Somewhere in the spring of 2009
It was my first day in Stockholm, my Hostel was somewhere
,in Gamla Stan ,that’s how they refer to the old town here. I had taken a coach
to get to the centre and then walk from there to my hostel. As I walked I
looked at the restaurants and stopped occasionally to look at the menus. The
air still had a hint of cold though the sun ensured that the people sat out and
their crockery glittered under the green of the lettuce ,the white of the mayo
,the pink of the salmon and the red of the steak.
I was already starving from two days on the travel as I had
a budget to match. I felt like the kid coming back from school with a pocket
money that barely just ensures the mid day meal sold at reduced prices in the
school canteen. So the walk home via a sweet shop or an ice cream cart is
always painful.
The menus were marked in SEK ,the Swedish kroner ,and it
took me 300 mtrs and some math on my phone to realize that Stockholm is more
expensive than Helsinki !!. And there I was ,hoping in Helsinki that if I save
today I may eat in Stockholm at least one square meal.
The thing about backpacking is not that you don’t have the
money to splurge but the Euro to Indian Rupee conversion and the whole idea of
staying true to the idea of backpacking doesn’t allow you to spend.
As I entered my hostel dorm I realized tonight will be yet
another cold night. Not in terms of only the weather but also the food that I
had. There was some ham left over and the bread was the least I could spend on.
So there it was again .. ham and bread for Dinner on day 1 ,2 and 3.
Midsummer 2012
Yesterday again I spent my first day in Helsinki. Dinner was
huge .. but where lunch was just a distant thought in 2009 ,it was Salmon and
garlic mayo in 2012. So yes the situation is better now. As I slept in my
inside cabin with the view of my thoughts to give me company I thanked god in a
way to get me where I am today. I was basking in the sun this morning as I had
an espresso and a piece of chocolate cake in a cafeteria of a museum. I even
tipped the lady driver 100 SEK and I never tip drivers who have just driven for
3 hrs. But she carried 4 bags in a her hand as she helped me unload the luggage
from the bus. Money was not an issue until .. I realized that the dinner on a
mid summer night in Stockholm is a tough task. Everything is closed and the
town bears a look of curfew.
When I plan the costing of a tour there is food budget that
I have to take as a reference. In Stockholm it is around 17 – 18 Euros.
Well, I thought to myself, what can happen most .. I will
have to shell out a few Euros more for the dinner and offer them food in the
Hotel restaurant. But Indian travelers above the age of 50 are conservative and
vegetarian. I am sorry to have both these together but its true. Every
vegetarian is not a conservative ,but every conservative is a veggie. So I went
up to the counter and asked them for a dinner reservation for 24 people.
“We are full sir “ was the reply. I tried calling a few
Indian restaurant’s, but had similar answers from all of them, the answering
machine answered in Swedish and the only word I understood was ‘mid summer’
Well right .. I know its mid summer !!!
So I walk up to the receptionist once again and she gives me
a contact of a nearby restaurant. Now from the onset this looks classy. I am
wondering what will my over 60 guys do here .. how will the place smell when
one of them open’s Garlic chutney to go with a mushroom risotto. Or ,what will
a green chilly pickle do to a vegetable grill. Most of all how much of an
evacuation is needed to ensure that others in the restaurant don’t loose their
appetite bcoz of my group. I don’t intend to sound cynic but yes ,the menu for
tonight is A tomato and basil soup with herb cream , grilled veggies with goat
cheese, Mushroom and herb risotto and finally an apple pie with vanilla cream.
I bet you love the sound of it .. but then I go back to 2009 and my need to eat
something warm. That was my first time here as it is for my people today. They
need something spicy .. and they will make every attempt to add the spices if
they don’t find them on the dish. So on and so forth ..
Did I mention the price I am going to pay for this .. well
the very kind man at the counter said. You are paying around 26 Eur per head
just for the food. Drinks are separate.. I ,after recovering from the shock
said .. but they would only drink water. He smiled and said ,well that’s
charged too .. I am talking tap water guys !!!
Ha Ha Ha .. I laughed at myself ,as I walked back to the hotel
and finally to my room after 3 hours of restaurant searching. I try to convince
myself ,that its ok .. but I know its not about the money .. its like this is
the only place that is open and serves veg. So its not that I have any option.
But look at it this way .. what if you take your 70 year old grand mother to
eat sushi at the Wasabi in the Taj Mahal, Mumbai ??!!
Get my point !
Hey .. but this is work and there are always highs and lows
in terms of the budget ,the important thing to remember on a tour is that no
matter what .. the tourists should always be on a high ! Coz if not for them
there wouldn’t be a 2009 and certainly not a 2012 !!
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