July 22, 2015
Indian paper series – #1
Uncategorized
A whale, a ship and a death
The first painting I’ve done in a year. It felt so great I want to draw and paint some more. Going back to my Cape Cod roots on this one!
Indian paper series – #2
Musee de Cluny and Sacre Coeur
Sorry, I guess I need to learn how to type with accents!
These places speak for themselves but I have to say, I went to the Musee de Cluny to see the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, and I was blown away by the building. It is an original medieval building begun in 1334 and rebuilt in the 15th century. The museum also includes an attached ‘frigidarium’ in which the remnants of the 3rd century Gallo-Roman baths can be viewed. My photos just couldn’t do it justice but trust me it is ‘tres cool’ (ha-ha frigidarium?). The tapestries are also well worth the trip and there are no lines or crowds here. Is this the best kept secret in Paris or what?
Hotel de Cluny
Amazing door handle at Musee de Cluny.
Sundial, Musee de Cluny
Ashwin raced us to the top of Sacre Coeur, 300 steps! Although there are plenty of crowds below, there aren’t many people climbing to the dome. I think this is also one of the truly great things to do in Paris and Ashwin loved it!
Walkway at the top of Sacre Couer.
View from the top of Sacre Coeur.
I think Ashwin took this picture.
Crowded and happy..
Carousel at Hotel de Ville.
We went to some of the big tourist sights on Monday and Tuesday, thinking they might not be as crowded. Not so. Monday was very cool and rainy so we went to the Pompidou. It had a huge line…in the rain. Luckily Ashwin had his happy moment on the carousel because he was not happy at the Pompidou. This was his only really cranky day, but I don’t blame him, we were damp, tired, and everywhere we went it was crowded. My sandals felt like two wet pancakes and I was kind of cranky too.
The next day we went to Notre Dame quite early. There was already a line across the square waiting to get into the cathedral, and one going down the side for the climb to the top of the tower. So we decided to explore Ile St. Louis instead. It was quiet and beautiful – then we stumbled across Marie Curie’s house which made Venkatesh very happy. Afterwards we spent some time in the park behind Notre Dame where there were lots of kids and Ashwin could play.
Ashwn fell off onto his head soon after this.
Back of Notre Dame.
The Eiffel Tower was surrounded by fencing and guess what? a line to get in. We decided not to go in and walked around the back to the park…which was fenced off too. But at the back there was another entrance to the tower and NO LINE! So we ended up going up to the second level and I’m so glad, it was breathtaking. The huge yellow and orange wheels of the elevator mechanism felt prehistoric and modern at the same time. Visually stunning. The park behind the tower was fenced off for the Euro Football Fan Zone. Masses of fans dressed in their countries colors (and sometimes liederhosen) were arriving for the night, so we decided to leave and take the long walk back to the hotel through small shopping streets. It was the night before the big sale season and everyone was applying ‘Soldes 50%’ signs to their shop windows. Shops stayed open late and there was a music fest going on. We stayed out late that night, eating, walking and listening to a new band around every corner. It was crowded too, but lively, and we danced in the streets until Ashwin got mad because he was feeling left out.
Earlier in the day we walked by Edith Wharton’s house and the plaque by the door had a quote: ‘My years of Paris life were spent entirely in Rue de Varenne – rich years, crowded and happy years”. And I thought, yes that sounds exactly right – crowded, but incredibly rich and I’m very happy to be here. Can we stay forever?
Paris – something worth writing about
Day one in Paris. We napped because Ashwin was falling asleep at lunch, so we were wide awake in the evening. I wanted to show Venkatesh and Ashwin a concert at St. Chapelle, which I believe is one of the most beautiful experiences in the world. We landed up at just the right time and it started pouring rain while we were inside. Suddenly near the end of the concert the entire space brightened as the sun came out and shone through the stained glass surrounding us. Lovely.
A great start to our next day with croissant, cafe creme, fresh squeezed orange juice and live music playing across the street. Four older men, Les 5 Doights at le Pouce, playing jazz-fanfare music (kind of like Dixieland). Wandered all over Paris afterwards, la Place de la Concorde, Tuillerie Gardens, and the Sunday bird and flower market. ‘Mummy can I have a bird?’
Taken from the top of the ferris wheel.
Lego Architect
Gandhi’s Ashes
Aga Kahn Palace
Gandhi, his wife Kasturba Gandhi, and his secretary Mahadev Desai were held at Aga Kahn Palace in Pune during the Indian Freedom Movement from 1942 to 1944. Both Gandhi’s wife and secretary died while being held here. Their ashes and a portion of Gandhi’s ashes reside in the garden of the palace. During Gandhi’s stay here, he would walk the path to the memorials of his wife and secretary to have Samadhi (or meditation). I walked this same path and found it very moving.
Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai’s ashes.
Gandhi’s room.
I know it’s strange, but I was somehow impressed by Gandhi’s bathroom, located through the door on the left. It’s a simple 1940’s bathroom with a pedestal sink and grayish white marble. There is a long thin tub and I kept thinking to myself ‘Gandhi bathed here’. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good picture of it.
