#31 blog post challange for OCT.2022 #day4

              A Day at Pumpkin Exhibition

Since few years i was seeing the photos of biggest pumpkin exhibition in Ludwigsburg but somehow never got a chance to go there. But this year taking the advantage of public holiday and good weather I decided to visit this place. Every year from August till December on the grounds of Ludwigsburg palace garden the biggest exhibition of pumpkins takes place. 

Here we can see the vast variety of pumpkins , some small and some really big pumpkin sculptures . also wide range of edible pumpkins, decoration pumpkins , some weird looking pumpkin , pumpkin carving station and in food section all cooked with pumpkins.

As it was a public holiday in Germany , there were lot of people. I never saw such a big line to buy tickets anywhere in Germany till now. The entry fee is 10 euro. Also inside the garden at different eating counters  very big line to get the food.  we waited almost half an hour to get pumpkin  pizza .

There was pumpkin pizza, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin ice cream, fries, chips , wine, sekt, juice and what not. All with pumpkin. But one warning pl. do not waste money in buying pumpkin sekt ( german word for bubbly wine) and juice actually Schorle(juice mixed with bubble water)  that was tasting really bad. We could not eat all the dishes but whatever we ate , I would say it was just ok. I wold not buy that again .

But the sculptures were really impressive and overall I would say day well spent. It is definitely one time visit place. 

#31 blog post challange for OCT.2022 #day3

           Pandemic Travel PCR Test Fun (Part2)

During the pandemic, I had several interesting and amusing encounters with PCR tests and their timings. I can't even count how many times I took these tests or how much I paid for them. One such memorable experience occurred during my trip to Jordan in January 2022.

I had a fantastic trip in Jordan from December 25th, 2021, until January 6th, 2022. Finally, it was time to fly back to Germany. On January 5th, I took my test at 10:30 in the morning, and my flight was scheduled for the night of January 6th, technically making it January 7th. I thought it would be fine since the test couldn't be older than 72 hours.

I arrived at the Amman airport well in advance, but during check-in, the staff asked for my vaccine pass, which I didn't have. I informed them that as a German national, I was allowed to travel with a negative PCR test instead of a vaccine certificate. I even showed them the official website information to support my claim. Eventually, they accepted this, but when they examined my test certificate, they said it wasn't valid because the 48-hour limit would exceed by the time I reached Frankfurt. I argued that the rule stated a 72-hour limit, but they insisted it had just changed.

Feeling frustrated, I escalated the situation to the manager. They informed me that they would contact the German consulate for guidance. My passport details were sent to the consulate, and I had to wait anxiously. The time for my flight was approaching rapidly, and I feared I would miss it and have to book another one. However, around 11:40, the manager informed me that I had to take another test before I could proceed. Luckily, the test center at Amman airport was open 24 hours, so I hurried outside and paid 80 euros, even though the regular price in Jordan was only 30 euros. At that point, I was in a rush and desperate, so the cost didn't bother me much. The next hurdle came when the test center staff couldn't guarantee that I would receive the result within an hour. I panicked and explained that my flight was in 40 minutes, but I had no choice but to accept their response. At that moment, I almost lost hope of making it onto the flight.

After taking the test, I returned to the check-in counter and shared my concerns with the manager, explaining what the test center staff had told me. To my surprise, the manager remained calm and assured me, saying, "Don't worry, you'll get the result on time. I'm sure of it." I began to wonder if all this was just a ploy to extract money for the test. Miraculously, I received my negative test result within 15 minutes, and I was able to check-in immediately. I boarded the flight to Doha as the last person, rushing through passport control and security. Finally, I made it back to Frankfurt from Doha.

One positive aspect I noticed in Jordan was that whenever we needed a PCR test, a person would come to our hotel to conduct the test, which cost only 30 euros, and the results would be sent via WhatsApp within three hours. In contrast, in a so-called first-world country like Germany, PCR tests were much more expensive at almost 80 euros, took more than 24 hours to obtain results, were not available as home or hotel services, and the test centers were not open 24/7 (although I recently saw a test center open at Frankfurt airport during the night). There is some progress happening. Germany is lagging far behind in terms of digitization compared to a country like Jordan, where everything was quick, easy, and digital, with payments made through credit cards. The process was user-friendly and efficient.

