Showing posts with label Travelogue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travelogue. Show all posts

Pensacola Beach

Spend weekend in Florida, Pensacola Beach. It was amazing. The water was just right, not too hot, not too cold, not too deep, big waves and sparkling white sands. 

 

Melon Stall

Just what you need for the hot summer 

A melon stall during a 2018 India trip

This time last year

 This time last year, I was holding up the Tower of Pisa. LOL. 

Italian Vacation during spring break

Do you know that PhD students don't get spring break like the undergrads. We sure could use that break for sure. Its been a crazy semester. 



I was holding up the Tower of Pisa

With a tilt and a twist, like Galileo's wrist

Galileo throwing objects from the top

Law of falling bodies nonstop. 


Chilling on a houseboat

 


This is where I would like to be today on my birthday. 
Chilling on a houseboat in the Kerala backwaters
(photo taken a few years back)


Chilling on a houseboat in Kerala's backwaters
Coconut trees sway along the shore
The sun dips low, painting the sky with colors
A serene moment, that I'll forever adore.


Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation

History of the Industrial Age - Trains, cars (including presidential cars), planes, tools, steam engines, farm equipment, art glass, furniture, clocks and more all under one roof. 



Vacanza in Italia

Italy was a vacation of awe with art, architecture, music and countryside, all rolled into one trip over spring break

First it was Florence - highlights-  Vasari's fresco on the ceiling of Brunelleschi's Duomo , Michelangelo's David, da Vinci interactive museum with his inventions, Uffizi museum (too many magnificent works of art) and the Medici chapel (Donatello sculptures). You can just stare for hours at the profound simplicity of the scenes and the thoughts the David statue evokes. And the exterior sculptures of many of the buildings were quite breathtaking as was the Neptune fountain. 

 As delightful as the Uffizi museum  was, the sheer volume of art became too overwhelming at some point (too much awe!!) so had to leave after 2 hours(i guess there is a limit to a person's ability for "accommodation" /cognitive shift aspect of awe, which made me think of what some autistics had written about in my awe study). But did manage to see a good part of the museum, Botticelli a definite favorite. 

Day in Tuscany- Siena (cathedral with black white striped Moorish influence architecture), the medieval town of San Gimignano (claims world's best gelato and tower houses - one room per floor, tall and narrow) and Pisa (climbed to top of leaning tower). 

Venice was delightfully unique indeed with its canals and quite different from Florence. But extremely crowded with tourists. Highlights were the gondola ride, the vaporetto rides, snacking by the waterfront,  the ceiling of St Mark's cathedral with its byzantine influence, frescos in the Doge's palace, and a Vivaldi 4 seasons concert.  I totally noticed my mouth open, jaw drop as I was listening to Vivaldi, quite mesmerizing, and it was like my body became still, and out of body feeling (the physiological sensations associated with awe).

We also took a day trip to islands in venetian lagoon- Murano ( glass making, somehow not so awed, over commercialized) , Burano (saw an old lady make lace as well as a whole bunch of pigeons trying to cleverly outwit each other over a piece of sandwich I accidentally dropped) and Torcello which had a lovely Roman chapel, only 10 residents but a few hundred tourists.

Planned to visit Verona (of Shakespeare fame) not happen as covid travel test arrangements took up good chunk of day. 


Have to wonder why Euro door knobs are in middle of door instead of to the side. Was it all about aesthetics of a symmetrical pleasing look. Turns out that the central placement of a door know provides greater leverage and ease of use, especially in the larger/heavier doors and it makes it more difficult for intruders to open the door as force must be applied directly to the center of the door rather than at the edge where the lock is located. 


I held up the Tower of Pisa

With a tilt and a twist, like Galileo's wrist

Galileo throwing objects from the top

Law of falling bodies nonstop. 










Hand at the Wheel

A hand at the wheel during an afternoon boat trip on the beautiful Lake Tahoe





 


Harrapa Artifact


My late Raghavan Thatha (grandpa) worked in archeology for a while. Replica of an artifact - Harappan seal from the Harappa archeology digs from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. 2600BC-6000BC


Tongan Kava Bowl

My late Raghavan Thatha (grandpa) also spent many years in Tonga. Tonga is one of the last remaining Polynesian monarchies in the world. This is a Tongan Drum and a Tongan Kava Bowl. Thatha & Paati (grandma) have been to many traditional Kava ceremonies.


Remote Instruction, International Edition

So I'm in India for a few weeks. 

Remote Instruction, International Edition

Remote Instruction at the table your parent used during their schooling. No laptops back then!!


A Variety of Kozhukattai Experience

The tiffen scene in Chennai is quite interesting.

I had multiple varieties of kuzhutattai for breakfast. Kuzhukattais are traditionally steamed rice balls with sweet or spicy stuffing inside. They just got more creative. The white one is made with palm sago, there were ones made with Ragi (Millet) and also upma kuzhukattai.


