Dublin Marathon 2014

Challenging our own capabilities is a very rewarding experience. Rewards come across in multiple ways if one is ready to take up the challenge. The challenge I had for myself was my third marathon here in Dublin. Signed up myself for the race months ago and there was no intention of taking it easy this time.  The last year time recorded for the race was four hours thirty eight minutes and the only option was to better that. Better that by thirty eight minutes. At least that was the plan. Dublin had been very warm this year as compared to the previous two and that provided the right setting for training weekend after weekend. This has to be one of the first years where there was no participation on my behalf in any of the ten mile, or half marathon race. It must be the confidence in the training that kept me away from those races. Since April after participating the first , my employer sponsored ten kilometer race the training schedule only went tougher.

The stats speak for it self. Spending several hundreds of kilometers every week, month after month. Ten kilometers was feeling like a walk in the park by September. Half marathon distances for every Saturday morning back to back became a regular schedule. My peak running distance was one hundred and thirty kilometers in a single month!. Honestly I surprised myself looking at the stats. The training involved using Energy gels. Training with the consumption of gels made my body get used to this injection of power into the body when it needs the most. Pushing the body to its limits every time and every time taking it a little further and the body trying to adapt and catch up is a fantastic experience. The legs do hurt a little after every run but as the training intensifies they recover that quickly. The thigh and calf muscles start shaping up and that does mean one that, that is, something is going right. The grin on the face is an automatic reaction then. My better half was not being my better half on those days that I train. Constantly trying to talk me out of running  for the day by tempting me with some distraction. The only option I had to resort to was to make most of the long daylight on those fine warm mid months. Even before my dear wife can wake up, put on my trainers and head out. Some times as early as four AM and come back home by half six when she is just about to wake up. Running that early was a rejuvenating experience every time. Eternally, I will remain grateful to this fine city that offered such a wonderful training track. The sandy-mount strand all the way to the Irish nature reserve leading into the park was my training grounds. The calm sea and the gentle breeze accompanied by the priceless view of the golden Sun raising , sometimes between the poolbeg chimney's was enthralling experience.

The day came when the race packs had to be picked up. October the 28th was the race and we picked up the race pack the day before. RDS was packed than any other year and the race numbers was not preassigned. Numbers were allocated as an when we went in to pick it up. Kind of made it easy operationally I guess. I was storing up on carbohydrates few days prior to the race. Rice, Pastas and more Rice. Kept myself hydrated well enough, even waking up in the middle of the night to gulp some more. Race was was upon me and all this hard work and sweat was for this one occasion.
The start line was at the usual place; Merrion square but slightly earlier than previous. The green wave had a slot to finish before four hours thirty. The largest ever mass event participation was this race. Fifteen thousand eight hundred people took part. Four thousand flew in from overseas. I was able to run just ith a T-shirt on and no thermals.

The course was different this year compared to previous as well and my personal opinion is this was a great route. Phoenix park route was utilized the most and there is no better place than the vast park to run. I started off keeping a slow pace. My training pace was 5:15 min a kilometer, but for the race I kept a low 5:30 min a kilometer race. This was just to make sure that I don't burn out at the penultimate segment of the race. My run till the thirtieth kilometer was good and my ETA to finish line was three hours fifty. Exhaustion did not get the better of me till that point. Legs felt strong , but this race is an emotional game. Few sights that was witnessed changed my mood, changed my determination.

Few of my fellow runners just collapsed. Some just dropped unconsciousness. One fell to the pavement and had froth come out of his mouth and the paramedics were rushing to him. None of these might happen to me but the thought that my dear wife is alone at home and any ill fate to me might cause her stress is what crept into my mind.  I dropped my pace to a brisk walk occasionally to get my heart rate down. Once done, the tendency to do that over and over again is irresistible. And talking about Heart rate,  of all the days that I wanted my HRM to work fine, it failed on this very important day. The last twelve kilometer my pace went all the way from 5:20 to 7 minutes a kilometer. My aim was to finish and finish I did. The time as I crossed the finish line was four hours eighteen . I had shaved twenty minutes off my previous record and that I am proud off.

My content was that the time has improved. Dissatisfaction was that I missed my goal of four hours by eighteen minutes. Thanked the lords at the finished line. My gaze wandered to look for my beloved. The arrangement has been for the firends and family to meet the finishers. But, truthfully arrangements were made more complicated. I picked up my precious medal and T shirt , rested for a bit and made my leisurely walk back home. The thoughts that ran though my mind was, that the previous year I wan unable to walk the two kilometer walk home and I had to take a Taxi, but this year I was able to walk. What happened to me! As I rested when I reached home I realised what happened to me was the WALL.
My resolution now, "See you next year WALL. Stand by; to be punched through."

