ROAD TRIP EUROPE

ROAD TRIP EUROPE: Chapter 1.

Author: Andy Elangbam. (All works are original and non-fiction. Copyrights are exclusively reserved by the author, Thank you).

Prologue: The lyrical melody that best describes my road trip to parts of Europe might be something like this, “ Where do I begin, to tell the story of how great a love can be, the sweet love story that is older than the sea…”

Yes, my love story with Europe goes back as far as the time when I used to spend hours mooning over places I would visit one day, skimming through those colorful postcards, pictures and illustrations that I could lay my hands on during library hours in school and college. When friends and acquaintances asked my motives for going to Europe, I have often called it, “ a sort of pilgrimage.” Ending up as a history honours student in College and University was perhaps not a coincidence, even though I had my doubts in the past. Learning and teaching history, geography and political sciences also helped sustain the passion for traveling and exploring.

The Planning:

All plans for visiting a college mate in Japan were made for September 2012 when out of the blue, a friend who also loves traveling suggested that it would be nice to drive around Europe. I had been to England and a couple of places only last year but the prospect of going on a road trip was too tempting to resist. From that moment on, I took the initiative for reservation of air-ticket through my travel agent. We got a fair deal and within days, my friend and I were on the net, planning and preparing our itineraries. Whereas I got the flight ticket for both of us, my traveling companion did almost all the booking for hostels and the rentals because I could not do it without a credit card. Everything went in haze after that because we were busy trying to find time between our office work and our upcoming trip. Needless to say, we ended up running short of time for a much needed homework and research. Yet, I decided that the uncertainties of not planning everything well were half the fun of traveling too!

The disadvantages of living in a remote region like Manipur came to the fore when we had to fly to Kolkata to get our visas, weeks before our actual journey started. It meant extra and unnecessary expenditure, even though we took it as a short break from the monotony of life. Our stay there was spent running around (literally!) for application of visa, gobbling down nice and expensive food in restaurants, window shopping in mall and watching a great movie of the newly released “The Dark Knight returns.” The movie was awesome.

The interim period in Imphal was filled with a sense of dejavu and tension while we waited for the confirmation of our Shengen visa for two weeks. The confirmation came on the 15th day and we got it finally, even though the person who was carrying it delayed it by few more days due to miscommunication. We left Imphal on a warm sunny afternoon of 8th September, 2012 by Kingfisher for our onward journey to Paris from New Delhi on the 10th midnight.
(to be continued)

Visiting Manchester City, Lake District & Friends, Cumbria, UK.

Inspiration of William Wordsworth & English Industrial Revolution!

Prologue: This chronicle is a continuation to my previous series of Visiting UK that I stopped uploading for quite sometime due to various issues. My journey would continue further after this...

For those soccer fans, Manchester United would be considered as one of the best club teams of the world. For a person with a passion for History, Manchester City meant as one of the most important places of Industrial Revolution in England. Lake District was also home to the famous English poet, William Wordsworth .

One need not wonder from where he got the inspiration to write such famous nature poems if one visits Lake District in Cumbria, UK. My visit to meet Manish and Linthoi who lived in Manchester City began on a train from Coventry. It was a beautiful journey across fantastic English countrysides and I found out that there were two stations. The first one was called Manchester city University and the other being, Manchester City Picadilly, which came later and that’s where I got down. I had a phone and I wasn’t worried because Manish was there to pick me up at the station. On our way to his house, I saw old mills and many warehouses, which reminded that I was truly lucky to be visiting a place of such historical importance. A place I read about once as a History graduate in the European History Class. The station was bigger than most of the others I had been to and it took sometime for both of us to meet finally. He was driving a cute red mini and confessed with an embarrassed sigh that Linthoi had taken the bigger car to London to pick up her parents. We had already discussed that I would not be meeting Linthoi as she would be there to watch one of the Wimbledon matches with her parents whom she had gone to pick up from Heathrow. I was quite amazed that she went driving alone too. It was regrettable but at least, Manish was there to play the host to me fortunately.

