Personal encounters in Europe pt.2

Do miracles also suddenly happen on holidays?

Because first things first. I didn't grow fat, surprisingly, considering the good food I had. Let me write about one of my favourites. They're favourites because I can still feel the taste on my tongue when I look at my pictures of them. This one is the German burger I had. I may be confusing the meaning of 'perfect' with 'favourite' here but the bun was of my favourite texture. And it was absolutely perfect. I will always remember what Ratatouille (I love Disney zomg) taught me about bread. 'The taste of good bread lies not in its smell or looks but in its sound' - I believe this even more after my encounter with the burger. And this burger had warm and juicy meat covered in just enough gravy sandwiched in between. And surrounding my burger and was a live quartet dressed in Santa Claus costumes holding double basses and trumpets singing Christmas carols. The scene made my heart dance. And finally, accompanying that absolutely beautiful moment was a fresh but everlasting memory I made of me ice-skating for the first time on a winter day. Beauty does happen in Germany too.

A Sharmaine that didn't read about Amsterdam in John Green's book would have walked into Amsterdam different than a Sharmaine who did. That by the way, is The Fault in Our Stars and officially the most beautiful book I've ever read. Thanks to John Green I entered Amsterdam with a vivid imagination about what it would be like. And thanks to John Green, I had the extraordinary chance to watch that same imagination unfold and come to life right before my eyes. I cannot forget as well how humourous Amsterdam is. This was from a sign at the end of an Amsterdam red light district alley containing prostitutes showcased like Mannequins in front of glass doors - "No sex. Only relaxation massage." I would kill for another chance to have my imagination come alive again. Bring me to the East or West Coast of USA, to the foot of Mt. Fuji, or an old Greek temple in Olympus for that chance. I would go all over the world but I would end off each trip saying the same simple thing - I love travelling.

The day I witnessed ultimate beauty (in the form of the Eiffel tower) was my last day in Europe and also the day I met a French man whose alcohol was cheaper than my hot chocolate. They were right about French accents being sexy. The French accent is as sexy as the city of Paris. I'm also still right about the most interesting people being the ones who talk about life. French history doesn't particularly interest me as much as other things but when it's told to me by a French man himself, everything changes. If you're my history teacher and you tell me about the French revolution, it's education. If you're a French man, it's storytelling.

And then you have love. It doesn't matter who you are and where you come from. Because when we start talking about love there are no barriers. Anybody can talk about love any different way they want, but you'd realise eventually that there's nothing different about it at all. This guy was white and eloquent looking with partially greying hair, sipping alcohol and sitting cross-legged in a Paris cafe. Sitting on his right were two suaku Singaporean tourists who were simply too tired from squeezing with PRCs at Lafayette. But they decided to have hot chocolate the same time this guy decided on alcohol. And all because of one hop on a plane and one mind-blowing destiny, I could have the priceless chance of hearing how much someone so different had the same love I have for Bruce Lee.

One day I'll make sure I set foot on every. single. country there is. Because I wouldn't be Sharmaine otherwise.

//tbc in feb

#lovinglifesince1996                 

Personal encounters in Europe pt.1

For some reason people suddenly become happier when they go on holidays.

It doesn't matter if you're happy all the time anyway or you just had a quarrel last night. For me I was apprehensive. We were going on our first holiday as a whole family. We paid the money, we put in the effort preparing for the trip, and we were about to go the most beautiful continent in the world. So I was afraid that one quarrel would spoil it all. But I've never seen mom happier. She works in funny ways - telling her that I have been performing well during polo training would make her no happier than if I were to do something stupid like Victoria Secret model her winter coat in the hotel room. So I kick-started the trip by imitating my dad's bad body rolls with disco music playing in the background. It brings a smile to her face. And for as long as I can remember, I've always been saying - nothing makes me happier than seeing others happy.

So God punished me for overnighting and eating too much during camp by giving me a sore throat. But who's gonna complain if your throat is sore and you're in Europe? Like okay, I'm in front of the Colosseum taking pictures and the itch is making my pictures less 'insta-worthy', yet I'm smiling as though ruined stacks of old rocks are beyond amazing. Why? 1. Ruined but beautiful stacks of old rocks instantly make you look like a better photographer. 2. You can't Thank God sincerely for granting you a chance to be in the most beautiful place in the world if you're not smiling (the hot Europeans add on to it too). And, in a paragraph, I've just wrote down the entire gist of my trip to Europe. But of course, I don't plan to stop here.

Being in Europe and without your other half makes you feel like shit. You go everywhere and you just won't stop seeing, hearing and experiencing these things that you need to tell him about. I'm walking through a street in Rome in 8 degree weather and I see a simple pizza place with small coffee and tea tables and chairs outside. I see a metal furnace/fireplace in between and I hear laughter and celebration, I sense people taking the time to catch up, I feel them letting their warmth loose and all of a sudden, it doesn't feel that cold anymore. I start wishing Su Jin and I were amongst them.

To be honest, I feel really, really, really, REALLY proud of myself that I didn't take a picture of myself looking like I was 'pushing' the leaning tower of Pisa. F*** that (LOLOLOL). Instead, I 'lifted' it. Yes, I left my legacy at Pisa. No one is ever going to pose the same way. I think I did the bored tower a favour that day. And I never thought I would go to Venice and feel more interested in watching my mom following the same pigeons we see in Singapore around than entering the bigass church or something. Don't get me wrong, Venice is majestic and beautiful. And the pigeons are as smelly as the canals. And while the Gondola ride was a deceiving but exciting tourist trap, if you asked me what I remember from my visit to Venice, I would tell you - my 20 SGD hot chocolate from Florian Cafe at Piazza San Marco. Freaking hot chocolate had me like extremely tantalized yet extremely disgusted all at the same time what the hell?!?!?!?? But my my, that was the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life.

Switzerland was my first time acknowledging there was someone else on this trip that likes having fun as much as me. Switzerland was Shev, Glen and I walking on a suspension bridge 10000 ft. high in mild blizzard conditions and feeling blown away (pun not intended). At that same height I was sliding down snow slopes in my 15 dollar snow boots and trying the best chocolate cone I've ever had in my life. I wish I could say that was one of the best feelings ever, but considering how many "best feeling ever"s I had in my life I'm pretty sure something is gonna set a new record soon.

I knew I was right about reading bringing people together. Su Jin and I were brought together because we read. And because we were brought together, I read - or rather, was reading during the trip - and true enough it brought me to this one amazing person. And all it took was a simple question about what I was reading. Reading is incredible because gaining knowledge is incredible. And gaining knowledge is incredible because you get to share it. You tell people the stories you've read and they tell you theirs too. Then you start to find yourself telling them your life stories - your experiences, your memories and the lessons you've learnt (and vice versa). If you're lucky you might meet someone who particularly likes your stories and particularly likes telling his too.

I'm proud to say that on my trip to Europe, that magic happened to me. An amazing person fell out of nowhere and bestowed upon me the honour of becoming his friend.

//end of part one