Zoo-ed at Frankfurt

Zoo is a place I always like to visit. While it is sometimes a sad affair to see the wild animals tied up within the confinement of a closed place, however, it is heartening to see that some of the zoos take special care of the animals and provide them as much as a natural habitat as possible. Last week when I had absolutely nothing to do, I thought of wandering about and pay a visit to a zoo here. Here are some of the choicest snaps I could click.

Day end at the Main

Christmas is coming and celebration is in the air and among the people here. I thought of visiting the Christmas Market at Romerberg in the evening. After spending sometime there, I proceeded to be on the beautiful banks of the river Main. The sun setting down far in the west was a a fantastic capture.

Sun setting at in far west on the Main

  The feeling is similar of what we see in Bengal in Set-Oct, in anticipation of the Durga Puja. Some more pictures at the Main river.

And then there is this picture that was being drawn by an artist on the S-Bahn station at Hauptwache. Fantastic, isn't it? What a talent?

The Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci

  

Visit to Ramakrishna Mission at Muhlheim

I was fortunate to get an opportunity to visit the Ramakrishna Mission at Muhlheim yesterday. It was one of the three centers in Germany and also the smallest one. Muhlheim is a suburb some 20 kms from Frankfurt and it takes barely 22 minutes by train from the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, the Central Station.

I started early in the morning and reached Hauptbahnhof at 8:30 am to catch a train to Muhlheim at 9 am. It barely took me 20 odd minutes to reach the Muhlheim am Main station. From the station, it was another 15 minutes walk to the Ashram building. For sometime I was completely flummoxed since I didn't see anything structure that would look like an Ashram ( as we see in India). I was in the friendly neighborhood with single houses though Google Maps was suggesting that I has reached the destination. On looking carefully, I saw a very small signboard which made me realize that the building I was looking at was the Ashram itself.

I entered and was greeted by Swami Bhaswatananda ji. Swami Bhaswatanandaji is the resident Swami of the Ashram and has been living in this Ashram building for the last 9 years. He is from South India and speaks fluently in German and English. He showed me the shrine of the Master, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsha Dev and was also kind enough to let me take a picture.

The Shrine of the Master at the Ashram

I had a brief conversation with the Swamiji over tea and took his leave. Swamiji had informed me that there will be Satsang in the evening, from 4:30 pm. I came back to Frankfurt by noon and again took a trip to the Ashram in the afternoon. I attended Satsang for 3 hours before returning back to Frankfurt again by late evening.

More details on the Ashrama is available here.

Tribute to two great Bengali artists

Though miles away from Bengal and India, I cannot resist myself from writing this post to pay tribute two great Bengali artist, Atulprasad Sen and Manna Dey. This composition will tell you why:

A day at the Rhine Falls

With five of my colleagues, I went to visit the Rhine Falls on Saturday. Rhine Falls is the largest plain waterfall in Europe and was formed some 14,000 to 17,000 years ago in the Ice Age.. From Zurich Airport, it takes about 40 minutes by train to reach the Falls. 

More details about Rhine Falls

Here are some incredible pictures and videos of the Falls.

This quiet river meets the Falls

Another view of the river

The Falls

Now in Zurich again...

A X-Mas tree with Swarovski crystals 

My work has brought me to Zurich again in less than a month's time. I flew from Bangalore to Frankfurt and after a few hours halt, come down to Zurich. First five days was all work and no play and hence we decided to take some time off and go about the city. On Friday night (19-Nov), we went to visit the Bahnhofstrasse next to the Hauptbahnhof. We didn't expect that so many people would be on the street on a Thursday night. Bahnhofstrasse was very beautifully decorated with LED night and there was live performances every 50 meters on the street. It was really welcome change to see so many people on the street welcome the holiday season after the gruesome terrorist attack in Paris. A great sight was that of a X-Mas tree built with Swarovski crystals.

A human X-Mas tree singing choir

Well lit up buildings add to the glitter

Happy Diwali to one and all

Today is Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of lights. On this auspicious occasion, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous year (Samvat 2072) ahead.

Beginning of any auspicious event or occasion begins with the puja of Lord Ganesha, the benevolent Elephant God. May Vinayaka shower His blessings to one and all.

I am so very grateful that I could celebrate Diwali with my family this year. We lit diyas at our house in the evening and then lit sparklers with Torsha and Tojo. I wanted to make it a sound pollution free Diwali and hence avoid crackers.

In the afternoon, I visited the Ramakrishna Math, Ulsoor, and have the privilege to see the Paramhansha, Ma and Swamiji. A blessing indeed.

Have a peaceful year ahead. May the Universal Force always be with us.

Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om Shanti   

Back to India...

My work has now brought me to Bangalore for a few days and I am not complaining at all. Though I missed being with my family during the Durga Puja festival in mid-Oct, I will be with them during Diwali and this is a awesome feeling. Cannot thanks the good Lord enough. Sharing a nice Pronam mantra rendered by Sri Robin Ganguli.

