The Art of Doing Nothing

Idling is such a bad word these days. A word most people cannot even understand forget relish. Just the other day, the kids were asking me about how I spent weekends without any television or even a library. Saturday mornings - Aah, the very phrase conjures certain inexplicable aromas, tastes and memories. The main event of the day was the herbal oil massage. This was followed by a thorough bath (administered by my mom), not in the blessed safety of the bathroom but out in the open backyard. Seated on the washing stone with an old petticoat thrown over my head, I was but a quiet observer watching the myriad activities happening around me for my benefit. Our house help would be instructed to continuously pour lukewarm water over my head while my mother would scrub and rub with great vigour. Gram flour and shikakhai and god knows what else would be massaged on to my body and hair. My mother would do it all with graceful abandon that comes only with years of practice. Whilst I was worried that I'd probably become blind due to a straying blob of shikhakai in my eye, my mother would carry on with her job, casually exchanging pleasantries over the common wall with the neighbor.

The post bath activities included the elaborate process of drying the hair. Now, you might just wonder how long could that take! Switch on the hair dryer and get done with it, right? But not according to my Mother! She would have hot burning coal ready, on which the Sambrani powder (Benzoin Resin which is widely used in India not just for drying hair but to prevent colds as well!) would be gently sprinkled. This would give rise to smoky and yet fragrant snake-like vapours over which my long tresses would be gingerly fanned out . It took ages for any drying to happen but gave ample opportunity to slip into a semi-comatose state.

After such a bath, a lunch of pepper infused garlic rasam accompanied with roasted potatoes and rice vadam (crisps)followed by a long nap was a must.No interruptions from television programs, no classes to rush to , no errands to run. Just an entire day devoted to stress-free indulgences. My job on Saturdays was to do 'nothing' but simply succumb to the ministrations, massages and meal.

I saw my kids looking at me with screwed up noses. "All your Saturdays were spent bathing, eating and napping? That's it?"

Well, what can I say! My Saturdays were spent in a little town were time stood still.My life was attuned to a different rhythm- a pace which was comforting, calming and ever so carefree, where doing nothing was not considered a crime but a way of life!

Post Vacation Lunch

We just got back from a fantastic vacation in Italy!After 8 days of spectacular Italian food (post on this coming soon), our tongues craved for the familiar and reassuring tastes of rasam, pickle and yogurt rice. We've had our fill of comfort foods and are now back to basics and concentrating on getting the house back in shape, preparing for school which starts in 10 days and catching up on work.

Our super simple lunch this afternoon- Toasted multigrain bread stuffed to the gills with garlicky guacamole, buffalo mozzarella and summer tomatoes. It cant get simpler, healthier or tastier than this!

Some Ground Rules and other tidbits

We decided to work out some ground rules before setting off on vacation.It helped a great deal and everyone felt crucial, considered and contented.It helped us avoid many a tiff and evade the inevitable arguments. Here's a list of what we came up with:

1. Everybody helps carry/drag a piece of luggage

2. For every meal,the choice of cuisine will come in turns. If Vaibhav chose what to eat for lunch then it was my turn to decide our dinner meal. You could order whatever you wanted but within the cuisine that had been chosen!

3. If it was Margherita pizza(invariably Shriya's choice)...then a side order of salad had to be ordered

4. On the flight, you can ask your parents or the flight attendant only upto 5 times
"How many more minutes before we land?"

5. You can never say 'No' to anything without giving it a fair try (this one was a little dodgy as it bulldozed me into trying many a thing I didn't want to!)


We had to make a couple of journeys during our trip. The first one from Budapest to Vienna was short and hence spent napping and playing word games. The next from Vienna to Prague was a fun surprise for all of us as the bus we took was better than the flight we'd taken. It had personal entertainment systems, an attendant who plied us with snacks and drinks and very comfy seats. We emerged and found each other only after we reached Prague.The trial was the trip between Prague and Budapest. A day train journey that would last 7 hours. An hour went by exploring the different carriages and walking up and down to the dining cart. Another hour was spent eating our delicious, packed Vietnamese fried rice (we were all craving for Oriental food after a week of European/Middle Eastern fare) looking out of the windows as we sped across leaving behind the gorgeous scenery. God, that still left us with 5 hours!! The few books that we had carried were read and re-read. We played the Just-A- Minute talkathon game. Something that I fondly remember playing with my Dad especially during vacations. We had to talk for an entire minute, without pausing, about something that we saw, ate or did in the place we'd just visited.

The ticket collector entertained the two imps by issuing them play tickets and allowing them to use his punching machine.

And then with what ever material we had, we did create some nice art. We used up some old sheets of paper excavated from the Daddy's pocket, used a toothpick like stick the kids were given at some restaurant and poked holes to create nice images. A few butterflies and hearts later, we were at the Budapest railway station!

