National Geographic Traveller India October 2018

o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 • ` 1 5 0 • VO L . 7 I S S U E 4 • N AT G EOTR AV E L L ER . I N

Winter Special

From the Sweden

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Gulmarg

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finland

Land of Ice Switzerland

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paris

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Copenhagen

and Snow

12 Coolest Airports In the World

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g o r b i o : r a z a’ s fav o u r i t e c a n va s

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october2018 VOL. 7 ISSUE 4

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VOICES 28 HOMESPUN SPIRIT In the aftermath of the flood in Kerala, nostalgia, hope, and lessons in resilience colour snapshots from a much-loved home state 30 CREW CUT Awkwardly hilarious, derailed holidays together make for lasting family banter

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THE ITINERARY 32 HOLDING COURT IN VADODARA Spending a night in the majestic Lukshmi Vilas is an adventure for the senses 36 TESTING THE WATERS Views of a lifetime lie along the raging torrents of Victoria Falls, the world’s largest curtain of water straddling Zimbabwe and Zambia 40 MÉRIDA: MEXICO’S BEST KEPT SECRET

A lively public life, hip cafés and cantinas, and ruins from the Mayan era: The ‘White City’ of Yucatán will thrill history buffs and epicureans 46 THE KOSHER SIDE OF DUBLIN Portobello, a quickly gentrifying area, was once the city’s Jewish heart

54 NO STONE UNTURNED IN ARETIPPUR

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A writer revels in the art of a forgotten time at an active archaeological site in Karnataka

CHARUKESI RAMADURAI

50 CHINESE OASES OF PEACE Lush classical gardens in the canal-side city of Suzhou feel centuries away from Shanghai’s skyscrapers

Regulars 22 Editorial | 128 Travel Quiz 50

58 CÓRDOBA: THE MOORS’ PAST HIGH

A cultural confluence in the sunny south of Spain leads to delightful discoveries in architecture and history 64 IN THE TOP FLIGHT Layovers go from bland to grand with bands, brews, and a therapy pig 68 LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TITUS TUNNEL

The past and the present meld together in illuminating discoveries on a rambling walk through Turkey’s Vespasianus Titus Tunnel 72 UGANDA: FROM TREE TO TAILOR A passion for botanical-based fashion leads to the sacred and rare bark cloth of southern Uganda

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THE ADDRESS 80 BALI: SHUT DOWN, BEFORE RESTART

Serene and luxurious COMO Uma Canggu, along Echo Beach, is a place where hippies and yuppies alike can find their inner Zen 82 ROW. RELAX. REPEAT. At Rishikesh’s Atali Ganga, there are valley views and Garhwali meals, and a river with adrenaline running through it ON THE COVER Winter is a funny state of mind.

While some seek cover, for the From the rest of us, the Land of Ice razor-sweet tingle and Snow of chill in our bones brings with it an inexplicable need to beat the odds. As a traveller, this could mean heading to the coldest of countries, the whitest of forests, the wildest of snowstorms. Or standing below a carousel of Northern Lights under the Finnish skies, like this lone aurora-chaser.

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WINTER SPECIAL

SWEDEN

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SWITZERLAND

GULMARG

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PARIS

12 COOLEST AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD

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FINLAND

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WALKDRAGON/SHUTTERSTOCK (GARDEN), PHOTO COURTESY: ATALI GANGA (RIVER RAFTING) MANTAPHOTO/E+/GETTY IMAGES (COVER)

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THE DESTINATION 86 A WINTER IN PARIS The City of Lights beams brighter in December, caught between soft white snow and the revelling reds of Christmas 92 SLEIGH IT LIKE SANTA A winter spent in the Finnish Lapland can tick off all childhood dreams, and some grown-up ones too

110 COPENHAGEN COOL The Danish capital may be freezing and a tad damp in winter, but it is as pretty as a snow globe. With special Christmas beer, markets cosying up to canals, and walking tours, hygge is in every corner of Copenhagen 116 DELHI VS SWEDEN: WHO’S GOT MORE CHILL?

