THE ETERNAL CITY-ROMA-ROME

What can a mere mortal like me say about Rome-the eternal city? Rome is a city that is more than 2,500 years old! It is situated on the river Tiber, and is surrounded by seven hills. It is said to have been established by Romulus. Legend has it that he and his brother Remus had been brought up by a she wolf!

Rome has had tremendous influence over world history. It was once called "Capital of the World" and also the "Eternal City". Rome is the place which had the Roman Republic,the Roman empire, Roman forum, and the Vatican City, which is an independent state having it's own jurisdiction and Ambassadors of different countries, acredited to it.

OLD AND NEW IN ONE

Rome is a very beautiful place, with a character of its own. It is new as well as absolutely ancient. The ruins of the Roman forum, the massive Colosseum, the ancient cobbled roads, the ancient city walls are all there.

The Roman Forum is what once was ancient Rome. My vivid imagination took me 2500 years back and I could visualise what the city looked like then. In Hindi there is a saying which means that the ruins show how magnificent the building once was. It is very apt here.This is the area ,where walked mighty men and great orators like Julius Ceaser, Mark Antony, Nero, Titus, Brutus, Augustus. I was fascinated with ruins of magnificent buildings which were well planned, temples dedicated to goddess, great gates, and triumphal arches to commemorate victories. The brick remains of the Senate are here. This was where Julius Ceaser was stabbed to death on 15th March 44 BC. The place from where Mark Antony made his famous speech after the assassination of Ceaser. The Basilica Aemilia where taxes were collected. The Tabularium where all records were kept. Three columns stand here belonging to the oldest temple in the Forum dating back to 484 B.C.

BACK IN TIME? CEASER IN FRONT OF COLLOSEUM

The Colloseum is located next to the Roman Forum. It was named after the collosal statue of Emperor Nero which stood close by.The building of the Colosseum started in 70 AD during the rule of Emperor Vespasian, and it was completed in 80 AD during the rule of Emperor Titus. It could seat 50,000 spectators. The logistics were superb and planning was meticulous. One can only marvel at the advancement of science as well as perfect planning of this collosal building about 2000 years ago. Seats were numbered, gates were numbered, enclosures were demarcated, and the entry and exits were remarkably planned. The ruins show that concrete, marble and limestone was used for building the Colloseum. All seats were made of marble. Later on people removed the marble and used it for making other buildings and places. Although it stands in ruins, a visit here can make all those scenes come alive as one can see all the entrances and the places from where the gladiators entered, as well as the place from where the hungry lions and other animals were brought out to create a spectacle for the eager crowds.The Colloseum was a venue for contests, drama, and also the barbaric public execution of slaves etc by throwing them infront of hungry lions. It was all done in the arena with the crowds cheering on! The roars of the hungry lions, the roaring of the enthusiastic crowds, the fear in the minds of the slaves, the adrenaline of the gladiators...it all actually happened here.

Ancient Rome was a Republic and there was a Senate which had elected citizens who advised the Emperor in matters of governance.The word Senate was derived from the latin Senex which means elder or council of elders.

I often wonder if Emperor Nero, really played the fiddle while Rome was burning! Well, history is always written by those who came later! There has to be a reason for the word "Story" appearing in history!

The ancient city is so interesting and fascinating that, it is difficult to move away from the forum, but then I have to step away in time and, move back into more modern times.

PREPARATION FOR MASS

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I move over centuries and reach the Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. This modernity too is almost 500 years old. The Vatican can simply take your breath away by its grandeur and beauty. One has to be all eyes when one enters the Sistine Chapel. Every inch of wall, and ceiling is filled with painting. The paintings are made by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Roseselli and Perugino, and the great maestro Michelangelo. The work has to be seen to understand the magnificence of the collosal work. Painting on a ceiling lying down, must have taken huge amount of courage and dedication! The result is there for all to see.

The Sistine Chapel was choc a block filled with people.Only a limited number of people are allowed inside the chapel at one time. Infact before entering the Sistine chapel, one goes through corridors and halls of magnificent statues, tapestries and paintings.The lead up to the Sistine Chapel by itself is an exhilarating experience. Then one reaches the Sistine...and the eyes remain simply wide open, neck pain not withstanding, as one does not want to miss out any scene depicted on the walls and ceiling.

