The European Armada - The Trail to Paris
Today our Geney turns 2 and brings back the abiding memories of the days leading to her 1st birthday and our sojourn across the European Continent
The swanky T3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport is teeming with travelers of all hue and shape, some dawdling around with blank faces, some in earnest haste to perhaps reach their departure gates, and a few just whiling away time. The place is abuzz with people shopping at the various glitzy stores and shop. Eateries are full of people catching up on a quick meal before their long flights across oceans and continents. There are long serpentine waiting queues at the eateries and a the prospect of a quick meal hopeless. Children are running into the stores and are cajoling and coaxing their parents in tow to buy them a gift, a toy, or a candy. Old people, peering into magazines or catching up on The Times of India, are warming their posterior on the comfortable and sleek sofas placed at different corners of the Terminal. In between, fearful of missing the flight, they steal a quick glance at the innumerable monitors fixed on the pillars at various vantage points, displaying information about the flight departures.
There was no such fear on the faces of business and corporate travelers trying to utilize the spare time (if ever there is one for these geeks!) and were seen furiously punching the keyboards of their sleek laptops to fine tune their business presentations, a last minute ritual and rigmarole. The ubiquitous smartphones as their companion, these geeks had headphones plugged on to their ears perhaps some music to sooth their frayed nerves!
The tourists like us are surveying the terminal with admiration in our eyes and gloating over the modern amenities and wondering if indeed we have a turned a corner. The eyes of the tourists wide open exerting to extract as much information as possible from the various signboards and information desks. The glint in the eyes is palpable!
The janitors, dressed smartly in their GMR uniforms, are mopping and scrubbing the floors with perfumed cleaners every few minutes. The whole place is oozing with energy, vigor, and life. Your prying eyes cannot miss the glamour quotient of the place teeming with groups of beautiful women who are smartly attired with fashionable shades perched on top of their heads and exquisite dangling earrings adding to their splendor and beauty. The terminal resembled an up market shopping malls like the ones dotting the skylines of Gurgaon, the millennium city. The T3 is truly a world-class magnum opus, a tribute to India’s growing economic and global clout, and a rejoinder to the doubting Thomases of what India can achieve if it gets it act together.
However, for the moment it will do, as Geney ensconced in the baby carrier, tightly strapped around my shoulders facing me, gives a wink and thumbs up to the place. M is moving ahead purposefully in the immigration queue perhaps a little eager to get that stamp on our passports and get over the formalities without any hiccups. She was a bundle of nervous energy in complete contrast to Geney’s ‘could nt care less’ demeanor. Her eyes seem to say, “This is not over till we touch the tarmac at the Charles De Gaulle Airport.”
The brow eyed tobacco-chewing babu at the immigration counter reeked of jojoba oil. His red colored hair wore a faded appearance, perhaps a result of years of dyeing. His countenance was officious, pedantic, and appearance as mean and stingy one could imagine. Cunningness was writ large on his oval face with a bulbous nose and bushy moustache. He saw us all the way come to the counter and was giving us an unpleasant stare! His attempts to indulge in small talk about Geney irked me, as I did not want to answer a single question he asked. Sensing my predicament, M took over and answered all his questions!
We came out of the immigration triumphant blowing the bugles of victory. Well, that is what you feel, if you can come out of these traps unscathed! Nevertheless, it was a sigh of relief to have made it across one of the many bureaucratic hurdles we encounter in our country. We literally glided on the grey and white carpet leading into a narrow alley and into the belly of a humongous and beautiful aircraft waiting to take our Geney on her first sojourn across the oceans!
As the jet soared into the skies, I peeked out of the window and Delhi had become a blur in a jiffy..
We were on the ninth cloud as a beautiful young air hostesses strides to us and offers a menu card. Geney was showered with bounties; baby food, toys, and a baby cot to sleep. I managed to gulp in a few pints of Glen Fiddich, a premium single malt whiskey followed by a sumptuous lunch. M was more interested in the Wine! The radio above us crackled with the commander’s brit accented voice, “cabin crew prepare for landing. We are about to land in Dubai.” We did not get much time at Dubai, as we took a long walk from the arrival gate to the gate to catch the flight to Paris. We could barely see the Duty free as we kept walking following the advice of the classis John Walker one-liner!
The flight to Paris was largely uneventful and long. Geney got cranky not being used to be held up for long periods and obviously hindered by her inability to move around the aisles with freedom. We left her on the floor in front of us but to no avail. M tried to cajole her but Geney dint let her watch any movie! Frequently, I took her around the aircraft to the crew on board at the rear end of the aircraft. One of the hostesses took her in her lap and played with her for some time. Geney is a sociable child and makes friends very fast and she had great fun with the group of air hostesses. One of the crew places her duty hat on Geney’s head and my word the little air hostess was ready to take up to the skies. They also took her snaps and gifted us a treasured memory.
We dint realize the time zone had changed and it was soon turning amber outside as we entered the French airspace. Paris, the city of romance, high fashion, and gourmet food is not far away and a smile ran across my face. As we approached Paris late in the evening, the beautiful skylines and magnificent monuments of the city left us spell bound as the excitement became palpable. The aircraft descent was all grace and finesses and perhaps as a tribute to the beauty of the city it gently kissed the tarmac at Charles De Gaulle.
We are tired, exhausted, and spent by the time we left the airport towards the hotel but the excitement of being in Paris kept me awake although both Geney and M were half asleep with an eye on the Parisian night. As we sped towards our destination, I leaned and couldn’t but chuckle that It was a truly memorable beginning of the journey with our little angel on a special occasion, an event to be cherished for life….
