Is it O2 or a birthday cake!!

A two year old can fire your imagination. I realised this when we took our bubba to the O2 dome (Millenium Dome) over the weekend. Those of you who have not seen it below is a picture of the same.

photo credit: http://www.americanahotel.co.uk/media/photos/o2a.gif

Now as soon as we got out of the car my little one started singing "Happy Birthday to you.. Happy Birthday to you". It took me a moment to realize that she had actually pictured the dome as a big birthday cake and the support poles on the top were the candles and hence the birthday song. Yes it brought a smile to my lips too... :)

Even though I had seen the building a thousand times before I never pictured it that way!

And in a way it got me thinking how I have lost the child in me. Kids find even the smallest of things very interesting and look at everything around them with curiosity. They actually bring a fresh perspective into this world. I just hope I can keep the fire of imagination burning in her and maybe that will kindle back mine too.

A great start to October!!

The October weekend of 11th and 12th least to say was 'Victorian'* and 'Star Studded'**.
To understand the opening statement you have to read this post :)

The 11th!

I don't know whats it with me and the Tudor dynasty. First I got a chance to watch the movie 'The Other Boleyn Girl' about four months back. This movie details the life of Anne Boleyn who became the ill fated second wife of Henry VIII of England. About a month later I visited Hever Castle where Anne Boleyn grew up. And then on the 11th I got an opportunity to visit Warwick Castle which came into the possession of Henry VIII through inheritance.

On the 11th I with my family was invited to an event organised by my company. It was an all day event being held at Warwick Castle* which is in the county Warwickshire, overlooking the river Avon. It became a popular tourist attraction after being purchased by the The Tussauds Group and many corporate events are held there now.

I was awake at five in the morning looking at the clock and trembling with excitement thinking about the day ahead! By seven we all were seated in the coach. Thus the long drive of two and half hours commenced. Initially I was unable to take in the beauty of the countryside because of the foggy morning, but later on as the day progressed and as the rays of the sun pierced through the fog dispensing it, I was able to admire the shires of England.

We reached the castle around ten. After having a sumptuous breakfast we proceeded to explore the castle. We explored many parts of the castle...
The State Rooms

Wonderfully decorated in silk curtains, with coffered ceiling. The rooms have a royal look with upright sofas, paintings of the Earls who inherited the castle. It displays the family's most prestigious possessions.

Guys Tower & Caesar's Tower

We got wonderful views of the surrounding areas from the top of these towers. Yes, of course it was built so that the archers would get a good view of any approaching enemy troops.

The Curtain Walls

I would call them the 'iron walls' surrounding the castle constructed with fortified bricks for its protection. It also has walkways on it.

The Dungeon
This was creepy. It had a very narrow passageway with a very small window, with very less light in the room. After all this was the place where the prisoners were held.

The Chapel

The Mill and Engine house

One can get a demonstration of how the power of River Avon was used in early days for electricity.

Victorian Rose Garden & The Peacock Garden

The Ghost Tower
Here it is said that this tower is haunted by the ghost of Fulke Greville who was stabbed to death by his manservant. This is now home to the attraction "Warwick Ghosts Alive" which tells the story of how he was murdered using live actors and scary props.

The castle also features one of the world's largest siege engines 'The Trebuchet'.

The lunch included a variety of items for vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. Thanks to 'Chennai Dosa' who were the caterers of the event.

After the lunch we were so stuffed that we spent some time beside the lake watching the swans and peacocks and the birds of prey.

There were various activities being held around the castle like archery, sword fighting..

By five thirty we were back in the coach travelling back to the hustle and bustle of the city, leaving behind the Victorian era.

By the time I reached home it was nine, my legs were so tired of walking all day long that I fell asleep the moment I hit bed.

The 12th!

The next day dawned and with it the feeling to be with the stars!! No guesses?? Ahem, the stars** Mohanlal, Mukesh, Jagadeesh, Vineeth, Swaraj Venjaramoodu, Jyothirmayi and Lakshmi Gopalswami had arrived here in Croydon with the sole purpose of entertaining us! ;)

Mohanlal is a two time national award winning actor,and producer, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001. This was Mohanlal's first Europe Stage Show.

The show was organised by the Parayil Group. The show was more music and comedy-oriented with some amazing performances from Swaraj, Mukesh and Jagadeesh which left many of us twitching in our seats with laughter.