The paintings in St Peter's Basilica are extremely beautiful. There are a number of murals which look exactly like paintings. The workmanship is exceptionally beautiful. The colours and features are distinctive. However many people may be featured in a painting, the features and expression of each person has been etched differently and perfectly. The alter designed by Bernini, the statues, La Pieta of Michelangelo, and everything else is absolutely a feast for the eyes. The look on the face of La Pieta can keep one transfixed, just gazing at her face and, imbibing her sorrow and also compassion. From  Saint Peter's Square or Piazza San Pietro, one can see the window of the rooms where the Pope lives. Although I am an atheist, yet having spent most of my schooling in Roman Catholic schools and boarding houses, I have a deep affinity to the Vatican. I felt happy to see the place which was so revered by all the nuns who taught me. There were a lot of nuns moving around in that area in different Habits and obviously belonging to different convents.  It is said that St Peter's Basilica was built at the site of St. Peter's crucifixion.

TREVI FOUNTAIN

 Trevi Fountain,the epitome of beauty,is named Trevi as it is situated at a point where three roads meet(Tre vie). It is a huge fountain, where the central figure is Neptune,God of the sea. He rides a chariot pulled by two horses. One horse is calm and obedient and the other is restive. They symbolize the different moods of the sea. There are two statues on either side of Neptune, one is Abundance and the other is Salubrity. Trevi Fountain is gorgeous.Everyone is tempted to throw a coin in it, so that their return to Rome is ensured. One needs to follow the correct procedure. Sit with your back to the fountain, and throw a coin with your left hand across your right shoulder into the fountain, and Voila your next trip is assured.Simple!

The Spanish Steps are a great place to meet. Just sit, talk, see people and time go by. There are 138 steps and the vista is wide. These were made in 1732. There is nothing Spanish about these steps except that the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See was located near these steps. The building where Keats lived and died are right next to the steps. 

ROSES IN ROMA

A trip to Rome cannot end without talking about Italian food,and the charming Italian men. We had dinner at a lovely restaurant where enchanting Italian food was served, with great Italian wine. The grand finale was when a very handsome and charming person came around distributing a single red rose to each lady present. He would give the rose and kiss the ladies on the cheeks and say, Ohh Yeahhh! in the most delightful way. The experience was quite unique and made all the ladies feel really special!! The walk down to the ladies room too was delightful, as the place was filled with beautiful fresh flowers-loads of them!! Some countries do make women feel quite special!! Ohhhh yeaaaahhhh, When in Rome do as the Romans do????

VENICE, VENIZIA,GRANDILOQUENT!

An erstwhile factory -now a 5 star Hilton hotel

Piazza San Marco

After leaving Vienna we headed southwards towards Italy. Italy is the land of the Romans. The most famous being Julius Ceaser. I could hear ", Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears". I could think of the fantastic Italian food, olives, olive oil, "All Roads lead to Rome", "When in Rome do as the Romans do”,” Rome was not built in a day". There was a continuous reminiscence of all the proverbs I had learnt about Rome! I had to firmly stop that thought process so that I could come back to earth and Italy on date, not back in History!

Rome, Italy IS what made world history. It seems as though everything began with Rome or Roma, as the Italians call it. Italian cars, food, art, sculptors,painters,fashion,you name it and Italy has it.

The Alps continues and the scenery of the countryside changes and soon one can see nothing but vineyards, miles and miles of it. Not even the compounds of individual houses are spared of vineyards. Perhaps most of the wine in the world is made in Italy!!

Our first stop was at Assisi. We went to see the old Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The approach to the Church had sunflower fields on both sides of the road. True to their nature, they were all turned around to face the sun. It was a beautiful sight to see whole fields of giant sunflower facing in one direction. The Basilica was started in the 13th century, and has Gothic architecture. The tomb of St. Francis is in this Church.

