Sunday morning came with a scenic surprise for people of Shimla. The queen of hills received its first heavy snowfall of the season which turned out to be an eye candy for locals as well as the tourists.
And the moment I saw my surroundings turned white, I called my buddies and made a plan for a snow walk to the Mall Road – one of the most popular places in Shimla. Stepping out of your house to set your feet on thick and soft layer of freshly fallen snow is one of the most heavenly experiences one can ever have.
It took us more than 45 minutes to cover the distance of 2.5 km that would not take a second more than 20 minutes otherwise because of two reasons:
- Walking uphill on an almost vertical snow trail to reach the road connecting Sanjauli and The Mall was a strenuous task.
- Clicking photographs on the way was a ‘must do’ activity as we couldn’t miss the great opportunity on such a nice day.
Walking on snow, winter breath, snowball fights, loud and happy giggles around, melting of snowflakes after an immediate contact with skin, and watching deodar tree branches bowing to welcome and honor the great phenomenon of mother nature was an absolute bliss to witness. Everything so clean, so beautiful. Wherever you look it’s all draped in white sheet of snow, giving a natural contrast to the landscape around you. High peaks in the distance, heritage buildings built in gothic style, lamp posts on the edge of the road, narrow trails originating from corners of The Ridge and Mall, everything was sheathed under the white blanket of snow.
After a tiring long walk, snowball fight and photography session, we decided to rejuvenate our senses with some hot beverages,
because in winters nothing matches the level of satisfaction you get after having a cup of hot coffee. So we went to a local cafe for our leisure session. The warmth I felt on holding hot cup with ice-cold fingers and the first sip of that coffee was a heavenly experience in subzero temperatures.
As if this wasn’t beautiful enough, Shimla revealed its purest beauty when the sun started to go down on the horizon. Golden rays of the setting sun turned the entire town into a perfect silhouette, glistened in orange light. Lighter than bird feather, snowflakes shimmered like diamonds when sunrays fell on them. And for me, it was the most beautiful part of the snowy day.
Being a nature lover, I feel so close and blessed to be living in our little heaven. If you also take great pride in being Shimlite or Himachali I must say, then you should scroll down to see how Shimla looked after fresh snowfall to feel that love and eternal connection with our small town.
Happy snowfall!
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Sameer Sood
Image Courtesy: Tarun Sharma
Image Courtesy: Tarun Sharma
Image Courtesy: Tarun Sharma
Image Courtesy: Tarun Sharma
Image Courtesy: Tarun Sharma
Image Courtesy: Tarun Sharma
Image Courtesy: Tarun Sharma