My First Travel Abroad -Munich Olympic 1972.

During the seventies, in India traveling abroad was something we couldn’t dream of. The government of India was too strict and hence traveling outside India was beyond our imaginations. Luckily for us one brave man fought in the court that travel was birth right and government had no right to restrict it. After he won the case travel became easier for all. When the opportunity came my husband and i joined a group which was planning a tour of Europe during the Munich Olympic Games 1972. Traveling abroad was considered a big achievement and hence friends and families were there at New Delhi airport to greet us bon voyage with flowers and garlands. It was a memorable day for us. Photo above is the one wishing bon voyage to my husband Rup and myself. The flight took us to Moscow and we had three days for Moscow and Leningrad. Being our first travel abroad we were overwhelmed with prospect of seeing new places. As our flight from New Delhi landed at Moscow I was happy with a sigh of relief after a long flight of six and half hour. The uneasy encounter at our first stop at Moscow remains an unforgettable one till today. The seriousness and and stern look of the immigration officers made us feel as if we were some aliens from another planet.===== When my turn came the officer looked at me so intently and then to passport confirming ifi was the same person. He repeated this way three/four times making me feel so uneasy. Later I came to know that everyone in the group felt the same. After immigration procedure was over, we all were out and boarded the waiting two buses for taking us to the hotel. Once in the hotel we were a bit relaxed and after shower and change of cloths we were ready for the evening show, the Ballet of Bolshoi Theater. Not only I enjoyed the ballet but also I found it was very interesting -presenting a bouquet of flowers after every performance on the stage. That was something new to me. Nest day we (seventy of us) were taken by two bus for the city tour. It was a thrilling adventure to be in a new big city like Moscow. The beautiful palaces and grandeur of the city were noteworthy. All those majestic palaces at Kremlin a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, the residence of the Russian Tzars built in 1849 by architect KonstaninTon. Moscow, Red Square, the official resident of the President of Russia, state historical museum, the impressive Kremlin were worth visiting. Imagining how the kings and queens in those luxurious palaces with architectural splendor was something fascinating and worth visiting. Third day we were taken to Leningrad by bus.Reaching Leningrad gave us a different atmosphere from that of Moscow. Surprisingly we felt free from watchful eyes of the communist regime in Moscow. As a token for our visit we purchased a little girl carved in granite in Leningrad. From Leningrad we were flown over to London. For me to be in London somehow i felt at home since I had been reading short stories and also books written by Jane Austin, the familiarity I felt was profound. Seeing names of the streets like Trafalgar Square and counties like Buckinghamshire, Essex which I came across while reading books during high school days gave me some sort of commection. London tour was the most enjoyable one as communication was easier as English language was a familiar everyone. At the end of the London tour we were driven to Dover in UK and proceed to Calais in Paris via English Channel. The beauty of the country on way to Dover remained a permanent imprint in y memory even after many years. We had to take steamer to cross the English channel those days as English Channel was not yet ready. The most surprising we came across in France was no one spoke English. Even the one who knew didn’t want to speak in English. Luckily the receptionist of the hotel spoke and it was easier for us to enquire anything we wanted to know. Then we had the full city tour of Paris and around the city. Half way during the tour when we arrived in Frankfurt the sad and shocking news flashed all over TV about the massacre in Munich Olympic campus. It was September 4, at 4.30 am local time. Eight Black September members entered the campus dressed in track suit with AK 47 assault rifles, pistols, grenades in duffel bags. It was unfortunate that because of wrong decision of the Israeli commandos the members of the Israeli athletes including the Black September members were all killed. The game continued as usual after the incident. We reached Munich next day. Hockey game was going on and India and Pakistan were main contenders. We were disapointed that India didn’t go to the final. Among the group we few members were close. Young couple who were from the same town always arguing and fighting all the time. Another two elderly gentlemen who were from business communities were depending on my husband for everything as they didn’t speak English. Both were strict vegetarian. Those days no one specially in Europe didn’t know about vegetarians. Since the time they came from New Delhi they have been eating only snacks which they brought with them. As they were reluctant to spend on items like fruit, they remained starving most of the time. My husband Rup was concerned about these two gentlemen and suggested that they should buy one electric stove and one pot with some rations so that we could cook in the hotel room for them. After thinking over for sometime, they agreed finally. Later we got a stove and a pot along with rice , lentils, some vegetables, a small bottle of cooking oil. Then night time came our plan to cook started with the onions fried and rice and lentils cooked together along with vegetables. After adding salt and pepper when the khichri was ready, the smell of the cooked food scarped outside out room and the young couple came in with anticipation of getting some share. After eating all those restaurant food for some time this food was incredible as we all enjoyed it. Thus cooking most of the time I became a cook on tour till the end of our journey. Our tour of Russia, UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Rome was over by the end of 29 days. From Heathrow airport we took our flight back to New Delhi. The electric stove and the utensils were divided among the two gentlemen and took home with them as souvenir. For me the memories of those remain as my souvenir.