope you all had a great day too. Don't forget to stop by Unknown Mami and see what the lovely ladies were up to.  I promise, you won't be disappointed..:)

Give me some sunshine.

The weather had been crappy the whole week. Rain and grey clouds. Many a time, I would look hopefully to the skies for some salvation!! So, it did take me by surprise when today, the sun just shone through the dark clouds, sort of playing hide and seek with us!! I couldn't believe it!!! Pretty soon, the clouds vanished and there were clear blue skies. I couldn't wait for the kids to get home, cause I wanted to take them out with their bikes.

Meanwhile, I went about opening windows, placing all plants near the windows to get their dose of Vitamin D!!! God alone knows, when the sun will get out of hiding next...:) The windows once again reminded me of the cleaning needed to be done!!! They looked dirtier than ever!! I placed these tulips to soak in some sunshine too..:) I love tulips. They are available the next 5 months in Blumen shops. They bring in so much color to your home. I wish they were available the whole year through.

Anyway, once the kids got home, we had a quick lunch. By then, the sun chose to go back in hiding never to come out. Never the less, it was pretty warm which is quite unusual for this time of year. I am grateful for this unusual weather and hope that it continues to remain this way and not drop down to freezing temperatures.

The children were thrilled to get out their bikes after two whole months. Surprisingly, we were the only ones in the park. Not a soul.

During summer, not only is the park filled, you have youngsters sitting in this band stand, getting together for a chat or a puff!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Very soon, these bare branches will have new life in them. It will be Spring and we shall have a riot of colors. Till then, we patiently wait.

Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2010.

Ashley from Ramblings and Photos is hosting the beautiful "Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2010". Ashley is a dedicated blogger committed to improving her skills in photography. I admire the way she presents her pictures, her flair for writing and thank her so much, for having given me this opportunity to go through the past year in pictures. It did take a lot of time, but made me smile, pause and frown over the collection of pictures we have amassed.

 

ME

Yeah, that's me. Apart from being on the MAC( which ticks of my hubby and kids) or baking in the kitchen, you are sure to find me with this camera at all times, trying to capture a shot. And yes, I love to smile, laugh and giggle a lot!!!! 

I am proud of the fact that we survived together as a family. It has been a huge accomplishment for us!!

WINTER WONDERLAND

The beginning of 2010 was our first year experiencing winter wonderland. In fact, our first snow. 

BIRTHDAY

My husband turned 40 this year. Tried my hand at baking a berry cake for him.

I WAS INSPIRED

by fellow bloggers to improvise my blogging skills and my husband who patiently taught me to capture all these beautiful shots..:)

SPRING

As I mentioned, it was our first winter experience, so over a period of time, we were waiting for Spring like crazy!!!! The burst of new leaves was like new life to me.

TRAVEL, HOLIDAYS and MY FAVORITE

The past year, we travelled a lot and visited many new places. The Neuschwanstein Castle is by far my favorite picture and destination of all!!! So much so, before I head back to India, I want to visit it again!!

SUMMER

Lohr gets alive in Summer with the Lohrer fest! A tent is put up by the River Main. You can hang out either in the tent downing beer, or go on any of the amusement rides.

AUTUMN

Living in Germany is giving us the chance to experience all seasons which we wouldn't get to experience back home.

FAMILY

Wilhelma Botanical Garden and Zoo, visited March 2010.

I MISS YOU ALL

Every girl in the world should be blessed with a sister. And, I am blessed with three..:) I miss them terribly!! (They are gonna kill me on seeing what I have done to their snap..:D)

A DAY IN MY LIFE

Hunting for recipes, baking and experimenting!!!!

 MY FAVORITE

This is one of my first pictures I begun taking early 2010.

HOPES AND DREAMS

To overcome the challenges the year has to offer, let go of the trivial things, have deeper appreciation for the people I LOVE and not take them for granted.....:)

My Dream is to travel around, together as a family, discover new things, cultures and live life to the fullest!!!