Mohanlal sung beautifully, solo and a few duet.

Jyothirmayi and Vineeth gave some wonderful dance performances traditional and modern. The finale of the show was a foot tapping number sung by Mohanlal and Afzal.

Thus came to an end the weekend which was full of nostalgia, action, fun and lots of laughter.

The 'Elementary' Weekend!

It was another of those weekends when I had nothing better to do other than washing, cleaning the house and cooking, but it all changed in an instant when I saw in the paper that this was going to be the last day of the summer! On the spur of the moment we decided to goto London.

We first decided to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street and it is a must visit for any avid reader of Sherlock Holmes stories.

The 'Shelock Holmes' I know :) outside the 221B Baker Street...

The house is maintained in exactly the same way as in the Victorian times. As I entered 221 Baker Street I felt as if I have entered a bygone era but also with it a feeling like Mr Holmes has just gone out and I should wait for him in one of his couches! It was really a pleasure to see the famous study overlooking the Baker Street and his personal belongings like magnifying glass, pipe, deerstalker, et al in the well maintaned house.

After walking out of the pages of Arthur Conan Doyle we visited Regent Park, which is one of the Royal Parks of London.

This is a stunning 166 hectares with mind-blowing rose gardens containing different varieties of roses, Queen Mary's Gardens, Italian Gardens, English Gardens, a lake with boating area, one can also see Herons and waterfowls. It also has a open air theatre. Also in the western section of the park stands the official residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.Outside the inner circle is London Business School.

One can reach the park through Baker Loo line and its walking distance from the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Trip To Brighton

It is the long weekend in August and almost all of my friends have plans to visit a new place. A few of them are going to Scotland and others to Lake District, Bath, Salisbury and some even to Switzerland.
09:00 - And here we are over sleeping ourselves on a bright sunny Saturday morning! I lazily get out of the bed thinking what to prepare for breakfast.
09:30 - As soon as I remove the tea and put on the frying pan to prepare scrambled egg I hear my hubby waking up from his slumber.

10:00 - We start discussing how to best utilise the day while he starts with his morning exercises and me reading my favourite book sipping the tea. We are thinking of going to the library, going to the mall or just spending the day watching movies as it is only the start of the three day holiday.
11:00 - We finish the breakfast and are clearing the table and I am all grumpy about the fact that it being such a bright and sunny day (very rare in England) we are just going to do the usual stuff, when suddenly he says out aloud 'How about we going to Brighton?'
12:00 - I am all decked up and raring to go! We check the train timings, rates, places to visit et al on the net before we start. I pack something to eat and drink on the way.
12:35 - We reach the station and are in queue to purchase tickets.
12:51 - We are off to Brighton aboard the fastest train.
13:35 - We land at the Brighton station and start walking towards the exit.
13:50 - A short walk along the beachfront takes us to the Brighton Marina with beach volleyball courts, yachts, casinos, restaurants, Regency squares and crescents, modern arts, Fishing Quarters having their own museum, traditional sea side shops and Artist's Quarters where one can buy individual, one-off pieces of prints and paintings. By this time our stomachs are growling with hunger so we stop to munch something at one of the many quay side restaurants. We finish eating and start walking towards the beach, as we near we can make out the figures of men and women some lying down on the pebble beach, others reclining on the beach chairs, some sun-bathing, others reading books and some just having one helluva fun with the kids in the water. The sea water is so pristine clear when compared to the beaches in India. Every now and then we see a patrol officer making his rounds.





As we near the beach we can see a few kayaking, others on their yachts.
It is a blissful feeling sitting on the beach with your loved one by your side, the cool wind blowing on my face, the warm rays of the sun on my skin as I sit listening to the ever roaring sea. We shake ourselves out of the reverie and commence our stroll on to the famous 'Brighton Marine Palace and Pier' which is a pleasure pier. The pier has many attractions ranging from casinos having various games for the whole family to gambling, a range of rides, colonnades of shops, stalls. In short Brighton Pier is the theme park on the sea :)
With one of the catch of the day :)



At dusk when the sun goes down it becomes a plethora of bright, colorful lights which is a feast to the eyes.
20:00 - As we board the train back to home, I must admit that I have been bowled over by this charming town on the south coast of England. There is nothing quite like a stroll out to sea on the Brighton to clear heads and to revive that child like exuberance.
Overall it was an exhilarating experience for both us.