One last trip....

One last trip.......... HEATHROW to JFK!!!!!!

We are at the airport and our flight departs in about 20 minutes. It really seems like we have been gone from India for ages already! We are all so excited to be "home" again. Many blogs to come from this trip once I have my beloved laptop back!!!

See most of you very soon!

:)

Almost home!!!!!!!!!!!! Last stop (almost)... Rome!!

OK, we are definitely LOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEEE Italia!! Venice was perfection... Bologna also was just a terrific city (ohhhh, the food!) and now we have been in Rome for 2 days and it is awesome as well. Finally found an internet place that likes my photos... too bad I now have over 900, yes that is NINE HUNDRED great shots on my SD card!! This is after deleting all the crappy ones on the train ride to Rome!! What a trip this has been already! So I am obviously not posting 900 photos here on my blog... at this point it will need to wait until we get back, and I will post the link to our Picasa site and you can browse through them when you have an hour to spare!! Here are just a few highlights... I will try to pick just 2 pics from each stop (if I can help myself!!)

Taylor hops right into a black cab at London's Heathrow Airport heading to our hotel... the cabbie has her backpack... they loved the black cabs which fit the Patnodes comfortably in the back... they have 5 seats, facing each other..

Andrew and Lauren resting on a street corner after the London Eye ride... Big Ben and the Parliament in the background.

Many nice beers, many nice pubs... The London Eye and below it, the Mall Road in front of Buckingham Palace...


On to Paris... Luxembourg Gardens (did not lose Lauren here)...Eiffel Tower (did not lose Lauren here)...Euro Disney (did not lose Lauren here)...Exploring the city streets (did not lose Lauren here)...

The Louvre Museum... yep... lost Lauren here!! But she did get to see the Mona Lisa first, and so did Taylor...

Venice...

Bag sale near the Rialto Bridge... I would never have bought 2 of these bags, not even if Taylor bargained them down to a giveaway price... because that would have been WRONG!
Rome... The Trevi Fountain...

Lauren in the Sistine Chapel with her pet lizard...Vatican City...
"Piazza di Spagna" ... On the Spanish Steps...

Ahhhhhhhh Venice!

Well, the overnight train was an adventure! We pulled out of Paris' Bercy Station last night at 9pm... our sleeper cabin for 6 consisted of the Patnode 5 and a 70 year old lady from Paris who spoke only French and Spanish!! I felt so sorry for poor Rose! She bonded with Lauren right away and I think by this morning she truly meant it when she said (I think), "lovely to meet you all".
The night on the train deserves a novel on it's own and I just don't have the time for it all... but the train stopped at the Italy border and a bunch of police got on and sifted through the guy in the cabin next to ours bags... and hauled him off the train at 4am!!

Venice is realy beyond words. Pat and I agree it is by a mile our favorite city - and I thought Sydney would never be outdone in my book! It is just mesmerizing.... and surprisingly inexpensive compared to Paris!! The people are super friendly and the food is WOW!!!! We will be here only two days and then it is off to Bologna (just an hour's train ride from here)...
Will definitely try to upload the photos here tonight!!!

Euro Disney

Yesterday we tackled Euro Disney!! Still no pictures for you as these hotel and Internet cafes are fussy in France about downloading applications to their computers... maybe worried about the swine flu??!! I will try again in Italy tomorrow.
Disney Paris felt very familiar. It was built as a replica of Disney World in Orlando, where we have been many times. It was the first time for Lauren, and she completely devoured the park!! She rode everything like a trooper... even Big Thunder Mountain!!! I think the highlight for the kids were the bunk beds in the Disney Dream Castle.
We are leaving Paris today after a quick spin over to the Louvre Museum. We are taking the overnight train to Venice tonight!

In Paris!!!

Sad to say, still no photos!!!! I have now located a great Cyber Cafe, here in Paris... but everything is in FRENCH if you can imagine that... and even the "helper" guy does not speak any English!!! So I will carry on the best that I can without any pics.

We all absolutely LOVED London. We ended up spending most of our last day at the Science Museum, which the kids really enjoyed. Will have tons of pics to share once I can figure it out.

