'Shaiklabhanjika in Musee Guimet, Paris, France' - by K.J.S.Chatrath;

I visited Musee guimet in Paris in June this year. Its collections focus on  South East Asia. I found the following statue of shailabhanjika to be very fascinating. 10th or 11th century AD- Source...Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan.

'Centenry of Indian soldiers liberating the French town of Peronne, France on 17th September, 1917' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Photo taken at the La Chapellette British & Indian Cemetery in Peronne in France by me in June 2017. On 17th September 1917 Indian soldiers had liberated this French town and yesterday this small town celebrated the centenary of its becoming free again.

'Oh, these French!' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Photo taken at Peronne, France in June 2017 when I had gone there to pay my respects to the 318 Indian soldiers who lie commemorated in the cemetery there. They had gone there to defend France and became martyrs during the WW-I

'Oh these French beauties!' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Oh these French beauties! 

(Photo source BonjourParis.com)

'Gare du Nord, Paris' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

 I have gone to Paris a few times and passed through the iconic Gare du Nord. During my last visit to Paris I stayed in a modest hotel right opposite this station. Though it is not considered to be a nice area for overnight stay, the logistics of catching a train to north of France at 6.50 am the next morning made me chose this location. 

The hotel was quite basic. But its USP was that from my room on the second floor I could get a great view of the Gare du Nord. And I did make full use of it and clicked a number of photos. Now a few words about this railway station. 

 Gare du Nord, or ‘North Station’ in English, is one of the six large terminus stations of the French railway network Societe National du Chemin du Fer (SNCF) network for Paris, France. Located in the 10th arrondissement, the Gare du Nord offers connections with several urban transport lines, including Paris Metro, RER and buses.   Around 214 million passengers pass through it every year making it the busiest railway station in Europe.  

This is the station for trains to Northern France and to international destinations in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The station complex was designed by the French architect Jacques Hittroff  and built between 1861 and 1864.

 Jacques Hittroff (Photo source-internet)

Take  a look at Gare du Nord, as I saw it:

  

 Gare du Nord Metro Station.

 

Oh Paris, comment je t'aime!

 

 

 

 Do not miss the temporary leaning structure put up as a tourist attraction. 

The building in which my hotel was located also housed a Pakistani restaurant. I ordered a  tandoori roti (bread baked in a clay oven)  and chicken curry. Chicken curry was just OK and the roti was fairly average but these were far better than the over rated, half cooked and bland stuff  which goes by the name of  'French Cuisine.'

'The French Omelette' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

I went to a small French town of Boulogne in France last year to visit and the 'Meerut Military Cemetery' and to pay my homage to the 318 Indian soldiers who lie buried/commemorated there. They had come all the way from India to defend France during the First World War and became martyrs.

During a spare day, I moved from one to the other museums in this small town. In between I found time to have a quick bite.

Well, I am not a lover of French food, especially  the non-vegetarian dishes,  as I find those to be under cooked and raw. So quite often my choice rests with a French omelette- after all they claim to have invented the Omelette.

I took a seat in a sidewalk cafe and ordered one, adding a glass of white wine to the lunch. Supply of bread, as you would know, is by law offered free with every ordered dish in  France, and one must thank Napoleon Bonaparte for his thoughtful decree on this.

I enjoyed the omelette and the bill, including the tip came to 15 euros- well Europe is expensive and one must travel to Latin America for food at one third of this price. And of India is even cheaper on the omelette scale.

Did you say Bon Apetit?