Despite the challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed these experiences and am ready for new adventures

 

#31 blog post challange for OCT.2022 #day2

            Pandemic travel PCR Test Fun Part1

I have a deep passion for traveling, but the pandemic posed numerous challenges for me. I made a personal choice not to get vaccinated, and I stand firm in my reasons, regardless of others' opinions. But any way the time when i was not vaccinated and still was traveling a lot ofcourse had to do tests all time which is fine and i don't mind paying 80 euro for PCR test before flying . Also even doing quick tests every 2 days . I was fine with all this than taking a vaccine.

        In November 2021, I embarked on a holiday trip to Cyprus. It was a marvelous vacation, and when the time came to return home, I adhered to my routine of taking a PCR test. I made sure to time it correctly, ensuring that the test was conducted 30 hours prior to my flight. Fortunately, the test result came back negative, and I was all set to fly back. However, as soon as we boarded the flight, we encountered a technical issue that prevented us from taking off. After three hours of waiting inside the airplane, we were informed that the flight was canceled, and the airline would arrange accommodation for us in a hotel. We were assured that we would receive an email with the details of our re-booked flights. It was already late at night, around 11:30 p.m. Concerned about the validity of my PCR test until I reached Germany, I approached the staff for clarification. Unfortunately, they couldn't provide a definitive answer and promised to consult with their manager, which they never did.

The next day, I was re-booked for an early morning flight through London instead of my original direct flight. When I reached the British Airways counter in the morning, I expressed my concerns about the validity of my PCR test. The staff reassured me that it was still valid. Although I was willing to retake the test, I discovered that the test center was not open at that hour. Consequently, I proceeded with the flight, confident that my test result remained valid until I reached London.

Upon arrival at London airport, I proceeded to the next terminal for my Frankfurt flight. As I approached the check-in counter, the staff asked for my test certificate. I presented it, but they informed me that it appeared to be invalid. I promptly shared the entire story and even offered to take another test on the spot. However, they informed me that the test center is located outside the airport premises, making it impractical. Determined to find a solution, I asked them for alternative options.

After consulting with their colleagues, they gathered around with pen and paper, meticulously calculating the various time zones involved. After careful consideration, they eventually delivered the news, "Well, you made it just in time." because I did the test in Cyprus which has different time zone than UK and then now I am in London again another time zone and then going to Frankfurt which is one hour ahead of UK so after calculating all the time differences As per UK time I will reach Germany in time and so my test result is still valid 😊 Consequently, according to UK time, my test result would still be valid upon my arrival in Germany. This realization brought me great relief and a sense of accomplishment.

In the end, everything went smoothly, and I arrived in Germany without any further issues. Throughout this journey, I have accumulated countless amusing experiences about these tests. I have lost the count of money I spent on these tests. I firmly believe that life is enriched by such diverse experiences, and I embrace each one with joy.

 

#31 blog post challange for OCT.2022 #Day1

                             Pandemic Travel

In 2020 pandemic hit all of us and life changed completely. In 2017 I decided to see new years firework every year from a different country and also manged it till 2019 but in 2020 i was not sure if will be able to keep my promise to myself. But I was lucky and could fly to Madeira island in Portugal. it was very new style of flying or travel in general because of pandemic.

First I did a PCR test 1 day before flying . For that we had to go to Frankfurt airport as It was not available that easily anywhere else. for this I Had to take online appointment and pay online and then go to the airport for the test. but I must say all went relatively smooth considering the large number of people and everyone confused, changing rules everyday . 

Going to airport with public transport , doing the test and then come back home by public transport and then fly after 1 day ....how this can show I am still negative at the time of flying  was beyond my understanding but hey whatever govt. says you do . I was happy i was able to fly and celebrate new year in different country.

