AUTHENTIC TEX-MEX

It took me 17 years to meet two of my engineering batch-mates recently. In Houston. While having some really authentic Tex-Mex with AG and BK, I could still feel a level of comfort and ease...the freedom to talk anything...the freedom to make fun of each other with a certain sense of mutual enjoyment...notwithstanding the prominent greys and thickening glasses. A few moments spent together...but within those few moments...we knew...we could connect to a certain period of our past which was incredibly charming and spicy...like the food we were having...in that great city.

While countries and jobs changed, and expectation from lives kept evolving, yet something stayed miraculously intact...a bond which we shared and hopefully will continue sharing. A bond which has been nurtured by the strength of it's early foundation.

Many times, when we say goodbye to someone, we do not know when we will get a chance to meet the person again, if at all. I am yet to meet at least seventy percent of my engineering branch-mates post my graduation.

Not that we are not in touch. In the era of social media, remaining in touch virtually is never a problem. But that special real meet is so elusive..Do grab it whenever you get a chance....life moves really fast and the speed of time increases with age..

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ANTWERP CENTRAL STATION

As deep as I can peep into my past, I always sense very fond and nostalgic memories of railway stations. So many moments of childhood began and ended in railway stations. My love for railway stations continues and whenever I get a chance I don't miss a visit into a station to experience the magical energy of the mixed sound of thousands of fast moving footsteps and eager voices. European settings provide infinite moments to any traveler. Antwerp is no exception too. Like any other European city with a strong medieval connect, Antwerp owns its history and legends. While it may take pages to write about Antwerp, let me restrict this post to the first landmark of Antwerp, its getaway - its very own train station, the Antwerp Central, located in Koningin Astreidplein, in the heart of the city. The brainchild of King Leopold II and designed by Louis Delacenserie, Antwerp Central, with its stone clad structure and huge dome, has s...

THE CLASSIC RIVALRY OF OLD ZAGREB

We stood there absorbing the beautiful sunset that Old Zagreb, locally known as Gornji Grad, offered. The February evening was delightfully clear and presented a view to remember. In front of us, mingling with the red tiled roofs, dominated majestically the two famous monuments - the Zagreb Cathedral of Kaptol and the St. Mark's Church of Gradec...along with the bits and the pieces of the historic panorama of a thousand years. Few centuries back, during the medieval period, when the region was not known as Zagreb, existed two hill top settlements - the Kaptol and the Gradec, separated by the then existing rivulet Medvescak. The Kaptol housed the Cathedral and was the religious center while the Gradec was home to the merchants and the craftsmen. It took the two settlements centuries of bitter rivalry before prudence took over and they decided to unify during the nineteenth century, thus together becoming Zagreb. The reasons for this bitterness were many ranging from s...

LAKE TITISEE AND THE BLACK FOREST

Just about an hour's drive from the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen can take you to a different sort of forested mountain range...which dates back to the Roman era. Located in Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg and very close to the French border. and known locally as "Schwarzwald", this dark canopy of evergreen pines and firs block out most of the day light thus creating an almost dark effect within the forests. The cold fog adds to the aura making these almost eerily beautiful. Add to the setting, the well preserved medieval villages with their vineyards, waterfalls, hiking trails, castles and rivers. Not to forget that the Black Forest is the setting for Grim Brothers' Fairy Tales. The tale of Hansel and Gretel took shape here. So did the fables of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty...in these forests and castles around. At the heart of the Black Forest, sits cozily the largest natural lake of the region, with the name Titisee. With prehistoric glacial origin an...

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