Electricity, Automation and the Flip Side

So there are a few things i've noticed about electricity in France. Of course, being the electrical engineer (and a geek, as some people reading this wud say), and this being my trade, its obviously the first thing i notice.

First things first, the plugs and sockets in this place are a spectacle. In India (and i dont know where else), the earthing pin is always on the plug (For the electrically impaired, or the plain ignorant - the earthing pin is the big one on the plug, that forms the top vertex of the triangle), is bigger and longer than the other two pins. In fact, even during school and engineering, we learnt that this pin is made bigger than others so that it makes electrical contact first. But in France, the earthing pin is on the wall, and not on the appliance !!! On the other hand, the plug on any appliance has a hole in it, to accomodate the earthing pin !!! Also, the earthing pin is the same size as the other pins, which completely busts the theory of the earth contact being made first. I'm coming to believe that in France you actually put the socket into the plug, and not vice versa.

Maybe i'm being a bit critical, and i'm sure the experts who designed this system know more than me about electrical engineering. Ok, let us assume that this system is better than the conventional 3-pin system. But then, the French don't beleive in using a switch when u plug in the appliance !! So the moment you put the plug into the socket (or socket into plug), your appliance is running. Of course, someone told me that the reason for this, that it is a foolproof method to avoid accidents. For example, an iron box is safer when unplugged, rather than switched off and left in the socket. I suppose that makes sense, but i'd still prefer a switch to go with my plug, thank you.

Back in Bangalore, my colleagues and I had the habit of leaving our workstations on overnight. Saved us the trouble of starting up next morning, cuz it took forever on the Dell Precision 670. A friend (he'l know i'm talking about him when he reads) once told me that in a country like India, which already has a shortfall of energy, we're abusing the availability, and advised me to turn the system off.
In France, everywhere, i've found automated lights, that go off after a certain time lag. You switch them on, they stay on for a fixed period, and then turn off. You can find them in dark staircases, corridors in apartment buildings, lavatories etc.
It's a great idea. You get out of the lift in your building, the corridor is dark. You turn on the light, walk to you apartment at the end of the corridor, open the door, and by then the light goes out. Fair enough.

But sometimes, it's not so cool. For example, this morning, i decided to take a leak in the men's room, at work. The light was already on, so i didnt bother about it. Can you imagine my disorientation when the lights go out halfway through a pee??? Damn it, i didnt know if my direction was correct, or i was hitting the wall !! To top it off, once i was done, i had to feel my way along the wall, and then turn on the light.

I went back to the men's room later that afternoon. The light was on again. This time, i thought i was smarter, and hit the light switch anyway. But then, again halfway through, off goes the light !! Apparently if the lights are on, it doesnt help if you press the switch again. But twice in one day???

I suppose automation is good, especially when it saves effort, energy and money.
But seriously, i dont want to be like a blind man in a dark loo, twice a day, for the next 1.5 years !!

Pigeons... and other things.

I've been wanting to write about this for a while now. French (or atleast in Grenoble) pigeons are a spectacle. And here is why...

Firstly:
1 French pigeon = 3 Indian pigeons

Yes, these birds are huge, and round, and fat. They're well fed, and they fear nothing and no one. You can walk upto them on a pavement, stand beside them and take a photograph, and they probably wont move and inch. In fact, they may even pose for one !! (ok ok, i'm exaggerating).

And you find them in every street. They're there on the windowsill of the apartment i'm going to rent next week, and my landlord claims that "i'm doing something abt it". At a busy interesection, you will see pigeons walking (yes walking) in the centre of the street, even with a bus bearing down at them. I have hardly ever seen them fly. I dunno whether it is because they have nothing to fear, or the above mentioned corpulence. Occasionally, you will come across the odd pigeon run over by a car, pasted across the road....