Frankfurt Marathon 2015

The 35th Frankfurt Marathon is underway as I write this post. There has been a huge build up to this race. My live on a road which is on the route of the race, hence when I went down, I saw a lot of spectators standing on both sides of the road and cheering the marathoners up. There were small group of young folks who were playing drums and other musical instrument and these only added to the din and bustle of the street. Here are some of the snaps I took of the event:

Frankfurt Marathon 1

Frankfurt Marathon 2

Frankfurt Marathon 3

Frankfurt Marathon 4

A pause

Today is a Sunday and I am doing nothing. I am just taking a pause and in this state, I wish to ask for nothing to God. Isn't this a right moment to ask "God, give me complete contentment in whatever condition you choose to keep me in; let me wish to ask for nothing."

Came across a fantastic post here on Genuine Yearning and Utter Surrender.

Scenes from Stockholm

My work has brought me to Sweden this week and I have been to two cities in the late two days, the first is the capital city of Stockholm and second, Gotenburg aka Goteborg, 1 hour of flight from Stockholm. Gotenburg is where the headquarters of Volvo and SKF are located.

I have been staying in a hotel which is away from the city and nearer to the airport. It is actually in the middle of nowhere but does present some nice scenes. Here are are some random pictures.

Back to the den

Hauptbahnhof at night

I came back to Frakfurt yesterday night. For the second time in my trip, the train where I had tickets got cancelled. My confidence in the European railways has not hit the rock bottoms since the miss ratio has been 100%.

After a week of intense labor, I was really tired yesterday. Reached Franfurt at around 9:30 at night and the Hauptbahnhaf was looking splendid with all the lights.

I will not be resting for too long. Traveling tomorrow.

In Zurich today...

In about a week's time, this is the second European city I am visiting. I have come for some official work to Zurich, Switzerland. This time I was not alone and was accompanied by a colleague of mine. It was his idea to take a train from Frankfurt to Zurich instead of taking a flight. We got our tickets done on the previous evening itself and was at the station at 6:30 in the morning for the ICE train. As ill luck would have it, our train got cancelled in the last moment. The replacement train started almost 30 minutes behind schedule but would drop us only till Basel Bud, a small station on the German-Swiss border. From there, we boarded a local train to Basel SSB, a Swiss city this time. Folks familiar to banks would that this city is famous for the Basel norms which are to the followed by all the banks of the world. From Basel SSB, we took a TGV train to Zurich. By the time we landed in Zurich, it was almost 12:30 pm.

This experience is a reminder that things can go wrong developed nations as well.

Frankfurt sight seeing

Euro: A strong currency?

I was out today for my groceries and was thinking to do some sight seeing myself and luckily came across a Frankfurt City Tour bus at the Hauptbahnhof (The Central Station). The hour long tour would cost 15 Euros but one had an option to get down anywhere, spend time in leisure and take the next bus, any other bus for that matter. This luxury would cost a mere 4 Euros more. Of all the sights I came across today, the scene of the Main river that cuts through the heart of the city was the best. I took the bus for a complete circle and then got down took one more, but this time, I got down at the bank of the Main river. A long walk took me some 30 odd minutes around the river and over the bridge. It was fascinated to be see a fleas market on the other bank. I guess this temporary market is set up every weekend and one can expect to see less expensive stuffs here. Many things here are "used" as well. After having a quiet bite at the fleas market, I located one of the city tour bus waiting at the signal, I just hopped in ( I had a day ticket you see).


Here are some of the pictures I could take:

Erstwhile European Central Bank office

Walkway beside the Main

Hauptbahnhof: The Central Station

Main River: cutting through the city

A bridge on the Main

(C) Prijit Debnath. All picturs are taken with a Sony Xperia phone

My first workweek at Frankfurt

Today I completed my first workweek at Frankfurt. This week has been pretty hectic for me. The first past of the week was spent in looking for an accommodation, opening a bank account, getting a local SIM and a phone and in all such initial set up formalities, while the second part of the week was spent in knowing the local team here and in a few meetings.

I am looking forward to the weekend now. I will spend my time in moving around the city and doing a bit of a shopping.

Coming Monday I will be traveling to Zurich and will be there the entire week. I will be back here on Friday evening once my customer meeting is over. 

A home at Frankfurt

Finally, I managed to get an apartment to stay in Frankfurt. Since I will be staying alone, at least in the near term, I was looking for a 1 room (zimmer) apartment here and would have preferred a furnished one as well.

Thankfully, after a bit of search, I finally got a place to stay. I have accommodated myself in a nice Student hostel on the Mainzer Landstr called The Fizz (Studentenwohnheim THE FIZZ Frankfurt Gallus). I have a got a furnished room with a bed, a study table, a chair, a small table with two stools, and a kitchenette which has a microwave oven, and a fridge. I also have an attached bath too.

