Europe - An Indian on budget

My carefully planned one and half month tour around Europe by bus and train started with public transport strike in London! Limited mobility wasted my money and plans. However it didn't dampen my over enthu love-for-wandering spirit :-) Yes my pound/rupee budget got stretched because of Uber but I managed to cover 80% of my planned itinerary. The shock came after one month when we got down in Rome and told that a trike is going on!!

Strike. Band. We are used to all this drama in India. We strike for you-name-it cause and reason under the sun. Usually it is opposition parties who wait for a reason or no reason. They make everything is their problem and call for a strike or bandh. Whatever it is one day or two days or a week I always wonder who is checking whether the purpose is fulfilled or not. Its not the unions or workers. Its the politicians who love to get on to the roads to show how good are their pockets in organising and how good are their vocal chords. 

Anyway, in London and Europe, I found how well organised these strikes are. In London the frequency is reduced and some routes are closed. In Rome its only for a limited time. The companies and workers didn't want the commuters to be inconvenienced! How well planned! Ok for once I say this is called forward thinking and this is developed idea.

I will continue putting in more thoughts and feelings here to pour in my entire experience of Europe not in the lines of Karan Johor or Yash Chopra. But real Europe through middle class Indian eyes and words.

When we stepped in Paris, I started getting fascinated by doors, entrance ways. French doors, French balconies, French windows. I read about them in decor magazines, architectural articles. So I started noticing them n fell in love instantly. Love at first sight. I am putting my door collection in a different blog. However I will share a couple pics here. It's not just in Paris, the quest for best looking doorways continued through out Europe.  In specific, London, Paris, Vienna, Bolognia, Pisa, Rome and Rotterdam.  

Aren't they pretty? Grand? Making statement? Each door talks about it's owner. Silently majestically. Witnessing every moment of life. Past n present. 

Currently in Rome. Initially I thought I will gather all the information and then sit down at my desk when I reach home and wrote the blog. But then I realised many thoughts, ideas and feelings will fade away. Almost realtime writing will justify.

So, here I am in front if Pantheon in Rome. Sat down at the cafe n again ordered Ravioli for lunch. I say again as in my entire trip, since I hate spaghetti, pizza is not so dear to me, I am ending up with cheese spinach stuffed Ravioli. In fact, our idea was to cook our food through our the trip. We are not backpackers. But budget travellers. 

Wait I have a theory for backpackers. I think the whole idea started in Europe. Why? They don't have good smooth footpaths where you can drag nice AmericanTourister with wheels. Here in Europe only major roads are tar or cement. The side roads, footpaths are all pebbled.

This photo is now. Here. I think I have a couple more pictures from Bol8gnia and Pisa. I will check n load. But what I want to say basically is, as it's so difficult to drag suitcases on these roads or paths  Europeans started promoting backpacks and the rest followed. As Indians, we have much packed our stuff in AmericanTourist trolley suitcases and now put them through toughest n roughest terrain quality check. They have survived. However my advise, unless you are absolutely old n 0 incapable, Pls don't bring trolleys. I will write another blog on baggage. Wait for it!