Since many of my blog entries have ceased being blog entries and have become more beacons of the fact that I am trudging through life, here is another life update.

I am back in Bloomington, Indiana after a great summer. After many years have I had a summer that left me with so many memories. I spent the summer in Cambridge, UK and like I was telling one of my friends here at IU (Indiana University) that Cambridge is like a distillation of the essence of several Bloomingtons put together, and then matured over several hundred years – a little like comparing a fine Scottish whisky to beer – maybe a 16year old Glenmorangie in burgundy wood to a Guinness.

I made it a point to travel as much as I could this summer – as much as time and finances would allow. And it was great. I look at some slight embarrassment at the rant about Cornwall below. But yes I had a great time at Cornwall. Cornwall aside, took several trips to London, went to Norfolk – Hunstanton, Cromer, Great Yarmouth. London’s a pretty amazing city and I haven’t been to most of the major touristy spots. Spent some time gallivanting around Cambridge – went to Peterborough and Ely – saw the famous cathedrals. Went to Granchester – the little village near Cambridge.

However most of the really great travel came towards the end of summer. I had a chance to finally go to Scotland. The trip to Scotland was primarily motivated by a long standing wish to go see Skye – the island of Skye – like in the famous Robert Stevenson poem “over the sea to Skye”. Scotland was amazing in many ways – firstly it was beautiful. But that aspect of it didn’t impress me much initially – in my mind I kept comparing it to the highranges in Kerala and not seeing much more there. But after a while you realize how much grander Scotland is – the deep lochs and the high lands and the people. I got a chance to spend two night at the bank of the Lochness in a little town called Fort Augustus. At Fort Augustus I picked up a liking for good single malt whisky. I never had a liking for hard liquor before – but this is great. Favourites? Hmm… I like a Glenmorangie (esp in Burgundy wood), The Macallan, Dalwhinnie; I like this really interesting whisky liquor called the Glayva…. Scotland was interesting in other ways too – here was a land that was under conflict with the English for many hundred years and they too, much like India tries to hold on fiercely to their traditions. Scotland of today is not much like that, but an Scotsman you meet will be only happy to make clear to you how they are not Englishmen. It was alsoa funny parallel that very often tartan patterns on kilts were like the checked patterns on mundu back in Kerala.

After Scotland the next major travel was to Paris and then to Rome. Paris was good, Rome was great. I think aside from a love for whisky another take away from summer is the need to be Italian and to speak Italian – I am so amazed by that language – I have taken an instinctive liking to it. It also partly has to do with a good Italian friend I made this summer (who also happens to be a logician in his free time). More on all that later. Honestly these days there is too much to write about, and so many things to say about every little thing – I need to sort out my time for blogging a little more carefully.

Hairy Coo!