European Terraces

Since my timing to Europe coincided perfectly with nice summer weather, I got a great exhibition of the european “terrace” culture which I have only heard, read and seen in movies. Streets after streets were teeming with people sitting outdoors and dining or taking in home brewn beer or just a plain cappuccino. The skies were clear, the buildings were archaic, the streets were narrow and conjusted and the people were merry – symbolising the typical European terrace lifestyle on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The first thing I noticed as I walked the streets of Antwerp was that things are definitely much smaller in Europe compared to US. Flying in from Texas, where everything is big, Europe kind of restored some semblance to my skewed scale of things. The people were fitter, healthier and there were more people on bikes or on feet than people on car. There was abundant public transportation to take you to places of interest, and it was a nice change to not feel your car keys in the pocket. Many a times, walking through streets of old European cities reminded me of Bombay with its old Victorian architecture on narrow streets.

The train ride from Amsterdam to Antwerp, gave me a flavor of the Dutch countryside. With more than 50% of land below sea-level and with extremely fat landscape, Amsterdam is well renowned for its dairy products. The Dutch lunch is strange, couple of slices of bread, a piece of meat, soup and 2 glasses of milk – almost a second breakfast! Normally, a super flat landscape with absence of hills and mountains would be boring. But the dutch countryside is lush green with beautiful farms, filled with cattle, goat and horses and traditional windmills alongside rivers and canals to add further beauty. The Dutch love to bike, which is evident from 3 storied cycle parking structures at some of the stations and the special right of way that cyclists possess on the road.

Belgium, is very similar to Holland, with people in north speaking dutch whereas people is south speaking French. Sights like Grand Palace Square and other historic palaces make Brussels a hot spot for tourist activities. Antwerp is a tiny bustling city on the banks of Shelde River and world famous for its diamond market. I was also fortunate to visit cities like Cologne, Bonn & Dusseldorf along the Rhine in Germany. As expected, people in Germany did not speak as much English as their western neighbours, and I tried to apply my limited german skills to navigate while we were away from the city. Girls in germany were extremely beautiful, and at most times I had to shift my appreciation of beauty from architectural to human. Cologne, or Koln as the locals may call, is also the birth place of eau de cologne, and I made sure I got my own small bottle before departing.

For most people from East, USA seems like the most liberal and progressive country in the world. Unfortunatley, it’s nothing but a glorious misconception portrayed by latte sipping Hollywood actresses and blonde bedding hunks. Europe in true sense has a much more open culture than the US and no where is it more clear than Amsterdam. Tourists throng the famed “Coffee Shops” and the legendary “Red Light District” (RLD) areas along the canals. Walking through the lively, and super touristy RLD lanes in Amsterdam is a unique experience in itself and sometimes you wonder how the local society accepts such a set-up.

Although Europe tended to be expensive place to travel for a tourist, it is a great place to work. The work culture is relaxed with ample holidays, and life in general seemed slow and cheerful than other parts of world. However, the thing which annoyed me the most was the absence of free restrooms and drinking water. Given that water costed more than Beer, I decided to use the cheaper of the two to quench my thirst most of the times! Europe definitely turned out to be prettier and more enjoyable than what I had imagined, and definitely intend to make multiple trips to the continent to discover all that it has to offer!