6. HURLING ICECREAM ACROSS A RESTAURANT IN MILAN
Milan is 358 miles north of Rome. The fast Eurostar Altovelocita (ESA) train made the trip from Rome
Termini to Milan Centrale in as little
as 3 1/2 hours. Our hotel – Hotel Mediolanum – on Via Mauro Macchi was at a
walking distance from the Station, but
we took a taxi anyway for our luggage.
As we were planning to leave for Zurich next day we decided to make the best of the day by rushing to the Piazza Duomo to see the Duomo Cathedral. A subway ride in a crowded train brought us straight to the Duomo. It was quite exciting to find our way about the station and getting the right train without speaking Italian and just with the help of subway and Milan City maps.
No sooner had we got out of the Station that we glimpsed the beautiful fairytale-like Duomo Cathedral in Piazza Duomo. The piazza is the major square in Milan and one of the most renowned tourist sites in Italy’s capital of fashion and business. There was a lift for going to the top of the roof but the booth for buying the tickets was located in a street behind the Cathedral. Though Amma did come up to the roof with me in the Lift she was too tired to walk up and down various roof sections to admire the intricacies of the monument.
Ira, Imshah, Kiran and Anika made to the roof by climbing the spiral staircase.
The American writer and journalist Mark Twain visited Milan in the summer of 1867. He dedicated chapter 18 of Innocents Abroad to the Milan Cathedral, including many physical and historical details, and a now uncommon visit to the roof. He describes the Duomo as follows:
What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems ...a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!...
The central one of its five great doors is bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits and beasts and insects, which have been so ingeniously carved out of the marble that they seem like living creatures-- and the figures are so numerous and the design so complex, that one might study it a week without exhausting its interest...everywhere that a niche or a
perch can be found about the enormous building, from summit to base, there is a marble statue, and every statue is a study in itself...Away above, on the lofty roof, rank on rank of carved and fretted spires spring high in the air, and through their rich tracery one sees the sky beyond ….(Upon the) roof ...springing from its broad marble flagstones, were the long files of spires, looking very tall close at hand, but diminishing in the distance...We could see, now, that the statue on the top of each was the size of a large man, though they all looked like dolls from the street... They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter's at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands.
That evening I invited the whole family to dinner at the
nearby Japanese restaurant. We had good wine, juicy lamb chops, moth-watering
shrimps and seasoned vegetables. And they even obliged me with a bowl of
wafer-thin slices of raw onions!
Next morning we had great breakfast at our hotel and some of
our ladies even packed up sandwiches, biscuits and fruits for our lunch during
the train journey to Zurich.
Their smiles completely disarmed the Lombardian waiters.
This time we rolled our luggage on the footwalks and walked to the Central Station of Milan.
7. FROM ZURICH TO BURIAL PLACE OF PONTIUS PILATE
The train from Milan to Zurich was again very comfortable and we settled down for our expected three and a half hours journey. But when we reached Lugono we were told to disembark and head for a bus outside the station. Apparently a landslide had disrupted the rail track and the passengers were required to make bus journey to Goschenen where we could ride another train for our journey to Zurich
With amazing efficiency all the passengers were guided to carry their luggage and load into the waiting two luxury buses by just a couple of workers from the railway staff and we were off on our bus journey without and fuss. The Swiss efficiency made sure that within ten minutes of our detraining, our bus was on the move.
Bus journey itself was so
pleasant that we would have gladly bought tickets for it just to experience the
country-side landscape and the neat and well-maintained roads.
A short taxi drive from the Raiway
Station took us to our hotel – Hotel Europe at Dufourstrasse 4. The taxi driver
was an immigrant from Kenya
who complained of the high cost of living in this most expensive country in the
world. I understood what he meant when we checked in our three rooms priced at
275 Euros for each room but without even a frig or even an electric kettle. And
instead of a promised view of the Zurich
lake what we viewed from our window was another building that blocked the lake
view. But at least the building was a bit charming.
Zurich sits at the northern end of Lake Zurich and
has views of the surrounding mountains. The city
was once the focal point of Reformation in German
Switzerland, led by the anti-Catholic firebrand
Ulrich Zwingli. The 20th century brought an avantgarde
artistic and philosophical radicalism that
usurped Zurich’s Protestant asceticism attracting
diverse and progressive thinkers. While James
Joyce toiled away at Ulysses in one corner of the
city, Russin exile Vladmir Lenin read Marx and
dreamt of revolution in another.
