Cochem an Der Mosel- Travel in Covid time

Right after we moved in Germany, I started reading about the interesting places and especially about the Palaces. Even though, Neuschwanstein Castle is the most well known castle in Deutschland, there are plenty of fairytale castles and among them I found Burg Eltz exceptionally beautiful. Every time I saw a photo of Burg Eltz, it reminded me of the Harry Potter. There is another castle nearby- The Cochem palace. It is also beautifully situated on a hill top in the Mosel region. However, it is a little (or more) difficult to reach Cochem by public transport. Hence, we have decided that, we should wait till one of us gets driving permit here.

                                    

                                                                      Autobahn

2020 started with a lot of promises and it all got crashed like a toxic relationship. While, my plans about life got stalled, all the travel plans have also gone kaput. After a few months, first time since COVID19 outbreak, we went somewhere. It was my birthday weekend and Cochem became our destination. 

The journey- 

The journey from München via car is scenic and beautiful. It is nearly 500km from München and there are more than one scenic routes that you can take. During our journey from München to Cochem , we took the regular route. While returning from Cochem, we took a different route though the Black Forest, and the journey was exciting. 

Where to stay-

Cochem is a resort town and it is a bit on the expensive side. There are plenty of Villas and Hotels and most of them provide a beautiful view of the River Mosel, flowing along the Cochem town. We stayed in Villa Vinum. A comfortable, cozy and vintage hotel with big rooms and nice views.

      

A Lady volunteered to click a photo of us

         

Cochem at Night 

         

Rathaus

         

         Cochem an der Mosel- view from Cochem Palace 

Day1- 

We have drove from Munich to Cochem. The driving through the Autobahn is always a fantastic experience. The change of surroundings, the Nuclear plants (of Dark fame), the hills and mountains and at the end the first sight of Mosel river- it is a must-see experience. The first glance of Cochem an der Mosel was enough for us. to like this pretty little town . 

                                                   

                                                                       Cochem Castle

                                                   

                                                               Admiring the Wine Shop 

We went for a stroll at the promenade in the evening. There are plenty of pubs with good view of the Cochem castle and the Mosel river. Post dinner, we walked a bit more around the town. The Rathaus is a pretty little Altbau-Fachwerkhaus and on a lazy day, one can sit with a local wine and can spend hours.

                                                  

                                                            Cochem Palace courtyard 

Day 2- 

Mosel region is famous for its dry Riesling wine. The town is surrounded by vineyards and for us it was a beautiful experience. The path to Cochem palace is through some vineyard and from the Palace courtyard the view is extraordinary! The day was hot and humid. After coming down from Cochem Castle, we decided to visit the cute little village- Beilstein. Oh boy! What a pretty, picturesque village Beilstein is. It is full of colours, traditional architecture, cute cafes and overall a beautiful place to walk around. Do visit Beilstein, if you plan to visit Cochem. The dinner was, as the Germans would say "sehr lecker" and the wine was as always fantastic. We were tired when we returned to our hotel. Even though the next day was my birthday, I dozed off.

Cheers!

Pretty village- Beilstein

Historic wine cellar at Beilstein 

One with the dude!

Day 3-

Yoohooo my Birthday! Well, no! I wasn't this ecstatic about my Birthday! However, I was excited about our day. Burg Eltz! I had a nice surprise at the Breakfast table when the Hotel management decided to surprise me with wine and flowers! I thought that was alcohol free wine (silly me), but it was actual wine! 

Birthday breakfast and wine

Magical Burg Eltz

We began right after breakfast. From the Parkplatz 3, there are 2 options to reach to Burg Eltz. You can take the Bus service or you can hike. We decided to Hike because, we love Hiking. It was around a 3km Hike through the forrest. Burg Eltz has been there on my wishlist for quite many years now and the Castle is as wonderful as it is in the photos. It is a straight-from the Gothic fairytale architecture and absolutely mesmerising. Even though we traveled during the Pandemic, the place was full with Stacationers. It was raining like cats and dogs (inevitable on my birthday), hence we took the bus while coming down.

Off the route-

The drive from Cochem to Burg Eltz is absolutely mesmerising and on our way up we saw some beautiful trails around. While coming down we decided to follow those tracks and to see where it goes. That was the best decision we made there.

                                           

                                            

Near Wierscheim, there is a tiny town named Münstermaifeld. The huge stretch of green and yellow around the town can confuse you for a moment, and you might think you are in another European country. The food we had in Münstermaifeld was extremely tasty and I did not have any bad wine in that region.