Eurostar to Paris from London was a breeze. St. Pancras Station is clean, beautiful, and efficient... just like all of London! The kids were excited to travel through the chunnel.... although I am not sure we really even knew it when it happened!

Paris is much more difficult to navigate. Somehow we have managed with Pat's limited French. The sights are awesome, but the city is really a filthy mess!! And our standards are pretty low after this past year in India!! We spotted more rats at the Eiffel Tower last night than we saw in India in a year ... BY FAR!!!!!!!!
I must say though, it was pretty amazing sitting at mass in the Cathedral of Notre Dame though!!

It happens to be Bastille Day today, so we started the day with French pastries and watched the parade. Tonight they are having fireworks over the Eiffel Tower, which we can see from our hotel room. Tomorrow we will spend the day at Euro Disney and then Thursday night we will take the overnight train to Venice.

That is all I can update without my pics. I will try again tomorrow!!

In London!!!!!

Well, here we are... in London!!! The flight was perfect, the kids slept, ate and watched the Hannah Montana movie (thank goodness for Hannah) for 10 hours! So far it has been the London Eye, Big Ben and the Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, the changing of the guard at Buckingham and lunch at a pub. And it's just been day one! Can't download my photos until tomorrow, so I will post them then! Off to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground now in Hyde Park. Promise to post pics tomorrow.

Thank You India!!!!!

No need for tear filled goodbyes, this year has been everything we had hoped and so, so, so much more!!  We are flying out tonight and I think this photo really says it all!!

Next stop... London.  I will blog from there for sure!!!!f

Karavalli

This week we went out for a great dinner at Karavalli. Joined by our India "family", the Katragaddas. We have really enjoyed spending time with Gopi and Seema, and their kids Prenav and Aditi. It is especially handy to have them around when ordering food at an Indian restaurant!!!

Karavalli specializes in southern Indian coastal cuisine and it was really terrific. They serve on traditional banana leaf plates... also in this picture, to the right of my non-traditional, ridiculously spicy Bloody Mary, is vegetable soup, served in a copper and glass drinking mug.
Andrew was strategically seated next to Seema's Mom, and was on his best behavior!

Lauren loves the hand cleansing bowl...

At the end of the meal, we were asked if we'd like some paan (pronounced pahn). Paan is chewed as a palate cleanser and a breath freshener. It is also commonly offered to guests and visitors as a sign of hospitality and as an "ice breaker" to start conversation. It also has a symbolic value at ceremonies and cultural events in south and southeast Asia. Paan makers may use tobacco as an ingredient in their paan fillings. Although most types of paan contain areca nuts as a filling, some do not. Other types include what is called sweet paan, where sugar, candied fruit and fennel seeds are used. I was intrigued by the look of it... neatly wrapped in a leaf...

Gopi dug right in, and Seema and her sister, along with their Mom took one, so... what the heck... we LIVE in India for goodness sake! Gopi smiled as Pat and I accepted...

Gopi told us it is proper to eat the entire thing at once - I really thought we were being "punked" and looked around for Ashton Kutcher. But then I peeked over and saw Grandma chomping away with her mouth full, so we went for it. I can't say it was great... must be an acquired taste. It tastes sort of like I would imagine a mouthful of potpourri wrapped in a freshly picked oak tree leaf might taste. I mean that in the nicest possible way!!! I convinced myself it must be in some way good for my digestive system and after at least 5 minutes of chewing, it was gone.

There are many regional variations of paan and the custom dates back to as far as 2600 BC!! Paan eating was taken to its zenith of cultural refinement in the pre-partition era in North India, where paan eating became an elaborate cultural custom, and was seen as a ritual of the utmost sophistication. The traditional way of paan making, storing and serving is interesting. The leaves are stored wrapped in a moist, red colored cloth called 'shaal-baaf', inside a metal casket called 'PaanDaani'. The PaanDaani has several lidded compartments, each for storing a different filling or spice. To serve, a leaf is removed from the wrapping cloth, de-veined, and kattha and lime paste is generously applied on its surface. This is topped with tiny pieces of Areca nuts, cardamom, saffron, (un)/roasted coconut pieces/powder, cloves, tobacco etc, according to the eater's personal preferences. The leaf is then folded in a special manner into a triangle, called 'Gilouree' and is ready to be eaten.

