We, as Indians, have always known international borders as ones heavily guarded with fences, trenches, military posts and with the army always on the alert. How about this – you doze off in the bus in one country and after a while wake up in another! And the only thing to indicate that the change has taken place is the warm voice of the tour guide. Over the PA system he informs all tourists that we are not where we were. This happened quite a number of times during our extensive tour in Europe.

On that particular day we were to enter Villars or Villars-sur-Ollon in the Swiss canton of Valud. We had just concluded our travel within Italy and then re-entered Switzerland via the famous St. Bernard’s pass. It was my first experience of going into a mountain pass and quite naturally I was more than thrilled. Moreover, the very idea of entering the tunnel in one country and coming out in another was extra exciting. We had left Italy behind and Villars was to be our home for a couple of nights before we moved in the direction of the City of Love.

This hilly village, situated at an altitude of 1300 meters, is a quiet place and is ideal for any travel-weary tourist dying to relax. Tucked up high in the Swiss Alps, Villars is an ideal combination of scenery and serenity. With its beautiful chalets, panoramic view of the mountains, including that of Mont Blanc, Villars is an unimaginably attractive tourist spot. Winter was fast approaching and soon this village would be transformed into a winter sport paradise with extraordinary skiing and snowboarding facilities. Hotel Eurotel Victoria it was for us and boy wasn’t I the lucky one!

My room with a lovely bluish hue and contrasting dark colored furniture had a nice veranda. What could be a better place for a great ‘HD’ view of the Swiss Alps.

Surprises do come in different-sized packets. Garam Roti, Garam Roti. The accent was definitely un-Indian but not the words. Stop eating, look up and you will find a smiling Swiss waiter walking down towards the tables with a plate full of steaming Indian breads! The speaker clearly seemed quite used to serving hungry Indian tourists. So were the other waiters for we could see them directing us towards pickles and papads. Why wouldn’t they be, for India is not too far away from Villars which is pretty famous for its boarding schools with a sizeable student population from India as well. Our guide was quick to point out that children of some Indian celebrities too have studied in these schools.

Villars has a soothing effect on all and we were told that we could explore the lazy town at a slow pace. Of course, we could, if we wished to, visit Geneva or Glacier 3000 in the vicinity. It was nearly the end of summer and we could feel the chill in the air and after 9 days on the road through 3 countries, everyone, irrespective of age and gender, wanted to just relax. The tempo would rise the next day, so ...

Well, as mentioned, activities were in full swing the next day. Packing, clearing our rooms, hurried breakfast, last minute checking, handing over room cards, pushing our luggage into the belly of our coach, jumping in to occupy the best available seats and then flopping down – we were on our way to Paris. The journey was now from Switzerland to France and as our coach began its descent, I looked back to catch the last glimpse of the serene place. The six-hour long journey was mostly along the A6 and the major portion of the drive was to be on French soil. After a while we reached a small border crossing station at Vallorbe. Once again, no barbed fences, no high security, just a medium sized booth-like station and we were in France!

Here mountains slowly made way for more flat lands. The view was interesting with green fields and chateaus perched on hillocks at a distance. As expected, roads leading to the heart of France are quite wide and traffic is very fast on such highways. Our journey could have been shorter but other than one lunch break we had to stop a couple of times as the coach captain has to be given a mandatory break after every two hours of continuous driving. To break the monotony, our guide switched on the TV sets but only a handful watched the Bollywood movie. The others slept!

A jolt woke me up. Our coach had suddenly stopped moving and we were in the middle of a busy road with cars all around. So this was it! We had already been warned about “horrendous traffic” in Paris and it seemed that we had reached the ring road of the city. The place was undoubtedly congested but nothing like the roads in either Kolkata or Mumbai. It took us about 45 more minutes to reach our hotel, Forest Hill Meudon. Our guide had earlier briefed us about steep real estate prices in Paris and we realized what he meant when we entered our rooms. Although very neat and clean, the rooms were really small. Once we brought in our luggage, there was hardly any space left. One consolation, there were chocolates under our pillows!

Our orientation tour of Paris began the next morning. Nicole, a jovial middle-aged lady, fluent in English, was our local guide and she was determined to give us an idea about Paris and Parisians. The world famous tourist attractions of Paris are places where thousands of tourists flock everyday and our day of visit was no different. We had to wait quite a bit before we boarded the elevator that took us to the 1st level of the Eiffel Tower at Champ de Mars. The view was amazing from this level itself. More thrilling was a visit to the next level and we were in front of Jules Verne Restaurant. It was a bright and sunny day and we had a panoramic view of the city with the Siene cutting through blocks like a shining blue ribbon.

Paris is indeed a tourist’s delight. There is so much to gaze at ranging from the Palace of Versailles, the Les Invalides, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the PalaisGarnierand of course the world famous Louvre Museum. Standing and staring at La Gioconda or Mona Lisa and also trying to interpret her smile is in itself an unforgettable experience. So is that of walking down the Avenue des Champs- Elysees and Place de la Concorde with its Obelisk of Luxor reaching out to the sky. A photo stop either beside a gilded statue of Joan of Arc (better known as Jeanne d’ Arc) or at the magnificent Arc De Triomphe, I have to say, is a must for all.

There was another surprise in store for us. Our guide took us to the Benelux perfume store for shopping. Inside, it was quiz time! A French gentleman explained that he would sing a French song and we had to name the lead couple of the film. Even as we chorused that we were not familiar with French films, he broke into a French-accented Ichakdanabichak dana daneupar dana. Before I could recover from the inter-cultural shock, my mother mentioned Raj Kapoor and Nargis and won a large bottle of fine French perfume. Having missed the chance to win the gift, I, along with many others, tried all the free samples of Christian Dior perfume provided for visitors in large plastic containers resembling our street letter boxes and came out smelling like open perfume bottles.

As per the advice of Nicole, our coach stopped near some quaint roadside cafes of the city for lunch. She had a lot to say about French cuisine and there was immense pride in her voice. One does love one’s country! That Paris never lets you slow down or get bored, was evident for, after all the sightseeing, we were told that it was time for a river cruise! We gazed at Paris once again from the Seine and it was enthralling. And at one point we saw the Statue of Liberty! Yes , there she was standing proudly though no more than a miniature if pitted against her gigantic ‘sister’ I had been fortunate to see in the U.S.

Tours can never be complete without little unexpectedly funny incidents which add color and spice. We were in a famous eatery. After collecting my loaded tray and reaching our table far from the counter, I realized that we needed an empty glass. I walked all the way back and was quite annoyed when even after three attempts, I failed to make the poker-faced gentleman understand what I wanted. He just nodded his head. No wonder, for, forgetting that I was in France, I had spoken to him in English! Refusing to accept defeat, I used my hands to make him understand the two words ‘empty’ and ‘glass’. No result. Finally with a karengeyamarenge attitude, I nearly shouted EktaGelash DinDaya Kore (Give me a Glass, please) in chaste Bengali. In no time an empty glass was placed on the counter along with a sly wink from the gentleman. English, NO, Bengali, YES! Who said that poker-faced men have no sense of humor!

We, as Indians, have always known international borders as ones heavily guarded with fences, trenches, military posts and with the army always on the alert. How about this – you doze off in the bus in one country and after a while wake up in another! And the only thing to indicate that the change has taken place is the warm voice of the tour g