After dumping our stuff in our rooms we came out
of the Hotel and came across a great vegetarian
restaurant nearby where you pick up to eat whatever
you want from various stalls and then go to the
cashier who simply weighs the tray and gives you
the amount to be paid. Another example of Swiss
efficiency. And there were quite a few Indian
delicacies too. With our stomachs full we headed
for the Zurich Lake which was beautiful and clean.
The Promenade was a heaven for us, suckers of
natural beauty. We stopped for a while at Bellevue
Platz and Quai Bridge before walking up along river
Limmat to Fraumunster, a 9th century cathedral
where sculptured heads peered at us from the
corners and columns.
While crossing the bridge near the Cathedral we
viewed the twin towers of Grossmunster, a
Romanesque Protestant church. According to
legend, the Grossmünster was founded by
Charlemagne, whose horse fell to its knees over the
tombs of Felix and Regula, Zürich's patron saints.
The legend helps support a claim of seniority over
the Fraumünster, which was founded by Louis the
German, Charlemagne's grandson. Recent
archaeological evidence confirms the presence of a
Roman burial ground at the site.
Huldrych Zwingli initiated the Swiss-
German Reformation in Switzerland from his
pastoral office at the Grossmünster, starting in
1520. Zwingli won a series of debates presided over
the magistrate in 1523 which ultimately led local
civil authorities to sanction the severance of the
church from the papacy.
Outside the church we sat and relaxed, looking towards the river watching the tourists on the street and swans by the river. We lingered on the Munster Bridge for a while before returning to our abode.
With great expectations we left our Hotel next
morning for a day trip to Lucerne and Mount
Pilatus. Amma avoided the 11 hour ordeal and
stayed back at the hotel with her migraine. A tram
deposited us at the back of the Central Railway
Station where boarded a coach of our tour-operator
for Lucerne.
The coach traveled over the Albis Pass and along the shores of Lake Lucerne to arrive at the beautiful old town of Luverne. On the way the luxury coach stopped for us to have a magnificent view of the Lake Luerne. The stop here was like a stop at Paradise. The soul itself went into meditation without any effort of the body. This was the moment which gave fulfillment to this entire tour. had been programmed. Anika shared the ecstasy with me and suggested that we should return to Lucerne sometime in future to live in Eternity for at least a week.
Lucerne charmed us with its Chapel Bridge and its Water Tower, the Lion Monument & Glacier Garden and a lakefront promenade.
Mount Pilatus was named after a local legend which alleges that Pontius Pilate was buried there. Pontius Pilatus was the Roman governor at Judaea 2000 years ago and condemned Jesus to death. Emperor Tiberius called him back to Rome, put him to prison, where Pilatus committed suicide. His dead body was thrown into the Tiber river, but that ignited a heavy thunderstorm. So his body was fished out of the water and was exported to the river Rhone in France. But that caused similar thunderstorms; his body was then thrown into the lake of Geneva. Again: thunderstorms! Nobody wanted to have this corpse and was therefore transferred into a region where nobody lived. And that was high up in a mountain in Helvetia near Lucerne, called Frakmont (broken mountain) where his body was dumped into a small lake.
Each year on Good Friday, Pilate would emerge from the grave to wash his bloodied hands in the lake below. Any attempts to challenge Pilate’s dominion brought storms of fury, so climbing the mountain was prohibited. In 1585, a priest and a few townsmen decided to test the story by going into the foothills and creating a ruckus. When there was no retribution, the spell was declared broken. Since then there have been numerous Pilate sightings. Alas, we unbelievers were denied that sighting.
In late medieval
times a dragon was said to live on the mountain. From the shores of the Lake Lucerne cable cars
whisked us up to the top of the Mount Pilatus (7000
ft). The trip up the mountain was half the fun. The
reward was a sweeping view of snowy, purple
mountain peaks and the meandering Lake Lucerne.
What makes Mount Pilatus it special is the man
made enhancements--the cog rail train, the bellwearing
cows, the hotel / restaurant at the very top.