A variety of spice and sweet Lip-smacking and finger-licking varieties.



Murunga's Three Feet Long


Freshly harvested Murunga Drumsticks (Moringa Olifera). Murunga's are loaded with good nutrients right from Vitamin C to antioxidants with many parts of the plant used in ayurveda meds. I've never seen a muruga drumstick this long before - its over 3 feet long. And these look fat and juicy too, when cooked.

I'm think I'm getting a yummy Murunga dish from Paati (grandma) tomorrow. Can't wait.



Competitive Cats

The cats at my grandma's place are seriously competitive. It saw me hugging grandma and demanded - as in meowing away loudly and pawing the rug and couch - to be be given room on the couch so it could get in on the love.

There are actually 2 cats here, one on each floor and each possessive about its territory. The downstairs one (Chinni) never goes up and vice versa for Feather. The upstairs cat is quite old and decides to meow away in the middle of the night for food.

And did I mention the visiting fellows. A couple of cats turn up at the backdoor several times a day and meow for food. My Paati promptly feeds them. These cats never venture inside else they face the wrath of the house cats.

They are too funny. LOL

Lifelong Learning


My Paati (grandma) likes languages and at 82 doing courses on conversational Sanskrit. Got distinction in her last exam too.

No cats competing for this Paati's attention. Lol




Healthy Idly's

Breakfast today was healthy Bajra Idly's


The Ubiquitous Masala Dosa

Evening tiffen was Masala Dosa with sambar and chutney served on a banana leaf

and filter "Kapi" (coffee) served in a tumbler and dabara (saucer)

April 15 - Tamil New Year
Happy Tamil New Year Everyone. Its the herald of spring.

My first Tamil New Year in Tamilnadu!!

An elaborate and delicious naivedyam lunch made by Paati (grandma) and Athai (aunt) with mor kuzhambu, kootu, 2 karamadhis, vadas, green mango pachadi, carrot payasum and more. Delicious and served on on a freshly harvested banana leaf from the garden.

It usually rains on Tamil New Year and the weather did not disappoint. Complete with Thunder. Rain is considered auspicious, means things will go well.



















Banana Leaf Lunching



Warm delicious Paati samayal (grandma's cooking) on a freshly cut banana leaf from the garden.

Eating traditional style on an organic, eco-friendly, biodegradable plate with extra nutrition thrown in.

Extra nutrition? Polyphenols (think micronutrients in plant based foods packed with antioxidants) in the banana leaves get stimulated from the warmth of the food and get absorbed into the food along with Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Ca and Carotene in Banana Leaves. 

Can I get a banana leaf every meal?

Eating with fingers? Its a natural exercise and builds dexterity for the fingers and the hand (kind of useful for someone like me actually with poor fine motor skills). It's slows down eating and brings about greater awareness of texture and taste, a.k.a mindful eating. 

And isn't seeking sensory experiences an autistic thing? LOL Using silverware actually lends to faster eating. 

Faster eating is linked to Type 2 Diabetics. Silverware actually lends to faster eating.

Ayurveda says nerve endings on the fingers stimulate digestion and improves blood circulation. Incorporating the five elements represented by the fingers - starting with thumb - space, air, fire, water, earth - is holistic eating. Somehow the Colonial legacy has meant that such indigenous cultural practices were frowned upon. That such things were "inferior" and made you "less than"

This sound familiar? - that the disabled mind-body is somehow "less than"

Image Description: Young male of South Indian origin eating food served on banana leaf. Also seated at the dining table is his grandpa with his grandma serving them food.

#PaatiSamayal #GrandmaCooking #EatingOnBananaLeaf




 

Glanced at words, easily forgot.


"The test of progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. "- FDR Memorial



Lovely sentiments

Powerful messages

Set in stone, eons ago.


But what do we do?

We read, we admire... the words, the history.

We think we contemplate the meaning and grandeur of it all

We think we understand.

We really think we understand.

We really really think we understand.

We think we come away better folks.

Oh yes, we are now better folks.


But PRACTICE..... Oh No, that we do not. 

That we do not. 

Oh No, that we do not.  


Glanced at words, easily forgot.

Contorted, distorted. 

Boast on social media, then forgot

It's back to 'real' life, says the powers that be



The Sights in DC

I spent a week in DC for the ACI conference organized by ASAN. The conference schedule was pretty hectic, so there was barely any time to see the sights in DC. I had never been to DC so wanted to see at least a couple of the historic landmarks. 

National Mall
The conference on Sunday was starting only at 2pm, so we used that opportunity to go see the National Mall that morning. It was a blistering hot day. Had not expected the weather in DC to be this hot - in the 80s and 90s. Apparently, DC is both cold in winter and equally hot in summer. Showers were also expected that day so we had to take rain jackets as well which was a bit of a drag. Luckily it did not rain when we were walking around. We did not have a lot of time so had to rush to see a few things and could not linger at any. 

