It was a rude shock getting back the heat of the plains after a weekend in Shimla and Mashobra. It rained quite a bit while we were there and though it cramped our sightseeing attempts a little, we weren’t complaining about the cold at all! A couple of us had to acquire more clothing, a jacket here, a pair of pajamas there, a small matter in the joy of being in the Queen of the Hills, Shimla.
I’d only been to the famed hill station as a very small child and had no memories of it at all. It seemed strange to me to have lived for so many years in the environs of Delhi and never having been to the most popular holiday destination of my fellow citywallas! So I grabbed the chance.
What struck me most getting into Shimla is the sheer density of the city and how precariously positioned it is on the massive mountains. As my friend Henri said in his comment on my Instagram pics from Shimla, it is a “disaster waiting to happen”! Certainly, it is a city run wild, with its older cramped parts intermingled with the recent multistorey additions, hotels and government offices all crowding together helter skelter.
The sheer density of Shimla hits you as you drive in
Much of the building stock is old and diaplidated
The city rests helter skelter in the midst of the most stunning hillside scenery
We stayed at the Club Mahindra property in Mashobra, which is a quiet village ahead of Shimla. When in town, we parked and took the elevator up to the Mall, which is the only sensible thing to do! Because is it entirely predestrianized, the Mall in Shimla (despite the summer crowds) has a certain old world charm. I enjoyed the old colonial buildings and the ‘sense of place’ in the city. The weather, which turned from rainy and windy to sunny and bright in the few hours we were there, showed us the city in many different lights. I don’t want to crowd this post with too much info and I’d rather highlight some of our experiences separately. But here are a few glimpses!
It’s hard to reconcile the incongruity of the crowded city against the magnificent backdrop of the majestic Himalayas beyond
Christ Church
The Town Hall and the Mall
The most darling little buildings in the Mall
ramblinginthecity 
Shimla is beautiful. Thanks for reminding me of my visit to Shimla seven years back. We loved each bit of our journey to Shimla starting from the toy train ride from Kalka, the climate (especially for us from the South) the culture, beauty of the city, the architectures. Cant forget our adventurous ride to Kufri!
Thanks for bringing all those good memories.
Angrezon ko vaapas lao if you want to save our hill stations. I think now even Shillong has gone the same way
Shimla is so beautiful and love the old style buildings, it has a certain charm that makes the heart jump with joy:)