This is the prototypical Swiss mountain--if you
imagine what a Swiss mountain might be, this is IT
We came down the mountain in the steepest cogwheel train in the world. Throughout the descent we were in ecstasy over the spectacular mountain scenery, awe-inspiring views of glaciers and summits, lush meadows and the majestic Lake Lucerne.
The mountain air had given us an enhanced appetite and we crossed a bridge in Lucerne for a quick bite in an open-air restaurant. The restaurant was full of tourists and our Austrian waitress did not appreciate our urgency due to fear of missing our boat – literally. We compromised by reducing our order to two plates of French Fries which were packed in two paper bags. These tirned out to be the tastiest French Fries I ever had and armed with this ammunition we rushed for our boat trip on Lake Lucerne.
The lake is at a height of 1424 feet above sea level
and the surrounding mountains reflect in its still
blue waters, enhancing the picturesque scene.
ON return to Zurich we found a starving Amma at
the Hotel restaurant who had waited and waited for
the five members of her family and had us declared
as missing persons. To make up for that
delinquency I took Amma and Anika to
Bahnhofstrasse next morning. What ever your heart
desires you can find it on Bahnhofstrasse.
This famous pedestrian street offers the best in
world-class shopping opportunities and is also home
to some of the world's most important banks. We
walked along Bahnhofstrasse and saw the shops, the
passing trams, the banks. A small town atmosphere
prevailed and yet it was cosmopolitan and chic. The
prices were so high that both Amma and Anika
declined to buy anything on this most expensive
street of the world.
On
our last afternoon Anika and I became adventurous and took free tram rides
around Zurich and got off the tram at Bellevue to walk along the Zurich Lake.
After a few hundred meters there was a park with trees and a lawn which
filled the expanse between the lake and the street. The huge Blatterwiese, also
known as Chinawiese because the Chinese garden was just next to it, was
pleasantly laid down.. There was also a playground for kids. Continuing we got
to Zürichhorn, a small delta with some lakeside restaurants and a small casino
and later still to the railway station Tiefenbrunnen where we hopped on a tram again
back to Bellevue.
In the evening Amma joined us for dinner at a
nearby self-service restaurant. Not far from our
table was sitting an old lady whom, Amma sweared,
Amma had seen on TV claiming herself to be an
incarnation of an Egyptian Goddess and living in an
Egyptian pyramid. Lest she turned out in the mould
of Pointus Pilate, we left her in peace and left
without telling her that Amma was on to her!
Having seen all that we came to see in Europe we
now took a train back to Milan from where we were
to take flights back to London and then back to
Trinidad.
Just after entraining and taking my seat I was
stunned when gazed at very beautiful girl entering
our apartment and sitting in the opposite corner to
where I was sitting. It was 54 years back that I had
set my eyes on such a gorgeous girl. With some
cunning I managed to compose and snap these two
beauties in one single frame – thankfully none were
aware of my doings.
At Goschenen we were again asked to detrain, take
a bus to Lugano and entrain there again for our
destination – Milan.
Back in Milan we checked in again at the Hotel
Mediolenum for a night’s rest. Dispersal of the
touring party began next morning with Kiran and
Anika taking flights to London. Rest of us still had
a few hours to spend in Milan before taking our
evening flight to London on our way to Trinidad.
Though it was a Sunday we still managed to do
some shopping near the Duomo and once again visit
the restaurant where Amma famously hurled an icecream
bowl. But with no Bollywood film shooting
and no Kiran and Anika, the Duomo Square
appeared rather forlorn.
Roast lamb again at an open-air restaurant and we
were back at our Hotel. And when we loaded our
luggage in the taxi to get to the Bus Stand for the
Milan Linate airport, the taxi driver offered to take
us to the airport at less fare than what the bus tickets
would have cost us!
A long wait at Linate, a late flight into Heathrow
London, an expensive midnight taxi to Gatwick, a
short sleep at Gatwick Holiday Inn and a tiresome
flight to Piarco, Trinidad brought this tired couple
of Amma and Baba brought us back home to a
loving reception by our younger daughter Rashmi,
her husband Neil and children Arun and Anoushka.