After Assisi, we went onwards to wonderful beautiful, romantic Venice. I had always been fascinated by the knowledge that there was this city, where there were no roads, and all streets were actually canals. What would it be like to live in houses right next to canals? What would it be like to not be able to take a walk? All these intriguing thoughts were about to find their answers- finally.

We were staying on land...away from the main city of Venice. We had to go across to Venice on a boat. Near the place where we got on the boat, there were a whole lot of shanties where one could buy trinkets and loads of masks. Venice is also called the "City of Masks"! There were masks of all designs, beautiful, colorful, glittering, and some were even evocative of fear. There were masks of jokers, Lucifer and evil looking people. One could have one's pick. We were given only five minutes to shop there. Strangely, almost all the shop keepers were from Bangladesh!

Approaching Venice

Onwards to Venice or Venizia as it is locally called. This city is situated on 118 islands of the Venetian Lagoon. It is criss crossed by almost 150 canals and 400 bridges! There were so many bridges and destinations were always reached by bridges. One did not get directions to turn left or right, but were told the number of bridges that one had to cross. Yes indeed, there were roads too, and that was a bit of a disappointment, yet it was  reassuring too. I could not think of only travelling on a boat all the time. In Venice there are narrow lanes and alleys. As there are no cars the alleys are comfortable to walk in.

Gondolas

In the canals all that one could see were gondolas. They were quite big, painted black with a bit of gold paint and all had an oarsman called a Gondolier. All the gondoliers were typically attired with their hats and striped t -shirts. Becoming a Gondolier is not an easy job. There are only a limited number of people who are granted a license to be a gondolier and these  people have to  be well acquainted with Venetian history, be familiar with languages, besides being skilful in handling a gondola in the narrow canals. Skill  in keeping the gondola steady is really necessary, as most tourists keep on moving in the gondola, taking pictures, changing places, rocking the boat, literally! There was a parking place for the gondolas and all the Gondolas were parked systematically. The pattern and colours have been standardised and they look very beautiful. We went for a gondola ride with the gondolier serenading, as he took us down the canals and under those fascinating bridges. It was as expected, a very exhilarating journey. Imagine-sitting in a gondola, gliding around the narrow canals, going under numerous bridges, looking into beautiful mansions by the canal, and a handsome Italian serenading-it was sheer BLISS!!

There is a "Bridge of sighs" at Venice. Romance has nothing to do with it.This bridge is between the Court and the jail. The convicts would be taken over this bridge to the jail, and the view from the window of the bridge was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. It is expected that they would sigh at the sight of beauty and freedom that they would soon not be able to see! The bridge name, was given by Lord Byron in the 19th century. 

Venice is really a very touristy place, as is to be expected. There is no other place on earth like Venice. All transportation is done on Gondolas. There was unloading of goods, and people and everything that happens in other places on roads with lorries and buses, was all happening on the canals on gondolas!

Masks

There is Piazza San Marco  or St. Mark's Square, where there is a huge plaza. The Basilica of San Marco is also located here. Napoleon was said to have called it the Drawing Room of Europe! There are a whole lot of shops which sell more masks, lace and absolutely exquisite lace umbrellas. All the Designer shops are to be found close by in Rialto, which is a pretty commercial place made more beautiful with its fantastic Rialto Bridge.

The food in Venice was simply amazing. We had a great evening eating at a typical Italian restaurant which boasted of a lot of famous people having eaten there.

We also visited a workshop where they demonstrated to us, how Murano glass is made. In a few minutes a beautiful horse was crafted out of glass. Venice is famous for its ornate glass-work, known as Venetian glass. It is colourful, detailed and precise. Factories have been removed from Venice, only demonstrations are given at big shops selling Murano glass. It was quite fascinating and made us all buy the really expensive stuff, as it looked truly gorgeous and perfect!

Venice is a city of the very rich people. It was a rich city state as there was a lot of business with the East due to its proximity to the Adrian Sea.The Venetian Carnival is a famous annual activity and the masks are worn at this carnival.The carnival is a time for celebration and there is no distinction amongst people, as all wear masks.