Talking about buses, I might as well go off on an unrelated tangent. Traffic in Grenoble. It's almost non-existent (by Indian standards). Very very well organised, drivers who respect the rules, and pedestrians. If a light is green, and a pedestrian (albeit stupid) is crossing, the car will invariably stop and let him go. Why, there have been times when i was waiting to cross the road, with a red pedestrian light, and cars have stopped for me to go first. And all they expect in return is a polite nod of the head. In short, i dont think there has ever been a pedestrian being run over in Grenoble. Maybe there has, but i'm sure it was a crazy Indian trying to jump across the road, being run down by an equally crazy Indian trying to get past the light before the pedestrian can cross !!

In the past 2 weeks that i've been here, i have heard a car horn ONCE !! No, i'm not kidding. Just once. And i distinctly remember the incident. I was in a Ford Fiesta, with my relocation agent, and we came up to an intersection, and a mercedes almost hit us from the opposite side. My friend honked, and both cars stopped. Later, my agent said the other guy was "a tourist". I thought it was some kind of insult, but actually, he WAS a guy from the neighbouring state, and was driving through Grenoble. My agent could tell from his number plate.

Anyway, the point is that the horn is a mere formality in cars out here. Maybe some cars are manufactured without any, for lack of use. We have some lessons to learn in driving. Out in Bangalore, if a car brakes in front of you, you have to honk and say "aeee, side ge hogo ley" !!

I plan to make chicken fry tonight. Got back a bit early from work, so have prepared the chicken, and it's marinating right now. So i'm taking this chance to write a bit.

Oh yeah, i'm going to Nice this coming weekend. A friend n colleague from another part of France will meet me there, so we plan to hit the Cote d'Azur for 2 days. I'll fly from Lyon to Nice on Saturday morning, and take the TGV back to Grenoble on sunday evening. It's my first time in the TGV, and i hear it's quite an experience. Will report on that. Will also report on French pigeons from another part of France.

Another thing i did not expect. Rather, a notion that has been busted (so far atleast). Most people say that English doesnt work in France, or if you speak English, you wont last long. On the contrary, people i've met so far have been very very accomodating. Maybe it's a bit early to say this, but i'l say it anyway.
Some of my French colleagues at work try to speak to me in English. I try my best to speak to them in French. Works both ways i suppose. One lady asked me if i would prefer if she spoke to me in English. I said no, French. She was surprised, but continued in French anyway.

Even outside work, many a time i've felt very welcome by people who dont speak English at all, and pardon my absolutely pathetic French. Like waiters, shopkeepers, bus drivers. What i really like is that an attempt is made to make you feel as comfortable as possible, even though you're a foreigner. But i suppose France is such an Eclectic society, that you're bound to be treated as "French", rather than "outsider". Again, maybe too early to say, but saying it anyway.

Of course, it's funny when I speak my broken French, in present tense only. It's also funny when the French speak to me in English. In fact, today i went to the Air France counter to book my flight to Nice. I resolved on my way there that i would carry out the entire conversation in French. So there i was, trying very very hard to speak French with the pretty lady at the counter. And she was trying equally hard to speak to me in English !! The flight to Nice was 65 euros, but when she spoke in English, she said me it's "65 hundred" euros !! For a moment, my heart was in my mouth, and i thought "For that price i can go to the Moon".

So... thats it for today i guess. My chicken is looking good from here, and i think today is a day for a good meal. Chicken and Rice, with some Haagen-Dazs ice cream for dessert (my first ice cream in France) !! Hope the chicken fry turns out good. Maybe tomorrow i'll put up a nice picture of what i hope will be a great culinary triumph.

Le Cirque - Jour 2

The next day, i went back with my camera...

Tony tries to be-friend a llama !

 


And Fails...

  

Le Cirque

So this morning, Tony, Nicholas, Geoffrey and I got off the bus and headed in the usuall direction. Usually we walk through a lawn, just beyond the gas station in the corner. But today, we had to go around, cuz someone had put a trailer on the grass !!

Thats when we realised what it was... a Circus !! No no, not like our Gemini and Rajkamal Circus back in India. This one was like a touring party, with a trailer full of animals. And beleive me, what animals !

Tied to pegs in the lawn were:

A goat (an unusual one, maybe a mountain goat)
A bull (with the biggest horns i ever saw !)
A Llama (first time i ever saw one)

Inside the trailer, and being offloaded with some difficulty, was a donkey... no, i'm serious... a donkey !!