Manish and I had plans to visit Lake District and later, I would be traveling alone to Edinburgh, Scotland. Their house was in the suburb and what a house! It was a beautiful typical modern English home in an equally amazing neighbourhood. I could see chapels and rolling green hills from their backyard. The air was a bit chilly but I was really happy that I made it this far. We had the house to ourselves and I cooked a meal, helped by Manish. He took me around for a short drive and I had to take out some cash from the atm with my travel card. We spent the better part of the evening making plans for my journey to Edinburgh, booked my train ticket using Manish’s credit card and I paid him in cash. We had to go to Lake District the next day and the following day, I would be on my way to Edinburgh. I booked my hostel room on the phone at Edinburgh.

Our drive to Lake District in Cumbria was simply a heavenly experience. The homes were curiously built with black slabs of stones and the place was hilly with beautiful lakes and narrow roads. I read somewhere that the best way to tour Lake District was to backpack and walk around. I understood the reason why and regretted that I had only a limited time to achieve that feat. We went boating and then, Manish wanted to take me more into the interior to an isolated lake and on our way, we had lunch at a typical English Inn. I decided to try the roast chicken, beer and Yorkshire pudding. It was tasty and light. I saw beautiful rolling hills of Lake District, and Manish confirmed that due to it close proximity to Scotland, the topography was pretty similar. He showed me a Quarry on top of a rocky hill and the view was breathetaking. I even thought it was quite similar to scenes of Manipur, only cleaner and free of dust! What fascinated me were the long and unending stone walls, crisscrosed on the landscape, which is a universal sight everywhere in England. It was a remnant of the Pre-Industrial Revolution in a phenomenon called “enclosures” when private property began to be enclosed by individual property owners. It was a pre-cursor to Capitalism and Industrial Revolution, which incidentally flourished in Manchester, England during the 18 & 19th Century.

Manish dropped me at the station the following day and I was on my way to Edinburgh to see Scotland. The land of the Braveheart and Highlanders!

Poetic Licence

April Message!

As the rain stop falling through the April leaves,
Robins perching on the bamboo swing and sing,
Frolicking, and Awake; from a night of slumber,
While pairs of wild doves in an ecstatic shiver of companionship,
Dance to the rhythm of the rustling morning breeze.
And as I gaze through the crystal glass,
That, which separates my world from theirs,
I feel a curious sense of peace and wonder,
Like droplets that trickles down the wet leaves,
An April Message, perhaps!
Of good things that comes to life,
Like in so many ways prevail,
Even after a dreary night of lights and sounds,
In an epic drama of life that is as bewitching as real,
There’s yet a Hope, as tranquil as this April morning.

Andy E.

The Gift

A gift so sublime that we can give,
Only if we have a heart of gold,
When, in our eyes of wrinkled wisdom,
Etched with lines of silent years,
Will mirror a dignified hunger.

Even if invisible hands reached out,
And touched our hearts, ask for nothing,
Nothing much is left afterwards,
When the world shut at the blink of an eye.

But pray we sleep with eternal smile,
Knowing we have been cared for and loved,
Not for some heroic deeds,
If only for what we believed in.
To be fair is such a feat,
For the mortals, the sinners.

If only one realized the worth,
Of giving with one’s heart,
'Only don’t be late giving it'.

AndyE

Shadow of a man!

I dreamt of you last night,
Found gravity falling into you,
And after all these years,
Been thinking my heart mended,
But I was wrong again this time.
Piece by piece I’ve given it to you,
And what remains as I,
It’s just a shadow of the man I was meant to be.
Don’t be surprise if I am a stranger to you,
It does to me every morning I wake up,
Sweating and swearing what has become of me,
A broken man with a broken heart,
Dreaming of things impossible,
Still living but not thinking straight,
It’s just a shadow of the man I was meant to be.

AndyE

Melancholy

Thoughts that bewail melancholy,
Surround my decrepit spirit,
An echo of silent scream,
Reverberates in my empty universe.

Much as I wipe with flailing vigour,
The passing years of tears and fears,
Leaves me gasping for mercy.

The cruel world mocks me,
A price I must pay regardless,
Without a chance of a bargain,
No, not even with Lucifer!