Dublin to Sligo

There are few moments in life that I would cherish for the rest of my life. Especially when the cause of that moment is dedicated to my real life hero of my life, My Dad. Cycling , since my days I can remember is very close to my heart.  Never has any fall from a bike ever deterred from me from showing off by pulling off stunts on my bike in front of other kids. Most of my adult life even while I was working, I always used to ride a bike for the near by commute. All who knew me , knew I was more of a bicycle loving person. I have had three bicycles stolen from me in Dublin, but that never stopped me from going for another one.
Here's the story about an event that I took part in. An event to remember. A feat that defines me.A challenge that strengthened me. My very good friend, or more so a person who I would without an inkling of thought call my brother brought up this topic about an event . A cycling event. From west coast to east coast of this beautiful Emerald Island. More so this event was a Charity event to raise funds for Cancer research. How could I ever pass on this. The event and the cause both very I feel very connected to. I and Mihir signed up instantly, instinctively. Six weeks to go and first thing we had to do is train. Mihir had a race to go to and he was training at gym, but I was more of a runner and that's all i kept to. One thing was evident. I needed a bike, a road bike. What I had was a mountain bike and that was not suitable for any long distance cycling. My cycling mate and I spent three weekends cycling to nearby towns but that was no small distance by itself. Once to Bray, which was 40 kms, the next weekend a little further out to Grey stones which was 50 kms and the last one was to Wicklow which was 70 kms. All of this on a bike that I had borrowed from my good friend Shane. It was no racer but , it was a commuter bike with race profile tyres. It was much lighter than mine and did the job quite well. Mihir on the other hand went ahead and purchased a brand new high spec bike for a bag full of money. Our times were good enough. My running training did me good. It did look like I had enough cardio strength to cope with the endurance this challenge demanded.
Time had come to raise the funds. seven hundred euros had to be raised and Mihir and I thought a cake sale at work was an excellent idea. We also planned to sell Raffle tickets for four prizes. Each prize associated with the cycling theme. With support from our bosses and the best team admin ever we set up one on 6th of June. Posters were all put up and between few of us we had agreed to bake few cakes. My Mrs and I had very little experience in baking cakes. But what had to be done had to be done. So we set off on the 5th and to our surprise we pulled it off. Baked banana cake and a large chocolate chip cake.

Thursday morning as Catherine started to lay out the cakes in the coffee area, more and more cakes were brought out. Some of them, who we hardly spoke to took the time and effort to make and bring it home. I felt very humbled by their gesture. Before we knew it we had more than fifteen cakes for sale. People from all floors started to pour in and the Raffel tickets was selling even hotter than the cakes. Our team mates donated generously for our cause and by the end of the day we were more than delighted to count the last cent to reach a grand total of seven hundred Euros. We did not expect this to happen at all.But very glad that it did.
I bought padded cycling shorts and water bottle and cages for them, saddle bags for the bike. The bike was serviced and it was kitted out with the accessories all ready to go. The big day had arrived. Seventh of June on a fine Saturday morning is when it all starts.

Water bottles filled up, Tyre pressure double checked, Awakward shorts worn.saddle bags loaded, backpack packed with stuff I need for the weekend. I agreed to rendezvous with Mihir bhai at the city center at half eight. We had a long ten kilometer cycle to the hotel where the rest of the participants would meet up. We reached there, and to our surprise we were the only ones from Dublin.

The rest all were from Co.Sligo who traveled the previous night and stayed up in West county Hotel for a good night rest.  All of them were warm to welcome us, We were handed our jerseys to be worn on the second day. Everyone else had bikes that were proper race bikes. I was the only one with a a six year old bike which did have race profile tyres and that's about it. The straight handle bars did raise a few eyebrows which meant " are you really sure you want do cycle all the way to Sligo with that?" There is nothing that was going to deter me at that time, My only way was to go ahead. Mark , the main main who is an AIB man from Sligo greeted us and after a briefing to the team and a group snap we were set to go. First stop was at Maynooth.

Just Twenty five kilometers, but it was a challenging bit at that. It had the steepest inclines some with a gradient of 30 degrees for a good three hundred meters. Narrow by lanes which ran my the humble dodder did make for some memorable sceneries. I knew very well then, that this view is only going to get better as we go along. As we cycled up in twos we got just enough time to chat with fellow cyclists. We exchanged our interests and our passion for cycling. What we do for living and why take up this even was all a point of discussion that made the miles go by easy. After some tea and snacks we stared off again. The next stop thirty five kilometers ahead. The Knees had begun to complain but nothing can be larger than will power.

We had three support crew with us. One was a paramedic team, One a bike mechanic who carried tools and spares. The last an haulage van which carried out luggage and food. The last was our pace van . We had a mixed bag of experienced cyclists. Very few had done this before, but most of them new. Some have trained, some not so much , some not at all. The first fifty kilometers after the first stop let the cyclists loose. The experienced ones keep up in the lead while some were in the left behind. The Paramedic van and the Garry Cycles van(one of the sponsorers) always stayed behind the last of the cyclists. That made sure no one was left behind. That sense of assurance made anyone feel safe. Getting lost some where along the way can definitely add a lot to the mental pressure. Given that the road signs on this island is not that great, having anyone of the cyclists in visible distance was a great assurance. At one point we were very close to taking the wrong route. only with the corner of my eye did I see some a bright jersy go by and both the vans were behind me; Yes I was the last one. We course corrected and cycled along to catch up the group at the end of fifty kilometers. It was sandwich time. Tanked up next stop ninety kilometers ahead. As I cycled along my new cycling mates, the questions about my home country did come up. No one meant to offend me in anyone, but their questions very genuine. Questions about the rape crimes in India was the most prominent. Its kind of embarrassing having to answer ,but my only way I could respond was "In a land of more than a billion people the probability of having headcases like that are proportionally high". My brother was no where to been seen along the route.

