The dream started with the
popular Bollywood movie DDLJ. Few years later, another movie ZNMD revived that
dream. The much-needed final push was given by the movie Queen. When I told my
family & friends that my much-awaited EuroTrip was finally happening, they
said to me “Ja G Ja, Jee Le Apni Zindagi”, which translates to “Go G Go,
Live Your Life”.
I had booked my round trip flights to
Paris. When my close friends realized that I was actually serious about this
trip, two of them ended up following my footsteps and booked their flights. We
three girlfriends were very excited to explore three countries on our two-week
trip. My other friends, especially the married ones and the ones with kids were
envious of the journey that I was about to take. Two of my female colleagues
took me out for a send-off lunch. Many of my friends had more expectations than
me from this trip – they hoped that I would find my Raj on this trip. I know
what all of you might be thinking right now – “Did I find my Raj?” Well, let me
first take you on this journey with me.
May be it was the cold and rainy weather
or may be because we were doing the touristy stuff, I could not connect to
Paris right away. But the city grows on you. Before I knew, it was time to
leave. The silver lining was that I was coming back for 2 days. I was happy. So
happy that I wanted to kiss. Someone. Anyone. The city of love had done its
magic. I was intrigued by the way the people there express love freely. And I
realized how in India, the expression of love is so muted. I don't mean public
display of affection but generally people don't express their affection for
each other by speaking or doing things which show they care. We would be so
much happier if we expressed our feelings much more.
The next stop was Italy. I had
heard so much about Italian men. About how romantic, passionate and attractive
they are. But the one Italian man I could get the closest to was Michelangelo’s
David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture. Initially I was wondering why
are we paying 23 Euros to watch a marble statue of a nude man but I understood the
reason at the first sight. I spent about an hour admiring its beauty from
different angles. Most of our trip was planned to the T except for one day. On
that day, we decided to visit a village in Tuscany region. It turned out to be
a quaint little town with a beautiful marketplace, several vineyards and not
many souls in sight. We enjoyed a meal of freshly made pasta and local wine
under the Tuscan sun. When I look back, this day stands out as one of the best
experiences during the trip, and it made me appreciate the importance of
spontaneity. Sometimes too much planning, kills the curiosity and exhilaration
that comes from such unplanned experiences.
We then flew to Barcelona. Till
now on the trip, I had not tried to venture out of my comfort zone. Even though
I am an extrovert, I have trouble connecting with strangers. But the warmth of
Spanish people made me push myself out of that comfort zone. We went to a Tapas
place and sat on the bar so that we could interact with people around us. The
guy sitting next to us was surprised to know that Indian girls were travelling
alone to a different country. We spent the evening exchanging knowledge about
the Indian and Spanish culture. This experience made me understand how travel
is not just about visiting a place but also meeting people and making new friends.
Finally, we were back in Paris
for the final leg of the journey. On the last day, I decided to explore the
city on my own. I walked across the city, watching people and trying to soak in
the culture. Being on my own helped me clear my mind, and assimilate the
experiences that I was taking back from this trip. I absolutely enjoyed my own
company and this experience planted the idea of doing a solo trip in the
future.
Well I did not find my Raj on the
trip but as filmy as it might sound, I discovered a bit of myself. So go people
go, live your life and discover yourself. As Mark Twain said “Twenty years from
now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones
you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch
the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
