Punjabi in England – Planes, Trains, No Automobiles in London

I know you've probably forgotten everything I've written so far about this fateful tryst with destiny, the trip to London, England, fraught as it was with the aggregation of aggravations and the curious concatenation of circumstances that led to the very stormy emotions running through my sugar soaked veins. That was a longish sentence. This one is short. If you wish to read the England Chronicles so far, go ahead and try the links below The Romance…

July 27, 2019
Travel / Memoirs
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Punjabi in Paris – Loitering around the Loire Valley

Day 8 Day 8 of the French Campaign saw us leave Paris and explore the land beyond the city borders; specifically, the Loire Valley. The Loire river (riviere, if French), rises in the south and flows through Orleans; the real, old one, not the new one in America. You know, the one where the famous Maid came from. The Joan who didn't know how to spell and thus spelled it Jean. That one. Once it arrive, the…

May 12, 2019
Travel
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Punjabi in England – Plotting, Planning and Problems

When the draft plan v0.0 ( read it here ) was rejected, it was back to the drawing board. It was then that we applied a different technique. Block off the dates first, then worry about the itinerary. This made life much simpler. Actually, before we got to this point we had had multiple conversations about the time of the year. September was the preferred month by one of the two. The other one was insistent on…

February 12, 2019
Travel
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Punjabi in England – Plan Draft v 0.0

Planning is fundamental to any endeavor. It is fun and the way we do it is quite mental. Let's assume, or in this case, take as the truth, that we are initiating the planning phase of a two-week trip. It could be anywhere, but since you've read the title of this post, you have, correctly, deduced that this trip is to England. Well, in the previous episode we ( England... royalty... you amused yet? ), gave you…

January 30, 2019
Travel
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Punjabi in England – The Romance Explained

A bit of background! It is a well known fact that I’ve longed and dreamed of visiting England. To understand how much England meant to me growing up, you need to understand the circumstances of my birth, my upbringing, the influences that shaped my view of the world and gave me the only language in which I can embarrass myself by rambling grammatically. I was born, as you know. However, what you may not know is that…

December 26, 2018
Travel
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Punjabi in Paris – Lazy Le Mans

Ok, at the outset, I must explain that it is I who was ( and is ) lazy, not the city of Le Mans. How lazy? Well, consider that I made this trip in 2014 in the month of June. Consider also, that I am writing this sentence in July 2018. Yes, you got your maths write, I mean right! Two Score and Eight months ago, I visited the little hamlet of Le Mans. This was our…

July 16, 2018
Travel / Memoirs
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Immigrant Tales – Arrival

This was my second ( or third, if you include the Nepal adventure ) foreign trip and I had much on my mind. This was my second trip to North America and the first hadn't exactly been a carefree and joyous one, if you remember. I don't think it is easy to describe the wealth of feeling and emotion an immigrant carries with him ( or her, if faux feminist). While the earlier trips were temporary excursions,…

May 29, 2016
Travel / Memoirs
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Immigrant Tales – Departure

Actually, the notes are not early. They're late. Late by about 19 years now, will be exactly 19 years late on the 2nd of June 2016. Yes, you are very correct in your maths. I arrived in the great country of Canada on the 2nd of June, 1997. ( Sorry. I wrote this when the post was titled "Early Notes". I forgot to edit this. I saw it later and felt obliged to offer some explanation and not…

May 17, 2016
Travel / Memoirs
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Punjabi in Paris – Day 5 – Vast Versailles

1-DSC_1773 — Imagine you’re a peasant looking desperately for bread, or at worst, cake. You pass by this gate. Would you or would you not mutter darkly under your breath?

So here we go again. Another travelogue. This time to a hunting cottage of the Kings of France. Now if you’re thinking about a run down, ramshackle wooden cabin in the woods, remember:

This is France
It had a Revolution ( The Revolution ) yup! Capital T, Capital R. Long before the Ruskies, the French showed the world how it was done. In spectacular fashion. “Here your Majesty, if you please. Step up right here. Now, sire, put your head here, like so… Oui, Oui. Allez, Monsieur Bourreau!“
Among the reasons for The Rev was royal excess.

Gold topped lodge – I think this is the side entrance….. yeah!

Right! Stage set, then. Off we went, (more…)

February 25, 2016
Travel / Memoirs
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Punjabi in Paris – Walking Woes

I’d known about the walking bit. In fact, I’d gone out of my way to buy some comfortable walking shoes. But, as the poet Burns said, the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley. It was entirely my fault and the fault of my map-reading skills. Apparently, I’d forgotten a lot in the 40 years since I was an Eagle Scout.