He seemed to be stuck in a race mode. I let him be. I wanted to finish the event in a graceful manner that's all.  I did observe the fellow cyclists about the riding technique and realised that most of the stay in a slightly higher gear (easier) most of the time, this does mean more cadence but lesser power strokes. I was doing exactly the opposite, going as early as I can to lower gears . More power strokes lesser cadence. That was the reason I was lagging behind the group.  There was a Ninety kilometer stop at Longford. Energy was low, But we had further sixty kilometers to Rosscommon. The energy gels had to come out and I was hydrating myself more often on the move. The route was a mixed bag of motorway and side roads.

The earlier was the best sections since the tarmac was smooth and straight. All I had to do was lookup once and then keep the head down keeping an eye on the front wheel and the yellow markers. Make sure they are parallel and keep the cadence constant. That started to improve my pace timings. I stuck with few of them for a good bit of the final forty kilometers.

When Lorraine told me, "That yellow building is the hotel Badri" it was music to my ears.

I saw my team mates gathered in front of Hannon's. One hundred and fifty kilometers done and my legs were pushed to the limits. The previous highest ever was 70 kilometers in a single day and I have just doubled that!. It was eight hours since we started off and out of that we were moving for six hours. The bikes were taken care off by the staff and they did a fantastic job at that. Mihir and I shared a room and we quickly showered and changed. I felt like I just popped out of a bollywood song because I did not pack well enough for the evening. With a bright yellow shorts and bright green T shirt I managed to raise few eyebrows once again. Nothing was going to get in the way of me and the food I deserve. Tony and Margret joined us at our tables.

They were volunteering to be event coordinators and they did a fine job at that. Tony had the temperament of a teacher. It did not surprise at all when he told us that was retired primary school teacher. I was the only ever annoying vegetarian and the hotel chef manged to make one vegetarian pasta with chicken in it. That got sent back and then came good lasangne. This time it was vegetarian, vegetarian. The cheesecake topped it all in my belly. Few of them were up for a few drinks but I definitely was not.  Headed back to the room and even before I could complete the words "Good Night", I was out like a light bulb. I slept like a log straight through.

Day two : The legs were complaining. I had to be gentle to it. I remember talking to my own legs in the shower saying, "sixty more kilometers baby and we are done" . we all got a text message from Caroline that we depart at ten. I took a shower once again and stepped down for breakfast. Bags were packed, keys handed back and bikes out of the stable. Seeing everyone wear the same Jersey this morning made me feel special to be part of this gang of cyclists. My mission reinforced with a group snap. My trusted steed felt good.I checked for Tyre pressure and topped up the hydration system. The next thirty kilometers were inland narrow routes and they had good bends and not so steep inclines. Mark briefed us all that the pace van will stay at a constant 25 kmph. We were reminded that this was not a race but a journey together for a worthy cause. Since there was rains the previous night we were warned that the roads could be slippery and since its the rural back roads, manure on few stretches only made it worse. The next thirty kilometers were definitely the most enjoyable course. The views on the fields and the hills that lay beyond reminded me yet again that I am blessed to make this beautiful country as my second home. Hardly anyone to cheer us along the route but the heard of cows all seemed to notice us.

Guess they were surprised to see a bunch of similar clad cyclists. Each one of them, several tens of them at a time, lifted their large bulky heads out of the tall grass just to see us go by. It was beautiful. Not to mention the Irish cows are really pretty. I have a soft corner for them. The dogs too seem to loose they marbles when they saw us cycling in unison. The Curlew pass from Rosscommon was a test for many motorists. I would never forget the patience of these motorists who were stuck behind these cyclists for more than thirty kilometer on this single lane road. Not one did honk at us or try to rev hard while behind us. They were stuck in second gear and at times and when I made a pass at them to go ahead, all they did was shout words of encouragement with their thumbs up. It was remarkable display of  support from them all they way. We had a quick stop for some fruits and gels. Regrouped all cyclists once again.

As we approached Sligo, the welcome to Sligo sign was the biggest relief. I screamed with joy. Once again we were stopped and this time by the Garda. We were all being escorted into town! next twenty five kilometers we had a Garda car with flashing lights ahead of us and Garda motor bike close off the exits ahead of us. I was liking the special attention. Few cyclists pulled up by my side and said few kind words like " How did you make it this far with that thing", "good on you that you kept up with us at this pace on a bike like that", "You have done a fantastic job cycling that, if you had a bike like ours you would be flying " .

Those are exactly the kind of words that I needed at that point in time. I knew that I had dug in well into my reserves and my every single muscle in upper thigh had gone well past the moaning phase. They had given up on me listening to them and had decided to go Kamikaze. As we cycled into town, the sirens were switched on. WOW!, what a feeling of elation. The Sligo people started cheering for us. Many gathered and we stopped right outside the fancy glasshouse hotel . Press photographers clicked away our pictures and the sense of jubilation was overwhelming. I hugged my brother and congratulated all my fellow cyclists. We all had passed this two day endurance race where sixteen year old Patrick and few fifty plus year old cycled alike. The good spirit and camaraderie is what got us this far. A memorable finish. We had a train to catch  in an hour.

We were the first to grab the keys to a room. Mihir bhai and I showered and changed quickly and grabbed some food from the barbecue. Bid our farewells to all of them once again and made it to the train station. But this time while on the bike, not an inch of my rear end could slightly touch the saddle without those padded shorts. We had the tickets but had to buy space for the bike. Put our bikes to rest on the bike rack and set off to "home sweet home". Even before Mihir bhai finished his few sentences to me I was out like a light again.