A Dilli-wala experiences her first Swedish winter, and lives to tell the tale

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THE JOURNEY 122 BEGINNING AT THE BINDU IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA

For over 40 years, legendary modernist S.H. Raza spent summers in a hilltop hamlet in France. An ardent admirer drives up to sleepy Gorbio in search of his story

PHOTO COURTESY: JUHA LAINE/VISITFINLAND

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102 DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW Skiing is on every traveller’s bucket list.

Feel the shiver with tips and tricks from a seasoned skier’s tryst in Gulmarg and a first-timer’s Swiss dream come true

Editorial lakshmi sankaran

FREEZING OVER is HEAVEN

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which in summer is just one note in a greater tapestry of sound, is in winter allowed to fill the air alone, and every single nuance in its rasping, hoarse, seemingly consonantfilled caws stands out.” Winter’s silences are missives from a distant world, electric and profound.

Solitary revelations aside, winter can match summer for convivial fun. Think of Yuletide.

Is there a more exuberant time of the year?

To me, it’s the greatest incentive to plan a December trip to the west. To experience Christmas in its festive splendour, in all the clichés from postcards and fairy-tales.

Our October edition has delightful winter escapes, spanning some of the prettiest landscapes in Europe. Finland is an underrated joyride, marked by reindeer rides and an unforgettable trip to catch the Northern Lights. In the Swedish city of Gothenburg, a Delhiite grapples with the quirks of winter anew. Paris in December remains the lovers’ rapturous fever dream while Copenhagen is a dizzying array of winter activities. In addition to which, an amateur and a professional offer differing accounts of skiing in Switzerland and Gulmarg.

Unlike summer, winter is not a flash in the pan. But if those great novels of the past are any indication, you will get lost in the story of winter with every page you turn. 

rrrainbow/shutterstock

winter matches summer for fun.

Think of Yuletide.

Is there a more exuberant time of the year?

ummer is a charming flirt. Easygoing and casual. Summer doesn’t huff and puff to win our affections.

It has us at “Hello.” Winter broods like the tortured protagonist of big fat Russian novel. It is daunting and dramatic, burning with a slow intensity.

The season’s reputation precedes itself, and often, not in a good way. It has a way of whittling down everything to its bare bones.

Even relationships not attuned to its ebbs and flows can fray. At a dinner conversation I once attended, I listened in bemusement as a recent divorcee made the case that it was the Scandinavian frost that had cooled his ex-wife’s ardour. How original.

Winter travel is an exercise in negotiation, especially for sunshine souls. “How many extra clothes do I have to pack now?” “The weather is minus-what-did-you-say?” All valid concerns but the recommendations far outweigh them. Take one trivial scoring point: the winter wardrobe, which is tres chic, and can make the most sartorially challenged among us look like runway models.

The allure of winter lies in nature—so immense, overwhelming and, of course, achingly beautiful. In his collection of letters to an unborn daughter, Norwegian Karl Ove Knausgård meditates on the sounds of the season. “The screech of a crow, for instance,

our mission National Geographic Traveller India is about immersive travel and authentic storytelling, inspiring readers to create their own journeys and return with amazing stories. Our distinctive yellow rectangle is a window into a world of unparalleled discovery.

​Write to me at natgeoeditor@ack-media.com or Editor, National Geographic Traveller India, 7th Floor, AFL House, Lok Bharti Complex, Marol Maroshi Road, Andheri East, Mumbai- 400059.

October 2018 | national Geographic Traveller INDIA

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THE ITINERARY GUJARAT

HOLDING COURT IN VADODARA SPENDING A NIGHT IN THE MAJESTIC LUKSHMI VILAS IS AN ADVENTURE FOR THE SENSES BY POOJA NAIK

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n a daily average, about 600 people throng the Lukshmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara, Gujarat. For most people, the tour ends with taking photographs of the 19th-century mansion of Baroda’s royal family from its portico. But this August, I joined the rank of guests hosted by the Gaekwads in their private chamber.

