Day 17 : Sept 27
Back to Germany
It was an early morning departure from hotel Jauregui to nearby Bilbao airport. The flight was to Brussels, Belgium. The group was scheduled to leave for Mumbai from Brussels. We were looking forward to head back to Germany to meet our daughter Sandhiya. I had booked my Bus tickets to Dortmund. It was time to say bye to chefs and head to Brussels Nord station. We reached Dortmund by evening after a brief stopover in Cologne by Flix bus. It is economical to travel by bus in Europe and comfortable too.
Sandhiya was waiting to receive us at Dortmund and headed to Bochum by train. We decided to change our plans a bit and decided to spend the night in Sandhiya’s room instead of a hotel that night. It was time to cook! Basmati rice, vegetables and chicken were in our basket as we planned our menu at a nearby supermarket. Out came the gift from Fonderia Finco- The cast Iron pan.
Tomato Pulao and grilled chicken with yoghurt was the dinner menu! It was some change though!
Day 18 & 19: Sept 28, 29
Unboxed at Düsseldorf, shopping at Bochum
We dropped our bags at Courtyard by Marriott in Bochum and proceeded to Dusseldorf. The options to buy tickets on train are plenty, tickets for two, group of five, multiple travel and so on. I did not rake my brain too much as Sandhiya was the one deciding. Lunch was at Chicken Store Restaurant near Dusseldorf Hbf main railway station. Walk through Düsseldorf by the riverside of Rhine led us to the next stop the Metro Unboxed event. This was part of Dusseldorf festival. Metro stores from 25 countries showcased their specialty in the event. The Indian pavilion had ‘Kirana Dhukan’ (Small neighborhood store) as the theme. Japan showcased Seaweed, Italian stall deconstructed ‘Tira Misu ‘(coffee dessert) and included the olive oil as a surprise element as part of the dessert .Bulgaria showcased the pink tomatoes and Spain featured cured ham.
Metro Unboxed Event
After a detailed walk through the Metro Unboxed event we headed back to Bochum to end another eventful day. The next day plans changed again and trip to Cologne changed to shopping at Bochum!
After a visit to Sandhiya’s Ruhr University of Bochum and Botanical Garden, it was time for shopping. This was followed by some Chinese Dinner. It finally dawned upon us that the tour finally has come to an end! It was time to pack our bags for one final time for a departure early next day.
“A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” John Steinbeck
Chef Vijaya Baskaran 
Family Reunion as the culmination of your journey – a great journey you have taken us through with you – explaining all aspects – especially the culinary angles. A great Infotaining article. I learnt a lot, so would be other readers too.
Your first attempt showcasing your literary credentials has come out really good – with all the flavours in tact, sweet to the palate and easy to digest – like all the dishes you carve out from your kitchen.
Thanks a lot.
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Thank you for your support ! This is up here with your support and encouragement from day 1 !
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