Spring Makeover

The hills beckoned and Shashi Sunny paid heed as she went exploring Nainital and stayed at a royal property.

- Shashi Sunny

With the winters slowly beginning to fade away from major parts of the country, it is time for spring to set in. Sadly the Delhi NCR—like most of the metro cities—has only two seasons, summer and winter. And the ever non-committal monsoon is always around to bring chaos on the roads and relief from the heat for as long as it pours. But then there are hill stations that experience all four seasons—spring, monsoon, summer and winter. For people living in and around the national capital, Nainital is just a perfect weekend getaway to experience spring and autumn. The hill station in Uttarakhand was built by the British and is located in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalaya.

The sight of blooming flowers is something that will allure the regular nine-to-five, six-days-a-week working professionals, to catch a break and get some fresh air. Just an eight-hour drive from Delhi and one does not have to wait for the holidays to watch the hills come alive. Once you drive past the traffic along the highways and reach Kathgodam, you will feel the air getting better, roads getting more narrow and greenery everywhere. And once you get to Nainital, the first thing you will notice is the huge lake right in the centre of the city—the crescent-shaped Naini Lake, which is nearly filled to capacity due to good amount of the rainfall received last monsoon. The sun is still cheerful here with the migratory birds taking in the warmth of the sun, the chilly winds gracing the city and the nippy touch of winter only comes out when the sun goes down. And with the mountains bursting to life, spring is the best season to beat the usual boredom.