Tucked inside the ladies’ quarter, my wood-furbished room is the size of a 1BHK Mumbai flat. But in contrast to Mumbai’s cramped spaces, my bedroom has a high ceiling and a fetching chandelier. Intricate floral motifs engrave the arches above the windows, while walls flaunt royal portraits. I am living a day in the life of Mia from Princess Diaries. *** It was a balmy afternoon when I arrived

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at the palace, a red sandstone facade juxtaposed against a blue sky. ‘Opulent’ doesn’t quite sum up how extraordinary Lukshmi Vilas’s architectural styles are—Islamic domes, canopies à la the Jain temples of Gujarat, a 300-foot clock tower, and hints of Victorian Gothic and Italian Renaissance. The sandstone was brought from quarries in Agra, marble from Rajasthan and blue trapstone from Pune. Intended to protect the structure from sun and rain, jharoka-style balconies adorn the palace. Touted to be four times the size of Buckingham Palace, the full breadth of the panorama fits in my camera only when I step back about 200 feet, into the palace’s 10-hole golf course behind me. Envisioned by Maratha ruler Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Lukshmi Vilas was completed in 1890 and cost a

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whopping £1,80,000—it was believed to be the country’s costliest construction.

Its British architect, Charles Mant, paid a different price. Paranoid that he’d gone terribly wrong with his calculations after building the first six feet, Mant committed suicide.

Much like the facade, the interiors of the palace is a fusion of the East and the West. Equipped with elevators, internal plumbing, telephone systems and wiring, Lukshmi Vilas was well ahead of its time. Now, there’s a plan to convert part of the palace into a heritage property. With 172 rooms, the palace was originally built for just two people—the Maharaja and the Maharani. Today, the country’s largest private residence is inhabited by five members of Baroda’s bluebloods—a family largely credited with moulding

EPHOTOCORP/AGE FOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY

Four times the size of Buckingham Palace, Vadodara’s Lukshmi Vilas Palace stands on a 500acre property and is India’s largest private residence.

THE ITINERARY SPAIN

Whether at a traditional tavern (top) or a new-age pub, when in Córdoba, remember to sample local specialities such as tapas, tinto de verano, tortilla de patata and salmorejo (bottom).

A CULTURAL CONFLUENCE IN THE SUNNY SOUTH OF SPAIN LEADS TO DELIGHTFUL DISCOVERIES IN ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORY BY CHARUKESI RAMADURAI

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pring was in the air. Madrid was ablaze with pink and purple, yellow and orange flowers; the streets were buzzing with sounds and sights of performance art; the museums were practically empty. Leaving all this behind after just a couple of days was tough, but my husband and I were determined to head down south to warmer climes and cultures.

We were on a road trip in the south of Spain last year, hoping to visit regions that still carried strong remnants of its Moorish past. We had narrowed the list to three main cities—Córdoba, Granada and Seville, that beckoned from the map like some kind of golden trail of heritage. These were the superstars of the times when the Moors, a nomadic tribe of Berber descent from North 58

Africa, ruled over the area.

On what unfolded as a memorable trip, our first stop—Córdoba—also turned out to be the most compelling.

This is a city situated less than 400 kilometeres from the Spanish capital.

At the height of its glory, around the 8th century, Córdoba had over 300 splendid mosques and palaces—enough to rival other glorious cities like Constantinople and Damascus. Not surprising, given that this city, perched on a sharp bend of the Guadalquivir river, served as the capital of the region during both Roman and Moorish eras. In a nod to its rich past, Córdoba has enjoyed UNESCO World

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Heritage status since 1984.

Not too many of the 300 structures survive in present day Córdoba, but then, I was only interested in one—the Mezquita. The undisputed highlight of Córdoba, the Mezquita is a magnificent building, originally built as a mosque in the 8th century, at the site of a 6thcentury basilica. For millenia after, it served as a place of worship for both Christians and Muslims. Several architectural extensions account for the present-day structure, which has a 16thcentury cathedral in its premises. In today’s times, when communal forces readily raise their ugly heads, the Mezquita came as

MARCELINO RAMÍREZ/AGE FOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (CAFÉ), NITO/SHUTTERSTOCK (FOOD)

CÓRDOBA: THE MOORS’ PAST HIGH

THE ITINERARY WORLD

IN THE TOP FLIGHT LAYOVERS GO FROM BLAND TO GRAND WITH BANDS, BREWS, AND A THERAPY PIG

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At Singapore’s Changi Airport, insects take flight in the Butterfly Garden.

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ith global passenger numbers projected to double over the next two decades, airports are expanding with new terminals and evolving to become destinations in their own right.