In the evening, we opted for another riverside restaurant for Dinner.

Day 4-

While coming back from Cochem to München, we decided to visit the Hanging bridge of Gaierley. This bridge is located in Mörsdorf and we would have missed a very scenic place, if we didn't go there. It's a beautiful 2km hike from the parking place and while coming down, the path is like "live wallpaper". We came back with a wish to visit Mörsdorf in future and stay there for a couple of days to explore the neighbourhood.

Picturesque Mörsdorf 

Gaierley Hanging bridge 

Hanging bridge of Gaierley -

 

Way back to München

Leben in Deutschland- Der Anfang

Leben in Deutschland ist nicht einfach. Ich mag diesem Land, aber die Regeln sind schwierig und manchmal möchte ich nach Delhi fahren. Ich weiß nicht warum, aber ich fühle täglich traurig. Ich bin Perfektionistin und das ärgerte mir sehr. Es ist nicht erfreulich, ob ich etwas nicht gut lernen kann. Deshalb habe ich diese blog angefangen, damit ich besser Deutsch schreiben kann.

Ich dachte, dass ich über meine Erfahrung in Deutschland schreiben kann. Manchmal fühle ich, wo ist meinem Kopf. Es ist natürlich hier, oben meinen schultern, aber es gibt viele Dinge dort, deswegen bin ich nervös, und viele Fehler machen. 

Heute ich habe eine Wohnung besuch abstatten. Ich mag die Wohnung trotzdem finde ich den Vermieter ein bisschen lustig. Er spricht kein Englisch und wir haben in Deutsch gesprochen. 

Leben in Deutschland- es ist interessant, aber es ist einsamer. Ich bin immer introvertiert. Deshalb, ich sehe mehr als sprechen. Meine freunden sind alles in verschiedene Lander und ich weiß nicht, warum fühle ich einsam. Heute Abend war ich ein lied gehört, über Heimat land und sagt ich mir, ich weiß jetzt, warum du traurig bist! :)

Letter to my 16-yrs old self

 

Dear 16-years old Nabanita,

 

don't get shocked that your older version is writing you a letter. Umm, on a second thought, I don't think you will be shocked. Life seems a bit lonely and shitty right now, I know. You are losing faith from everything around, but remember, I still remember that dream. Let me tell you something, that dream is called a "dystopia". Hold on to that part, the part that sees the future.

I know you have started sinking into that darkness. Can I ask you to hold on, just for few more years. Yes, the difficult part is yet to come, and you will quit. Of course, I am writing to you means, you will not succeed. Let me tell you, don't try. The next 10 years will be more difficult and Darkest! There will be struggles, in next 5 years. Some worse than any, and you will be brave. That is inside you. Inside, what right now feels broken, it will become stronger than anything you have ever felt.

Don't stop dreaming and take care of your health. It will trouble you a lot. You are already reading too much, and I want you to not to go too deep, but then I actually wouldn't mean that. Learn, as much as you can.

Don't stop singing. Don't stop pouring your heart out. One day, you will feel, it is better to keep it all inside. Don't do that. Not everything will happen the way you want. No, that is not your fault, but just because it is not your fault, does not mean, you cannot be rescued. And getting rescued is not bad, it should not make you feel small. There is nothing more important than living, okay? Please, don't forget that. Don't forget that there's light at the end of the tunnel. Keep that hope alive!

Take care, think less...

 Your future self :) 

Learning Deutsch- beating the Pandemic blues

Letztes jahr, könnte ich nicht denken, dass in 2020 ich auf Deutsch schreiben kann. Es gibt mir ein gutes Gefühl. Heute im Park, war ich ein Lied gehört und dann dachte ich, kann ich ein Englisches Lied ins Deutsche übersetzen? Ich weiß nicht die Antwort jetzt, aber ich will.

I know I am writing Deutsch like a kid, but this learning is pushing me and I am enjoying this journey. Languages have always attracted me. The origin and changes of the words, pronunciations, usage and a lot of things make languages so different yet so connected to each other. I want to learn Deutsch well and sometimes I feel, people don't understand that desire. Why does everything has to be materialistic? What do you get when you read a poem? Or a good novel? Or sing a song, while sitting alone, by the river, on a summer evening? None of these add any materialistic value in our life, and yet, they make us feel so rich from inside.