We went to the lagoons and visited Burano, a  small town famous for hand made delicate lace. There are canals here too and the houses are all painted very colourfully in different colours. One interesting story about this is, because houses were not numbered and the menfolk after drinking would not be able to recognise their houses, the women came up with this ingenious method of painting their houses very brightly and colourfully, to make sure that their drunk husbands came back to their own houses.

Burano-Lace shops

Burano is  a beautiful small town filled with shops selling lace. One could see old ladies painstakingly making lace, which was very intricate and also very expensive!

Going across the lagoons, seeing the paths laid out in the sea so that boats did not have misadventure, and there was systematic  continuous flow of traffic, was quite amazing! They are like highways and paths are actually laid out in the water.

Buildings, churches, sinking islands with their sinking nunneries, people training to be gondoliers, just like people learning to drive was quite an interesting and different view from the boat.

Beautiful hats, lace umbrellas,  Gondolas with their serenading gondoliers, devastatingly handsome Italian men, canals and huge mansions- Venice was too beautiful for words. 

Venice has been the venue for a lot of stories, the most famous being  "The Merchant of Venice". A lot of movies have been shot here immortalising the beauty and grandeur of this unimaginable place, linked up by canals and bridges! "Everone says I love you", "Death in Venice" come to my mind easily. All my Indian friends would remember, Amitabh Bachhan and Zeenat Aman in "The Great Gambler" singing "Amare mio, Do lafzo ki hai dil ki kahani" on a gondola?

Venice is all about wealth, beauty, romance, intrigue, masks,beautiful Burano lace, delicately made colourful  Murano glass, people going about in Gondolas, serenades, bridges,  and delicious food!

A city never to be forgotten. Going once is not enough. It is a place which will take your breath away by its sheer grandeur and stature. There is no other place on earth like Venice!

63 YEARS OLD ON 15TH AUGUST.

Peace and harmony

Independence Day has arrived once again. Our freedom from foreign rule will be 63 years old on 15th August.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the nation in the morning from the ramparts of our historic Red Fort-"Lal Qila". The fort was built by Shah Jehan in 1638, and it took ten years for completion. The Red Fort was originally referred to as "Qila-i-Mubarak "

At one point of time, more than 3,000 people lived within the premises of the Red Fort complex. But after the First War of Independence of 1857, the fort was captured by the British and the residential palaces were destroyed. The desire of Lord Palmerston of Britain was that Delhi should be deleted from the map. Lord Canning too was similarly inclined, but John Lawrence the Chief Commissioner of Punjab, helped wiser sense prevail. Theo Metcalfe had been instrumental in wholesale slaughter of Indian nationalists. He was like a man possessed, who wanted only death and destruction of Dilli and Dilliwalas. The beautiful buildings inside the Fort which were allowed to stand, were turned into the British Officer's mess , canteen, and military prison. The fort was made the headquarters of the British Indian Army and ugly Army barracks were built where beautiful buildings and gardens once existed.

In 1857, Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried at the Red Fort on charges of "rebellion, treason, and murder,"and also for "not regarding his allegiance as a British subject". The charges seem quite absurd considering that Zafar was the King - whom did he rebel against? The East India Company-which had come to trade ? Zafar could have been tried as a defeated enemy king - but a rebel, guilty of treason?? But then sadly for Zafar, he was tried by a Military Commission and not a proper court of law.The victors lay all the rules!!

It was also here in November 1945, that the most famous court martial of three officers of the Indian National Army(INA) were held. It was the joint court-martial of Colonel Prem Sahgal, Colonel Gurubaksh Singh Dhllon, and Major General Shah Nawaz Khan. My mother incidentally used to go to the Court to follow the proceedings. After India gained independence in 1947, the Indian Army took control of the fort, and gave it completely back to the nation in 2003.

The fort was the site of a December 2000 attack by a  terrorist group "Lashkar -e- toiba", which killed two soldiers and one civilian in what was described in the media, as an attempt to derail the India-Pakistan peace process in Kashmir.

Yes indeed, the Red Fort has seen a lot of pain, misery and destruction. Now the Fort is maintained well, and also has a Son et Lumiere programme where the history of the Red Fort is beautifully shown.