My body demanded it. At the Connolly station Kate was there to greet us. A final picture with my brother who got me into doing this fantastic event. Reached back home by seven and cycled back home standing up. Every single living cell in my body aching, but isn't there a saying, "No Pain , No Gain".  What a Gain it was!, Coast to Coast on a bike  in ten hours,across a beautiful country like Ireland can only be once in a life time; or will it ?

Visit to Basel

Few Eyebrows raised when we mentioned that we are going to Basel in Switzerland. The immediate question was "why not Zurich?"  My Mrs and I thought why go to a bustling city every time. Why not go to a place where there is less of man made structures and more natural beauty to enjoy. Another reason being, Basel is a word that I come across in my line of work day in and day out. The Basel two and Basel three  are international banking regulations norms which is keeping professionals like us off the street. The committee which formulates these standards are based off this city.
Flights and accommodation all booked for a trip on a bank holiday weekend. We reached the city at midnight. I must admit that no matter how bold one tries to be, being in a new place for the first time does make one anxious.

We got off at the Basel central bus station and we did find plenty of people there. Some finishing late work, but many were youngsters being typical youngsters. Walking around with low waist jeans and boom box. Hair dyed pink and piercings every where. Smoking away something that stinks. Strangely we were actually experiencing a fact about this city in real. Switzerland is the country with the worlds least crime and in that; Basel the city has the least. No hassle what so ever. We took the tram as instructed and we got to the hotel.
Next morning started with a surprise. At the reception we were given a pass each and the lady said, "For the days you are here in Basel as a tourist, public transport of any kind is absolutely free". We could not believe our ears.  We took the tram straight to the central station , dived straight into the tourist office. Unlike the Holland pass which was more of a value for money pass for tourist, the Basel pass was not that attractive, but we went for it anyway. There was one spot that I had made a mental note off before I left to Basel. I enquired about the mode to get there. First stop "Reigoldswil" village. It was a good one hour bus journey from the city. As we traveled we noticed that the people are not obsessed with building huge houses or buildings, the nature is conserved in its purest forms. Even the houses looked minimal and well suited to the greenery all around. It was a post card picture every where around. We bought our tickets to get on to the cable car. A ten minute ride in that took us to an elevation of 1200 meters.

That ten minutes presented us with views that we will remember  a life time. Dangling several hundred meters with the valley below was spectacular. We assumed we are going straight to the peak of the mountains. But the assumptions generally don't turn real. There was a mountain on another mountain. The weather was spot on and the views fabulous. Hiking to the top could only mean better. On the downside in comparison to the massive upside of this mountain was that none of the sign boards there, was in English. Using the sixth sense of magnetic field orientation that all men claim to have I began to lead the way. We started hiking into the wooded area. Few other hikers accompanied us. The trails looked treacherous as we precariously made our way on the narrow edge of the mountain. Several hundred feet drop on both sides. We were able to catch some glimpses of the beautiful scenery on the other side of the mountain. As we reached the peak, the views were absolutely breathtaking. Pretty little houses dotted midst the smooth mountain curves which was completely carpeted with green.

Few glimpses of the Alps from there made it all worth it. A habit of mine is to pick up a rock from a place that I would love to remember the rest of my life. It has to be a place that has touched my heart and made me feel happy. I did pick one up. It was time to head back down, we could see the cable car station to get back down to the village, but we were lost up there. I don't mean in a emotional way, Quite literally did not know our way back down. Another hiker there seemed to be lost as well, He saw us wandering just like the way he did and knew we all were on the same boat. He was kind enough to offer us a lift back to Basel city. Georg was a German IT professional who spent most of this life in US. His English was as american as it could be. When we got to his car, was thankful that we were lost and ran into him. It was a Landrover that awaited us. What more can I ask for. He knew much about the Indian IT strength and we had discussions about the state of the EU post recession, while my wife comfortably slept in the backseat travelling at 160 kmph. The hike had worn us out equally, so we went back to the hotel to rest. Both of us had the same symptom of head ache and a slight temperature. Only did we realise later in the day after we recovered that we had sun stroke. The power of the sun, making its impact on us after continuous six hour exposure.
Day two started late. Nice and Relaxed charted our route to the Basel zoo.  As everything else in Basel, nothing is gigantic to stand out in terms of structure or building, same applies to the Zoo.

Just a small entrance, but as we made our way through we came to know it was vast. The subterranean  sea world alone took us an hour and a half to get by. From snakes larger than me to millions termites busy building a ten feet high mound, were all there. The elephant enclosure was under construction so we could not see much, but what we could see really up close was the Lions.

A lioness and her cubs stood mere feet away. We gained a new sense of respect for toughened ten inch glass. Few good clicks and we moved on to the tropical bird emporium. The large building was kept hot and humid for these tiny creatures. Small their stature might be , but each one tries to outdo the others in terms of noise.

Singing in competition.  The day ended with us just wandering about the city looking for good food.
Day three started relaxed since we had covered most of the sights we needed to visit. We had marked out a cathedral that we wanted to go to and got there. Few minutes too early. Once the door swung open we went in to be greeted by the organ music. It was loud and surreal. The music felt like it was emanating from the building rather that from one corner.

I had been to many cathedrals before and had seen this large three storied instrument before, but I had never seen one being played. All we had to do was look back and see this one man play an instrument seated in a high chair exercising all his limbs. Though he was of an average size the sheer size of the instrument dwarfed him. Engrossed in the music that reverberated through our body we spent half hour in there soaking up the magnificent architecture.