Everyday, I only read bad news from everywhere. People are forgetting that there are good things to look forward to. It is like Thanos has played his trick and we didn't even realize when. I am no where close to even "good" in Deutsch, but I am trying. And this is the only good thing in my life right now, that keeps me going, amid all the crisis. May be, next time I will be able to translate and post the lines of that song in Deutsch. Fingers crossed! Stay healthy!

From the Diary- Quarantined, or not!

Das wetter war ganz schlecht letzte Wochenende! Und kann ich schreibe Deutsch besser weil ich in lockdown mehr zeit zum lernen habe.

The above written 2 lines made me happy. To be honest, lockdown is not going good with me. I am studying and learning German, continuing with my work, trying to cook and bake more, while reading more and every night I realise how tired am I becoming. The benefit is that, I think my Deutsch has improved, and I feel more confident while writing or even speaking. Still a long way to go, but as they say, practice makes it perfect.

Now coming to the weather, I guess I have complained about the weather here many times. Today, I am not complaining. Yesterday, I was reading something and then I realised that Monsoon is not an official season here. That made a lot of things clear. So, what are the official seasons here. They are - Sommer (summer), Herbst (Fall), Winter und Frühlung (Spring). During Sommer and Winter it Rains frequently. 

There are more greys in my hair now, than there were couple of months back. It is raining heavily now, luckily it started right after I came back from running. Yeah, there comes the second benefit of lockdown. I resumed jogging to deal with my anxiety and I realised how much I missed it. The sunshine and the beautiful weather can sometimes help in removing that cloud that is covering your mind.

I asked myself today, "am I doing better now?" The answer wasn't very satisfying, but I figured, I am doing better than I was doing couple of months back, but I am not doing great! I want to go back to the VolkshochSchule, and I want to be able to commute more, everyday. I want to go and have lunch in a restaurant while watching the passersby. I want to be able to travel again. I want to do many other things, that I don't know how to do or when...

I read in a book that the world is like a game of chess and we are all pawns. Right now, I realise, very few things I have read are truer than that.

I finish this piece here. Und Ich wünsche dir eine gute Woche!

Stay well, Stay healthy. 

From the Diary- Quarantined- Part V

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”― J.R.R. Tolkien

What Tolkien said holds much truth, but I am still asking the question. I am seeing the spiritual quotes and all the wise advises everywhere. I was consoling myself and to be honest I am trying to enjoy the quarantine. I can't say I am not okay. I am, in fact, more than okay with social- distancing. However, I am not okay with not having a life outside my home and its 4 walls. I am not okay about living on throwback photos. I am not okay about having anxiety and panic, most of the time.

The sky is azure, the cherry trees are blossoming. I wish my mind could reflect those colors. The economic reports are depressing. The updates and posts everywhere are just showing how helpless we humans are. Is this the collective Karma of all humankind? I don't know. To be honest, I am least interested in spirituality.

So, in short, I am feeling quite screwed. Frustrated. Angry. Period.

Sorry, Mr. Tolkien, if I don't agree with your beautiful words here.

From the Diary- Quarantined - Part IV

Quarantine! Lockdown! COVID19!

She turned the volume of her headphone up! It was bursting in her ears, but she needed to stop that sound. It was as if she was trying to stop her thoughts with the sounds.

A tear rolled down, she chose to ignore. She could just stop and rest but she needs the pumping heart to defeat the thoughts. She needs to feel tired, to fall asleep at night!

A cherry tree! She looked at it and realized the sky is azure and beautiful today. She stopped, a cherry blossom dropped, and then a few. She stood there, in silence.

From the diary- Quarantined- Part III

33rd day. Never really thought that a month could feel this long. First couple of weeks were difficult, now, not so much. In fact, I could introspect so much during this.

I realized, I don’t mind social distancing. Perks of being an introvert, I would say. I realized, I was becoming empty emotionally, by providing a certain support to a lot of people and when during the initial days of lockdown, I wanted some friends and family badly, hardly, any of those people were there. No hard feelings but Lesson learnt.

I realized, how much I actually love traveling. The long planned canceled trip broke me in a way that I was on the verge of crying more than once.

I had panic attacks so frequently, that I almost went back to a time, when I first learnt what panic attacks are. I realized, I was worried about not having a kid, and what would happen, if I don’t survive this pandemic. Silly, I know, but thoughts are thoughts, right?

Nightmares! I had zombies, pirates and what not in my dreams! I started listening to sleep therapy music and on some nights, nothing really works.

Nature, to my surprise, helped me keep going! The Spring colors, cherry blossom, they are casting magic spells on me and pushing me to hold on... for one more moment, for one more day and so on... 