Add it to the list of firsts for the Patnodes this year!

Friends...

Yesterday we said "see you later" to great friends, the Harveys. The kids played and had a sleepover...

While the adults had a last dinner together at Shiro...

Roadside Vendors...

Roadside vendors are abundant in India. You see them absolutely everywhere, crowding the streets, especially on the main roads which are heavily travelled. They sell nearly everything you can think of... Watermelon... Peanuts...
Ice cream...

Veggies...
Need a knife??? No problem!

Even fresh drinking water...
Most vendors have carts on wheels, just like this one, which they push from place to place and cover up with tarps at night...

I love this picture that I snapped yesterday... check out the 2 customers, eating their chaat (Indian snack... yummy, but terribly unhealthy!), the cart owner in the middle, and the guy squatting down off to the right, washing the used chaat plates off in a bucket for the next customers. The two guys eating are completely unfazed by this... YIKES!

Back to the hotel!!

Well, we have come full circle here in India. Yesterday we moved BACK into the hotel here!! Just 13 more days here in Bangalore - a two week vacation in Europe - and then we will be home, sweet home.

Sadly, we did not get the same room # here from last year. We were in 222, and everyone loved repeating it back to us, "trrrrriple two??". Instead we are in 218, oh well, it will do!

Keep in mind we lived here at this hotel for our first 2 months in India. By the time we moved out, we were pretty sick of it. Somehow, moving back in felt great! .

The last 2 weeks have been full of goodbyes. Nearly all of the expats who are not leaving for good, go on "holiday" to their home countries for the summer. So it really is a mass exodus at this time of year... reminicent of a college graduation day, loads of people saying their final goodbyes and packing up their dorm rooms. Everyone heading in their own direction.

We already have plans to meet up with friends. We will meet the Hendersons in Windsor while we are in the UK, and the Sheens will visit us in Saratoga the weekend after we return. See you later is much easier to say than goodbye!

As promised, I will keep the blog up right through our Europe trip. Our itinerary is: London, Paris, Euro Disney, Venice, Bologna, Rome, London... whew! There's always time for sleep back in NY :)

Mission Impossible... making a return in India...

It is nearly impossible to return anything in India. Honestly.

We nearly made it through the entire year without needing to try. Until this weekend. In a silly moment, I bought Pat a pair of jeans without having him try them on. OK, so obviously they did not fit.

Saturday we headed out to make the big "R". I should call it the big "E", since returns are not possible, even with a receipt... exchanges only... even in major department stores! So anyway, we approached security (outside the front door) with the bag. Checkpoint #1. The guard examined the jeans and directed us to security guard #2 (inside the front door). He also checked the bag and directed us to "bag check security" about 20 feet from checkpoint #2. Bag check security examined the jeans and the receipt and produced a clear plastic box... sort of like a briefcase. He proceeded to "lock" the jeans in the box (seriously... key and all!!) and directed us to customer service at the rear of the store. Cameras are not permitted inside the store, so it was only now, past all the initial security, that I could try to snap a photo of all this madness! Even at this point, it was nearly impossible, as their are sales assistants planted in virtually every nook and cranny of the store. I did get this one shot of Pat with the case!!

OK, so now we reach customer service and the clerk their gets the keys and unlocks the box, grills us a bit about what is wrong with the jeans, generates an exchange slip and sends us out to find a new item. On to the next challenge. Making the actual exchange. At this point, I had lost concentration and left Pat with the 3 sales clerks who were "helping" him at the register. I shopped on my own for 20 minutes until he appeared carrying the bag... taped closed. We then had the bag checked by the exit security, and, finally, we were free! Quite an ordeal.

Student Led Conferences

A terrific concept at Indus International School... student led conferences. Held after the last day of classes, these conferences are set up for each child to present their year long portfolio to their parents and teachers. They were terrific!! It also gave us a chance to roam around the amazing campus one last time...

The amphitheater...
Race back to the top...
Taylor points out some of her favorite trees...
Off to the playground of science...
How many students to lift Lauren on the pulley swing??

Andrew with his posse (what is with that face??)...

Taylor presents her portfolio...

And says a final goodbye to her friend Bowdica and her siblings, returning home to Finland today for summer break...