-by Neeraj Sachdeva
“Did I say 10 different countries?” I asked
“Yes, now do you want to answer my question
or not?”
“What was your question?” No wonder he was
getting angry.
“What. Have. You. Learnt. On. Your. Travels.?”
“Oh yea...that! Well let's see. First, I went to Sweden.
People always say that Sweden is full of nearly-homosexual guys and dumb
blondes. Well, there are some assumptions and a whole lot of Mexican rumors in
that”
“So you have been to Mexico?”
“It is my story, so sit down and shut your trap. And no; I have never
been to Mexico.”
"Okay."
"Ready? Here we go."
1. Sweden:
Now, not all Swedish girls are blonde (I prefer
blondes), so what people assume is partly true. As for the guys, well, I just
don’t know...They dress well, maybe too well. Sweden is a cold country, and
Swedes have always been at the fore-front of fashion in Scandinavia. Anything from America first lands on Swedish shores, and they gobble
up latest issues of Vogue with great aplomb. When I
travelled to Sweden, I had a certain female companion; so obviously I had no
time or enthusiasm to mingle with Swedish women. Or so I thought.
Landing on the shores of Sweden, along with pristine
Vogue magazines made me realize that Sweden was a beautiful country, even when
covered in 3 feet of snow. But I was scared. You put a
5ft-something guy in a country where he could accidently step in snow that is
half his size; you bet he’d be scared. What distracted me were the malls and
women. There were plenty of both going around. Swedish shoppers are famous for
their expensive purchases, though recession must have dented their wallets.
Still living on student expenses, I and the aforementioned female companion
managed to convince a pub-owner to give us a bottle of white wine. You have no
idea how magical snow, wine and a warm fireplace can be!
So, if 3 feet of snow doesn’t scare you, and you
like beautiful women, go to Sweden. It still is lovely, I have been told.
2. Netherlands:
“Feeling cold? Want some weed?”
This is what a homeless guy asked me on my
first night in Amsterdam. Fortunately, that was the only time I was offered
weed by a stranger. Unfortunately, 14 other times, I was offered Cocaine. One
guy even came up to me, tugged my shirt and offered me Cocaina, Spanish for Cocaine. I curtly declined.
Well, this is the interesting thing about
Amsterdam, and partly the reason why most tourists go there – for the weed, the
legal fix that can get you as high as a kite.
Now, I didn’t go to Amsterdam for
weed, neither for prostitution, which is also legal there. Have you ever been
to a bookstore? That is how prostitutes line up in ‘dam, only, they don’t stand
close to each other – it is a competition after all. I went to Amsterdam
because my trip to Tenerife got cancelled. So I got invited by my cousin who
lives in Hague, and I thought I’d meet some rastafaris while I was in
Netherlands, so I visited Amsterdam too. It was an enlightening trip. Not
enlightening because I smoked a lot, but because I truly discovered myself, saw
myself in a new light. Oh, I didn’t go for the cocaine, just didn’t have the
nose for it!
3. England:
Plain-old, bland-food, fish and chips,
Eurovision suckers England.
I spent 7 years there, most of the time
spent holed up in my room trying to dominate English premier league as a
Football Manager. Sad days, but there were some upsides. People in England are
very cool, mostly. I mean they won’t stop on the street to talk with you, but
if you stop them, they will definitely smile. Beware of the pretty girls with
clipboards – they collect your card details and not your phone numbers. I have
been fooled once or twice. Maybe thrice.
People in England often seem busy, rushing
off to some distant place. Considering England is just a small island, I often
wonder how far they will get. The architecture in some of the old towns of
England is breathtaking. The countryside in south of England is beautiful, plus
there are lot of drag races in that part of the country. London is class apart,
one of the many European cities that draw in the tourists. Don’t go for the
royalty though, they are not THAT cool.
4. Scotland:
Edinburgh is a nice place, full of Victorian architecture, beautiful parks and strong Scottish accent. I had the opportunity to enjoy the local
scenery of Edinburgh. However, the trip – under 3 days – was way too short to
appreciate all Edinburgh had to offer. Some parts of a recent ‘crap-fest’ called Mausam, produced in Bollywood was shot
in Edinburgh. Nostalgia kicks in and I can
remember the beauty of the grand city. Locals
enjoy eating a dish called Haggis – a savory pudding cooked in casing of
sheep’s intestines. Yuck! No thank you!
There is a lot more to Scotland than we had
time to discover. If you can get past the accent and the smell of Haggis, you
will love the city. I know I did.
5. France:
No such list is ever complete without mention
of France, particularly Paris. The
closest capital to where I lived in England, and I could only manage one night
in Paris (by which I am not alluding to Paris Hilton).
Visit Ile
Saint Louis in Paris (the Island of Saint Louis). Some consider it to the
most romantic point of Paris. You can relax with a loved one on the island in
the middle of river Siene, enjoying picturesque beauty of Paris along with
tourist boats that slowly pass you by. Paris was serene, a perfect blend of
art, culture and romance.
Paris is known for its delicacies, the snakes, and frogs; so don’t
eat food that you can get anywhere else in the world. If you like culture,
romance, art and just good weather, enjoy Paris. One warning though, the
traffic there is terrible, avoid it at all costs. Also, learn French. People
there don’t like English-speakers, which just happens to be most of the world!