Gardens, art installations, ice rinks, movie theatres, putting greens, spas, and swimming pools are among the amenities designed to make a dent in a layover.

Other touches reflect a sense of place. “As a gateway to a city or country, an airport is an opportunity for expression,” says Curtis Fentress, an architect who’s designed 25 of them.

Geography is often a muse: Denver’s airport mirrors its mountainous backdrop, the structure of Seoul’s Incheon riffs on Korean temple design, and Los Angeles’s coastal setting inspired the “cresting waves” of LAX. Designs are going green as well, by incorporating energy-efficient THEME AND VARIATIONS technologies.

But the artofofAngkor the airport A cycling tour temples, wine tasting isn’t justFrench about the building.and photo in famous vineyards, Local along cultures, arts, are among the lessons thecreative Rhine. These food, and music are aon part of cruises. it, activities now offered river As the Fentress of says.

Here are a dozen popularity river cruising has grown, so too layover-busting have the itinerary airports options,you’ll which are often connect tailored to with. specific passenger interests. Here Kolczak are—Amy a few of our favorite itineraries on rivers around the world.

THE ITINERARY UGANDA

FROM TREE TO TAILOR A PASSION FOR BOTANICAL-BASED FASHION LEADS TO THE SACRED AND RARE BARK CLOTH OF SOUTHERN UGANDA BY JUSTIN FORNAL

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wo of my greatest obsessions are textiles and death. For several years I’ve divided my time equally between hunting down rare indigenous fabrics and documenting funerary rites and rituals. I never imagined the two would come together so fashionably.

A few years ago I met a tailor named Mario, who specialises in one-ofa-kind designs for bespoke men’s clothing. Creating a truly exquisite item of clothing goes beyond the cut or the style; it must begin with the fabric itself. The raw materials should have a legacy before ever touching the tailor’s hands. Throughout history the pelts of animals have often been worn to represent luxury, status, or spiritual connection. I wanted to find a botanical-based textile that exuded that same power and mystique while leaving our animal friends to keep their own coats. Enter the bark cloth of the Baganda people.

The Baganda of southern Uganda are the country’s largest ethnic group.

Since ancient times they’ve been making a venerated fabric by pounding the inner bark of the mutuba tree (Ficus natalensis). This laborious process produces a stunning cognacbrown material held in such high spiritual regard that seven sheets of it are wrapped around a deceased Baganda’s body before burial. It is believed that this material alone has the power to transport the soul to the land of the Baganda’s ancestors.

Bark cloth’s association with death and the afterlife explains why it’s primarily worn day-to-day by Baganda witches and spiritual mediums, who consider it a magnet for ghosts. Some mediums make special headbands with pieces of bark cloth covering their eyes.

These arboreal veils work as a window into the world of the dead.

My quest was to get to Masaka, a bastion of bark cloth production, and obtain this botanical fabric of supernatural constitution, the perfect medium from which the tailor Mario

THE ADDRESS

I

AT RISHIKESH’S ATALI GANGA, THERE ARE VALLEY VIEWS AND GARHWALI MEALS, AND A RIVER WITH ADRENALINE RUNNING THROUGH IT

BY RUMELA BASU

Mountain and river dominate the views from Atali Ganga's outdoor dining area (facing page); The property's river rafting activity takes guests across a stretch of 24 kilometres on the Ganga.

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was cold and wet, my heart beating a mile a minute, and seconds later I would be caught in the Crossfire.

And boy, was I looking forward to it! Living up to its name, the rapid Crossfire pushed the raft to a side, almost slapping its four occupants against the rocks.

But we survived—with huge smiles plastered on our faces.

I’d first seen the river when I arrived in Rishikesh the previous day. Sea-green waters had been by my side through the drive from Dehradun airport to my hotel, Atali Ganga

by Aquaterra Adventures. That evening, I got my first proper look at the Ganga. Down a rocky path few kilometres from the hotel, a tea service by the river had been arranged. The rocks and the wild trees I’d expected, but not the clearing of untarnished white sand where a table was set up.