To be continued….
Today our Geney turns 2 and brings back the abiding memories of the days leading to her 1st birthday and our sojourn across the European Continent
The swanky T3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport is teeming with travelers of all hue and shape, some dawdling around with blank faces, some in earnest haste to perhaps reach their departure gates, and a few just whiling away time. The place is abuzz with people shopping at the various glitzy stores and shop. Eateries are full of people catching up on a quick meal before their long flights across oceans and continents. There are long serpentine waiting queues at the eateries and a the prospect of a quick meal hopeless. Children are running into the stores and are cajoling and coaxing their parents in tow to buy them a gift, a toy, or a candy. Old people, peering into magazines or catching up on The Times of India, are warming their posterior on the comfortable and sleek sofas placed at different corners of the Terminal. In between, fearful of missing the flight, they steal a quick glance at the innumerable monitors fixed on the pillars at various vantage points, displaying information about the flight departures.
There was no such fear on the faces of business and corporate travelers trying to utilize the spare time (if ever there is one for these geeks!) and were seen furiously punching the keyboards of their sleek laptops to fine tune their business presentations, a last minute ritual and rigmarole. The ubiquitous smartphones as their companion, these geeks had headphones plugged on to their ears perhaps some music to sooth their frayed nerves!
The tourists like us are surveying the terminal with admiration in our eyes and gloating over the modern amenities and wondering if indeed we have a turned a corner. The eyes of the tourists wide open exerting to extract as much information as possible from the various signboards and information desks. The glint in the eyes is palpable!
The janitors, dressed smartly in their GMR uniforms, are mopping and scrubbing the floors with perfumed cleaners every few minutes. The whole place is oozing with energy, vigor, and life. Your prying eyes cannot miss the glamour quotient of the place teeming with groups of beautiful women who are smartly attired with fashionable shades perched on top of their heads and exquisite dangling earrings adding to their splendor and beauty. The terminal resembled an up market shopping malls like the ones dotting the skylines of Gurgaon, the millennium city. The T3 is truly a world-class magnum opus, a tribute to India’s growing economic and global clout, and a rejoinder to the doubting Thomases of what India can achieve if it gets it act together.
However, for the moment it will do, as Geney ensconced in the baby carrier, tightly strapped around my shoulders facing me, gives a wink and thumbs up to the place. M is moving ahead purposefully in the immigration queue perhaps a little eager to get that stamp on our passports and get over the formalities without any hiccups. She was a bundle of nervous energy in complete contrast to Geney’s ‘could nt care less’ demeanor. Her eyes seem to say, “This is not over till we touch the tarmac at the Charles De Gaulle Airport.”
The brow eyed tobacco-chewing babu at the immigration counter reeked of jojoba oil. His red colored hair wore a faded appearance, perhaps a result of years of dyeing. His countenance was officious, pedantic, and appearance as mean and stingy one could imagine. Cunningness was writ large on his oval face with a bulbous nose and bushy moustache. He saw us all the way come to the counter and was giving us an unpleasant stare! His attempts to indulge in small talk about Geney irked me, as I did not want to answer a single question he asked. Sensing my predicament, M took over and answered all his questions!
We came out of the immigration triumphant blowing the bugles of victory. Well, that is what you feel, if you can come out of these traps unscathed! Nevertheless, it was a sigh of relief to have made it across one of the many bureaucratic hurdles we encounter in our country. We literally glided on the grey and white carpet leading into a narrow alley and into the belly of a humongous and beautiful aircraft waiting to take our Geney on her first sojourn across the oceans!
As the jet soared into the skies, I peeked out of the window and Delhi had become a blur in a jiffy..
We were on the ninth cloud as a beautiful young air hostesses strides to us and offers a menu card. Geney was showered with bounties; baby food, toys, and a baby cot to sleep. I managed to gulp in a few pints of Glen Fiddich, a premium single malt whiskey followed by a sumptuous lunch. M was more interested in the Wine! The radio above us crackled with the commander’s brit accented voice, “cabin crew prepare for landing. We are about to land in Dubai.” We did not get much time at Dubai, as we took a long walk from the arrival gate to the gate to catch the flight to Paris. We could barely see the Duty free as we kept walking following the advice of the classis John Walker one-liner!
The flight to Paris was largely uneventful and long. Geney got cranky not being used to be held up for long periods and obviously hindered by her inability to move around the aisles with freedom. We left her on the floor in front of us but to no avail. M tried to cajole her but Geney dint let her watch any movie! Frequently, I took her around the aircraft to the crew on board at the rear end of the aircraft. One of the hostesses took her in her lap and played with her for some time. Geney is a sociable child and makes friends very fast and she had great fun with the group of air hostesses. One of the crew places her duty hat on Geney’s head and my word the little air hostess was ready to take up to the skies. They also took her snaps and gifted us a treasured memory.
We dint realize the time zone had changed and it was soon turning amber outside as we entered the French airspace. Paris, the city of romance, high fashion, and gourmet food is not far away and a smile ran across my face. As we approached Paris late in the evening, the beautiful skylines and magnificent monuments of the city left us spell bound as the excitement became palpable. The aircraft descent was all grace and finesses and perhaps as a tribute to the beauty of the city it gently kissed the tarmac at Charles De Gaulle.
We are tired, exhausted, and spent by the time we left the airport towards the hotel but the excitement of being in Paris kept me awake although both Geney and M were half asleep with an eye on the Parisian night. As we sped towards our destination, I leaned and couldn’t but chuckle that It was a truly memorable beginning of the journey with our little angel on a special occasion, an event to be cherished for life….
To be continued….
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