8. OTHER PEOPLE’S GENII
1. Each of us is born with a specific genius that was
bestowed upon us so we can do our part to make
this world a better place. All of us have a role that
we’re uniquely suited for. Imagine our planet
without trees, oceans, or clouds. In this same way,
when one of us doesn’t develop or use our special
gift, a cosmic void takes place.
2. This unique talent or ability may be hidden from
your own sight like a golden treasure buried under
shifting sands. Often, we spend so much time
dazzled by the talents of others that we can
overlook our own gifts. It may even be that our
unique ability is something we view negatively.
Perhaps we find it difficult concentrating on any
one subject for long; meanwhile, others are thrilled
by our ability to weave various ideas throughout our
conversations. Or, you might think of yourself as
“frivolous,” when it’s likely your charming
approach to life casts a light of inspiration that
others can’t help but follow. It’s important for all of
us to try to find our special gift and discover how
we can best express it. Ask others to name what
they think is your most overlooked talent or
character trait. Their answers may change your life.
3. Explore these riches that are yours to express,
and you may find yourself helping others discover
and develop their own blessings. Acknowledge and
appreciate the gifts you see in those around you.
Tell your neighbor that loves to garden how much
her green thumb enlivens the whole block. Thank
your coworker for always greeting your days
together with a smile. Tell your close friends that
their ability to listen makes your world a better
place. Our unique gifts are like golden rays of
expression that can encircle the world with light.
4. "You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control." -- Elizabeth Gilbert
5. Before we embark upon the journey of finding
the relationship that is right for us, we may want to take the opportunity to
refine our concept of who we are and our ideas of what we want from life. That
way, we are clearer on the kind of person we want to attract into our lives.
Part of the journey of finding a mate is learning how to become our own mate.
When we can learn to meet our needs without relying on someone else to complete
us, we don’t have to form relationships from the space of needing our emptiness
to be filled. We can also discover our intrinsic value, separate from what
someone else might be reflecting back to us. Getting to know who we are and
learning to love ourselves creates a solid foundation of self that we
can bring to any relationship.
64. "Everything you own should have value, either because it's functional or beautiful or you just love it." -- Peter Walsh
65. "Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever." -- Isak Dinesen
66. I give the gift of forgiveness for the blessing of peace of mind.
The word forgive is the combination of the words give and for. When I ask myself what I would be willing to give for peace of mind, I have a new understanding of what it means to forgive.
I give up attachment to pain and anger in order for me to enjoy a better life. I give up judgment or criticism of my own past actions for the freedom to live in loving ways.
I am willing to forgive a past occurrence, realizing that to hold on to the past only hurts me. I release unforgiving thoughts and replace them with love. Even situations I will never condone, I am able to forgive.
I forgive myself and others so I can focus my energy on creating a more peaceful, harmonious world.
92. "Make a habit of two things: to help; or at least to do no harm." -- Hippocrates
93. The next time you feel pain, either physical or emotional, you might want to try listening to your own intuition about how to relieve your pain. Maybe taking a few deep breaths will put an end to that headache. Perhaps writing in your journal about hurt feelings will ease your heart. Ultimately, the message of pain is all about healing.
94. "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." -- Henry Ford
95. "The greatest act of courage is to be and to own all of who you are -- without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth of who you are." -- Debbie Ford
96 Metaphorically, we take flight whenever we break free of
the gravity that holds us to a particular way of thinking or feeling or being...Taking flight is always about freeing
ourselves from form, if only temporarily. When we literally fly, in a plane or
on a hang glider, we free ourselves from the strength of gravity's pull. As we
open our minds and our hearts, we free ourselves from habitual patterns of
thought and emotional blockages. As we remember our true nature, we free
ourselves from identification with the temporary state of our physical forms.
The more we stretch our wings, the clearer it becomes that taking flight is a
state of grace that simply reminds us of who we really are.
97. "Imperfection
is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than
absolutely boring." -- Marilyn Monroe
98. "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." -- Martin Luther King Jr.
