Best Holiday Ever

Holidays are fun. You can go to Nainital, hog, play cards late into the night, take innumerable boat rides, walk on the mall road and call it your best holiday ever. More than the place, its how you feel on a trip that matters most.

I stepped out of Asia for the first time. Paris was a big city for me. Riding the metro, taking buses, walking lots, saying Bonjour/Merci/Au revoir just to make the French happy, living on sandwiches and basin water was new to me. I had heard stories and read reviews of places, but the feeling was fresh.

My fave moments were the romantic ones. We took the Seine river cruise and kissed under every bridge. There were 7-8 bridges, so to and fro, in front of people, on a chilly night, I loved those moments.


From the Seine river cruise

We went to the Eiffel at 10 in the night when it begins to twinkle for 5 minutes. The square we saw it from was lively buzzing with people. We found a corner and sat close for more than an hour and saw it twinkle twice. Priceless. We took an uncovered bus tour and it started to drizzle. Getting wet in the rain with your partner and riding through picturesque Paris – unbeatable.



A pebbly village in Paris.

We went to an ‘artistic’ strip club. The show wasn’t that great but much better than a Lido or Moulin Rouge. Later during the trip, we went to a shady strip club in Switzerland also. We were the only audience and the ‘show’ will remain the funniest and yuckiest for the rest of our lives.

After seeing all the touristy places we went to Nice, South of France. The place was a party. People would start singing, playing music and dancing just about anywhere. The beaches were pebbly but that didn’t stop the women to lay topless. For the Boy it was a real treat! We went to near-by Antibes in search of sandy beaches and fell in love again in the shallow of the ocean. Oh, and I also wore a bikini for the first time in my life and felt the need to lose some weight!

And then I fell on the road. It was horrible. Both my knees were badly scratched and I felt like crying like a little girl. The Boy clicked many pictures to distract me. And I would go ‘ooohh…aahh’ in search of some sympathy! The pain was there for a week, but that didn’t stop me from having the best holiday ever.

We went to Monaco and saw how the rich lived there. The F1 streets were amazing. So were the yachts and the cars. In the evening we walked into the liveliest place in Nice, a square with plain cafes with outside seating, buzzing with men, women and wonderful music. Leaving Nice was the saddest thing.

Switzerland was scenic and very expensive. Yes, that’s no news! Two happy meals that cost Rs. 700 in France, cost Rs. 1200 in Switzerland, a plain chapatti costs Rs. 200 and a chicken curry costs approximately Rs. 1600! We are foodies and this was a huge disappointment. Another couple friend joined us from Bahrain, and we would hunt for the cheapest beer so that we can afford good food!

Thanks to them, we enjoyed Switzerland. Otherwise me, the Boy and the scenery wouldn’t have lasted long! We love nature and the greenery and the lakes, but not for eight days and certainly not with such expensive meals!


View from a swiss train.

We went to Aare Gorge. The caves and the water gushing through it sent a chill through the spine. The mountain rides were beautiful and the weather was a delight. Again, my fave moment was sitting beside the lake with the Boy and discussing life. Another fave was singing over a 100 hindi songs at the top of our voices on a lake cruise. We rode an Ice flyer over Mt. Titlis, the joy that it brings you is heavenly.
We plucked apples from roadside trees and loved them. We had chocolates, cheese and fondue. And we rode innumerable trains. The views were breathtaking.

After day 12(of 16!) my muscles gave up. I couldn’t deal with all the walking and wanted to come back home. I love the Boy for his patience and support without which I wouldn’t be living the life I have. I love him for giving me the best holiday ever :)


When we hired a car and walked into a scenery...