The Railway Man by Eric Lomax

The story unfolds like a movie; the book is a real page turner. After reaching the end, I searched and you know what the movie has been released recently (2013) by the same name.

It is a touching account of a British POW in the Far East during the Second World War. Eric Lomax was really tortured till death for possessing a wireless receiver- radio and a very accurate hand drawn map of the eastern railways. But survived.

I was not that much impressed by the explicit torture narrative as I am also well aware how British treated their POWs and colonial citizens. Most of Eric’s colleagues and enemies feared him dead. Eric Lomax account of meeting the Japanese interpreter who was the cause of all his misfortunes is really interesting, from enemies to friends. Even after war, free from POW camp and back in UK, Lomax had so much   bitterness towards Nagase (Jap interpreter). But how they met and reconciled is worth reading. So it happens. This is life. It is just a matter of time. Time heals.

Eric returns from Japan with fond memories of Nagase. Moral of the story “Forgive and forget”, I appreciate Lomax for his forgiveness. Nagase had also changed for good, and was doing many good deeds now.

It is rightly said everything is fair in love and war. He lived to write the book after fifty long years. I loved reading Lomax description about his brief stay in India and mention about the Garhwali soldiers he was commanding in Singapore.

Gymnasium for All

No worries if you don’t have a gym membership in Luxembourg. Head to grund. In the year 2014 an open gym was conceived in grund. I personally like the concept. Among others, few cardio training machines like bicycle and cross-trainer have been installed for workout. The mechanical devices are quite similar to those you find in any regular gym. The best part, it is freely available 24*7 throughout the year. So during sunny days especially from April to September you may find couple of family exercising and utilizing it fully.

One thing I have observed, while staying abroad is that, the government of developed nations,   do keep on implementing new schemes one after another for the betterment of city and its citizen resulting in the total development of the nation at large. There are about ten to twelve machines. There is a picnic bench, a drinking fountain, a sunbath chair and a rock climbing activity nearby. Anyone can enjoy a summer evening out, with family in the vicinity of Petrusse River. It has been a while now and the machines have started squeaking and squealing, but still in relatively good condition. 

Unlike Americans, Europeans are fitness freak, you will find so many people jogging, running or cycling during summers. But since winters are too harsh people are confined to homes, no outdoor activity, gym is the only alternative for exercising, and that’s why gyms are so very popular here.

 I have a lifetime membership, of the French chain, Amazonia gym in Bonnevoie. It conducts several classes like zumba, stepper, abs etc; during lunch break and late in the evening, timings suits all office goers. All workout machines are of techno-gym brand. The electronic interface in machines gives the account of calories burnt, one of the main reasons people join gym and few add-on information. There are specific machines for weight and strength training. Two trainers are always available for guidance. I love my gym but recently my frequency has reduced drastically. Personally one needs to be highly motivated to go to gym regularly.

Open gym is a good option. Earlier people used to walk or jog or run or cycle in Grund but now they can even do a bit of exercise as well.

Hike in Mullerthal Region

We recently went hiking through woods, meadows, streams and quaint villages of Luxembourg. The trail stretches from Medernach to Larochette, two small villages of the Mullerthal region, known as little Switzerland of our very own Luxembourg.

The Ardennes Mountain in the north east bordering Belgium comprise Mullerthal region. There are many well marked hiking trails with varied length and difficulty level. The trails are explicitly marked, no chance of getting lost in woods. After doing a recent hike, I can vouch all trails are easily navigable, though the difficulty level may vary according to the terrain. There is no fear of wild animals while passing through jungles. Either the region doesn’t have any wild animals or the natives might have killed all.

We came across few domestic cows, goats and horses, grazing in the lush green meadows. One can board hundred number bus from Badanstalt stop in the city for Medernach. It takes about an hour to reach Medernach from city centre. The trail starts from the Medernach church. There are two trails going towards Larochette. We followed the M4 trail to Larochette, which is about 5 kms long.

After about half a kilometre, passing through the village of Medernach we reached the unpaved road which finally led to the forest trail. After waking for about two kms through woods and passing by streams and meadows we reached a junction point where several Mullerthal trails merged for Larochette, coming from different directions. All the different trails are measured precisely to the nearest meter. From here it was another two kilometers. There was nobody in the forest only two of us. When you approach Larochette one can see few houses along the stream. Few benches are available all along the trail, at strategic location, just after a steep climb where the hiker really needs a break. Hiking in the woods was a real bliss with unpolluted air all around. The only sound was that of chirping birds and meandering streams.