From the Diary- Quarantined Part II

30th Day in Lock down. Well, honestly, I had to go out to the supermarket, weekly once. Also, I went for jogging in the nearby park, because, I could not deal with the anxiety and panic that was building up inside me. Spring is here and the sky as well as the trees are looking pretty and colorful. I click couple of pics whenever I go to the park and somehow, that has been my driving force.

Cooking was another thing that I indulged into massively these past few weeks. Well, as a food blogger, cooking has always been my favorite in-house activity. However, I don't always get as much time as I am getting now. So, I kinda tried to balance out all those missing times. It's been therapeutic and helped me in some days.

My sleep quality is not good. I am unable to study as much as I should and I can feel that I am losing the grip from whatever I have learned before the pandemic started. I hate it.

We all had plans before the Pandemic came crushing down, on all of us, globally. I was heart-broken after my long awaited road trip got cancelled. I had plans following that trip, life plans. Now, those life plans have also got postponed, indefinitely. Whole life seems to be a topsy-turvy.

Additionally, I feel more distant from people now. I don't like people talking like "know-it-alls" over the video conferences and whatsapps. I feel, some people are either too stupid or too wise. However, when I am looking carefully, I don't see any empaths around. Empathy is rare, and in last 1 month of Quarantine, I could feel it even more. 

More alone than ever? Umm, may be. Stronger, than ever? Of course. A bit Stranger too? Yeah, may be, I will never look at like the same way, I used to. I will not take it for granted. I will be careful about planning my future. COVID-19 has been a learning lesson, at a very personal level.

From the Diary- Quarantined

So, how many days have passed? It’s been 27th day in self-isolation. A strange neck pin (stress) has become a constant companion in last 1 month or so. COVID19 has been the darkest shadow the modern world has ever faced.

I am regretting all those time I wanted some excitement, alien invasion, zombie attack, war like situation in my lifetime. Trust me, I’ll not talk about these things till my last day. This Coronavirus crisis is a cocktail of all those. After watching The Walking dead for 7 long seasons and other zombie movies, I am sure about my zombie-killing skill. Alas, that skill is useless in this crisis. 

After spending 26 days (at least 12 more days to go) in self-isolation, a lot of introspection happened. I realized, how I don’t feel the need for conversations that don’t connect with me. I just started feeling a strange disconnect with a lot of people. Things I have ignored happily earlier, I am not able to do anymore. I am anxious, frequently. I am experiencing panic attacks almost weekly nowadays, and it is not easy to handle them.

May be, that’s why, I am wishing for some heart-to-heart conversations. A simple, how am I doing or what am I thinking about post Coronavirus days or what’s my future planning, or any such questions would be interesting. What series to watch on Netflix or such things are not something I am really enjoying. Irony, most conversations revolve around Netflix series and such.... why can’t people just sit, drink coffee/tea, look at each other and ask things that matter? I am tired of people assuming things about me, which are basically about them. I, for a change, really need some attention, but I guess, that’s just too much to ask.... it’s a patriarchal world, with or without COVID19.

ডায়রীর পাতা থেকে

....And it's whispered that soon, If we all call the tune

Then the piper will lead us to reason

And a new day will dawn

For those who stand long

And the forests will echo with laughter.....

গানটা চালানো ছিল একটানা| বাসের জানলার কাঁচ দিয়ে দেখছিলাম আরো একটা সূর্যাস্ত| মানুষের বাড়ি ফেরা| ফিরছিলাম আমিও, তবে কিনা অনেক বিরক্তি নিয়ে | এক একদিন এক একটা গান শান্তি নিয়ে আসে মনে| কিছুক্ষন আগে অবধি ট্রেন না চলার জন্য , ক্লাস থেকে দেরিতে বেরোনোর জন্য , বাড়ি ফিরতে দেরি হওয়ার জন্য , জিমের সবকিছু নিয়েও এসবের জন্য না যেতেপারার জন্য যে ভীষণ বিরক্তি লাগছিলো , সেসব কমে গেলো| সরলরেখার মতো রাস্তার ধারের সরে যাওয়া আলোগুলো দেখতেদেখতে মনে হলো, সত্যি আজ ভীষণ ক্লান্ত লাগছে !

......."And if you listen very hard

The tune will come to you at last......"

অস্তগামী

বুঝলি , কফি টা আর ছাড়তে পারলামনা .

এরকম করে দেখলে হবে? এই যে তুই এই "উফ" করিস , এটার জন্যই তো .