Few days before my travel date there was a curfew in Germany and we were not allowed to go out after 8 p.m.  and my flight was early morning at 5 that means I need to take a train around 3 in the night . It was not possible to go out of house at that time so finally I decided to take a train just before 8 in the night and then stay at the airport for the whole night.  No nearby hotel was allowing tourists to stay in the hotel as a govt. rule . Only business travelers were allowed. So only option was really to stay at the airport.  But that was not so bad. airport had good toilets , some food stalls and free WIFI.... what more you need 😊 But one uncomfortable thing that we had to wear masks  all time . 

After all these small and big problems finally I flew to Madeira next day and the trip was wonderful.

Not that many tourists there so travel was smooth , hotel was great, better weather than in Germany and not so many restrictions as in Germany. So it was really nice holiday.  Also I was able to do all tours like a private tour but for very cheap price.

Finally on 31st Dec. 2020 watched the best fireworks directly from the balcony of my hotel room in the sea. well it was sea view room so I had the best view. And I kept my promise made to myself to celebrate new year in new country every year even during pandemic. 

I feel really grateful and blessed that I was able to travel and without any health issues during that difficult time.

Join my trip

 Join my Trip

Since pandemic remote work possibilities have increased. I am also one of those lucky people who can work remotely.

since last year there are many restrictions on travelling and also travelling alone is not that interesting at least for me. while browsing on internet I came across a website JoinMyTrip (www.joinmytrip.com ) where you can join other people in their trips. they can be professional trip planner or any individual who like to travel with others. 

I decided to join such co-working, co-living trip. this was an excellent experience. As i need to finish my holidays i decided not to work but just go for relaxing and co-living.

In co-working trips like this there is normally good internet connection and some space to work is available. we all work during the day and evening enjoy all together and weekends do some trips nearby.

we were a group of 5 people at first and 3 of them were working and 2 not. we rented a beautiful villa in Cyprus with well equipped kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 3 and half baths, swimming pool and beach just at 5 mins. walking distance. It was a perfect house. We also rented a car for the group, so it was easy go around for day trips or shopping.

Such trips are successful only when the people in group are open minded, energetic, and easy going. Normally this is the case. Our group leader was a young and charming, sweet girl Kathy from Austria who arranged all the trip for us. Trip leader plays a big role in keeping the group together and happy.

We all used to cook many times together in the evening and then go for some drinks outside or sometimes just sit at our pool and enjoy food and drinks. Everyone took care of household tasks on their own without any fights or strong discussions. It was simple who ever has time and sees some work like loading or unloading dishwasher, buying grocery etc. they just do it. 

We also used the very popular app splitwise to split the cost among us for all the group expenses. That way no one has to worry about the cost and money and calculations. The app tells you all who spend what and who need to pay whom.

Cyprus, officially called the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean. Its Europe's sunniest island. 

 It has a long dispute over its territory between Greece and Turki. they have both Turkish and Greek as their official languages but most of the population can speak good English too. 

We had our villa in a town called Protaras which is a resort town in eastern Cyprus, known for its beaches and for Fig Tree Bay with its old, lone fig tree. It’s around 40 mins. drive from the city Larnaca. As this was the off season there were not many people which was good but also many of the hotels and restaurants were closed. So, there was a little choice of restaurants and bars when we wanted to go for night outs. But this is better than going in high tourist season. Even in November the weather was around 22 degrees during the day, warm and sunny with cooler nights. Any time better than in cold, dark, depressing Germany. 

There are few things look around. The one city I visited was Paphos. Its modern city with some archeological park, fortress but one very popular site to visit is Rock of Aphrodite. This is a birthplace of Greek goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love and Beauty and according to Hesiod's Theogony, she was born from the foam in the waters of Paphos, on the island of Cyprus. It has a beautiful beach and a big rock formation where you can climb up and have a beautiful view of the area. 

Another important city to visit is Nicosia. It is the divided capital city of Cyprus where south side is on Greek side and north side on the Turkish side. Unfortunately, I did not get chance to go there but maybe next time. 

One more place to visit is Troodos mountains. Troodos Mountains are the biggest mountain range in Cyprus. We did a 4x4 jeep trip for this visiting small villages on the way and beautiful panoramic views from the top of the mountain. 

Pandemic has given birth to this new way of working, living, and travelling. I am really happy I found this and definitely going to do these now more often.  