The one thing about cathedrals is , if we have been in one it feels like we have been in all, but to the eye that pays attention to detail there is lots to pick up.
Next stop, SBB (central station) We took the trams to Marketplatz and the word says it all. It was the main market area with loads of  options for all kinds of shopping. We did get inside an interesting old building, we still don't know its significance, but it did provide us some good clicks. My better half gets excited about the activity of shopping.

Walked into few stores and did come out with the same pace as we had walked into. Stellar prices! We found some that suited our budget and we shopped few items for family. The area was pock marked with shops for luxury watches. Each of the top brands had their own outlet. That speaks much for the fine watch making legacy that the swiss had. The prices of some of them ; to be disclosed on request only.

I will leave that to your imagination. A short walk from there, we were at the water sculpture park. mechanized contraptions powered but water pressure made for some interesting work of art. Pictures would not speak much hence took a short video. The free trams for us in Basel meant we could go anywhere , anytime , any number of time. So we identified an other land mark which was a park. St Alban park was a silent park with nothing much mentioned off it in the tourist guide. But we dared to explore and we found that it had a river running across it and there was an old fort wall . Not a soul around so we pretty much had the place to ourselves for posing and picture taking.

The day finally was drawing to a close and we had to head back to the airport. To round things up, Basel is fantastic city in terms of safety and convenience. One could walk out to any place at any time and not be worried. The fact that transport being made free to tourist was simply amazing. The local trams stood  out as a highlight. We only realised how good it was after we reached back home. They were extremely frequent, connected every part of the city, they were on time, all the time. They occupied the roads more that any other automobile; in fact the only traffic jam we saw once was that off the trams at a junction! Wish every city had such fine, zero pollution infrastructure. A city dweller never needs to think about individual transport.  That being said, this city is not much of a tourists' city. On weekends the entire city is shut down, that includes everything. One of the locals said, its a mandatory shut down for all so that people are forced to take a break from work and chores. That even means Department stores being closed! The city is not English friendly, One would not find a single sign or board in English. People do speak English but the native tounge or German is what would get you by more easily. Even the airport had a quirk of its own, because half of the airport is on to the french soil and the other half is Swiss. Upon arrival or departure we have to be careful which way we want into or out off! That all being said, The experience was unique and soothing. The memories full of a cool, calm place where the policy about living life is "Take it easy". As the giant steel bird lifted us into the air, the thought that crossed my mind was, If I am going to look for a job next, in Basel it must be. For all I have now, Is that Rock on my work Desk to give me some hope.

Visit to Amsterdam

My better half had some issue with her visa .She was forced to reside in Ireland, so she was locked down to stay in Dublin for seven months with no option to travel any where, that includes even going back to motherland. Anxious weeks they were. A day came when the issue was resolved and the feeling of being unleashed hit me. Now its time to travel. Go to places where I had not been before, stretch my legs and give my camera a good field trip. Easter holidays were staring at us and with no hesitation booked the tickets and accommodation.  Destination "Amsterdam", here we come. The embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands was kind enough to give us Shenegan visa for eighteen months. This is something we have never heard off,  but greeted with open arms. Half day at work, packing done in a furry and half five was the flight from Dublin. We had the directions to get to our accommodation and straight out of the airport getting to the Hotel MAX was no hassle. We were cautioned by my mates here not to stray into any coffee shop, we stayed clear of that. Pizza was on the menu that night.We went to a small eatery near by . The pizza was made from scratch. Quite literally, he made the dough , spread it out and made one fine pizza.
My Mrs being diligent about our holidays had done some ground work before we left for Amsterdam.She  did find out about "Holland Pass" which offered several free passes and discounts on several other touristy items. Since we had that and 72 hours to roam about, we prioritized the things we could cover day by day. On day one, given the weather was a bit damp. Museums it was.

To talk about the city, this is one place that has amazed me. There are more canals than roads. It looked like the entire city was planned with the canals in focus rather than the roads. Concentric semi circles cut by roads and bridges. Imagine a spider web; the circular lines being the canals and the lines that connect the curvy lines being the road. That is how it was designed and what an impressive city architecture it was!
The famous Rijksmuseum and several other was just 10 minute walk away from where stayed. Straight after breakfast we headed to this grand museum. After ten years of renovation and restoration this place opened up for tourists in 2013. The scale was grand. The beautiful paintings, the fine tapestry, luxurious crockery and cutlery, grand furniture , timeless clocks kept us on the move for 5 hours. Some of the clocks, 150 years old still worked and played music for the hour and twelve different types at that! Our feet had tired but not our spirit to see this place. Stepped out to grab a quick wrap. Mueseumplatz offered several other museums and the next highlight was the Vincent van Gogh museum.

The crowds there was unbelievable. In-spite of the rains people gathered there in hundreds. After a good forty fine minuets under the umbrella we managed to get in. Photography was prohibited. The pictures did make us realize that this great painters style was quite different. If a couple like us who have very little awareness of art could find a difference in his style of Art then it does mean that he indeed did set about a significant deviation for any other art out there back then. Apparently he marked the start of the modern art and it was evident from all the exhibits there. Some of them were really outstanding. In his short life span of 38 years what he offered to the world. So much that, even after 110 years his work is still drawing the crowds in thousands everyday. That means a lot. We did make it a point to purchase a print from the shop. A memorabilia to remind us in our old age that we had once been to see the works of the greatest artist of the twentieth century . The noticeable feature of his style of art was individual section of the art looked like it was just random and there is no way we can guess what would be in the rest of the picture. But only when viewed as a whole it was beautiful and it conveyed a message. Quite powerful at that. As we exited the building, we realized we had no more strength to carry on. Headed straight back to the room, rested for a while and we stepped out to get some fresh air and dinner.
Day two was even more packed the day before. As tourists we were quite lame in doing our research work about the destination, but as individuals we were quite lucky because we had landed into Amsterdam bang at the start of the Tulip festival. We booked two tickets for a day tour to a Tulip farm and then to the famous Keukenhof tulip gardens.