AndyE

Living for a reason

It has been a year of so many ups and downs like my previous years… I, sometimes, wonder how much of it has been fated or otherwise. I lost my eldest brother this year in a freak accident. This happened soon after my return from Europe tour, which to my mind was a pilgrimage of sorts. I cannot comprehend the nature of providence or how God works in strange ways but, the manner in which we lost our eldest brother soon after losing Dad within a span of two years has made me reflect upon my life’s perspective, priorities and decisions.
The remaining years now seem laden with responsibilities and expectations, unwittingly fostered upon my unhappy life as it is. There is nothing I can do about this changes and the only salvation will be in accepting the inevitable. The attempt of Suraj’s wife to contest the election was thwarted, thanks to the advice of some rational people, including myself! Her temperamental personality apart, she had no chance of winning an election of this proportion. The outcome of this has been most unpleasant to our family because after this incident, she seemed to have drifted more towards her maternal family members, who were allegedly responsible for encouraging her in the first place!
The tragedy, in my mind, has been her inability to come to terms with her situation, complemented by her inbred distrust of our good intentions due to our different outlooks. The sword of Damocles has instead fallen on my elder brother,Chand, who has been inspired to take the mantle and has resigned from his secure Govt. job. All these developments has left a dent in our family’s peace of mind, especially to our ailing Ima. The children have been inadvertantly affected and vulnerable to the whims of the elders. Whereas Suraj’s children will not only suffer the pangs of losing their beloved father, they have been influenced by their mother’s malice, Chand’s young children are now exposed to the uncertainties of political life and possibilities of financial ruin.
As a single man, who lives with his family members inspite of many misgivings, I think I made a right decision to come back from Canada to be with my family. I know that I have not been very happy with my decision earlier when Suraj was still around because I felt like a wimp for giving up my dream. However, with his passing, I feel as if all the things that has happened in my life has been pre-destined somehow, thinking that perhaps, I was meant to be here!
I also believe that one of the important reasons for living is the feeling of being needed, besides dreams and love of course. The later two, which must now take a second place in the order of things for an entity called, Anand Elangbam.

Chapter 4: Visiting Oxford, England.

VISITING THE FAMED OXFORD, ENGLAND: June2011.

Did you know that British students pay half a less amount of fees than foreign students in most U.K. Universities?

I understood that even if there were undercurrents of resentment at certain levels about the excess of immigrants and Asians, Universities in England could not ignore the fact that without foreign students and their contribution to the economy, English economy would not be the same. Visiting Oxford was like a dream come true. I am sure that most of the English literate population of the world grew up with names like Oxford dictionary, Oxford University, etc.

The train to Oxford took only few hours from Coventry and it was good to travel during the off peak time as it was cheaper and less crowded. This knowledge was helpful in all my train travels everywhere in England. I looked up my travelling companion, "Europe on a shoestring." A lonely planet publication and a very helpful book for a budget traveller like me. I also scanned the map of Oxford and read about the places I could visit during my journey.

My first impression of Oxford as I got down from the train was one of a busy and a popular city, with Oxford University as its predominant edifice inspiring awe and admiration of many a traveller like myself. I enquired about the last train timing from the information desk before getting out of the station for safety reasons because it was a one day trip only. The station was quite crowded with tourists and inhabitants alike. There were many bars and restaurants just outside the station and rather than taking a bus as an option, I decided to walk the streets of Oxford as advised in my book.

My first focus was the Christ College and its Church, supposedly the most famous place in Oxford. It was as beautiful as in the Harry Potter's Movies. The entry fee was 7 pounds and there were plenty of tourists, taking pictures everywhere. The guides inside did not hesitate to throw in Harry Potter's names here and there to entice the tourist's thirst for excitement. But one simply had to enjoy the fine gothic and renaissance architecture or the ambience of the place than really bother about anything else. Some of the areas were out of bounds for tourists for obvious reasons- there were students everywhere as the colleges were “Living and Learning entities,” not some museum or historical monuments. I admired the cleverness of the Brits in making Oxford University a tourist place as well as a seat of learning. There were other famous colleges everywhere and they all charged entry fees. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Tourism’ gives a run for money for the University than just the College Fees!

