Christmas in the heat - 21.12.-27.12.2009 
5 days holiday from your holiday with Catherine, Oscar, Carlotta and Maurizia visit to Delhi. It's good times with space and not to stay in a hotel or similar. We can organize a little quiet in all things including shoes - in a well-functioning washing machine - wash off, the girls are great every day from morning to evening around with her friends in the garden and take turns bicycle or tricycle. All 5 girls are gorgeous and the nagging everyday. Sandia, the nanny will be closed quickly to the heart, even cook and driver Harry Louis thrilled to be taken in fitting.
It comes on even Christmas Feeling: the women bake at 23.12. at 20 degrees in the garden of biscuits and a witch's house to grandma's recipe, Erik and Oskar first activate the fire, which until then had a pure Dekofunktion, but for the cooler evenings. We take this opportunity to go finally go jogging together again in Nero Park. A beautiful park with many morning walkers and joggers, cultural highlight is the flower-bedecked statue of Lenin in the middle. Also, we can, thanks to Catherine for a change, no children running through the city and explore without permanent "side shows" the tourist attractions or dive into the Indian Shopping Areas and browse the shops . New Delhi does it compare to Kolkatta from quite modern and progressive, the streets are paved , traffic dominated by cars, buses and motorized rickshaws (tuk-tuk). Thanks Catherine good local knowledge will quickly filter out the highlights and controlled accordingly. Smaller, more typical Indian malls, we prefer the big shopping centers and AC are always fascinated by the Indian variety. Colorful fabrics, beautiful antiques, Ganesha's in all shapes and materials, great papers and tapes and any form of silver jewelry at low prices seduce straight to the buying frenzy. Knowing that we do not want and can carry everything and Oscar on his next trip to Germany is not to travel with excess baggage, we hold anything back.
As befits we decorate at 23.12. night - sleep when all the children together, the Christmas tree. A straight to perfect growing Indian pine graces the living room and is decorated with real candles and international Christmas ornaments. A good red wine, working fireplace, and preference for Oscars do not always hit German Christmas boost your mood. Such a relaxed "Vorweihnachstzeit" We had long gone, do not panic purchases at 23.12. and also put the long nights in the last minute gifts or to be sent Christmas cards is from this time. We have not missed it and ask friends to sponsor children as well as understanding. Maybe we'll do it now so ...
Christmas Eve we celebrate the traditional way. with the happy extended family in the late afternoon we go in the way of the German-Christian community. While outside of the good life at 20 degrees will continue its normal course and with constant noise, the cars and tuk-tuks corresponding Honking passing, we hear inside the Christmas story and sing "Silent Night / Holy Night". The church is decorated for Christmas, before the church is a globe made from clay built up, Marie and Joseph are decorated to match, flour replaces the missing snow.
This is well aware of how religious minorities must feel to their major holidays in Germany. We celebrate a happy Christmas and welcoming children with good wine and two delicious Christmas geese. Nicole and Alex are looking forward to a real Indian Barbie (though then at least in the Barbie Sari ...), Oskar and Katharina are pleased with the little noisy mobile phones by Maurizia and Carlotta, Antonia, and of course is not too short. In addition, we enjoy all time with 4 Christmas parcels sent from Germany.
When Skype with Mimi and grandpa on 24.12.09
Without knowing that the first Christmas Day is also celebrated as a holiday in India like, we prefer as a large family of 4 adults and 5 children going to visit the highlights of Delhi. Because of the mass people that are active everywhere and always speak at the sight of the now "5 Barbie Dolls" their photo needs, we soon retreated. Even the last attempt, the girls at least one slip or climb on the total of past to treat playground is canceled at short notice due to long queues at the devices. Chicken wings and fries from KFC to the conclusion - consumed in a small park where children can walk around relatively undisturbed and we can look at rest the Indian holiday doings - against the violent message of the park management.
the 2. Christmas Day, almost by accident after looking closer at the time of departure, unfortunately, contrary to long-term adoption of the last day in India, to use Erik and Ariane for a joint visit with Oscar to Old Delhi. Once more we plunge into the pure India and inhale the last time the amazing diversity of this country and a people. The visit to the lofty mosque overlooking the Red Fort reminds us of our honeymoon in the fall of 1997, then we stroll through the narrow streets of Old Delhi, we have from the hustle and bustle go along and enjoy the sight of the different "specialty shops": In a street are for example only securities transactions, here are Birth announcements, wedding announcements and anything produced on request. Amused, we see that bear many Indian faces of European birth announcements, blond babies who are considered true beauty. No wonder our Barbie Dolls in the past few weeks have been so besieged.
2 streets will continue to be offered in addition to beautiful wide tires and alloy wheels all that ever with a transmission, or generally the engine had to do a car. All these transactions in the true sense of the word are stuffed to the brim, whether with spare engines, silk, paper or clothing. Only the colorful and aesthetic presentation of the various spices and vegetables or fruit sets standards.
the evening we go one last time in a bicycle rickshaw from the crowded streets of Old Delhi's Gen New Delhi, the final pull bullock cart past us. A great and exciting time in a diverse country comes to an end. Early the next morning at 1:00 our plane going to Bangkok. For us zustöbern India was like grandma's treasure chest, where it was always exciting around. It was not only beautiful things we saw and discovered begging small dirty children sleeping on the roadside or the many slums that line the entrance roads and railway tracks were, as much as the color variety of different Sarie, creativity and the special friendliness of people here. Often we have heard either you love India or you hate it. We have the land and his people loved and we come back, because by far we have not seen the whole country. Trekking in Darjeeling or a tour of Kashmir are definitely still on our wish list.