Several fully packed coaches headed out of the city for a 45 minute ride to the farm. We were allowed to walk midst the beautiful tulip fields. This exactly was like how it was in the bolloywood songs.  We never realized what beauty of nature were we about to witness when we stepped into the coach. The season is only between April and July and 10 million tourists visit Amsterdam to make it to this garden alone each year. The farmer explained the process and we were disheartened to know that the flowers are only grown from the bulbs to be chopped off. The flowers are no income to the farmers,its only the bulbs he is after. After visiting the farms, we were taken to the actual Keukenhof gardens. Back at home in Bangalore, my father had brought a massive picture years ago.It was a scene of a garden.Its now hung in the living room. Even in our distant imagination we did not know that we were going to walk into scene, the real scene.This garden was the ultimate heaven made of flowers.

The sights , no matter which way you look is something we would have seen on wallpapers, or desktops, or on greeting cards. Eyesight always landed on something that's worth a picture that deserved to be printed. That is how pretty and mind blowing beautiful the garden was. A flurry of all possible bright colour combinations that will put the best computer generated creative work on a PC to shame. Millions of flowers carefully manicured kept us walking for five hours. Yet we could not get to all corners of the Garden. We had to say good bye to the garden with a heavy heart when our coach arrived. Just a packet full of Tulip bulbs we had in our hands to let us seed one of finest natures creations to make it a living souvenir.
Back to the city now and we had a few more hours worth of power left in us, so decided to use the boat tour of the city. It was an hour long tour via the canals of the city. The electronic guide explained why the city was laid out this way and why none of the houses in Amsterdam are vertical, they either sway forward or lean backward or tilt one way or the other. More than half of the city was reclaimed from the sea, thanks to the thirty thousand wind mills that once dominated the landscape. They pumped the sea water out and dykes kept the sea out. The soggy soil did not make strong foundations for the buildings. Hooks at the roof top of every building to lift large household articles from the boats to into the house was a norm. The guide also explained why Amsterdam was famous for the Red light district. Amsterdam was famous for its maritime legacy. Sailors who stayed out in the sea for several months at a time, needed some sort of an entertainment when they returned thus allowing the oldest profession in the world to flourish. The sailors are long gone, but the profession never went away.  Day two came to a close.
Day three began nice and early and we headed straight to Amsterdam central to take the bus city tour. The bus picked us up and we were taken to the Diamond factory. That is when we were made aware that Amsterdam is also known as the city of Diamonds.

There is a vibrant diamond polishing industry in Amsterdam. We were educated quite well about how diamonds are polished and what to look for in a diamond. The four C's,which stood for Clarity, Carat, Cut, Colour. The price tags on some of their work of art purely designed to draw the females dropped my jaw to the floor. My good wife, knew quite well that my pocket was not that deep. We got to see Anne Franks home and the royal palace from the gates. After grabbing some quick lunch we made it to the next attraction. The Avoca maritime museum. The history of the Dutch with the sea was well laid out. Its rich whale oil industry and trade with India stood out. The highlight was the "Dutch east India" tall ship. This was a replica of the ship to scale that once traded spices and good with India back in the sixteen hundreds. I was delighted to see how such a vessel made of wood initiated the move to make the world a smaller place that we currently live in. We then walked on to the terrace of NEMO, the science museum. We could see all of the city from there.  A horizon to remember. The packed backpacks which stared at us often was reminding us that we have a home to go back to.
Like the elders say, A well traveled man , will live as a wiser man. I realised that even more on this tour. Never knew about Tulips, Never knew about Diamonds, Never knew about so many other things that this short visit has thought me. I cannot end this without mentioning one feature of the city slickers of Amsterdam. Their absolute obsession to bicycles. Everyone , young and old, mothers and executives all of them on the move and not in a gentle cautious manner. Even the prime minister of Holland can been seen on a bike, cycling away to his office some days. Everyone on their own bike at a brisk pace like as if the bike is an extension of the body. A city of eight hundred thousand inhabitants has 1.6 million registered bicycles . The cycle lanes well laid out made it all look so seamless and effortless. I so wish every other city embraced to the most efficient transport machine man has ever created.
One last closing quote, "Amsterdam; you Rock!"

For more pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/110909333838706695436/albums/6004684824655293265?authkey=CPnDnPDxu5umpAE

The Red Dot

I set up an Alarm to wake up at five am. Got up and switched on my XBOX and TV. A week earlier I had installed an application called “Live event player”. All this hustle and bustle on a Sunday morning with rain drops kissing the windows. My wife is fast asleep and does not even bother to ask what I am up to. Given the time of the day and the weather outside I would not blame her.

            August the fifth 2012 was one such special day for me. A memorable seven minutes that morning Sunday Morning. The time it took for the greatest machine man has ever created to touch down.  On this momentous day some four hundred million kilometers away the human race re-ascertained their presence and their intellectual dominance in the solar system. The Curiosity rover also known as the MSL ( Mars Surface Laboratory ) touched down on our immediate neighbor. MARS. This is a significant milestone for all of us just for the reason that in the grand program for the exploration of Mars after this advanced rover landing, human missions are next on the cards.

