The Best of Times

The best of times were when I was among frens.

A wonderful surprise was Bonn, Amsterdam and off course Paris.

Paris is because I know these frens from my Washington DC days but we were separated for many years, so meeting Kak Fatimah and family again was great. Paris itself is such a beautiful (and as Kak Fatimah would put it "most romantic" :) city.. with Champ Elysee and Arc d’Triompe just around the corner and to jog every morning to Eiffel Tour was a bonus :) and having Jinny visited me in Paris (she will kill me if I forgot to put her name here :P)

Amsterdam for Nan, Ronald, Enno and its ambiance. I truly enjoyed meeting these folks, being included in what they do as locals and making them my new found friends. When I first read about Amsterdam in my guide book and the book that Arthur lend me to read.. I was a bit worried :) but being introduced to Amsterdam by Nan and frens was a totally wonderful surprise I must say! :)

Bonn ..becoz Sedad being such a caring person made sure I have a wonderful stay there. I didn’t anticipate Bonn and end up coming back for the second time, spending a total of 6 nites and 8 days there! (sacrifying Britain totally!). I had a wonderful time with Sedad and his DE frens.. Irmir, Nina and Amir, Ermina(whom I know Khal and Zaki will go crazy for! :), Belma the shy student from Banja Luka, and a few others). After being a vagabond for so long, Bonn was such a welcomed relief coz I get to do normal things :) (which Sedad, God bless him! made sure of :) .. like going on the town to watch a Turkish Dervish show (maybe not normal for some, but quite normal for me:), hanging out at Hardrock Café, taking our time eating a Sunday brunch and just watching people go by along the River Rhine. And such sweet relief to be abled to wear skirts and my hush puppies..instead of jeans and Reeboks all the time!

I absolutely enjoyed the many beautiful places I went to.. lazying at Lake Bled breathing in the mountain air and flowers, letting oneself be lullabied by the gurgling streams, with the backdrop of the fairytale castle and blue blue lake. The folks are nice and know about Malaysia (from F1!) and the best hostel I stayed in was in Slovenia.. felt I was in a fairytale cottage, within walking distance of the Castle and Lake Bled.

Sintra was a beautiful surprise.. such a heavenly place! You just got to be there to know what I mean.. The “Castle de Mouros” is just a wonderful place for a day hike, with the Palacio de Pena in its whimsical colors.. a breathtaking view once you reached the top and such fresh air that caress your skin just right..sigh. I also tried this very rich beverage ..(thick enuff to pass as a dessert!)..can’t remember what’s it called (but I think it has Moroccan heritage..). It’s simply sinful! The small town is quaint with the beautiful sound of the Fado. I had a wonderful day spending it with Phoebe and her mother, from London.

Norway is simply gorgeous! I am so glad I made the decision to go all the way to Myrdal, Flam, Voss, Varguden and Bergen. The Norwegian Fjords offered the most spectacular sights one must experience once in life. To top it all, I made two new wonderful friends. From Oslo to Flam, Samantha, an electronic engineer from Sri Lanka who works in Bangkok. And from Varguden to Bergen, Giulia – a Genoan currently studying in Firenze. We already planned to meet up again, to do Norway in a caravan to catch the Salmon run :)

Being with wonderful ppl no matter where we are, are the best of times for me. Being in a gorgeous place while we are with them are a bonus I feel.