Far Far Away From The City

Waiting for the train right now to Manchester. Got few more minutes before the train arrives. So thought of drafting a quick post.

The day started at 5 in the morning. The train to Manchester was at 6:30 am and I rushed to catch up with the travel plan. Was I feeling tired? Didn't feel anything then.

 
Reached the station ahead of time as usual and started for Nottingham on time.

 

When the train started moving, I realized the fact that I will never get the seating position right :)

 

When I booked for the first time, I chose the frontward facing seating position. I got what I wanted, but the train was moving in the reverse direction. And I was not at all happy about it as I got the motion sickness. But someway managed to complete the travel.

So this time, I chose the Airline style seating. Never seen an airline moving in the reverse direction. But I was completely wrong :)

The station was empty when I reached, but then got crowded towards the departure time.

What I like the most about the train travel is the amazing sceneries alongside the way. It started off with factories and mechanical workshops in the beginning, but soon it got shifted to an urban landscape which then slipped to the country side splendour.

Everything about the course from then was amazing. Miles and miles of green pastries, beautiful country houses, farmlands, sheeps and horses, it was a real treat to the eyes.

 

All those cute little sheeps looked like the white cotton rolls all around the place. It was so beautiful.
It is my dream to live on a beautiful country side where I can wake up to the gentle touch of nature. No city life in the vicinity, no pollution - it was my dream as a reality with a thick glass separation in between.

 
Except the sheeps and frozen but alive horses (seriously, they looked frozen:) ), couldn't find anybody outside. Understandable as it was too early to work on the farms, but the thick smoke that was coming out from the chimneys was a clear indication of them preparing a wonderful breakfast :)

The railway system pretty much resembles the Indian system. Railway stations are a mix of modern and classic architectures. Sometimes you will feel like going through a city area but then it looks like Harry Potter movie set. For a traveller it is a constant piece of happiness all through the way.

Except the motion sickness that I felt, everything about the journey was just awesome. Will not mind to take this route again...

Curious travellers

Ani was afraid to go out alone initially. But now things changed. She is exploring the city alone with Ikey. Shopping, wandering around, getting to new locations - mom and son is having a very busy schedule now a days.

Last time when they went out, She came back with handful of brochures which has the upcoming events list in the city. That really helped us to plan the visits more effectively. More information, the accurate the planning will be.

Every Fridays, I will be heading to Nottingham with the utter eagerness to meet Ani and Ikey. And so the weekends we try to make it fruitful to the most. Its a relief for her when am back home. Ikey sticks around me most of the time which gives her a good time to relax.

It was another blessed Sunday for us. I woke up from the sleep listening to Pastors message, around 7 in the morning. Ani was live streaming the service in the morning. So Ikey and I joined her. Had a prayerful start and a wonderful time together.

Our church here is few miles away from the place we live. The best way to reach there is using the public transport and using the tram network is the good option around. And Ikey loves tram.

We never get tired of getting in and around the trams. Easy way to roam around the city.

It was a nice service today. As usual Ikey spent the time in creche as a peaceful kid in the group.

Didn't even turn around to wave at us. He is always excited to be with the other kids.

On the way back we decided to explore the Lace Market square. There were some events listed in the brochures.

The place is like Glasgow. Architectural beauty is evident in each and every buildings around. So beautifully crafted with fine details embedded in it.

Ikey is very still when he gets strapped to the pram. He quitely enjoys the views around and people smiling and waving at him.

Sometimes I will feel sad to see him being on the pram for a long time, then we free him from it and carry for sometime. But he enjoys the pram ride too.

Busking is everywhere in UK. And so many talented artists showcasing their skills. It is a real treat to watch them performing and marvel at their skills.

And that concludes a Sunday trip around the city.
Looking forward for a wonderful week ahead...

Resuming the updates

There was an obvious gap in my blog posting pattern. Little bit of laziness and utter busy moments halted the blog updates.

But I really want to keep this moving. There's a lot happening these days and not writing those events down is a really bad idea.

It's a late saturday night. Lot many pending items to complete before kicking off a full week travel chart.

Spending time with Ani & Ikey is the top most weekend priority now a days. Absolutely no compromise.

Almost all the travel is on either on foot or in the tram. Ikey loves the tram and so it is the most used transportation these days.

It is Sunday tomorrow and church time. So its better to log off and sleep.

Ciao...

Where is the snow?

They said its going to snow today. Sun is on full power. Where is the snowwww?

Not That Spicy After All

I like to explore the cuisines, new food at new places. However I can't let go the Kerala spice combination after all. What dinner without some rice.

European cuisine isn't that spicy. It's all sweet. If it is spicy, sweet exist with the spiciness. Not a combination that I like to enjoy.

Searched for a Kerala hotel around, couldn't find one at all. Which made me to go a level up for the search for 'Indian Restaurant'. That was a good option to get started. Indian cuisine is famous. However, majority of the Indian restaurants align to the European taste rules, which makes the traditional Indian curries sweet. 

So when I had the chance to start cooking, I thought of treating my taste buds with some real Indian spiciness. 

My cooking pattern is rather simple. Onion, ginger garlic, chilli, coriander, turmeric and garam masala. Sauté for sometime and mix anything with it to get the base curry to satisfy the hunger. And with some rice, I will be the happiest person around :)

When travelled to Nottingham, my friend took me to a Kerala hotel. Cochin Fort. The Kozhikodan biriyani I had from that place was one of the best I had in London. Yum!

And he is one person who likes to cook and don't like the shortcuts in cooking. He uses all the spice combinations required for a specific curry. His kitchen is filled with spices. The real crazy chef friend I have seen after a long time.

Ani knows that I like to cook, but she hates the kitchen after am done with the cooking. One area that I have to really improve, if I really want to cook in Ani's kitchen :)

There is so much fun in cooking. Can't ignore that fact.