99. "When you love someone,
you love the person as they are, and not as you'd like them to be."-- Leo Tolstoy
100. "If you try anything, if you try to lose weight, or to improve yourself, or to love, or to make the world a better place, you have already achieved something wonderful, before you even begin. Forget failure. If things don't work out the way you want, hold your head up high and be proud. And try again. And again. And again!"-- Sarah Dessen
101. "When things just don't work out as good as you really thought they would... It's not rotten, it's not over, it's not finished, or the end. All it means is something better is waiting for you around the bend." -- Doe Zantamata
102. When we learn to discipline our thoughts, we empower ourselves to cope with any situation. We may not be able to control the events in our lives, but we can always control our thoughts. It is human nature to latch onto negative thoughts and expect the worst, but doing so can erode our peace of mind. If we can learn to control our thoughts, we get to choose the thoughts to focus on that that will empower and make us feel strong.
103. "Show kindness whenever possible. Show it to the people in front of you, the people coming up behind you, and the people with whom you are running neck and neck. It will vastlyimprove the quality of your own life
104. "Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes." -- Nicholas Sparks
105. "Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." -- Oscar Wilde
106. "The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique." -- Walt Disney
107. "I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." -- Audrey Hepburn
108. "Think of life as a gigantic ice cream parlor with infinite flavors to taste. Tell yourself the goal of life is to taste as many flavors of experiences as you can. Admittedly, you won't like every flavor. But hey, you don't need to go near that flavor ever again. Instead, indulge in flavors you know you're passionate about! And don't be afraid to taste something that might look funny -- you never know!" -- Karen Salmansohn
109. "The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests." -- Epictetus
110. "You're worried about how you're going to feel at the end of your life? What about right now? Live. Right this minute. That's where the joy's at." -- Abigail Thomas
111. "Don't
rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth. Only you can be
responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself -- no one else
will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are -- completely; the good
and the bad-- and make changes as you see fit, not because you think
someone else wants you to be different."
-- Stacey Charter
112. "Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is real. It is possible. It is yours." -- Ayn Rand
113. "If
you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then
crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
-- Martin Luther King Jr.
114. "The secret of health
for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the
future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly." -- Siddharta Gautama
115. A devotee alone gets troubles
and adversities; because this is his last birth, many karmas have to be worked
out and he must be united with the Lord in this very birth. – Yoga of Self-Surrender
116. "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." - H. Jackson Brown Jr.
117. "The best way to
measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now
run around the track, or even your grade point average -- though those things
are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've
chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is
the greatest measure of success."
- -- R.J. Palacio
118. Though bad apples are a fact
of life, minimizing the impact you allow them to have upon you is empowering
because you are not letting anyone else affect the quality of your experiences.
You may discover that buried at the very heart of a bad apple is a seed of
goodness.
119. "Rules of living: Don't worry, eat three square meals a day, say your prayers, be courteous to your creditors, keep your digestion good, steer clear of biliousness, exercise, go slow and go easy. Maybe there are other things that your special case requires to make you happy, but, my friend, these, I reckon, will give you a good life." -- Abraham Lincoln
120. "I think happiness is
what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a
mirror and they reflect that happiness."
-- Drew Barrymore
121. As I share the love of God within, my life is enriched. When I treat my family, friends, co-workers and others with understanding and respect, all of us are blessed.
122. "This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek." Terry Tempest Williams
123. "If you treat an individual as he is,
he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to
be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be."
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
124. "It was only a sunny smile, and little
it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made
the day worth living."
-- F. Scott Fitzgerald
125. "Instead of putting others down, try
improving yourself instead. The only person you have a right to compete with is
you. In the meantime, treat others how you'd like to be treated. One trait that
some of the best (communicators) share is empathy. A couple of kind words can
not only make a person's day, but earn you a friend and supporter for life. For
the rest of the week, whenever you see someone you want to judge negatively,
pay them a compliment instead. See what happens."
-- Neil Strauss
126. In
every moment we have a chance to make a choice to bring light into the world.
When we bless others with the gift of our positive energy, instead of letting
circumstances affect us negatively, we bring a little peace to the world every day.
127. Om Tryambakam yajaamahe Sugandhim pushtivardhanam
Urvaa rukamiva bhandhanaan Mrytyor
muksheeyamaa amrutaat
"We worship the three-eyed Lord Shiva who nourishes and spreads fragrance in our lives. May He free us from the shackles of sorrow, change and death – effortlessly, like the fall of a ripe brinjal from its stem.
