On the way, in one day ... (well, almost!)

Not too much occasion to post, but used to always think that my long-ish commute to work (from Kemps Corner to Lokhandwalla) had enough sights that merited a post. So here goes - a picto-post based on my way to work.

My bus-stop view. Start with an eyesore - the Ambani house of hell ... steps to build one - take unevenly matched floors and pile them one on top of each other. Then melt all the spare change in the Ambani's pockets to make a paste which can be used to cement the floors together. And there you go.

Because everyone needs a wall of grass to block out an A-class view. Well done Mukesh, well done.

I never thought they existed. But even desi barbies need their ride - the pink Amby.

The line stretches on from the Mahalaxmi mandir - this was peak Pujo time, so its kinda understandable.

The gorgeous Haji Ali. I think it would easily rank as the most recognizable symbol of Bombay ... especially how it looks on dreary monsoon days.

The day turns grey, and just as you turn onto the Bandra-Worli sealink - you can look back onto this.

On some days, you can barely make out where the sea ends and the sky starts ...

I love this part of the sealink - the steel ropes just remind me so much of the also very nice Howrah bridge ...

"Ghadiyal babu!!!!" :-) Nobody quite does it like AB.

One more ...

Exactly why would a liquor store need a helpline? Umm excuse me ... we need 2 mls of vodka and a tequila drip??!

The Construction Awards - maybe we should send the CWG for any prospective awards ...

Great thought ... "I may be slow, but I am in front of you." Deep.

These two are most definitely not from Bombay :-) this was outside Nice airport ...

... and this was outside at my conference where the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers used their super powers to sponsor a fantastic lunch.

So that's that. Will try updating with more funny road pics as I see them.

Cheers, my friends.

Sushma

Nice Nice.

Its been a week I guess? Or a little lesser for me to put up my next post on nice Nice - but better late than never and more importantly, anyone with functioning eyes will notice a kind of 'similarity' in the pictures. It was a cloudy grey day and combined with the brilliant blues of the Mediterranean - it made a picture that you just couldn't stop taking.

Tell me you don't agree with me ... na? After a little walking around we decided to take the little dinky train that ran around the town (btw which we realized is a staple component of French tourism - tiny little trains that take you around the town at dangerous speeds of 2-3 kms/hr ensuring that you are always the object of much ire from regular Pierres on the road in their fancy gaddis).

Desi restaurant ... I know, I know ... what can I say? The decor just drew my attention ...

The central area of Nice ... loved the checkerboard pavement.

Love the Greco-French-whatever windows? Take a closer look - other than the window, its all paint!

From here, the train ascended to the top of the nearby hillock from where we could get a more panoramic view of the beachfront. Outstanding - I subject you to more pictures.

2 final videos ... one from Cannes again - this was something I found near the train station. For movie history buffs, its a kind of dedication to one of the first 'movies' ever - Train arriving at Station - by the Lumiere Brothers. I checked and confirmed that this wasn't THE station, but it was close enough - South of France and on the waterfront.

This was the view of the entire waterfront from the top of Nice. Simply astounding.

So thats it. I can make a thousand promises to continue my blogging adventures in Bombay, but as my experience has shown ... that seems like a tough-ish bet to follow up on. But anyway, till later whenever - aur revoir and mucho gracias.

Cheers

Sushma

Canned - Euro Part Duh?!

You're right. This blog should be renamed the 'Random Musings of a Mind that is Unemployed only when in the EU Territory' ... but somehow there's this 'ring' about it thats just missing from the title, so just to keep things short - let me just admit that my creative writing juices (if any) flow liberally like the wines at a Bacchanalian 'partay' only when I am not in the city of Mumbai. A sad, undeniable, singularly cognizable and wholly irrefutable fact.

So my office decided that my presence was imperative at a media conference in Cannes (yes - where Ash goes once a year to remind us that she's recognized outside the country as a national symbol of Bollywood) and as any good employee does - I do not argue with my seniors and betters :-) I didn't of course get the 'amount' of touristing done that we would have during our earlier Euro trips, but hey - am most definitely not complaining.

So right - Cannes. I assumed the worst - over-marketed, over-hyped, over-sold and over-glammed. And well, I wasn't that far off from the truth. But wait. Its also one of the most charming examples of Southern French beach beauty, combined with an almost enviable Mediterranean weather and one of the most gorgeous sunsets I've ever seen. Add the fact that it has one cinema-crazy and glamour-struck stretch of promenade that is supported by a pretty historic old town centering around an old church and bell tower at the top of Cannes ... its fairly complete as great towns go. I can totally see why people flip out over Cannes - I think it totally deserves its place on the map.

My first view of the promenade ... to imagine a 360-degree view, think of tons of old people wearing Gucci and Armani bhaiya ke kapde, jhoothe and bags, and dinchak-ing their way alongside armies of yappy little pricey poochies. Each of those dogs looked they were worth more than my imagined set of diamond earrings.

There's tons of installation art across the Croisette, so fairly often you come across random art being ferried across - like this printed Spideyman type structure.

This was after the beach had closed up ... tons of beach umbrellas all closed up after the end of the Sunburn war.

If you look closer you'd see the blessed hand prints of Akira Kurosawa and David Lynch and several other modern-day cinematic gods. Sigh.

On the beach ...

Found an amazing sand sculpture on the beach ...

I have seen many a glossy Mercedes ... but a matte-finish?!!

So Ash decorates bus stops here ...

The beach on the other side of the Croisette ...

The view from our apartment couch. Aah. Southern France and all that.

They are cinema-crazy ...

It easily had one of the most impressive harbors I've ever seen ... and believe me, Dubai has a VERY impressive harbor.

At the top of Cannes is a gorgeous little Church and bell tower from where you can have a pretty much unobstructed view of the whole city ...

I don't know about you, but something about this hotel (The Inter-Continental Carlton - 'the' place where all the stars stay) reminds me about the Taj at the Gateway ...

Umm ... murder at Cannes anyone?!

And to close the day - the fabulous sunsets I was talking of ...

But of course, to close any post - the readers and my favorite section ... Ze Random Pics.

No clue. I have tons of suppositions, but will offer none.

Because even children need formal clothes for all those dressy occasions.

Uggh. Just turn Neptune's head to get the water flowing.

Next a nice Nice post to come.

Cheerio,

Sushma