I could not miss the free entry to Oxford Museum where I saw such precious scientific inventions from all across the world, especially mariner's and mathematical instruments. The opera building was another interesting one. The market was as lively as the University itself and crowded to the brim. My camera ran out of battery afterwards and I just enjoyed just walking and observing the people and the beautiful city that was Oxford before heading back to Coventry late in the evening.

I assumed that Universities played a major role in English life because most of their cities displayed their University names as a sort of identity of the Cities themselves. As the train took me back to Coventry, my mind was already filled with plans for my next destinations - Manchester Picadily, Lake District and Scotland.

To be continued.

Chapter 3: My summer in Cornwall, England.

"My Summer in Cornwall," smilingly said the lady who took a picture of me on the beach of Bude, Cornwall. I felt such pleasure on reaching the place called Bude, via Exeter. The friendliness of the inhabitants combined with the beauty of Cornwall, often a favourite muse of many authors and painters made this trip a special itinerary on my list. I carried my beachwear, a rug, and my backpack with the hope of taking surfing lessons if the weather permitted. My expectations were more than fulfilled. I felt that it was off the beaten track of International Tourism as I did not see many Asians or Africans travelling with me except for some local tourists. One of the bus drivers I chatted with told me that he was a Londoner who decided to settle down in Cornwall because he liked the peace and quiet.Cornwall hills also happened to be a favourite of the Dutch according to him.

My journey from Coventry to Cornwall was an exciting but tiring bus ride in one of those very efficient national express buses. A commendable thing about the bus services were that they not only follow a strict code of punctuality, the drivers including women drivers also drove by themselves without a conductor and they took charge of every passenger's luggage without much ado. Every buses had a CCTV inside and outside. So, it was sheer pleasure to just look at the LCD screen as we criss-crossed some of the most beautiful English landscapes and cities. We stopped at Bristol for lunch, and it was bigger than most of the cities we passed through. I had to catch a local bus from Exeter to Bude. However, the bus driver informed me that he would not be driving to Bude directly and he gave me an option to either wait for the next bus or catch one from Launceston if I chose to travel with him. I chose the latter and soon as we careened towards our destination, I realized that I was the lone Asian in the midst of the locals who talked with a peculiar accent. The driver left me in a beautiful place called Launceston, after informing his colleague to pick me from there on his radio. Such friendliness and helpfulness of the drivers to a lone traveller was something I had never faced anywhere!

I realized that it was getting late and bought dinner from a Chinese take-away which I conveniently found adjacent to the bus stand as I waited for my next bus. Two friendly ladies also joined me latter and soon as I chatted with them, they asked me if I was a Chinese or a Mongolian! The local bus driver was a young chap and he had another woman colleague, and both of them looked up the map to locate my hostel address. They even stopped the bus next to the street closest to the hostel! On seeing an inn nearby, I entered and asked the receptionist if she could direct me to my hostel because I was kind of lost in the absence of any signs of the building itself. An employee having dinner there asked me to wait for few minutes and afterwards, he drove me to my hostel in his own car. I was really flattered and thanked him profusely for the Cornish hospitality.

The hours were late but I decided to check out the beach before I slept. So, I went out after checking in to my room. Bude took my breath away and the beach was just few minutes’ walk from where I stayed. I took my camera to take pictures and after a strong gust of wind, it soon started drizzling. I turned in to my cheap but very decent hostel for the night with a promise to try surfing the next day. I got up the next morning and on my way to the beach, I bought an outdoor jacket on sale while doing my morning photo shoot. It was cloudy and the lifeguard predicted an unfriendly sea for surfing and even though I a saw a couple of people surfing, I decided to spend my day visiting a place called "Clovelly."

Clovelly was supposed to be one of the most favourite tourist destinations. I got all the required information from their tourist information centre and got up on a local bus. Soon, I was on my way to Clovelly and again, I was dropped off in one place from where another bus took me to Clovelly. The City Centre through which we entered Clovelly charged about 7 pounds as entry fee.