The first war of independence, which was a rebellion, without proper planning and leadership, ended the Mughal dynasty as well as the culture, the tolerance of religion and brotherhood of Delhi. It left in its wake the British Empire which coloured history, as victors normally do. They also began their "divide and rule policy" which once and for all destroyed the Ganga - Jamuni tehzeeb, which propagated  tolerance for all religions and peaceful co existence of all people. 


All those who killed the Dilliwalas and created chaos, misery, suffering for the ordinary citizens have roads and buildings named after them. The Mughal dynasty, in fact the entire lineage was wiped out, or left to suffer in poverty. Bahadur Shah himself was deported to Burma. He was a poet and a scholar,but he was not even given a pen or paper to write on. It is said that he wrote on the walls of his room with a burnt stick. He was not even referred to as the Ex- King. He and his family were simply referred to as the "prisoners from Delhi." His death and grave was not befitting his status.

In contrast to this, we see that the rajas and maharajas of smaller states, managed to survive with their progeny and properties intact.Most of them made treaties with the ruling victors,and saved themselves from poverty, misery and exile.

Independence from the British rule was won after immense struggle of the people of India. One has read about the involvement of almost everyone in the freedom movement. The naram(soft) dal, the garam(hot headed) dal, the Vanar sena(monkey brigade), the moderates, the extremists, the Satyagraha, the Civil Disobedience, the Khadi movement, the Quit India Movement, the sacrifice of the people. All these remind us that Independence, which was won after so much of death, destruction and heroic deeds, is something to be cherished, looked after, respected and upheld. We have to fight against corruption, social injustice, caste system, superstition, the dependence on godmen, the following of blind faith, illiteracy and ignorance.

Poverty, which needs to be eradicated, will be possible with equitable distribution of wealth. Ignorance needs to be removed. Everyone needs to see the light of education and benefit by equal opportunity. Tolerance for people with lesser abilities has to be inculcated, so that bringing them up to the level of the able people is possible. The freedom to breath the same air, drink the same water and, enjoy the wealth of our nation, is equal for each citizen of our country. It has been provided in our great Constitution. It is for all of us to make our own effort to ensure that everyone gets their due share. It will only be then, that we, the inheritors of the benefit of Independence, who received Independence on a platter, will have proved ourselves worthy of being citizens of India.

Greetings on Independence Day.

MY INCREDIBLE INDIA

Incredible India, Beautiful India, God's own Country, Glorious, Amazing, Bewitching, all those lovely adjectives that can be added before "India" are added and we feel so very elated, because it is ours. We belong to this fascinating land. "I am an Indian," I proudly declare.

What lies beneath this thin veneer is almost never seen by us. Us- the people who can read, write and understand. We, who can vote, understand democracy, judiciary, apartheid, communalism, bias, discrimination, colour, race, caste. It is we who refuse to see what constitutes this beautiful, incredible India.

While going in my car to work, or a movie, a party, shopping, visiting, I come across little girls performing acrobatics at the busy road crossings. There are little boys with pencilled moustaches trying to appear like caricatures of grown ups, beating the drum to the accompaniment of which those little girls perform. They perform and run between cars trying to catch whatever we people shell out for that performance. Has it ever struck anyone how many times they risk their lives for a little bit of money to fill their own and perhaps their parents belly? Those little children are hardly three to five years old. Then we loftily talk of child labour??

In my country life is very cheap. There is so much poverty, so little to eat, no house to sleep in and no safe drinking water. What is the safety and security that can be provided to these children? They live their whole lives on the streets!

A village school

We do not wish to accept that there is any discrimination. If only we open our eyes and see the discrimination that is practiced everyday in front of our eyes, we will be totally stumped.

How is a woman treated in her own house? I have seen umpteen jokes being passed around which are totally derogatory and in very poor taste. They usually talk about how stupid women are. They are labelled as blond jokes-WHY? Are half the population of the world deserving of such ridicule? Can we not have any regard, and respect for those women who are our mothers, sisters, and daughters? If not yours, they are surely someone else's mother, sister and daughter. Why circulation of those nude titillating pictures? Why? Is that not abject poverty of thought? Is this not discrimination?

