A Year That it Was

The year 2015 was one of the most eventful one for me-with the life taking a roller coaster ride from the word ’GO’! January of 2015 saw my family & I on the blue shores of Halong Bay, Vietnam-seeping in the culture of a new country and relishing paper thin rice spring rolls with endless cups of sweetened Vietnamese coffee.

The work life became more exciting on return, as  I was asked by management to step into a project which was in dire straits! The next quarter saw me turning around this garganutuan project before taking a professional bow as I celebrated my 60th birthday.

June rolled in - and my wife & I spent a glorious  month of hibernating with rounds of Ashtang Yoga and Teh C in Singapore. The long walk at Fort Canning Park, visiting a melange of Chinese, Buddhist and South Indian shrines rejuvenated us 

As fall season set in, with trees shedding their golden hues, I lost my aging father-just a few days after he had turned 90.  The next couple of weeks were shrouded in a pall of gloom. 

We decided to take a break to pep ourselves and soak the Yuletide spirit of Christmas.

The cobbled streets of Valetta- Malta

On 23^rd Dec we left the shores to discover Malta- a country with a population of just 450,000 and an area of 35 square kilometers. The spectacular landscape, the cobbled streets spread in a grid structure, the Mediterranean Sea sparkling to match the colors of the azure sky, the tall spires of the churches, and some of the Maltese food such as- the melt in the mouth Ricotta cheese & peas pastizzis leave indelible flavors for a life time. 

The cherry on the topping was a lucky invite to attend the Christmas mass graced by the President of Malta on the midnight of 24 Dec at the famous St John’s Cathedral. As the clock struck 12 the sky was lit up with fireworks!

The Azure Window- Gozo, Malta

The Trevi Fountain- Rome

Out next halt was Rome and Vatican, the cradle of Christianity ,whose beauty is unsurpassed and strengthening belief in the old adage, ‘A lifetime is not sufficient to see Rome’. One needs a life time to immerse in the beauty , history, archaeology and creations of Michelangelo, Berninni and many more.

We savored the pizzas, where they were created- in the dusty industrial town of  Naples.

We then left the shores of the Renaissance kissed Italy & Vatican.

 The grand finale awaited us with alluring sight of snow clad Haga Sofia and Blue Mosque. The beautiful paradox of co-exitence of Christian &Islamic beliefs, the endless thrill of eating Turkish Mezze and Baklawa,& the serenity of the white fresh snow were the best way to herald the New Year 2016  with a promise of more fun and even more excitement!

The Turkish Delights and Baklawa

PS: “I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.”