Against The Grain

Against The Grain

June 2007, Little Switzerland/Petite Suisse.

Over the weekend I went hiking in Luxembourg, through an area popularly known as ‘Petite Suisse’ or ‘Little Switzerland’. It was fabulous and refreshing to spend two days tramping up, down and even through hills with bird songs and rain drops for company. It was a place filled with thin tall trees, shallow valleys, little waterfalls, clear streams, bright green meadows and huge awe-inspiring rocks and gorges. Most of the time was spent listening to the music made by the wind rushing through the tree tops far above like a mountain stream or on the first day, the tinkling sounds of rain drops dripping down from million different leaves. Today’s photo was taken at the end of the first day’s hike as we tiredly made our way back to civilization.

An added bonus was the cabriolet/convertible we were able to rent. There is something about being in an open top car with the wind rushing through your hair, good music in your ears and driving on roads that snake through or skirt by beautiful green meadows, hidden valleys and overhanging trees that puts a smile on your face and makes you forget all about the rest of the world. Now I know what I was missing all this time!

We Were Together

We Were Together

December 2006, Salzburg.

This week has perhaps been the most hectic one week since I came here. First, there were all the organizational and technical details of the international scientific conference that some of us grad students organized on Thursday and Friday and on which we had been working on for almost a year, then the data seminar I had to present in the lab on Wednesday, then the poster of my research work I had to design and print in time for the above conference, then gettting my passport renewed in time so that I can get my visa extended before it expires later this month, then the payment and delivery issues with the cameras I bought off ebay, then dealing with my ever expanding mice, etc etc! Somehow, in the end everything went off smoothly and successfully. Especially the conference. Even if I say so myself, everyone, from the invited speakers to the participants, were totally impressed with the quality and professional organization of the conference. We even had a live band for the welcome party whose music was liked by all, the food was delicious, the wine surprisingly good and the Caipirinha’s decent. I guess all the hard work paid off even if I almost broke a finger while crushing ice for the cocktails by hitting it with a wooden mallet! Next year it will be even bigger as apparently a Nobel laureate has agreed to give a talk.

Now, as I relax and unwind, I’m led to believe, after how this week passed off, that there is something called hope after all.