We discriminate on the basis of religion, and caste. A Scheduled caste person is never considered meritorious. Even if that person is the topper of a University. When that person gets a job purely on merit, it is said, 'Oh, so and so only made it due to the Reservation policy'. This stigma remains forever.

A Muslim born and brought up in India where his forefathers have lived for generations, is still always looked at with suspicion. How often have we heard it said of them, Why don't they go away to Pakistan? Why should such a thought cross our minds? They have as much right to this land as I of another Religion have. We were born to parents who professed a particular religion. We remain with it without giving it a second thought. Very few people actually convert to a Religion of their choice. Why then should there be discrimination based on Religion? It is simply that we happened to be born into that religion. Why does Religion teach to hate? Why all this talk and revival of talk of The Taj being a Hindu Temple? In fact of every monument in India being originally belonging to the Hindus. The pattern, architecture, age seems to elude the reasoning of most people. Even if we accept that all Muslim shrines are built on earlier Hindu temples, the question is what was the temple built on? Before the revival of Hinduism the Religion which flourished in India was Buddhism. Were these temples then built on Buddhist temples? Was not Varanasi developed to overshadow the great Sarnath-where Buddha preached his first sermon?Has the Buddhist temple at Bodhgaya not been usurped by the Hindus? In fact has Buddha himself not been snatched into the Hindu fold by calling him as the 9th incarnation of Vishnu?

Poverty is so rampant in this vast land that it pains to see the real picture of India. We were appalled to see the real side of childhood and slums shown in the movie Slum dog Millionaire. Do we not know that it really exists? We only wish to turn a blind eye and look cosily at that lovely poster of Kashmir and Kanya kumari and say, "Oh how beautiful is my land". How about all those who inhabit that land. Those who have to struggle for a single square meal, who have to Queue up for hours to use the public toilet facilities, or to fill drinking water. Running after buses which never stop on the Stop line. People with disability, get no help. Travelling in public transport is an impossible thought.

Poverty, illiteracy, hunger, undernourished children, malnutrition, rampant dishonesty are our traits. Those are what we cover, what we refuse to see. We only look at the facade and care not for the vast majority of this land. They all have a right to thais land, to the produce of this land. They belong here and we are not sharing what they should get. A handful have enough and more than enough to throw left, right and centre.

I feel disturbed when I hear people like Baba Ramdev talking of an Akhand Bharat and a Hindu Rashtra. What are they trying to preach? Can we erase the past? Can we simply wipe out hundreds of years of being subjugated to external powers who have actually made a difference to us. Why can we not accept that we were ruled as we were not capable of ruling. Outsiders came, conquered and ruled. Are the original inhabitants of India not to be blamed for not being able to defend themselves against foreign powers? Anyone who conquers will surely influence the country which it subjugates. We have imbibed a lot from the culture that came in. We have benifitted by the architecture, language, literature, art, music. It has all amalgamated and all of us of all caste and religion form this India.

When we are proud to declare that we are Indians please remember all those others who are also Indians and suffer silently, as they do not have the means or strength to protest.

Do your bit, please think about the street children, the poor,the needy and the ill treated. 

Be proud to be Indian but also help others also be proud of their own India!! 

MUSIC IN THE AIR - WIEN, VIENNA

Austria, how do I define you? Gorgeous, beautiful, the land of "The Sound of Music", Vienna, music, opera, Mozart, Salzburg, the Habsburgs, Viennese Waltz,The Blue Danube, the Alps, apfelstrudel,Edelweiss, I can go on and on and on. Suffice to say that it is a land of memorable memorabilia! Vienna was our stop after Prague.The countryside was dotted once again with pristine cottages with red roofs and lots of cows in the meadows. It all appeared very peaceful, serene and beautiful.

Vienna has a lot of history, which is not very ancient. The House of Habsburgs was actually the royal house which provided brides to almost every Royal house in the continent.  Queen Marie Theresa the reigning Empress of Austria had 16 children and almost each one  helped in binding these European countries through matrimonial alliances!! Marie Antoinette, the wife of King Louis XVI of France, was also a daughter of this Queen.