 

 

ती ची गोष्ट

ऑफिसमध्ये साधारण ११ च्या सुमाराला फोन वाजला . बघितलं तर क्लिंनिंग लेडीचा फोन . संध्याकाळी घरी गेल्यावर छान आवरलेले , स्वच्छ घर  बघायची स्वप्न बघत होते तर क्लिंनिंग लेडी आज जमणार नाही असे फोन वर सांगत होती. कुठल्यातरी मैत्रिणीला हॉस्पिटल मध्ये घेऊन जायचे होते म्हणून येऊ शकणार नाही असे सांगत होती. नेहमी प्रमाणे आज नवीन काहीतरी स्टोरी असणार होती.  नेक्स्ट वीक मध्ये नक्की यायचे प्रॉमिस करून तिनी फोन ठेवला. 

नेक्स्ट वीकमध्ये कामाला आल्यावर क्लिनींग लडी ने  सांगायला सुरतवात केली  त्या ती ची कहाणी . 

ती ३ मुलांची आई , त्यातील एक जरा स्पेशल कीड. ती कुठेतरी स्वताच्या  दिसण्याबद्दल , स्वताच्या शरीराबद्दल साशंक . नवरा दुसरीकडे कुठेतरी  गुंतलाय आणी आपण आता त्यासाठी फारसे  aatractive नाही राहीलो असे मनात कुठेतरी जाणवून   एक चुकीचा निर्णय घेतला.... गेली टर्की ला ब्रेस्ट इम्प्लांट सर्जरी करायला .  आपल्या शरीराच्या वाढलेल्या आकार उकारांमुळे नवरा परत आपल्याकडे ओढला जाईल अश्या खुळ्या  कल्पनेमुळं ब्रेस्ट इम्प्लांट सर्जरी चा निर्णय घेतला. जर्मनी पेक्षा टर्की मध्ये स्वतात होते म्हणून तिकडे गेली पण सर्जरी चुकली . अर्थातच तेव्हा नाही कळलं. पण  जर्मनीत आल्यावर लागेचच हेवी ब्लीडींग आणि इतर काही प्रॉब्लेम सुरु झाले  आणि हॉस्पिटल मध्ये भरती व्हावे लागले. अर्थातच इकडल्या  डॉक्टारांनीं हात झटकले. टर्कीच्या डॉक्टारांचा दोष आहे सांगितलं. इम्प्लांट केलेले सिलिकॉन ब्रेस्ट बाहेर काढावे लागले , नवीन इन्फेक्शन झाले. पब्लिक इन्शुरन्स  मुळे फार महागाची ट्रीटमेंट करता येत नव्हती.  आधीच ४००० युरो  घालवून झाले होते आता परत पुढच्या ट्रीटमेंट साठी ३-४००० युरो द्यावे लागले. आणि एवढं करूनही फारसे काही हाती लागले नाही.  अनेक वेळा हॉस्पिटलच्या emergency मध्ये वाऱ्या करून शेवटी ब्रेस्ट कॅन्सर च शेवटच्या स्टेज च निदान झाले आणि एक आयुष्य संपले.  फक्त एका कुठल्यातरी स्वतःच्या शरीराबद्दलच्या अवास्तव  अपेक्ष्या , आत्मविश्वासाचा अभाव , कोणालातरी आपण फक्त आपल्या शरीरामुळे आवडू शकू बाकी कश्यामुळे नाही असा  समज  यामुळं  सगळंच अकाली संपलं.

महिला दिना च्या निमीत्यानी तरी जरा विचार करा, स्वतःच्या  हेल्थ बद्दल, शरीराबद्दल जागरूक रहा. महिला म्हणजे फक्त जाहिरातीत दाखवलं जाणारे सुंदर शरीर बाकी काही नाही , आपण फक्त आपल्या शरीरामुळं आकर्षक दिसू शकतो, फक्त सुडोल शरीरामुळं आवडू शकतो हा समाज आपल्या मनातून काढून टाका आणी आत्मविश्वासानी पाऊल पुढे टाका.

 

अनघा दातार