Wanderlust !

A student from Hamburg, Germany, requested him to conduct a workshop there. Desai was in the process of dealing with stress management in teenagers and wanted to understand teenagers better.This request, coupled with the need to perceive things through a teenager8217;s eyes, prompted his decision for a journey along with his teenaged daughter to Europe.

They started of at the end of May, when summer begins in Europe. On May 22, they flew to Paris via London from Mumbai. In Paris, their first obstacle was at the cargo, where they had to clear their bikes from the customs. An entire day was spent without food, running after the officials, finally managing to get the cycles on road.

Their route had been roughly mapped out and several options had been taken into consideration. Their daily routine included waking up at 7.30 am, followed by breakfast, after which they would start at 9 am, travel 70 to 80 kms on an average, and reach their next destination between around 6 pm. Lunch signalled half-time. They concentrated on cycling and trying to understand the people and their way of life.

Throughout their stay they put up at the Youth hostel. This gave them scope to meet people from all over the world, especially students. Food was good old bread and cheese and vegetables and fruits for the vegetarian doctor. Though Noopur is a non-vegetarian, she found the meat too raw and red to suit her palate. The milk was too watery and the fruits tasted bland. And it was MacDonald8217;s to the rescue.

Photos were clicked aplenty, but both regretted not having a movie camera with them. And there are memories galore. The warmth of the Belge and Danes reaching out to them, their happiness reflected in their ready smiles. The beautifully-landscaped houses, with their multi-coloured flowers in bloom, the sloping roofs that added grandeur, the readily accessible waterways provided for fishing8230;and cycling tracks. And people were environment-friendly and cycling was a way of life.

Germany provided a new picture. Angular houses, less imaginative and warm, and the people more reticent, less spontaneous. But, it was here that an old lady took out precious time to set them on the right track and map out their route for them again. They covered five countries and hence, five different kinds of cultures. For Noopur, it was a totally new experience, adjusting to new countries, new people, new currencies, new food8230; and this helped her gain self-confidence and changed previously-held notions.

They reached Hamburg on June 17, where Desai conducted the workshop. They had travelled 1,600 kms and came back to Pune on June 27. That very day Noopur went to school! And thus came to an end an adventure, an experience!