Shoes discarded, toes firmly dug into soft sand and birdsong in my ears, I watched the Ganga as a cool breeze made a playful mess of my hair. Beyond the gravelly fringe of the shore were mild waves—agile yet unhurried—but few metres to the left were swirls of foaming white, like the beginning notes to a symphony’s crescendo. It seemed like a recce for the next day, the river showing me a peek of what to expect. Equal parts excitement and nervousness bubbled in the pit of my tummy as I sipped my chai just as dusk set in.

I woke up the next morning to a pair of chirping bulbuls.

Discarding my plush comforter, I padded along the wooden floors of my cottage to the ceiling-to-floor glass door that opened up to a patio. Away from the humdrum of pilgrims and tourists crowding Rishikesh’s town centre, the cottages of Atali Ganga look out at views painted in rich greens, ochres and browns, cyans, and various pastels. Tile roofs of cottages built along the slopes of a hill; tree-and-bush-lined gravel paths leading to stone steps; leafy boughs where the bulbul pair was picking at fruits; and outdoor seating areas with pista-coloured sofas, like the one a level down from my cottage (I’d spent the previous afternoon reading there). Imposing on the view, however, is the rocky mountain that rises in the distance, hemmed at its foot by the Ganga. For a property styled as an “activotel,” it was befitting that from everywhere, be it the rooms or the restaurant’s alfresco dining area, you

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UTTARAKHAND

Row. Relax.

PHOTO COURTESY: ATALI GANGA

R E P E A T.

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THE DESTINATION

A WINTER SPENT IN THE FINNISH LAPLAND CAN TICK OFF ALL CHILDHOOD DREAMS, AND SOME GROWN-UP ONES TOO

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LUBNA AMIR

PHOTO COURTESY: JANI KÄRPPÄ/VISITFINLAND

FINLAND

Silvery pine forests, pink skies, and a snowy landscape as far as the eye can see—Lapland is the quintessential winter wonderland.

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THE DESTINATION

When

In Finland, there’s more than one way to witness the Northern Lights: lie on a plush bed in a heated glass igloo; don a ‘survival suit’ and float in an icy lake; chase the lights across the sky in a chartered airplane, or on the ground in snowmobiles and husky sleighs; rush down a snowy slope in a glass-roofed cabin on a sledge. Then there’s the least fancy method: dress in your warmest woollens and drive to a spot where the artificial light is at a minimum, and wait for the celestial show to begin. No matter what you choose, in the Finnish Lapland the odds are ever in your favour—the lights are visible for almost 200 nights a year.

It’s March—still winter in Finland. Three days back, I’d landed in Helsinki with a group of five other journalists, and we’d travelled to Levi, a ski town north of the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland. The only thing on our minds was the lights. The aurora borealis is unpredictable. We had not seen the glorious flashes in the two days that we’d been in Levi and uncertainty has kept us on edge. There are, of course, a slew of alert systems designed by tourism boards, handy weathermen and enterprising tour companies. You can sleep soundly after setting a Northern Lights alarm tracker—the lights are best visible close to midnight—or you could go on the hunt on the day of the strongest predictions. We, however, had only one night left in Levi, and a designated tour time—9 p.m.—that is early for the lights to be seen, if it all.

Over a four-course dinner at the Aurora Sky restaurant, I find myself tuning out of a conversation centred around what we might witness tonight, and looking up at the glass roof as if I’d make the lights appear by sheer force of will. As our hosts recount the woes of a group who’d visited Lapland four times and never seen the lights, I choose to let the stars rule. After rushing through a Masterchef-level meal, we layer up and meet our guide, Harri, who would be driving us about half an hour outside town, to ensure no artificial light hampers our viewing. It was -10°C outside but with the wind, felt another 10° less. Temperatures drop to -50°C in peak winter.

Photography instructions are given before we pack ourselves in the car: DSLRs are adjusted to low ISO and long exposure, and phones equipped with an app, aptly called NorthernLights.

When the lights are building up, they first appear as white streaks to the naked eye. The camera captures the green.

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We stop right outside town to check our camera settings.

The photographs are pitch-black but Harri is optimistic. The forecast shows a very high possibility of a flare-up and all we need, he says, is patience and the ability to hold cameras still (in gloveless hands, in the biting cold). After all, mysticism notwithstanding—Finnish folktales say that the aurora borealis, or revontulet (literally, fox fires) are the sparks flying from the tail of an Arctic fox running across the sky—there is a well-studied science to the phenomenon.