Curiosity, the 2.5 billion dollar rover is an amazing feat of engineering and human imagination. Back in 2008 when funds for it were granted, I remember getting on to the NASA link where a live web cam stream showed the engineers working on the construction of the Rover. In a clean room with the mechanics all suited up in white and caps were putting together the most expensive scientific exploration machine. Scientists from around the world worked on the project to fit as many instruments as possible at the same time making them light and strong. The rover which is almost the size of a small car weighed in around 900 kilograms. It was too heavy to be powered by the technology that its older yet smaller siblings the ‘Opportunity’ and ‘Spirit’ used. The humble Solar Panel.(One of them which is still doing duty after 8 years in-spite of having a project time line of just 90 days). Curiosity can be credited as the coolest rover because its power source is “Nuclear”!! The rover is expected to do duty for close to two years. The most audacious goal for the rover would be to be the part of the welcome group to set up the base camp for future human explorers. Most of the things about the Rover and its technical specs are available on the internet but the planet Mars is more intriguing than any other heavenly body out there.

Few of the facts that have drawn mankind’s attention since centuries are the fact that it was the only terrestrial body that was close by, just a little hospitable. Moon is far too closer but without any atmosphere it’s dangerous for any form of life. In the early 1800’s with poor telescopes some of the early astronomers to earn more brownie points dared to make bold declarations Mars is, or was inhabited by civilized life and the proof of that was the long straight lines crisscrossing the surface of Mars. This was interpreted as Canals. That started the whole fiasco in Hollywood about Martians and their conniving plan to attack the human race kind of movie. In the early seventies with better telescope the dry, arid landscapes of Mars showed up. They told a different tale. The enthusiasm that people had about Mars soon diminished. Years later a rock that has been sitting in a lab for many years which was found in the Arctic was re-examined. The fact that it came over from mars was known but on a much closer inspection a feature on the rock rejuvenated the fantasy of scientists and layman alike. It’s still a hotly debated issue. Many say its how ferrous based minerals at micro scale react and form structures lining themselves along the magnetic lines of the planet where as some astro-biologists say that it’s the excrement of microorganisms after ingesting dirt.

Now we have the extension of man on the Martian surface. It could boldly make the statement that Captain Picard made. “To go where no man has ever been before”. Curiosity has drilled a 2.5 inch hole into a rock with once was at the river bed. With bated breath I wait to hear the results. NASA wants to make sure before they make any announcements, because the answers that Curiosity provides can raise lot of the theological questions. Uproot some of the faith and beliefs that many religion are based on. Let’s say, “It can shake things up”. Shake things that were created centuries ago when man knew nothing about science. Now his own very “Curiosity” has got him this far. But we know what they say about the man’s urge to know more “Curiosity killed the cat”. I would coin that word a bit different going forward. “Curiosity set the cat Free”. Now where is the Hot Wheelz Curiosity model I ordered!

Dublin Marathon 2012

Since I took up running since the past 3 years, There was one goal in mind and one goal only. That one day I would run a marathon. it's not meant for the lighthearted and I was one back then. I ran week after week, couple of kilometers to several, couple of kilometers an hour to quite a few. As I pen this down it reminds me of the legendary Whitney Huston number "Step by Step, Brick by Brick". I must thank my good friend on this occasion Mihir Patel, who got me involved into running. I did spend the last couple of years doing five kilometer and ten kilometer runs. Since 2011 took part in two half marathons. But one fine day, early 2012 when I received a mail saying, sign up for the Dublin race series and get a discount on each race, in a heart beat I signed up. First few minutes after that, Wow! I saved 60€. Moments after that, when I looked hard at all the races I signed up for I had to take a big gulp. The last on the list was The "Dublin Marathon 2012". It was this humongous mountain that I always looked at the from the valley. Looking up to it with respect and in awe. Every time passing by it thinking one day I will get to the top. Now that I have paid in full, there is no looking back. First thing that all lame runners do is exactly what I did.Splurge some money on gadgets and expect it will make a world of a difference in your pace. Nothing is going to run for you, you run as long as your legs can carry you. These fancy Garmin gadgets help you to know how you have performed, but it does not assure you of the performance. My fancy watch (the only one that I have ever owned) did help me in getting my pace consistent but never did I push my self to take on the mountain of a challenge head on. My earlier 10 K race came well under 50 min. Legs hurt much lesser after a race nowadays and doing a 5 K under 25 minutes was a walk in the park. That gave me the confidence, but I had under estimated going up a hill and coming down is quite not the same as a hiking up and down a mountain. The race packs started tricking in one by one and few races were done with style. Then one day came the mail, "please print this letter and sign this as an acceptance letter". It felt like I am signing my own death warrant. My wife tried her best to keep me away from this one race. But to her bad luck, she was not around when it was time to race.

