Easter holidays are not that far and its a long long weekend! Obviously, it’s too late to get cheap tickets anywhere (thanks to all the annoying people who can plan ahead), but that’s not going to stop me from making a list of places I would like to go to. After all as Eco says, there is nothing more wonderful than a list, instrument of wondrous hypotyposis.

1) Athens - the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Plaka, Ancient Agora, Syntagma, Ermou Street, Kalimarmaro Stadium, Mt. Lykavitos, Kolonaki - its definitely on the top of my list!

2) Copenhagen - I haven’t read all that much about Copenhagen, but it look so nice in all the pictures! And I have never been to any of the Scandinavian countries and this would be a great first! Have you seen the city bikes there - wonder if they would let me export one back to Amsterdam?

3) Venice - Who hasn’t dreamt of visiting Venice? I think my fascination probably began many years ago when I first came across the Merchant of Venice - it was one of the few European cities I had heard about at that time. Anyways, summer, apparently, is not the best time to visit Venice - so if not this time, won’t be till the later part of the year.

4) Prague - Everybody seems to be going to Prague these days, and coming back with rave reviews. I want to see it too!!

5) Istanbul - if Turkey doesn’t figure in the list, my better half is not coming to the travel agent with me. Not that I don’t like it, just that he is so insistent on it, I just like to play the devil’s advocate. And I have to admit that Venkat’s travel notes have made me really reconsider Istanbul and it has finally squeezed its way into my top ten list!

6) Berlin - I know! I know! I cannot believe it too that I used to live in Germany and haven’t visited Berlin. As part of my German class assignment, I had to write a long essay on a German city and I cheated and picked Berlin, even though I had never been there. So now, I have to go!! Its a question of my conscience! Also, I HAVE to see the Berlin wall and the huge glass cupola inside the Reichstag. And of course, have a refreshing cup of coffee “Unter den Linden” (under the Linden trees), because that’s what I had done in my rather futuristic essay.

7) Nice - Because I need to experience the French Riviera and Transavia usually offers cheap flights to Nice. I have lived near beaches all (or almost all) my life, and its been almost two years since I have been on a really warm sunny beach! The sea, the sand and the sun - I can almost hear the waves!

8) The midnight sun - I know easter is too early to see the midnight sun, but I really hope to catch it this summer. And I should be able to get tickets to any one of the seven places above - and then I intend to use this list for the rest of the summer trips - and the midnight sun definitely figures in that. Haven’t decided where to go yet - Sweden, Finland and Norway experience the midnight sun - so it will be one of the three.

9)Aurora Borealis - Now that the list has sort of lost its original purpose of Easter holiday choices and disintegrated into possible things to do this year, let me add watching Aurora Borealis to it. It’s been on my mind ever since I saw those out of the world pictures some time back, which I was so tempted to blame on someone’s Photoshop misadventures - yet are so real, and so beautiful. I never really got around to finding out how to be at the right place at the right time. I should keep an eye on these - Aurora Forecasts and IRF. If you have “been there done that”, any suggestions on picking the place and the best time to go would be most appreciated.

10) CSI Miami - Last but not least, a trip to Miami! Did I mention I miss beaches? Have you tried searching for US and tourism in google - why does Chicago come up tops?

That’s it for now! Now I keep my fingers crossed that I’ll get some tix for Easter..

I am on my way home. I see a young man walking towards me. I hope he would be capable of keeping his mouth shut. My heart skips a beat, till he walks past me.

I walk a bit more, and I see an old man driving by. And oh, he is slowing down! I wonder why his car windows are tinted. My heart skips a few beats, till I see the red traffic light ahead.

I continue on my way, and I see a drunk man. I pray that I would survive the ordeal, if he behaves like all drunk men tend to do. My heart stops beating, till he staggers away.

I am almost home. I say a silent prayer of gratitude.

The constant fear - will there ever be an end to it?

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Technorati tag: The Blank Noise Project blogathon

Nope, I didn’t make that up - thats what the Social Security people (I don’t remember the exact French name) say! Just saw an ad on Belgian TV which says that if you want to break a leg, you should go to Belgium where you have excellent social security, you can consult a doctor without even providing your credit card number (they didn’t say anything about insurance though), and it only costs 20 EUR.

Really, what is that ad supposed to mean? If I were a resident paying a large part of my pay towards social security, the last thing I want to know is that the government is inviting foreigners to use that up. If I am not a resident, the last thing I would think of when I am falling down from a tree is to take a flight to Brussels?

What am I missing here?

The Blank Noise project is hosting Blog-a-thon on the issue of street harassment on 7 March. Eve-teasing is a crime, yet many victims do not even acknowledge they are victims, often due to misguided societal attitudes that tend to place the blame on the victim as much or more than the perpetrator of the crime. Awareness might help, not just in reducing the crime, but in making the victims aware of the severity of the injustice that has been meted out to them.

Here is a chance to make your voice heard - Do participate, if you can spare the time. All you have to do is write a post about the topic on the 7th.

Technorati tag: The Blank Noise Project blogathon

Heavy snow here. Bright and sunny. Everything is white and shining. Must be really cold outside, but I am in the warm office, looking out at a beautiful day. My love to dad too.

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