The über dropped us off in front of Lincoln Memorial. Wow - Lincoln Memorial is more impressive live than on TV. What can I say? 
Lincoln Memorial


The 36 columns in the Parthenon-like Lincoln Memorial building are the 36 initial states. The 19 ft tall marble Lincoln sits in deep contemplation, perhaps pondering the state of our country then and now. On the walls is his second inauguration speech.

Abe Lincoln


Marble Lincoln 19 feet tall
Glory days etched on towering column and wall

Bothered not by milling crowds
Determination, Compassion
Bent in contemplative reflection
Witness of democracy
mirrored in the reflecting pool
Things of past, sights of present
and protests in between

I wonder....
What would you say Abe?
If you were now given a voice?

If you were given a voice?
What would you now say, Abe?

We walked on the trail around the Tidal Basin all the way to Jefferson Memorial. Along the trail are many of the monuments like the Korean War Memorial, MLK Memorial, Roosevelt Memorial, etc. What a grand and wonderful tribute to the ideals of democracy and our history.  

We could stop only at a handful of them as we had to get back. Washington Monument was closed for repairs unfortunately so could not get an aerial view of DC. Next time.


MLK Memorial

Washington Monument

Jefferson Memorial
Korean War Memorial

"Freedom is not Free"
- Korean War Memorial

"Out of a Mountain of Despair, A Stone of Hope"
- MLK Memorial

"Among American citizens, the should be no forgotten men and no forgotten race"
- FDR memorial

"The test of progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. "- FDR Memorial

Lovely sentiments
Powerful messages
Set in stone, eons ago.

But what do we do?
We read, we admire... the words, the history.
We think we contemplate the meaning and grandeur of it all
We think we understand.
We really think we understand.
We really really think we understand.
We think we come away better folks.
Oh yes, we are now better folks.

But PRACTICE..... Oh No, that we do not. 
That we do not. 
Oh No, that we do not.  

Glanced at words, easily forgot.
Post on social media, then forgot
It's back to 'real' life, says we


The White House

A second sightseeing jaunt happened after our Hill Day visit on Friday, Jun 21 evening. Can't leave DC without a peek at the White House. 

Two of my ACI friends Lia and Rebecca accompanied us.  I'm so glad they both came along as they really enlivened the outing with their lively chatter and comments. 

Though The White House is just a little more than a mile away from Capitol Hill, it took forever for the Uber Driver to get to us on the steps of the US House of Representatives Building and then take up there as the traffic is pretty congested in DC. 

The White House

Opposite The White House was a man camped out under an umbrella surrounded by protest posters. Deja Vu! It so reminded me of all the protest posters that line Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus. 
Poster reads "Wanted: Wisdom and Honesty"
- opposite The White House

I even met another Cal (UC Berkeley) student there. She came up and asked if I was going to Cal and nostalgically remarked that she's just graduated. And added, "Go Bears!!"

On the way to the White House, there was a quick photo stop in front of the Treasury Building. 
US Treasury

It was a super hot day and my suit jacket just got soaked with sweat. So off came the tie and jacket but could do nothing about my long sleeve shirt. 

The Smithsonian
We were also hoping to catch a Smithsonian Museum if one was still open. Turns out the Smithsonian American Art Museum was still open. 
Smithsonian Museum of American Art




Feb 22 - I share a birthday with George Washington

Nice attempt at accessibility features in each gallery. 

Except the Spanish large print book had the English version inside and vice versa. 

A braille version too. My train of thought immediately went to what I'd read in Georgina Kleege's book, "More than meets the Eye: What Blindness brings to Art," and the interview I'd done with her for the A&E at the Daily Cal. 

I wondered what the braille print book said - did it give a sensory description of each image or did it just verbatim copy the explanations on the wall by each picture - meant for visual people. 

I'm a tactile person too in many ways, I was hard-pressed to not touch impulsively touch the images.  

My class with Prof. Victor Pineda last semester also really made me think of accessibility in a whole new way. 
Accessibility at the Museum
The president who happened to sign the ADA
What a lovely visual - showing the "emergence" of the Special Olympics


The story behind the Special Olympics is not so pretty. JFK and Eunice Kennedy Shriver's sister Rosemary was dx with ID and made to undergo a lobotomy by her father at age 23, supposedly to help with mood swings and her interest in the opposite sex. The lobotomy was a failure and reduced her to the level of a 2 year old with no speech for the rest of her life. None of her siblings knew of the lobotomy for nearly 2 decades as she was kept secluded. 

Pictures of earlier presidents in the Presidential Gallery were very formal and "portrait like"
JFK was a nice change - kinda nifty abstract arty. 

Picture taken for the beautiful "Capitol Hill" building that we spent all day in

A fitting message for us advocates from Barbara Jordan
"If you are dissatisfied with the way things are, 
then you have got to resolve to change them"