We finally stop at a designated parking area by the highway.

No artificial light, except from the occasional car passing by. After a couple of test shots, there is the first glimmer of green on my phone screen. Just as our time is up, the sky is streaked with green. It’s not very strong, but enough to have strangers holding hands, cameras long forgotten.

At the No one speaks on the drive back.

Northern Lights Ranch in Levi, the We thank Harry profusely before restaurant looks entering the hotel, where the out to a reindeer receptionist casually tells us that enclosure. Guests in case we’re interested, the lights can feed them too. are visible from the back. There’s a stunned silence. And then we run.

Standing at the back of the hotel, we see the aurora borealis light up the sky of Finland’s biggest ski town, artificial lighting be damned. This time, I could see the green with my eyes. I stay a while thinking of the golden rules and alerts, and the science. Then my thoughts go to L. I wish she too could have witnessed this. For under these glorious lights, even the most jaded can melt. *** inter wonderland’ is a term often used to describe Lapland’s landscape. We’d all seen the photos: cottony pine trees, frozen lakes, colourful huts (usually red and yellow to ward off evil) with sloping roofs buried in fluffy snow. With over 70 per cent of the country covered in forests, and 1,88,000 lakes, the real picture is much better.

My introduction to the beauty of Finland’s winter landscape was Helsinki. It was snowing when we landed three days ago, and the city was swathed in white. The cold hits you hard here. No matter how much you’ve researched, you aren’t really prepared for temperatures in negatives, especially if you’re from Mumbai like me.

The image of snowy steps of the white-and-gold Helsinki

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PHOTO COURTESY: NORTHERN LIGHTS RANCH/TWELVE VIDEO PRODUCTIONS

asked to write a short bio, my worldhardened, no-stars-in-her-eyes colleague, L, wrote, “[she] fantasises about a bucket-list journey to witness the aurora borealis someday.”

FINLAND

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As per Finnish legend, the Northern Lights or revontulet are the sparks flying from the tail of an Arctic fox running across the sky.

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THE DESTINATION

THE QUINTESSENTIAL WINTER SPORT OF SKIING IS ON EVERY TRAVELLER’S BUCKET LIST. FEEL THE SHIVER WITH TIPS AND TRICKS FROM A SEASONED SKIER’S TRYST IN GULMARG AND A FIRST-TIMER’S SWISS DREAM COME TRUE 102

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PHOTO COURTESY: ALETSCH ARENA

Dashing through the Snow

INDIA & SWITZERLAND

CHRISTIAN ASLUND/LONELY PLANET IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES

Crisp Alpine air, and traditional chalets cloaked in snow lend a wonderland-like charm to the towns around Switzerland’s Aletsch Arena (facing page); Gulmarg’s slopes are an attraction for skiers of all grades. While amateurs stick to areas below the Apharwat, experts can try heli-skiing.

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THE DESTINATION

A Ski Guide to Gulmarg SKIING IN GULMARG IS A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE. HERE YOU’LL FIND ONE OF THE LARGEST SKI TERRAINS IN ASIA, THE SECOND-HIGHEST GONDOLA IN THE WORLD, AND YOUR INNER WILL TO BRAVE IT ALL

For both beginners and professionals, it is a good idea to have an instructor who knows the landscape well.

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SUN_SHINE/SHUTTERSTOCK

By Himraj Soin

INDIA & SWITZERLAND

“Kahwa ! kahwa!”

“Chocolate, biscuit, coffee!”

“Very cold day, very hot tea!”

I hear the hawkers chanting in tandem. I hear it so often that I start chanting with them. Kahwa, Kashmir’s very popular tea, hits the spot after a long day of skiing. And today, I especially need a cup or two.

Only an hour ago, I was faced with a steep, 90-degree drop. I was supposed to get off the gondola halfway up the mountain, but in my eagerness to inhale the sweeping views, I missed my mark—so when I did stop, I was way too high.

In fact, I was at the very top of Apharwat, which, at 13,780 feet, is one of the main peaks in the Himalayan range of Pir Panjal.