Running all over the road, probably trying to get itself killed was a fuzzy little ball of hair, which we later discovered to be a dog. There was also a camel, which was getting a good wash from a jet-spray. I wonder if this guy borrowed it from the gas station.

We stood there looking at this spectacle for 5 minutes, and walked on. Only to find that there was a baby Llama running all over the Intermarche parking lot, just across from the plant where i work !!

This circus is going to have two shows. One today and another tomorrow. Then they move on. I regretted not having my camera. Tomorrow, i will click some snaps, and update the blog with them. Come back and take a look !!

So elephants in Thippasandra are not so bad after all ;-)

Surprise Surprise !

A few French friends of mine in India (namely Mehdi, Louis and Jean-Eudes) asked me to specifically tell them what really surprises me in France. I've seen so many things already that have raised my eyebrows, i think i might have to make this a feature of my blog from time to time.

I plan to call it What I Did Not Expect To See (aka WIDNETS)

So, here goes. This is part 1 of the feature.

1) Graffiti, everywhere in Grenoble. Usually along the tram lines, where it passes under a bridge. But beleive me, some of these spray painted artwork is quite amazing. One wrong stroke of the spray can, and you cannot even wipe the board clean...

2) A gentleman in the late 50's using a bluetooth headset !! Someone suggested it might be a hearing aid, but i dont suppose people speak into hearing aids, do they? I didnt expect someone his age to be so tech savvy. But yeah, a lot of the young crowd are hooked onto mp3 players, which is quite normal.

3) Beggars. With all due respect, i never expected to be approached by a lady saying "peut-etre, une petit piece monsieur" (perhaps, something small sir).

4) Gothic girls in France !! Oh yes, i saw quite a few. One of them stands out in my memory, cuz she sat next to me in the tram. Dressed in all black, her hair was coloured a deep red, totally unkempt (or was that her hairdo?). 2 rings on each finger, nails on left hand painted sky blue, nails on right painted red and yellow alternately. A ton of bracelets and other assorted trinkets on wrists, a dragon tattoo on her left arm. Also, her eyeliner... was like 1 centimeter thick, on her lower eye lid. Almost onto her cheek !!

5) Guys... i saw this one guy dressed like Jeetendra in a 70's Eastmancolor movie. White shirt, white pants, white shoes !! Do u get white shiny shoe polish?

6) I've also seen guys kiss each other on the cheek, as a greeting !!

7) A lingerie shop called "Darjeeling". Is it just me, or is this name highly misplaced !!

8) I never expected French women to smell so great !! My vocabulary runs short of words to describe the way they look, behave and ... smell !

9) Lastly, i walked into a shop in St.Bruno to buy a calling card, on my first day here. I greeted the guy at the counter with a regular "Bonjour", and got an "As-salaam-alai-kum" in return !!

I-Day in the Countryside

Yesterday was the first time I was not in Bangalore during Independance Day, and it was the first time in 3 days that I felt homesick. I woke up in the morning wishing I'd be at Victoria Statue, seeing the Queen on my left, and Gandhi in the park across the road... the junction lined with boys selling plastic flags at the traffic signal, and everyone proudly displaying their patriotism, as plastic as it is.

!'sigh'!

I went down for breakfast, and sat there eating my croissant, when in walked Kaustav's boss and invited me to join a small party of 4, for a small trip to the mountains around Grenoble.

So off we went, driving into the Vercors. At this point i must tell you a bit about the geography of Grenoble. The city is essentially triangular, with 3 mountain ranges on the sides. The Chartreuse in the North, the Vercors in the west, and Belledonne in the east. Maybe i'll post a map later, cant find one readily.