We had energy packed lunch of Aaloo Parantha and banana; just before descending to Larochette village. From the lunch-point we had a great view of Larochette castle. We visited the castle later in the day, (Write-up for another post). From Larochette Mullerthal trail continues further in different directions. We took the same hundred number bus from Larochette, and returned back home after a very fulfilling excursion. It is a highly recommended day trip from Luxembourg City and now I can be a good guide as well. Nothing much required just carry enough drinking water and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Flora 2 – Rapeseed Fields

This year I came to know the correct name- rapeseed. Up till last season, I presumed them mustard fields. One can easily misinterpret the yellow flowers. The plant and flowers are quite similar to mustard; which we Indians are quite familiar with. In fact rapeseed and mustard belong to the same family of plants.

The fields are not in countryside but serenely located in Cloche d’Or, the business district of Luxembourg City. In the month of April-May when rapeseed is in full bloom; it becomes a favorite walking destination for office goers during lunch break.

The edible oil which we get from rapeseed is popularly known as canola oil. The vegetation is also used as animal feed. Luxembourg has cold climate throughout the year hence not much cereals cultivated. The agriculture produce is mostly used as animal fodder.

Whatever said and written the fields look stunning under the bright sun.

Unpredictable Weather

Heading towards April end and we had snow showers in the morning. All welcome rituals of spring have been recently concluded like several carnivals and annual duck race. The trees are reviving their lost beauty with   arrival of fresh green leaves. Swaying daffodils, colorful   tulips and cherry blossom bunches seem to say hello spring but cold is yet to say goodbye. It always snows when temperatures hover around zero degree.

Summers in India have arrived with soaring temperatures. It is only April and most part of India is sizzling above forty degrees Celsius. Temperature as high as forty eight degree centigrade has also been recorded, breaking past records. Someone said, God has been so partial to India, reeling under severe heat. But we all forget, in Europe winters are   equally harsh. The Europeans have overcome cold conditions by designing temperature controlled houses, offices, buses and trains. Running hot water is available 24*7. So we do not feel the wrath of cold here even at sub-zero temperatures (sometimes as low as minus fifteen degrees).

 I always remember a song from my childhood taught in school. The lyrics are

“Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
and the skies are not cloudy all day. “

Back then it did not make much sense to me, as I lived in bright and sunny Allahabad. The music teacher was a German nun, Sr. Elizabeth, who use to play piano and we use to sing, it was like any other song which she taught us. But having lived in Luxembourg for over two years now, I very well connect with the song as here “skies are cloudy” so often.

In Luxembourg it rains almost three sixty five days. Though showers are light unlike Indian monsoons where it pours like cats and dogs. An acquaintance has rightly said, “One cannot trust Luxembourg lass and weather”.(loosely translated from Hindi ). Here rain is very unpredictable  ,one moment the sun shines brightly and the very next moment  it  becomes cloudy if not rainy. Luxembourg has only four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter accompanied with rain throughout.

PS: Notice the clouds in pics.All pics clicked  by me  on different days and I mostly venture out on sunny days:)

Life without a dishwasher

There is a very interesting explanation of Einstein theory of relatively “Grab hold of a hot pan, second can seem like an hour, Put your hand on a hot woman, an hour can seem like a second. If I have to put it in other words “Take her for a shopping spree and she can walk for hours, tell her to wash dishes and it will make her weak at the knees right away.

According to STATEC report in 1987, 45.3 % homes in Luxembourg had dishwasher and the percentage apparently increased with each passing year. However I came to Luxembourg in 2014 and got a house with no dishwasher. I felt like “the L in my luck has been replaced with an F”.

I want to enjoy cooking but I can't because I don’t have a dishwasher. I want to call my friends more often but I can't because I don’t have a dishwasher.

I want to cuddle and kiss my husband after the long day when we have finished our dinner but instead I am like “I have ants in my pants” because I don’t have a dishwasher.

However I am blessed to have a husband like him. His favourite of all household chores is washing dishes. He says that washing dishes helps him to meditate .And surprisingly I read that according to a study in the journal “MINDFULNESS” washing the dishes can also cleanse your mind .So there is a meditation opportunity at the sink.

So it is rightly said that “what doesn’t kills you makes you stronger”.