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Wedding season shopping in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi!

The hustle and bustle of Chandni Chowk is best described as an organised chaos, and I mean that in the most complimentary way, especially knowing that it is a time-tested character of Delhi's history. This was where the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan first developed a market square to facilitate the trade of spices, textiles and herbs in the early 17th century. Today, the same streets are busy with bags, sweets, dry fruits, jewellery, books and so much more, as it has become synonymous with wedding-season shopping. When you walk these streets, you can almost lose yourself in the flow of noise, smells and colours fighting for your attention, and most shops have existed here for many generations. In the famous Paranthewali Gali, you find a hundred fried delicacies and a wide spectrum of flavours, from extremely chilli to sugary sweet. These streets blend into one another, and I had to remind myself to stay hydrated, which a glass of nimbu paani very well sufficed for. You can see that there...
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Ørstedsparken, ancient fortification of Copenhagen!

        One of Copenhagen's well-preserved secrets is right there in the open: a public lake which used to be a moat around the city in the early 17th century. That fortification was only recently developed into a park which we can now frolic around. The plant life is painstakingly maintained through the walkways, grassy turfs and bridgeways that map the area.  Although it is only 4m long, it actually connects underground with another artificially maintained lake known as Pebling Sø, which I also had the chance to ride a swan boat on. Both water bodies carry their own quirks and birds, sometimes quite loud and clear despite their sizes!
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Le Cercle de Royal Gaulois, Bruxelles : )

Imagine being Belgium in 1830, a country fresh out of political control from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in search of a ruling class which will be free of sociopolitical influences like the Catholics and socialists. This is one part of the nation's history which goes unseen, but effectively dictated how the leaders of the noble aristocracy met the new-age industrialists who were already expanding and growing their businesses. In short, certain circles of intellectuals like lawyers, scientists and philosophers established a safe space for networking, and today, the same space doubles as a trusted hub for diplomats to visit and meet people from different walks of life. This circle is additionally granted the title of royalty by the Belgian monarch, and if you happen to walk around the Royal Park of Brussels, you're already at the core of Le Cercle Royal Gaulois.
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India Gate & National War Memorial, New Delhi!

 Delhi is replete with monuments and historical artefacts that are undefeated architectural marvels, but one of the most iconic ones is a war memorial known as India Gate. This building of limestone was created to serve as a living memory of the many soldiers who were part of the British Army during World War I. We see 13,000 names inscribed on the walls, along with Roman numerals signifying 1914 and 1919, the years of the military campaigns. Interestingly, we find a grand statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the beloved leader of the Indian Army at the time and also remembered for his fierce anti-colonial actions. This brings us to the nearby National War Memorial, which is a haunting reminder of the national conflicts that India has faced post-independence as well. Those valiant sacrifices are honoured with the burning of an eternal flame, Amar Jawan Jyoti, and on occasion, we even witness relatives of martyrs who are invited to pay respects to the brave soldiers. It is undenia...
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Gonna visit every Open Library around Belgium!

 A good habit I have picked up since living in Belgium is to go where this box is. In French, it is une boîte à livres , and in Dutch, boekenruilkastjes —essentially open libraries which invite you to take one and give one book at your convenience. And if you've been following my walks around town, you know where there's a book, there is Adi, so I often find myself scanning for titles that catch my attention.  Since there are so many around, my appetite for reading is always impassioned. On some days, I donate books from my own collection, and, humbly, if I say so myself, that must count towards my good karma in this life.
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Visiting dinosaurs in Brussels : ) Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Sciences

Recently, I visited the dinosaur museum in Brussels, which is actually the Institute of Natural Sciences, but as soon as you walk in, you are welcomed by the silent hosts of this estate. The building offers multi-level viewing of the main exhibit, so you truly appreciate the size and well-preserved skeletons of Iguanodon bernissartensis , a name which is quite fitting because it was here in Bernissart, a city in Belgium, that a coal mine accidentally drilled into a clay sinkhole underground and discovered these gigantic skeletons. And what better way to experience their grandiosity than a walk around the museum's corridors? Many factoids are translated into French, English, Dutch and German, often with interactive boards and games that I am sure cater to all ages and audiences. In one way or the other, I find it rather funny how dinosaurs continue to fascinate and surround us, in both fossilised form as well as in petroleum (note, it is a modern myth that dinosaurs lead to petrol!)...
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Sipping chai in United Cofee House in New Delhi : )

 United Coffee House claims to be Delhi's first-ever café, which it very well might be, given its pre-Partition roots and location in the core of Connaught Place. The capital city of New Delhi welcomed a diverse crowd of professionals and future-builders of the country, some of whom could find respite in this glamorous chamber, and it stays almost stuck in time with iconic European designs like ornate symmetrical curves mixed with motifs from India. Even though I only ordered chai in this coffee house, I could sense the deliberate choice of foreign ambience in the room. It is a landmark of a bygone era, selected remnants of which make for a special dining experience.
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