I must make a mention of the exceptional event management of the Dublin race series organisers. The Marathon event was the best of it all. Volunteers well informed, information well circulated, proper tips and guidance given to all. I had to collect the rack pack a day before the race at RDS which is less than a stones throw away from where I stay. There was no hassle at all in getting my pack amongst the several thousands there. Stalls to sell everything that I wanted for the race, Practioners and Long time marathoners giving up health and exercise tips. I was honored to meet one Mr.Jhon who is now the oldest Dublin Marathoner at 76. He has run every single Dublin Marathon since 1980. The best take way from the Pace pack was a book, that was a step by step guide into all aspects of the impending race. But a few points there was engraved in my mind. It most probably was because I was seeking some kind of solace in excuses.
Points like "If you want to call it a day midway, there is no shame in it. You have already succeeded by being at the start line",

"Its the pace at which you run decides if it turns out to be a miserable experience rather than the distance", "Look around and enjoy the views of Dublin, in a way that only few other can. There is no other day, where the traffic will be blocked for you and let you run in the middle of the streets".
These things meant a lot to me, and the day before I looked at myself in the mirror, and said to myself, "don't be competitive tomorrow, just finish it, just enjoy it". I guess that is pretty much how it played out. Few precautionary measures I took, paid off big time and I thank the lord for making me do that.
 1.I shopped for a non soaking skull cap
 2.Bought a light weight disposable rain jacket; Just in case if the worst happens,Rain.
 3.On Race day , I put on two pairs of running sock.
 4.Bought plenty of Energy gels.
 5.Studied the course and memorized few of the water stations.
 6.Took some dry clothes to wear after the race.
I had never done anything like this before any of my other races.
I had plenty of rice food the previous day as per the kind advise of Mihir. Carbs was all that I needed he kept saying.
It was Race day morning. Unlike all the other races, the start line was just 15 minute walk away from my home. Just prayed once before I stepped out after making sure I had everything I needed. It was a frigid 4 deg outside.

People had gathered in thousands. This was the largest gathering for a sporting event ever in Ireland.14,358 people from across the world, from all walks of life, at all age groups were there. I reached just 20 minutes early, and since I am not going to be a sprinter did not mind being the last few.Noticed the 5 hour pace keepers and stuck close to them. That is what I had in mind to complete the race in. There was one German who was 76, who is a cancer survivor and it was his 19th Marathon and he started only in 2000; if this did not motivate me, nothing will.
Announcements being made loud,RTE cameras all over, hundreds of volunteers and Marshals built the tension enough for me to forget that it was bitter cold. Some of them totally came to have a ball. I was running along side, one "honey monster", another "Robot" and an US air-force pilot with a big cardboard F22 strapped around his waist, another pretty girl dressed up as a fairy,with Wings and all paraphernalia.
I could barely hear the gun shot and slowly did the ocean of heads start bobbing up and down in front me. The enormous blow up arc with word "START" on it, made it sure that now I am off the diving board.
I kept to a very steady pace of 6:45 min/km which is far slower than my resonant pace of 5 min/km. The golden word from the book, kept me in check.

People whom you have never met chat up, one even put his hand on my shoulder and was giving me tips and motivating me at the 10 km mark. This kind of comradery really take off much pressure. Passed the first two water stations at the 5 and 10 km mark. I did not want to loose any time there. The blue colored 5 Km flags in my visual range till the 20 km mark. The encouragement from people really helps. At one instance past the 35 Km mark, one lad just came up right beside me and jogged for a few hundred meters just to keep me motivated and pick up the pace. This does not ever happen on any other day for sure. I felt privileged. Post 20 Km mark I over took the 5hr pace keepers to get a lead, but soon I hit the "Wall" .Energy level plummeted through the floor. Exhaustion kicked in hard, Knees were like made of gello. The only thing that kept me upright and moving forward was just the momentum of the body. The sight of a turn up front was like "Ooohhh....Not another one!". Even a tiny Robin who has not been to Specs Savers if had struck me, I would be off!. Past 30 km Mark the 5 hr pace keepers gradually passed by. I tried hard to keep up, but failed. It was disheartening to see the flag shrink in view and finally disappear. I had to walk most of the last 10 kilometer.

Friendly citizens stepped outside to,clap and cheer and some offered sweets. At the 35 Km I was running right past my house and I had the keys in my hand and all the muscles in my leg was screaming, go home FOOL!! But will power alone kept going on. Just yearning to see the FINISH arc. Finally when the long green carpet, the one stretch I want to be on, Running appeared, I kicked up pace, just not to disappoint those hundreds of strangers gathered out in the cold just to say "keep going", "you are almost there". Finally there , crossed the line and I almost broke down. A paramedic came around just to ask, if I was okay, and in spite of me having experienced such pain in my legs and with no energy to lift a finger, with a tear drop rolling down my cheek said "I am fine, Thank you". Now to get the one thing that I went through all this for, the piece of Metal, that meant every thing to me.

The one thing that will be with me for the rest of my life. Mustered a smile while some one put it around my neck. Collected my race goodies and went to collect my bags to put on some dry clothes.
The next big daunting task was to get home, the 10 minute walk was now an arduous task. Tried to hitch a ride to Ballsbridge, but who would trust a brown man who unfortunately has a suspicious look, in a skull cap.
My very anxious wife and all family members back at home were waiting to hear from me. My love, being clever monitored my race progress on the site and re assured everyone that I did cross the finish line with no air of an ambulance or an air lift.
Had a quick chat with them all, showed off the stuff I brought home. I then had a super long shower like I have never had before.I must have been under the shower head for 40 minutes nursing my legs and sometimes even kissing them, saying thank you.

Now sitting back I realized that I forgot to thank this one thing that helped me since the past one year, stayed loyal to me every step of the way, and carried me to the finish line of my cherished dream."Now that you are finally clean, take a break. Lets start everything all over again,soon!"