Early Morning ..

Having settled into the routine of marriage, job and the chores - waking up early ( really early ) has become a rare and less savoured art ..

All you working ppl - you know how it is - get up, get ready -leave. Weekends - get up really late .. and all that.

But there are a occasional few mornings in each week when the 20 winks are over soon and you are fresh as daisy and cannot wait to get out of bed.

There are such lovely and deeply satisfying little things that one can do in those early moments - it just makes your day shine till the end.

For me one of the cherished early morning activities are early morning walks - when the rest of the world is in slumber - but the trees, birds - even the wind and the sky are all already on the wake up duty ..

Roads are lined with trees with sunrays filtering through their leaves .. shrubs look freshly bathed with tiny droplets of dew still not 'toweled' .. flowers still on the branches - not plucked by the green thumbs yet , enjoying and exibhiting their beauty to whoever is fortunate enough to witness it. Even the dry leaves, and showers of wild flowers strewn on the street - everything looks fresh and untouched.

Birds - invisible birds in the trees - with all sorts of exotic calls and tunes - chirp and chatter - the sound is the sweetest wake up call on can ever have . One can easily pass a long while just noting the different sounds. Flocks which suddenly leave trees with a flutter - leaving behind a gentle shower of dried leaves slowly gliding down to ground.

The sky is a gentle canvas of shifting colors - its not a riot of colors as during the sunset - but a more subtle display of creamy and snug colors - a lovely mixture of peach and pink and a tinge of violet melting away into the bright morning sun.

Then there are those honorable few on their regular morning walks as well - who are already drunk on the morning freshness and still have the warmth and cheer to nod or wave a "Good Morning" to you.

Among all these luxury awakenings are those who are up on duty - sweepers, cleaners, milkmen, paperwalas, dairy owners, bakery owners, chai-stall owners, some street hawkers picking their goods fresh from the early market and on their way to a busy day. They are regular faces we have seen on other days - but seeing them early morning awakens a new respect for them and their trade. A feeling dawns on you that our smooth running world is thanks to these and many others ..

A leisurely morning walk gives you a new perspective of the things around, fills your heart with cheer and enthusiasm , gives you a few meditative moments and freshens your mind, body and soul for the day that lies ahead - so much of wealth to be gained - if only we can crawl out of the blanket a little early :)

But walks is not always a luxury we can afford. ( In London it indeed is a very very rare treat for us - unless layers of clothes and umbrellas is your idea of liesurely walk :) . Bless India for one more of its numerous selfless offerings to her people.)

On such days an early morning is several other small joys - Steaming cuppa with your favourite music playing. Quick trip to the garden to pluck a few flowers , clean up a few leaves, water your 'darling' plant. Take an early shower to light a diya and agarbatti in front of the pooja .and spend a few long moments in prayer.Managing to 'cook' a breakfast for both of us . Replying to an e-mail long planned. These are small things which are 'nice to do' but always on the back burner because they don't fit the prime-time slot :)

I've seen my ajji rise early every single day of her life - and go about her duties with single-minded dedication. She never missed her morning duties and never needed anyone to fill in for her! Because of her our mornings were always smooth - in our old house - the courtyard sprinkled with water, cleaned and with fresh rangoli,fresh flowers for pooja, fresh milk bolied and ready for tea, teacups, teapots rinsed and ready to make and serve tea, newpaper in the house, hot water heating on stove for bath - hundreds of things which one would assume are always there ! My parents too have followed suit and even added their morning exercise routines to it - but regretably enough none of us siblings have picked this good habit :)

Whatever is ones reason to come out of the bed early enough - there are these own precious moments which for once makes your mind to dwell on the famous saying " Ealry to bed and early to rise - makes one healthy, wealthy and wise! "

Venice

As Lonely Planet says it ..

"Venice is Neptune's portico risen from the deep...but for how long?"
"Venezia, La Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic, city of canals and palaces...or tawdry sewer alive with crowds and charlatans? Venice's nature is dual: water and land, long history and doubtful future, airy delicacy and dim melancholy. If this precious place does sink, the world will be the poorer."



Smitten .. yes! thats exactly what we were from the moment we landed at Treviso airport.

Bright sunny day, roads lined with greenish whitish olive trees, and button cute cafes .. radio in the public transport blaring " Radeo Venezia ..." .. Venice grew on us almost instantly. And we were yet to see the whole of it ..



Friends had warned us against NOT being lost in the winding streets near San Marco ..

" ... don't bother .. just lose yourself in the alleys there .. you will get the best gelato at a corner where you will finally give up !!! ... " was the common advise.



And did we follow it to the tee? Oh yes we did!



We were staying away from the main Venice city,on the lagoon island of Murano. Our hotel was a tiny little one tucked inside a residential lane with a lovely rooftop garden where we could have a quite dinner on a tiring day ( with a spicy arabiatta spaghetti and red vino ) while we heard the town clock toll and see the pigeons flutter into sunset ..

It was picture perfect! Cobbled streets, brick lanes, piazzas with stone benches and a ubiquitous stone fountain .. it was just like walking into a dream that too - back in time.
English was sparse there - to watch C trying to communicate with the locals - I fell in love with him all over again! :)
Cute cafes, cuter Italian owners in it :) and the homely little trattorias with tables lined against the tiny canals .. what else can one ask on a romatic trip ?

Food was heavenly in the most obscure corners of Venice, or the tiny lagoon islands we went to - Murano, Burano, Farro, Torcello - right from the antipasti to the dolce :)
And ofcourse generous amounts of vino with our meals and the classic cocktail Negroni of aperitif Campari -;)
A cool evening lighted near the Rialto Bridge - cozy little candle-lit table tucked near the canal with a view of Rialto - music found in gentle chugging of water and sensuous sounding Italian - and a glass of Negroni with the color of sunset dissolved in it - a perfect start to a perfect dinner - Pure Bliss - Contentment - Heaven!!

A fact we didn't know before was the Italian coffee - oh how we enjoyed drinking coffee there - for as small a sum as 1 euro - you get heavenly coffee in Italy almost everywhere!
After I had learnt my lesson with the tiny glass cup filled with acrid black coffee when we ordered Caffe (black strong coffee with a crema foam on top) - I preferred having an occassional Latte Macchiato ( steamed milk 'stained' with espresso) while C indulged in the Irish Coffee ( I'll call it whisky 'stained' with black coffee :D )

We soaked in the sun, mixed in the jostling crowds at San Marco, enjoyed the lonely walks in the lanes of colorful Burano and the lovely bricked walkways along the blue canals in Torcello, hopped onto traghetti and sat back and relaxed on a Gondola, payed visits to Museos and whiled sometime at cafes and bars - till we totally and fatally fell in love with Venice.

Venice was an experience for us - most romantic and most cherished.