With breathtaking vistas, including that of Nanga Parbat— one of the 14 Eight Thousanders, independant peaks around the world with an elevation of over 8,000 metres (26,247 feet)—I wasn’t complaining. I was, however, nervous. In the 10 years since I made my skiing debut in Colorado, I’d had some incredible experiences in the Rockies, Alps, Andes and even the Himalayas, but my intermediate level skills, I knew, would not be enough to navigate the run ahead.

What lay ahead was far more formidable, a trail categorised as a double-black diamond (extremely difficult), reserved

strictly for experts. I had no choice but to go down. So I collected my thoughts, calmed my nerves, and attempted to ski down. Thunk. Suddenly I was rolling down, gathering snow. I was effectively a human-sized snowball. Luckily, the fluffy snow protected me from injury. But I could hear amused locals laughing from the chairlift above—it must have been a comical sight. I would get up, try to manoeuvre my skis, and immediately fall for what felt like hundreds of feet. For the few seconds that I was up, I looked like I was auditioning for Grease. However, the great thing about skiing is that the progress you make is exponential. So by day five, I was cruising.

Nestled in the Great Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir’s ‘Meadow of Flowers’, has long been a rewarding ski destination. The gondola in Gulmarg, running along Apharwat, is the second-highest cable car in the world.

Gulmarg has only a few kilometres of pistes (marked ski runs), just one chairlift, and a couple of J-bars (low-capacity lifts to pull up skiers and snowboarders individually) for beginners, which makes it a really different experience from your average European or American ski resort. But it is famous internationally for its single cable car going up over an elevation of 4,265 feet to a point just below the summit, providing phenomenal off-pistes with cinematic views and tons of powder for serious skiers and riders. The skiable terrain of Apharwat is one of the largest, longest and highest in Asia. With local hotels of middling quality and little après-ski, the overall experience is bare-bones. This, of course, puts the entire focus on the thrill of the sport.

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IMAGESOFINDIA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Gulmarg is famous for its single cable car or gondola going up—over an elevation of 4,265 feet—to below the summit of the Apharwat.

THE DESTINATION

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INDIA & SWEDEN

Who’s Got More Chill?

A Dilli-wala experiences her first Swedish winter, and lives to tell the tale

By NIDHI DHINGRA

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SWEDEN

M

oving to Sweden two years ago, to live with my partner, I learnt that summer is to Sweden what winter is to Delhi—short, long-awaited and much missed. After spending 30 years in Delhi, I have fond memories of the city’s winters. During my first winter in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city, I couldn’t help but compare the two. In fact, I realised that the land of cold and dark winters, as it is known in common parlance, had a lot to teach me about the season.

In Delhi, come winter, the air would turn crisp and chilly, and the sunshine warm and soft. All the stocked-away winter clothes were brought out. It was finally time to enjoy the outdoors.

At home, weekends meant that meals were moved out to the verandah to soak up the winter sun. When in the mood to splurge, weekend brunches with friends were planned at one of the many alfresco cafés near Hauz Khas.

During office breaks, a cup of chai and steaming hot Maggi from roadside tea stalls was always a winner. The occasional family gathering at Lodhi Gardens or the India Gate lawns had us all sprawled on the grass until the

Delhi’s crisp winter mornings are ideal for outdoor yoga or some lazy lounging near Humayun’s Tomb (facing page); Winter in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city, is made comfortable with excellent insulation and a punctual transport system.

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THE JOURNEY

Beginning at the Bindu FOR OVER 40 YEARS, LEGENDARY MODERNIST S.H. RAZA SPENT SUMMERS IN A HILLTOP HAMLET IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA. AN ARDENT ADMIRER DRIVES UP TO

The maze-like alleys of Gorbio lead nowhere and everywhere, at once. It was here, in a sleepy little dot on South of France’s map, that S.H. Raza (facing page) found the mood and quietude to paint.

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SHAIKH AYAZ (STREET) FACING PAGE: ARUN MISHRA/DINODIA PHOTO/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (PAINTING), DINODIA PHOTO/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (S.H. RAZA)

SLEEPY GORBIO IN SEARCH OF HIS STORY BY Shaikh Ayaz

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FRANCE

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