In the last 3 days I've gone from Boston to Delhi through Paris and Munich. And I'm a little tired. All I saw of Paris was the airport, but it was enough to remark on how stunningly beautiful French women are. It's unearthly and unnerving. German women, thankfully, are a bit more plain.
My flight from Boston to Paris was lovely, in so many ways. I watched a French movie called Bienvenue a l'Chti, about a southerner who is transferred to work in Bretagne. It was awesome. My travelling companions were also awesome. Until my screen stopped working and I switched seats I was sitting next to a guy 2 years younger than me who had just finished college. He was from Geneva, but his parents were American classical musicians who played for the Geneva symphony. He had just gotten a job in IP consulting, an area that, as many of you know, is of particular interest to me. Then, when I switched seats I sat next to a lovely old Frenchman, who was very curious about my ability to follow the french film. We talked about everything from LePin to French immigration to genetics. All in French, his impeccable and mine embarrasing. By the time I switched flights at Charles de Gaulle I was grateful for the reticence of the Germans. No conversations to distract me from my mutter fatigue on the way to Munich. Yet somehow I managed to press on and get to Marienplatz.
Not before I spent a good hour finding atms, internet and trying to call Delhi at the airport. Finally I gave up on calling Delhi, having received some solace from my friend Mila in London via gchat, and decided it was time to get out of the airport. Marienplatz, the center of Munich, is about 40 minutes from the airport on the S-Bahn. As soon as you get out of the metro, you step into old Europe. I had just missed the glockenspiel, so I went on to wander. I found a cathedral where there's a black foot at the entrance that legend has it belonged to the devil. I wasn't very impressed, but there was a great tower up which one can climb to see a panoramic view of Munich for only 3 euros. After descending, I tried to walk to the English gardens only to make a giant loop around Marienplatz. On the way, I decided to try some doner kebab, in order to avoid German food. I decided to have lahmajun (armenian pizza) instead, and the vendor suggested a doner kebab with lahmajun. One of the most delicious things I've ever eaten in my life. Tomatoes in Germany were for some reason much juicier than American ones. I went on to the bazaar, which was like something out of a fairy tale. I'll post pictures to confirm that claim when I get back. Finally I took the train to find the English gardens, which are very impressive in a sedate, relaxing sort of way. I would love to go to Munich with friends, or a special someone, as there's so much to enjoy there with others. Germans are very humble about their linguistic skills, I've noticed. Everytime I asked if someone spoke English, the answer would be "a little", but they were able to carry on conversations and always answered my questions. I quickly changed, showered, bought a shawl and once again futily attempted to call Delhi only to discover that cell phone numbers in India are blocked from public payphones. I tried not think about arriving in Delhi with no one to meet me, knowing that the Chabad house would be there if I needed it. My flight to Delhi was not very entertaining, mostly because I was too numb to enjoy anything. Many different kinds of people were on the flight, most notably white businessmen, two young African muslim men, and lots of aunties in saris.
Thankfully, and miraculously, Sumeet was in Delhi when I arrived. She has kept me sane and at peace since I've been there, haggling with rickshaw drivers, directing me to cheap neighborhoods, and reassuring me every day. I'm so lucky to have a friend like her. Today we realized that it's been 8 years since we've met. It' hard to imagine, partially because many years go by between seeing each other. The last time I saw Sumeet was in New York in January of 2006, while she was in DC working for the world Bank. It's my second day in Delhi and I already have 2 salwar kameez with matching bangles, a working cell phone, 2 mangoes, 5 liters of water, 3 oranges, 6 autorickshaw rides and one metro ride under my belt. I also had lunch with my tour guide company, which was lovely, relaxed and delicious. Now the only thing I'm a little worried about is how sick I feel, and I sincerely hope that it's just the flu. With that, for now I will try to sleep off this thing in time for Gosha's arrival. More to come, in more cogent fashion, later.
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