Anyway, we drove for an hour into the Vercors. I must tell you more about this drive. The road was cut through the mountains, and at a point, the cliff face is on the right, and a deep gorge on the left. At the bottom of the gorge is a thin stream, and on the far side are 25-30 metre tall conifers !! It was beautiful... and when we reached about 400-500 metres up the mountain, we broke into pastures of green green grass. The kind you generally see in Bollywood films, where Salman Khan is trying to woo Karishma Kapoor (ok, stupid joke). But seriously, its like those Alpine meadows we see in postcards, where you pass through villages with a local cheese factory and the village centre has pavements replaced by flower beds ! Oh, and there were cows in the pastures, which had the "i'm-better-than-u-cuz-i-give-milk-from-which-u-make-great-chocolates" look.

So finally after an hour we stopped at a place called Choranche. It has a very normal looking cave, atleast from the outside. When i entered, i figured why i was paying 8 euros to get in !

This cave is about 30 km deep, and inside the mountain, an underground river flows. The interesting thing is that it is so cold in there, that a glacier has formed, and hasnt melted ever ! All over the cave, u can see ice stalactites from the roof, just about a centimetre in diameter, but some over 3metre long, formed over 6000 years !!

 

From this place, we drove to a village called Pont en Royans (meaning "Bridge at Royans"). The river flows through this village, and you can enjoy a picnic lunch on the river. It was quite crowded, even by French standards. We enjoyed a great meal here, at a resto (french slang for restaurant) called Cafe du Royans. They served an amazing ham salad, albeit a bit raw, and the best lemon pie i ever had. Of course, the wine was kick-ass !

 

After lunch, we drove to a ski-resort (no snow though), and took a 2 hour trek in the mountain, to reach a peak called "La Mucherotte", overlooking Grenoble. The view was breathtaking, and our host showed me my to-be-office, from the top of the mountain ! I must also mention that we plucked some wild raspberries on the way up. Believe me, these fruits are extremely delicious, and no "Amul Raspberry Duet" ice-cream can replicate the real taste.

  <

The walk down from La Mucherotte took another hour. And just when we reached the car, we had a downpour !! Perfect end to a perfect day !

I got dropped back to my hotel, and crashed for the day.
Exhausting, but totally worth the effort !!

And i finally went to work today, after a long long weekend.
But this blog isnt about that.

Images from the Town

TGV at the Gare SNCF

 

Trams - Supercool !

 

A Bridge over the Isere

 

Fontaine du Lion - At the base of La Bastille

 

Way up to La Bastille

 

Confluence of two rivers - Isere and Drac

  

A few more comments...

Some things I must appreciate, having fallen totally in love with them, in just one day's time !

1) The shuttle buses in CDG, made by Renault. Just awesome !! You should travel in one of them to beleive it. No amount of explanation can fully capture the essence.

2) French women. Each time i saw a pretty lady, i thought she was prettier than the previous one. I wonder when the saturation point will come. But yeah, they're pretty alright. And tall... some taller than me !! (not that i stand a chance anyway....)

3) Traffic rules. The bus i took entered Grenoble, and then stopped at a "junction". I didnt know it was a junction, cuz i didnt see any vehicles !! But he waited anyway, patiently, for the light to turn from red to green. If it were a BMTC bus, he'd have killed 3 pedestrians, 4 cyclist and 1 motorbiker, while trying to jump the red light...

So... this is it !

After a nice hot bath, and a good night's sleep, i'm finally able to type freely. It's been a long long 36 hours, and I've done and seen so much already.

2 memories to leave Bangalore with. Getting soaked in the rain on my very last day there, along with Louis, on my way back home from office. And then, reaching the airport EARLY, and having to stand in a 300m long queue for check-in. It was a stark reminder of all the calls for growth of infrastructure in Bangalore, and the desperate need for a new airport. 3 international flights were to take off, and all were delayed due to lack on security check counters, and long long queues. Of course, had the occasional laugh, like when this German guy who was flying Lufthansa to Frankfurt went "Ol ze ladis, please muv to ze security countar neer zat woll". Apart from that, there was some crazy guy who was working for Fidelity Investments, and was flying to the US. This guy just kept cursing anything and everything. He even cursed the fact that Bangalore is probably the only airport in the world where you find ceiling fans. I am sure i can dispute that, if i do some research.