Prague

Prague took my breath away! Its kind of similar to Paris in the sense that the entire city is like an open museum. Visually stunning and oh so spectacular! So much to see, feel and experience! Its one of those really old cities steeped in history. There's a story behind every rock and history seeping out of every cobbled stone street you walk on. The place gradually grows on you and completely envelopes you before you've bid it goodbye!

But would old world beauty mean anything to two little kids? How would baroque architecture or Medival charm appeal to them? We were not sure but try we did!

When we were at Wenceslas Square, the Dad told them the story behind when he had first heard of it as a kid. I fed them nuggets on the Astronomical Clock as it struck a glorious seven with music and puppets. We imagined the King leading his troops on the Charles Bridge, complete with sound effects. We argued about Hitler's plans and the craziness of WWII as we walked through the Jewish Ghettos. We lit candles at the 14th century cathedrals and stood mesmerized as the multicolored stained glass panels threw off light in the afternoon sun.

But what completely bowled us over was the Golden Lane. A narrow little cobbled stone street just beside the royal quarters which apparently housed a doctor, soldier, fortune teller, seamstrees and a Public House. Some of those quaint little homes have been converted into souvenier shops but the majority have been preserved and kept intact, the way it might have been all those years back. Such a treasured peek into the past...the kids were overwhelmed with the teeny rooms, surprised at all that simple living and intrigued by the primitive chamber rooms (why cant they just call them toilets, ma?)!

At the end of our holiday, I asked the kids which part of the vacation they loved the most. Pat came the answer: Prague!I tried to probe and figure what about the city appealed to them most but did'nt get anywhere. They were vague about it and murmured something about the castle and the clock. I smiled to myself and let it rest. Guess, Prague has had its effects on them too, inexplicable effects :-)

Vienna

Vienna, to the kids was all about gelato, coffee(sips they begged from their Dad) and pastries. Everybody around us was walking by with a cone, sitting under the sun savouring cakes or catching up with friends stirring their cappucino! Vienna sure is a city to be relished at leisure and we spent most of our time doing exactly that.

In-between sampling icecreams and gorging on strudels, I dragged the family to the Schonbrunn palace. And what a palace it is! The kids were besides themselves running aside manicured lawns, finding their way through grass mazes and racing up the hill to the gorgeous Gloriette! Personally, it was all a bit too rushed for me. I felt we did not do enough justice to the magnificent palace. Well, we had slotted an 'entire' day to explore the palace grounds but the morning of that 'entire' day was spent at the palace playgrounds. Well, it was an extremely creative play area and we kind of lost track of time discovering the various activities and games . And it was all so endearing hearing the kids remind each other that princes and princesses might have played the very same games, sat on the very same swings and hid in the very same spots!

Well, I guess you cant win them all and as it was a family trip we had to see to the interests of every member! But I've promised myself another trip to Vienna to do just that. I whispered this to the kids and told them that I would love to make a trip to Vienna again...to which my daughter said " I'll bring you along when I come here with my husband and kids". As kind as the thought is, I was sure hoping it would be sooner than that!

Budapest

It has been on our list for a while now. The husband and I had always wanted to explore Central/Eastern Europe but somehow the time was never right.We did the regular European hotspots before the kids arrived. And well, after the kids came into the picture, it was mostly vacations to beach resorts, trips to theme parks in the region or holiday destinations in Asia where travel time was kept to a minimum!

But with the kids now at a decent age of 5 and 7 we decided it was now or never. And we were right! Our little nomads played along beautifully! They ate when we decided it was meal time (and I still feel guilty about the late lunches that sometimes happened because we were stuck inside some castle or church)slept at times very different to their regular bedtimes and sleepwalked through railway stations to catch early morning trains!

Budapest welcomed us with scorching rays. It was definitely a shock to the system after enjoying the gentle summer in Helsinki! We escaped inside St Peter's Basilica on the Pest(plains) side and then trekked across the famous Chain bridge

and up the Buda (hill) towards the Castle district. The afternoon, I had planned to devote, entirely towards the kids' fun. We headed to the other end of town hoping to catch the circus. The kids had never seen one and were super excited about it. Unfortunately the circus or sirkoos (as they call it in Budapest) was not operating for just that week. The little ones' faces fell. And I had no back up plan for the afternoon. And it was still blazing hot! Luckily the kids spotted a sign to the zoo in the vicinity. And everybody was happy again. The kids had a glorious time gazing at the animals and spotting the India section (which had a massive statue of the Goddess Mariamman at the entrance)while we rested and ran after them (alternatively, taking turns) under the shade of leafy branches.