This place is in Frankfurt Gallus and is within the city and has all the basic amenities. The nest part is that my office is about 2 km from here. I have just moved it and am liking it. Right now, I have to do the initial set up and I guess I will be fine in a day or two.

So far, so good.

First view of the Main

(c) Prijit Debnath. Photo taken  with a Sony Xperia phone

I happened to wander around the Main area today evening. Though dark, I was delighted to take a few snaps of the Main river which flows the heart of the city. It was past 6:30 pm and with the sun setting in, darkness was about the engulf the river bed, though these couldn't deter me taking a few clicks.

(c) Prijit Debnath. Photo taken with a Sony Xperia phone

First day at Frankfurt

A glimpse of Frankfurt's skyline (Captured on a Moto G phone)

My first day at Frankfurt has been a very eventful one. The Lufthansa flight I took from Bangalore was on time and I arrived at Frankfurt airport at 8:30 am in the morning. Immigration and luggage claim didn't take much time and in next 30-45 minutes, I was on my way on a taxi to the hotel. And this is where the fun started. I was told that the check-in time is 3 pm which meant that I had to kill almost 5 hours before i could even get a room. Luckily, the lady at the reception obliged to keep two of my heavy bags in the Cloak room. The weather was not great, it was drizzling a bit but still I thought it would be worthwhile to explore the city a bit despite the rain. I walked down to the train station, called Hauptbarnhoff here and started checking out the place. My little errand took about 2 hours and by the time I came back to the hotel, it was past 12 noon. Another half an hour at the hotel lobby helped me get a room. Relieved at getting the room earlier than what was told earlier, and refreshed after a quick bite, I decided to walk around the city this time. I had some idea, thanks to Google maps but the earlier walk in the morning helped. I walked down to MainzerLand Stasse and then walked down all the way to the Skyline Plaza, one of the largest mall I have ever been to. Five minutes in the mall and I realized that this is a preferred shopping in Frakfurt. A further walk took me to WestgateEnd, a building that has Wipro's office. On the way back, I thought that I should be more adventurous and took a train from Frankfurt Messe station to Hauptbarnhoff. Big deal for me !

To sum up my effort, I must have walked around 6 km in the city today. This should help the fact that I haven't hit the gym in the last 7 days, however, what's more important, I am even more confident for tomorrow.

   

Flying out today

The Traveller
(Courtesy: Aishani Debnath)

I am flying out to Frankfurt today. Last few days were spent in intermittent packing and repacking. The first thing i did in the morning is to web check-in. I always prefer a Window seat on a long distance flight and thankfully, I was able to secure a Window seat this time as well.

Here is my daughter's rendition of my catching the flight. She wants me to leave with enough time in hand so that I don't have to rush at the airport.


Bon Voyage !

The Home search continues...

I have been looking for an accommodation for over 2 weeks now. The entire exercise is being conducted remotely. I have come up with about 5 options as of now. The websites I am relying upon right now are:

http://www.city-residence.de/
http://www.immobilienscout24.de/

I am looking for a 1 room (zimmer) apartment, preferably furnished. I am also talking to some of my friends and colleagues for help. I hope to get something quickly, perhaps in the first week itself.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Padding up...

Before any long term travel, there are some things that every traveler should check out. Here is my list:

1. Medicals: Do a thorough checkup before you leave for long term. You need to know how is your body doing and what are the measures you should take to care yourself. Falling sick in a alien land can be very troublesome, even with insurance. Learn about some basic stuffs such as blood sugar levels, cholesterol, blood pressure etc.

On that note, just read a great article in Fast Company on how bad refined sugar can be for us. You can read the same here.

2. Learn about the city / country: A lot of information is available on the net to learn about the German culture, language, weather and dos & don'ts. Some good information is available on the website  Expat Arrivals. I am sure there are many more. A lot of videos are also available on Youtube. Check those out.

3. Flight and Initial Accommodation: Please take time to understand the flight schedule and initial accommodation. Unsurprisingly, I am flying Lufthansa. Mind you, only Eithad is currently allowing 2 check-in luggage of 23 kg each for Economy class passengers. Lufthansa and Air India allow only 1 luggage of 23 kg. I am glad that I am a Frequent Traveler in Lufthansa and hence will be allowed to take two check-in bags.

4. Forex: Ensure that you have adequate Forex to start with. Germany, I am told, is a cash country.

Do you think I have missed out on something really important? Drop in a comment...

Preparing for Frankfurt

Next week I am travelling to Frankfurt. It will be a kind of temporary relocation for me for the next couple of years. My company thinks that me being close to our customers will help our cause.

The idea to start this blog is to pen down all my experiences and learning while moving to a new place such as Frankfurt. Though I have traveled pretty extensively in the USA, Europe and especially Germany will be a new experience for me. I am sure many of my experiences will come handy for the future travelers, if they go through my posts.

Stay tuned !!