EuroTrip - Day 35

A French Diwali

Here is a French recipe to make a memorable festival of light.

1. Wake up early in the morning (read 8am) praying for a good day ahead.

2. Start your day with a cup of hot black tea (I never knew that I can actually enjoy black tea. I am pretty sure, I can give another chance to ice tea too. At least, one of my girl friends will be glad to hear that).

3. Make breakfast of your choice. Make sure your contribution is much more than just eating or doing dishes. Aloo sandwich and orange juice count as a very good breakfast on a chilly winter morning in any part of the world.

4. As it is Diwali, you should call your loved once and bring some smiles on faces that are missing on such an joyous occasion. (thanks to the wifi connection at A1's place - ApartHotel - and PooCh's find Nymgo, I could speak to almost everyone I wanted to speak to). Though this step might take a little more than expected time, don't worry. The joys come out in full color if you have given sufficient time here.

5. Take the first train to Chambery (ofcourse it is assumed that you are presently in Lyon). Make sure you take the lobby seats in the beautifully decorated TER that runs in Rhone Alpes region.

6. A game of Dumb Charade brings extra smile and make the day even more memorable.
Caution:
a. French people like it when you actually play dc like a dumb. It's potentially dangerous to make a lot of noise in trains.
b. If you have two sisters playing this game with you, make sure you know the song selection in their ipods and about the favorite actors and all. Otherwise you might find guesses like 'it's there in my ipod?' or 'Is he your favorite actor?' :-)

7. Reach Chambery after a picturesque train journey along one of the biggest lake in Rhone Alpes.

8. Head to tourist information officer, get the map, mark the places to visit and the head straight on your search for veg food. A MonoPrix shop is a good option if you can lunch on bread-cheese-baked bean-tortillas sandwich. The pleasure of lunching at a historic monument while enjoying a sunny yet cold day.

9. Share stories from movies while walking through old town roads. It's a great fun specially if you talk about the movie in which the protagonist kills 13 most beautiful girls in the world to find the 13th tone to make the perfect perfume.

10. By the time you reach the castle, it might be closed for the day. In any case, you have been to too many castles already. So it's better you have one last good look of the town and head to your next destination.

11. Take the next train to Annecy (you don't need to go there again) and get down at Aix Les Bains (it's a 12 minute journey so don't even thinking of blinking your eyes).

12. Get down from the train and walk along the railway line to reach the Bourget Lake. There are some private section of lake on your way, you can give them a chance if you want to treat yourself with a lavish French lunch on a Diwali day.

13. Keep aside your bags and of course all the worries and go to sleep on the lush meadow on the lake front. The sun might play hide and seek from behind the clouds, but it's ok. Kuch bachche hote hi hai natkhat.

14. Indulge yourself with some good quality chocolates and dry fruits. They will give a long lasting taste. If you speak to your love at this very moment, an unmatchable and unforgettable day is guaranteed.

15. The festive dinner will require a lot of super-marketing. So head straight to Carrefour, grab all you can think of and pay as quickly as you can. The train is precisely 10 minutes from now and only way you can catch it is but running all the way. So run, as if there is no train. The big grocery bag might be hindering your movement, but it should not dampen your spirits. You will reach just in time and as soon as you enter the gates will close. To feel special you can also think that the train was waiting for just you. Take some rest in the train as there is lot to be done still.

16. Tomato soup and popcorn to start with, aloo gobhi dry, aloo matar with gravy and rice as main course and chocolates to finish the dinner on a sweet note. Make sure you are also watching DCH all this while as it gives a tangy funny taste to the dinner.

17. A game of poker to keep up the Diwali tradition (if you are playing with people from IIMC, don't forget that they allocate euro 1 lacs of token money to play the game. Note down this moment, you might have been the richest of all your life so far).

18. A game of DC adds on to the fun before you hit the bed. Movies like 'everybody says I am fine' and 'monty python and the holy grail' are some tried and tested entertainers.

19. Before you realize, it would be 2am. Better go and get some sleep. You might have to catch an early morning train tomorrow.

20. End of recipe. Good night.

PS:
1. It's been a great change in last couple of days. Less of running around and more of taking things at their own pace, I am really loving it.
2. Thanks A1, Bora and Neha for the amazing trip. Thanks Ankit, Himanshu and Abhinav for the memorable evening, the game if poker and dc.
3. Bora and A1 are certified as good cooks from now on.