The place turned out to be one of the most beautiful places I had ever visited. Once a fishing village, perched on the cliff with a vista of the blue ocean and home to the famous author Charles Kingsley, who once wrote children stories and a place which inspired Charles Dickens, Irish painters, as well as sailors during the great war and the second world war. I saw Charles Kingsley's museum which was the house he stayed in most of his life and like all the homes of the famous men and women of England I had visited, all the rooms were furnished in its original settings with many photographs and antique pieces.

The descent to the shore along the cobbled walk was amazing with interesting shops decorated with exotic and colorful flowers, restaurants and mules too! There were no sand on the beach, and it was stone pebbles that lined the shoreline to my utter surprise! After my tour of the place, I finally climbed up again and found to my trepidation that I was the only passenger to wait for the last bus. I shopped while I waited and bought souvenirs and a tent on sale again. As always, the bus came punctually right on time and with great relief, I returned to Bude all safe and sound.

On the last day, I had a hearty Cornish breakfast and English tea which had become an essential part of my trip before my return trip to Coventry and make plans for my next destination, Oxford.

To be continued.

Chapter 2: Exploring the Midlands, England.

Did you know that the name “England” is often mistaken for “United Kingdom” or “Great Britain?” England is one of the nations that make up the U.K. The people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although a part of Great Britain are not too pleased if mistaken for English! You will find Scottish nationalist, Welch nationalist and Irish Nationalist amongst the British, as most of us know them. They are proud of their unique national identities and their history, not to mention their accents!
But what makes "the British" as they can be called utterly refined and civilized as compared to many countries of the world today is perhaps their unity in thoughts and action, their mannerisms, their love of their country and sensitivities to their environment and people in general. A sentence is not spoken without a greeting- “Hi there” or “Hello, excuse me” nor complete without a “Cheers, Mate!” or “Thank you.” Just simple words really, but like I always say – These words can sometimes move mountains of cultural and linguistic barriers. It is no wonder that other Countries could not match Britain in diplomacy and British Rule not so long ago.
The administrative divisions of England is simple. They have Counties and Burgs, which may be equivalent to Indian States and Districts, although with distinctive connotations. I found it most convenient to plan my travel itinerary at Coventry, where I stayed with the small but lovely and generous family of Dr. Bish Elangbam(as popularly known in his University hospital). I could explore England, staying in this Midland Town and get the best out of the famously picturesque English Countryside.

My first day was to visit the birthplace of William Shakespear - Stratford upon Avon. It was not very far from Coventry and we drove down to see Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespear’s childhood home. The apple orchard and the forest walk impressed us most. The motorway was incredibly beautiful and so were the houses as we crossed many beautiful towns and cities such as Warwick, Kenilworth, etc. enroute our destination. The houses were mostly built with embossed red brick in a typically English architectural style. I saw English Tavern, Inns and the famous Avon River of Stratford upon Avon. Some folk artists band were performing on the cobbled street and people would drop a coin or two as a form of appreciation. What amazed me most was the preservation of their greenery, exotic flowers and homes which all bore different characters and colors based on the area and history. Almost all the homes have been preserved since the 17/18th Centuries or even earlier. Castles and Churches have been preserved to attract tourists, perhaps also as a reminder of their great heritage.

The next morning was sunny to start with and quite unpredictable as English weather goes, it rained in the afternoon. I tagged along for an English lunch to Cotswold. Bish, Bebe and I drove down with the help of GPS to visit their old friends, Lady Belinda and her husband, who lived in a quintessential English mansion at a beautiful and remote farm of Cotswold. The drive was fabulous. We had different courses of meal as usual with red wine and cheese, beside the main course. Their mansion was also of 17/18th century and during post lunch tea, we discussed about the state of affairs of Manipur and history. Incidentally, Lady Belinda happened to be an author on Manipur POLO and perhaps, sparked by one of her ancestrial link with the colonial British era of Manipur, she continued to be fascinated by our history and people. On our return journey, we stopped to experience an English Pub in Cotswold, in one of the most romantic places on Earth! All credit to my wonderful host for giving me a new vista of English countryside and lifestyle.

To be continued.