Cruising away

Arjunveer Chauhan, AIS Pushp Vihar, IV A

Place: Disney Cruise
Top sights: Roman Naval base, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica, Roman Colosseum, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Drach Caves
Best time to visit: May – September
Delicacies to try: Gelatos, paella, gazpacho, lasagna
Things to carry: Comfortable clothes and shoes, beachwear, sunscreen, raincoat, medical supplies, sunglasses, local currency
Souvenirs to buy: Venetian masks, Murano glassware, herbs, leather and silk products
Languages to know before you visit: English, Italian, French
My experience: This summer holiday I went for my first Disney cruise that sailed all around the stunning, blue Mediterranean Sea. I was both excited and frightened for it, but when I boarded the massive ship, I let go of all my fears and roamed freely. We first docked at the pretty town of Cassis in the South of France. I explored the city by walking around the pebbled streets overlooking the sea with fishermen’s boats tied to the harbour. Next, we went to Rome where we saw the naval base with colossal missiles and submarines. Rome was a city like no other with beautiful buildings and sculptures. On the third day, we saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, where I learnt that the tower is actually a bell tower, constructed to call the town people to the church. We roamed around the city square, clicking goofy pictures while pretending to push the tower up. Naples, our next stop wasn’t very exciting because of how dirty it was. However, Capri was breathtaking. We went to the highest point of the island and enjoyed the crispest pizza and Stracciatella ice-cream. We spent the last day of this adventurous trip at Mallorca in Spain and visited the thrilling caves and the most relaxing beach.
My favourite memory from the trip: Visiting the Drach Caves, in Mallorca, Spain, was my first time in any cave, so when we entered, I was a little scared. But everything changed when I saw some musicians on boats playing different kinds of instruments at the bottom of the cave.

 

A bag full of stories

As Told By The One Who Started It All - A Sack

Khushi Goel, AIS Vas 1, Alumna

Wrapping clothes in a bedsheet, doubling it as a bag, the dhobi slings it across his shoulder. The humble bag, tired of the routine hubbub, chances upon a sleek handbag as it latches daintily on the shoulder of its owner. Much like his owner, the bag also had his customary rant…

Look at her all decked up, not even a speck of dirt on her. I doubt she has ever seen the floor. And me? Thrown about everywhere. If only my owner had heard the saying ‘a purse on the floor is money out the door’. Ok, I am not a purse, but that can’t stop me from envying her life. As a consolation, I often tell myself that I am what they call ‘vintage’. For these designer handbags owe their origins to me.
Tired of carrying their belongings in their hands, humans started tying them up in a cloth like a sack. But that was just the beginning. It was in 1878 when a guy called Genry Merriam modified my sack like structure with a metal frame and called it a ‘Knapsack’, which was specially designed for the US army. But given the sore shoulders it gave everyone, it had to die its inevitable death. In 1908, Ole Bergan decided to design a comfortable version of mine. Oh boy! What a reformation it was. And then, they gave me my favourite accessory – zippers. Can’t thank Gerry Cunningham enough for this one. But as they say, time and tide wait for none, not even bags. And so I went with the flow, with my newer variants and newer names - rucksack, sackpack, booksack, finally being named a ‘backsack’ in the US in the 1910s.
However, all my older variants were designed only for men. In fact, the oldest known purse dates back to more than 5000 years, and it was worn by a man, Ötzi the Iceman. Can you believe it?
Today, an average woman in Netherlands has six bags in her possession, which is nothing as compared to the Italian average of 40 per woman. It is their obsession that Louis Vuitton kinds act so snooty. But then LV, in particular, deserves a little high headedness. I mean, which other bag can brag of being fireproof and waterproof. They are so conscious of their image that they burn all of the surplus at the end of the year to avoid it being sold at discounted prices. It would hamper the company’s image, they say. Crazy, I tell you! Even crazier is the costliest handbag – ‘1001 Nights Diamond Purse’. Made by the House of Mouawad’s, it is priced at 35 million USD, and finds its place in the Guinness Book of Records. But not everyone can afford these expensive handbags. This explains why two out of every 10 luxury handbags are a knockoff.

Upon reaching the ghat, the dhobi strew his bag carelessly across the wet floor. “Oh God, not again!” a painful voice could be heard from behind.
(Khushi is currently pursuing MBBS from Teerthankar Mahaveer University)