Vienna has beautiful buildings, fantastic Churches and fabulous Concert halls. The very first evening in Vienna, we went to watch a performance of Western Classical music and Waltz. The theatre where we went was the one where Strauss used to perform. The very thought of being in that very theatre left me with goose bumps. We watched The Strauss &  Mozart Concert at  Wien. The acoustics were superb. The chandeliers were brilliant and the show was enchanting.Three Waltz numbers, one Aria, excellent musical numbers of Strauss and Mozart, transported me to another world! Vienna has the Vienna Philharmonic and also the Vienna Boy's Choir. Vienna has imposing buildings dedicated to music like the State Opera House and the Golden Hall at the Musikverein ( Viennese Music association).

The next morning I came back to terra firma  and went on my way to see Vienna, the city. It's city centre is at Schwedenstrass. I know it is difficult to pronounce it, but if we break it up into S(ch)weden strass, it becomes easier. All the famous fashionable brands are available here. A new showroom of Swarovski had opened here, so we went to see its beautiful and dazzling display of crystal on the wall. The wall of crystals was very spectacular and gave a rippling effect. That was to be expected, as after all, Austria is the home of Swarovski.

Next day we went to see the Schönbrunn palace . Schonbrunn means beautiful spring. This was the summer palace of the Hapsburgs. It was modeled on the Palace of Versailles.The palace is spectacular. The golden painting on the walls was made with actual gold! The chandeliers are crystal and gold!! Opulence, grandeur, beauty, all rolled in one!!

The garden at the back of the palace is vast. It has been designed very beautifully. The sprawling lawns and the colourful beds of flowers have been arranged artistically They are a visual treat. The garden stretches out very far and at the end of the garden is a gate called Gloriette. There is a maze in the garden and the sides  of the lawn are adorned with beautiful statues. It is delightful to stroll around the garden and feast your eyes with the well laid out display of spectacular colours!!

Sculptor

A very beautiful Church  of Vienna is St Stephen's Cathedral. It was here that Mozart got married. The rail of the pulpit is rather interesting. There are decorations of lizards and toads on it, which depicts that going upwards is rather a hazardous journey. At the top of the pulpit is the statue of a puppy, which symbolizes protection of preachers from intruders. There are four statues beneath the stairs. One of them is the self portrait of the sculptor, looking out of a window.He has a chisel in his hands, and the stone mason's signature mark on the shield.The chapel has exquisitely coloured glazed tiles on the roof.

We learnt about Elizabeth of Wittelsbach, popularly called Sissi.She was the Empress of Austria. She was very beautiful and took great care to maintain herself.She was very popular and loved by the people.Her life was however quite tragic, and in some ways quite similar to the more well known Princess Diana of England. There are a lot of films made on her life and there were a lot of posters all over the city about her and her films.

The Von Trapp family belonged to Austria. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Austria, so was Hitler.Kurt Waldheim, Sigmund Freud, are also from Austria. Mozart, Schuberg, Strauss were all from this country. Beethovan lived here for a long time. There must be something in the air that made this place the home of Western Classical music, and also gave us the Vienese waltz.

 Edelweiss is a beautiful flower which is found on the Alps. It is white and has a yellow center. This flower was introduced to us through a song in The Sound of Music.

 Austrian people are friendly. Their German does not sound too harsh, they have some softness in the way they pronounce the words. Austria, a land locked country, with the beautiful large and blue Danube passing through it, and the eastern Alps is very very beautiful. I could not take my eyes off the scenery as we drove past, and thought perhaps that was the most beautiful road on earth. The sprawling Alps, the splendid green in the meadows, the little villages with each one having its own Church had a very calming effect. Simply beautiful, just like the magical strains of the violin rising to a crescendo and then dipping, and going up again. No wonder there was so much music here!

 Mozart, a great composer who gave us outstanding compositions, always managed to spend more than what he earned, so he was financially in a bad state. Tragically, he was buried in a mass grave. The Viennese say that was according to the 1783 laws, but some say that was because the family could not afford a proper funeral! Another case of genius not getting his due!

Just like the Von Trapp family, I too now say, "so long, farewell, I hate to say goodbye, goodbye......"