মনে আছে আমি কিরকম ভয় পেতাম যে আমরাও যদি একদিন ক্লিশে হয়েযাই? তুই বলেছিলি হলে হবো , নিজেদের মতো ক্লিশেহবো , কি যায় আসে তাতে ?

সেই যেদিন রেগে গিয়ে ঝড়ের গতিতে বেরিয়ে গিয়ে তারপর আবার মেসেজ করেছিলি , "ধুর বড্ডো ফিল্মি হয়েগেলো ব্যাপারটা" আমি টেনশন কেটে যাওয়ায় বারান্দায় প্রায় আর্কিমিডিস হয়েগেছিলাম .

তারপর বুঝিনি , কোথা দিয়ে যে কেজো হয়েগেছিলাম . তুই একদিন বললি ভ্যালেনটাইন ডে নয় , তুই এভরি ডে, আর ভেবেবসলাম তুই বুঝি ব্রেক চাস . ভাগ্যিস , ফ্রেন্ডস এর রস আর রাচেল হওয়ার ইচ্ছে ছিলোনা আর তোর বিবেচনা বোধটা চিরকাল অবলীলায় আমায়  দাঁড়িয়ে দাঁড়িয়ে গোল দেয় . তাই তোর লম্বা মেসেজ গুলো আবার একবার সবকিছু একদম নরমাল করে দিয়েছিলো . তুইযদিও মানিসনি . 

ওরকম হাঁ করে তাকিয়ে থাকিসনা , কোনোদিন তো বলিনা কিছু . আজ নাহয় আমি বলি আর তুই শোন . চিন্তা করিসনা , সবটাভালো না . একটু পরেই খারাপ গুলো বলবো বুঝলি তো .

তোর মনটা প্রাসাদের মতো . উম না ভুল, ভুলভুলাইয়ার  মতো  . আমি মাঝে মাঝে বুঝতে পারতামনা দরজা অবধি যাবোকিভাবে ! কেমন যেন তোর মনের দরজা গুলো তোর মনখারাপের মরসুমে গায়েব হয়েযেতো . দেয়াল , কাঁটা , বার বার একই রাস্তা, কিন্তু দরজা নেই ! যেন কোনো দৈত্যকে আটকে রেখেছিস একটা দরজাবিহীন জায়গায় . মনে হতো মাথা ঠুকি নিজের , আরসত্যি বলতে মাঝে মাঝে তোর মাথাটাও জোরে ঠুকে দিতে ইচ্ছে করতো . ঢুকতে চাইতাম , তোর মনের অন্ধকার কণাগুলোয় , কিন্তুতুই দৃঢ় প্রত্যয়ে বার বার পাল্টে ফেলেছিস ভুলভুলাইয়ার ম্যাপ .

কি ভাবছিস ? এতো কিকরে জানলাম ? তাহলে শোন , এটাও জানি যে তোর মন খারাপ হলে তবে চোখ গুলো ওই যেটাকে বলে রহস্যময়ী স্মোকি হয় আর ঠোঁট গুলো হয় নেশাতুর লাল. কিন্তু হাজার লুকোলেও , তোর স্মোকি চোখের কোনায় যে আমি মেঘের ছায়া দেখতে পেতাম !

এগুলো কি কোনোটা সত্যি ক্লিশে? তোর বলা কথাটাই সত্যি মনে হয় আজ . আমরা আমাদের মতো. তবে কিনা তোর ডার্ক সার্কেল, তোর স্মোকি চোখ , তোর ভুলভুলাইয়া , এগুলো তোকে বানিয়েছিলো আমার সবথেকে পছন্দের মানুষ .

আঃ , এরকম ভাবে তাকিয়ে থাকিসনা , তুই জানিসনা এসব তাতো নয়. আচ্ছা শোন না , ঘুমোবি একটু এখন ? বাকি ডাইরীটা তারপর পড়বো ?

হ্যাঁ রে ,জ্বালা করছে ভিতরে ? মেশিনের আওয়াজ টা কানে লাগছে? বুঝতে পারিনা জানিস , তবু ওটা যেন  আমায় বোঝায় তুই এখনো আছিস , শুনছিস আমার কথাগুলো . জানিস , আজকাল সিগারেট আর খেতে পারিনা . মনে হয় এই মেশিনটা ঠিক আমার পাশে বিপ বিপ করে . তুই জেগেওঠ প্লিজ . আমরা আবার আমাদের মতন একটু ক্লিশে হবো আরেকবার . প্লিজ জেগে ওঠ .