Happy Singapore Thanksgiving!
Paul’s smoked turkey
Another International Thanksgiving spent with the Suellentrops, only this time it isn’t in Evanston, it’s in Singapore. Leah and Paul were ambitious enough to invite 40 people to their home for the holiday. As usual, they invite those who are displaced and have nowhere to go, only in Singapore, that includes everyone! This year there were lots of Australians and Brits, some Americans, an Indian, a Mexican, a Somali-Italian, a couple of Philipino and one real Singaporean. It was a full on ex-pat experience.
Singapore is a beautiful and strange place. It is very green, with beautiful gardens, rain trees and slices of tropical rain forest, yet it’s completely modern and clean. All street vendors are organized into indoor hawker centers, to regulate food safety and to keep the streets clean. The food is local and affordable, and it’s very good. The best meal included steamed dumplings filled with pork and crab that melt in your mouth. I’m salivating just thinking about it.
I think almost everyone has heard that gum chewing is illegal in Singapore, in order to keep the sidewalks clean. Spitting is also illegal. Crimes are taken very seriously and punishment can include deportation or lashings and the verdicts come quickly. Recently there was a riot in Little India and the next day 29 people were deported. Most Indian, Sri Lankan and Philipino work in the service industries as housekeepers, gardeners and road workers, but not taxi drivers. Only Singaporeans are allowed to be taxi drivers. Foreign service industry workers have strict rules. They must be home by curfew, 11 o’clock, and they can’t stay the night anywhere else. After the riot, the government ruled that they are not allowed to assemble in groups larger than three. I’m not sure how that can be enforced in Little India or Arab street, where there are crowds of people, but the law is there if needed.
Arab Street Mosque
In downtown Singapore there isn’t a trace of anything old. The buildings are all new, shiny, angular and modern. I saw one old defunct railway station. Paul said, if a building is old here it is probably empty and waiting to be torn down. The waterfront was really interesting. We could see many freighters in the water as we flew in to the airport and then saw the containers stacked up at the waterfront with a skyline full of gantry cranes. This whole area is in the process of being moved up the coast in order to develop this valuable waterfront area. We went to Arab Street one day, through Little India, and there you can still see the old buildings. This felt like real life, and not the super expensive polished version that I had seen so far. It felt like people really lived here.
Arab Street shopping
If you want to own a car in Singapore, you have to buy a 10 year license that allows you to purchase one – the license (not the car) goes for about $80,000. All cars are imported to the island and they can cost four times the amount you would pay in the US. All in all you need about $200,000 to buy a regular car. The rich in Singapore are very rich. They live in neighborhoods with huge gated houses and drive luxury cars. Old cars aren’t seen in Singapore, they are shipped to Malaysia. There seem to be a large group of ladies who lunch, and many stay at home Dads – spouses who accompany their significant others with high paying corporate jobs. Many have been transferred by their companies who pay for the dream house, the car, and school for the kids.
Leah and Paul are living the dream, with a beautiful house and pool that abut an old rail line that has been turned into a beautiful walking trail. This is a slice of tropical rain forest full of birds, monkeys, butterflies and monitor lizards. You can walk or bike all the way to Malaysia if you like. Their house is so comfortable and quiet you don’t ever want to leave. Even they say, ‘this isn’t real life, but it’s really nice right now’. I agree. We had a great time, in a lovely place, on our Thanksgiving holiday. We relaxed and watched movies, swam in the pool, saw some new things and ate some delicious food with good friends. Thank you Leah, Paul, Tristan and Betty!
220 volts = one dangerous Christmas tree!
Sketch
Daulatabad Fort
Daulatabad Fort is a place I hadn’t heard of until I started planning my trip to Ellora. It is a 14th century fort located halfway between the city of Aurangabad and the Ellora caves, and is noted for being undefeated in battle. Five large fortified doors are arranged at different angles to confuse the enemy. The angles and turns also make it impossible for elephants to create enough speed to ram through the doors.
The sides of the hill were carved out by hand to create a steep wall and moat. Crocodiles were kept in the moat to keep the enemy from crossing and also to dispose of bodies. Today the water is low due to lack of rain, and the farmers who interrupt the water flowing through an underground pipe to the moat.
An an old cannon sits on top of a round platform overlooking the surrounding landscape. Decorated with script, patterns and a goats head, it is an unusually beautiful cannon. Visitors have rubbed the brass plate on top to a shine.
View of the kings palace from the cannon platform
View of the Chand Minar tower and the Chini Mahal ruins from the cannon platform
The Chand Minar tower built in 1445, (the second tallest in India), is also within the walls of the Fort. It was originally decorated with blue Persian tiles.
They are continuing to do some restoration work. All stone work is still done by hand and laid without concrete. This man was happy to say ‘hi’ to me as I walked by.
The temple at Daulatabad. These posts and lintels are built from stacked interlocking pieces.
Temple dome with swinging bell
indiacloudhouse 