Just a thought leading to another

We all have a place that we love to head towards time and again. A place where we can just sit  and have a chat with friends over a cup of tea, coffee or enjoy a quick meal. Or if you will, sit out in the sun , basking in the warmth of the venue, but even more, the sheer pleasure of being in a place where each member of the staff is keenly attuned to your requirements and greets you like a long lost friend the minute they catch sight of you.

I've got exactly one such place and its probably where I spend the most amount of time, outside my own home. This charming little cafe is called 'Darcys' and its located at Madinat Qaboos MQ) in Muscat.

My fave cafe

While I'm fairly engrossed  in my book,, magazine or newspaper if I'm alone here, or chatting animatedly with friends or family in other situations, I  do take a look around and nod at a familiar face every now and then. Most of the customers are regulars just like me and over a period one gets to know them somewhat too.

But then there are the other faces that seem somewhat out of place and that is exactly the reason why they stay in the mind. Every other time that I'm there, I see a 35' ish local man, who has a slight limp- and if one looks at him closely, doesn't seem to be entirely normal. Now I don't know why that is so, but one generally avoids making eye contact with him, for fear of...? I really don't have the answer here, but am just sharing my  thoughts. And believe me, I'm not the only one there who does this, its probably the majority of others present too.As for the staff, I've noticed that they sat him in a quiet corner where hes served a cup of tea and a small bite and after a short respite, he's off and on his way..

But last weekend saw a departure from the norm. My husband and myself were sitting outside and having our scones and tea and this man walked out.It was evident that he'd finished and was leaving. But here's the real surprise. Just as he reached the small gate which serves as the exit and entry point, he stopped, looked directly at us and waved goodbye. I too waved back instinctively.

I really don't know what it was about that simple gesture, but it touched me a great deal. For all the times, I'd thought of him as 'not exactly normal" he'd been seeing and focusing on me as a person who he'd learnt to recognise. Then one day, he actually reacted and how!

I find myself thinking of him every now and then. And have made up my mind that I will have a real conversation with him when I see him next.

Just one more reason to head back to Darcy's ...

Memories are made of this

An incomparable view

For my first post of this year, I decided to write about a day which was truly memorable. Warm, bright and sunny and one which just begged'"get out doors and stay out!"

Which is exactly what we then did...

Driving through old Muscat and then upto the Al Bustan and Bar Al Jissa is one of the treats of this time of the year in Muscat and I'm sharing some of the pics I clicked along the route.

I'll keep this post short and sweet and let the photographs do the talking.

So here they are - and you will probably understand why I say that memories are made of this.

December was a particularly horrible month as we learnt about the brutal gang rape and eventual death of a young brave-heart girl in India. I salute her for her courage and pray for the peace of the departed soul. With the hope that her death will help a million other girls in India be saved from a similar fate, here's wishing all of you a safe,  happy and prosperous New Year .

The Al Bustan R/A in all its glory

Hope lies eternal- An Unforgettable episode at La Musee National de la Legion d honneur, Paris

La Musee National de la Légion d'honneur

Inside the Museum

If someone asked me if I liked writing or photography better, I'd be hard pressed for an answer. The fact is that I really cant decide .

It goes without saying that I love my cameras a great deal too and cant imagine going anywhere with at least one, if not two of them.

Continuing in my series of Sights and sounds that linger, here's another one which Id truly classify as 'unforgettable'

It was my 9th day in Paris and I'd clicked hundreds of photographs. Many of them had already been downloaded onto my flash drive but the last couple of days pics hadn't. Add to it, the wonderful photographs that I'd just managed to click at the Musee' D' Orsee, including original artworks by artists  like Van Gogh , Monet and  Rembrandt and you will get the picture.

I'd just stepped out of the Muse D Orsee when I saw this interesting looking building. A closer inspection revealed it to be another museum and I briefly debated- should I, shouldn't I ? You see, I'd planned to walk to Notre Dame for the evening mass and it was already 430 pm and it was a longish walk.But then I decided to take a quick look around because I didn't want to lose the opportunity.

I'm so glad I did because the experience was just wonderful!

The permanent collection of the National Museum of the Legion of Honor  includes decorations and medallions awarded to military officers and civilians from France and other countries, hundreds of paintings displayed in a portrait room and ephemera dating back to the Middle Ages. The museum explains protocol that dictates how, where and when badges, ribbons and medallions shaped as fleurs-de-lys, rosettes, stars, crosses and other medallions are worn. Only the president is permitted to wear the Royal Collar and, in fact, it is a crime in France for anyone other than the owner to wear any of these 

Looking at the time, I realised that it was high time I started walking towards Notre Dame otherwise I'd miss the mass. Heading towards the cloak room, I freshened up and briskly started the walk. Halfway there , approaching Rive Gauche, I decided to click some shots of the majestic auction houses that displayed beautiful stuff in their show windows and that was when I stood horror stricken as I realised that I didn't have my camera on me!In the very next moment I realised that I must have left it in the cloak room and felt a rush of tears well up..But I also knew that I had to make  dash back there and hoping against hope I did just that!

I haven't run or jogged in many years but that day I did it. It was cold and windy  and I was tired but I guess fear lent me wings. I covered that distance kin about three minutes whereas the walk so far had taken me 15.

I entered and headed towards the counter and the Concierge there just smiled and held up my camera . "Is this what you are looking for? he asked and I almost burst into tears of sheer relief. Apparently, another lady had used the rest room and having discovered my camera, had handed it over to the desk immediately.

I thanked him and the other concierge also came up and handed me a bottle of water. All he told me was that one really didn't need to worry in Paris, anything lost usually got found.

I walked out into the cold air with a smile on my lips and a song in my heart, I reached Notre Dame in time for the service as well. But that is another story ..

For another day...