Not much to say about the flight. We left an hour late, and being my first flight, i was really looking forward to it. Didnt have any issues with my ears popping. But yeah, i loved the experience of take-off. Was like a roller coaster-ride, and is was over just when i was beginning to enjoy it. Landing was even better ! In the 9 hours in between, they fed up thrice, and didnt let me sleep. There was a cute air-hostess, but she was serving the other aisle. Damn it ! She looked nice giving those safety instructions.

Ah the flight food. The breakfast was good. Croissant was very very nice, and so was the juice and yogurt with cereal. But guess what the following description on the menu is :

Spicy Potatoes in Deep Fried Indian Bread

Oh yes, that is the Air France description for "Poori Saagu". No further comments !

We landed in Paris half an hour earlier than scheduled ( i was very very surprised). It was 11 degrees, and had rained all night. Was really really cold.

My first encounter with French was at the security check. Usually, these guys speak English with the international travellers. But this guy noticed that I have a work visa, or something to that effect... and goes "Vous allez a Lyon?".. and must have thought i'd reply in fluent French.. took me 5 secs to frame my reply... and then in the worst French accent EVER, i said "Oui, je vais a Lyon, mais apres je vais a Grenoble". I think he was glad to just stamp my visa, and go "Voila!"

I was actually able to make it to a connecting flight that i earlier thought i'm sure to miss.

This aircraft was like a toy. Was an Airbus A-318, very very small, seating capacity must have been like 80 or so, not more. And guess what, there was an even cuter air hostess on board !!
Anyway, this flight was very short, only about 30 mins to Lyon. Were just gaining some altitude, when the pilot announced that we're making our descent to St.Exupery airport !

It was just as cold at Lyon, as it was in Paris. And I broke into a cold sweat when i heard my name on the public address system, asking me to come to the Air France office. My baggage didnt make the connection, and they volunteered to send the bag to Grenoble later than afternoon. Damn it... all these days i kept thinking the baggage will make the connecting flight, and i wont. And finally it was the reverse !!

Took the bus to Grenoble, and was surprised to get stuck in a huge storm. It was pouring all the way to Grenoble, and I was even more surprised to see that it was bright and sunny in Grenoble. Well, i guess this is the "mountain weather" that my friends told me about...

First thing i notice about Grenoble. Where are all the people ??? It was a saturday, and the place was to be "crowded", but i couldnt see a soul. It was like a ghost town in one of those western movies. The only thing missing was a foul-mouthed sheriff and a few tumbleweeds.

So i met Tony at the bus station, and we grabbed a bite at a nearby eatout, that served an awesome Kebab Roll. Hung around a bit, took a couple of tram rides, did some small shopping for essentials, and landed at the hotel.

Waited until my baggage arrived (thank god, else i wudnt have clothes for another day) and then crashed. Woke up this morning feeling refreshed and determined to explore my new home town a bit... opened the window, and voila !!

It's raining in Grenoble !!!
And it's supposed to be summer.

  

The Eagle has Landed...

Finally here, in Grenoble.

So much happened since i left home for the airport last night. I kept making mental notes of all the things i should write into this entry. But i'm sure i'l miss something when i finally pen it...

More later... need to have a bath now.

So much to write. Stay tuned !

7 days and counting....

Exactly 7 days to go (not counting today, its post lunch, and next friday, it'l go too fast), and i'm beginning to feel the first butterflies in my tummy. Not nervous or anything, but a bit apprehensive about how my "new life" will be.

I'm sure i'll miss Bangalore like crazy, and i'm bound to appreciate certain things about this place, which i probably never noticed or respected before. Will surely report on that.

On tuesday, i had what will probably be my last (for another 2 years) "Super Scooper" at Corner House. (If you havent tried this stuff, it's a crime !!). Was at commercial street yesterday, and as usual I was cursing that there was no parking space at 11 in the morning, and i couldnt help but think "Oh well, maybe the last time in a while". A friend of mine was talking about "last times" before leaving to the US a couple of months back. I didnt fully comprehend, but i do now !!

Yesterday morning, my mother's idli tasted different... I suppose I know why...