Winter
is my favourite time of the year. Having grown up in Dubai and now settled in
Mumbai, that is saying a lot. Because neither of these places gets much of it!
Most
parts of the world have four distinct seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and
Winter. Here in Mumbai, we have three - Pleasant, Hot and Very hot! Pleasant is
our winter!
So,
you can imagine my joy when I got to spend three months in London from October to
December 2014. London was the perfect place to experience winter in since it
gets cold and rainy but not snowy and
can't-get-of-the-house-have-to-stock-up-on-supplies type cold! I very fondly
look back on my time in London when for the first time in my life, I got to
experience zero degrees Celsius with a hail storm. Yes, that's how much I like winters!
(Eye-rollers, stop reading now!!)
It
is rightly said that you crave for what you do not have or get. I recall Londoners, my
fellow colleagues and friends, who would earnestly look forward to the
blink-and-you-miss-it summer that they get. A day that's 20 degrees Celsius is
warm there and if you went to the beach, you will see people sunbathing! In
Mumbai, winter sees day temperatures of 20 degrees!
I
used to roam the streets of London in just a flannel shirt and a raincoat and
people would laugh at me (when they would be wearing a jacket, a raincoat,
boots, gloves, caps...the works!). But I was just trying to soak in as much
cold as possible and enjoy every moment of it. I almost felt like I was
creating of reserve of cold in my body to brave the heat when I got back.
I
loved the cold wind that would lash against my face when I stepped out of my
apartment in the morning and even today, if I close my eyes and imagine myself
walking out that apartment, I can feel it very distinctly! Although I must add,
there were days I'd walk in to work looking like Rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer. Couple that with wrapping my fingers around a hot steaming cup
of coffee or hot chocolate. Heaven! I'll always remember the river cruise I did
when I was there - the cool wind on my face and lightly ruffling my hair, my
fingertips going numb (because I decided gloves were for the timid!) and the
smile never leaving my lips!
My
absolute favourite memory from that time, is the Christmas Lights bus tour that
I did. The tour covers all the main areas of London and to see London decked up
in resplendent lights and shining like that is a sight to behold! And I did
that in an open-top double-decker bus. On this very day five years ago! Here are some pics!
Someday
I hope to experience snow. I think I'll go quite mad when I do! I know
what those of you reading this post from minus 20 degrees must be thinking -
"Stupid girl, doesn't know what she is asking for"!
I
also look back very fondly on my time in Dubai since winter was practically the
only time of the year when we could go out of the house without breaking in to
a sweat in 5mins! Winter in Dubai reminds me of our family picnics to Al Ain,
Fujairah, Hatta and nearby places. We would pack our picnic baskets, carry some
handy games (basically racquets and balls, frisbees, shuttles) and take off for
the day. Such fun times!
Here
in Mumbai, winters for me is the time to go out a little bit more (and by out,
I mean under open skies.... not to the mall!). And on some cool evenings, I
love to sit by the window, sipping a hot cup of coffee and reading a good book.
What
are your favourite winter memories? What do you like to do in the winters? Let
me know in the comments
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Hahahha! Slo, your descriptions could almost make me a convert! I can't stand winters and I think this has something to do with the 24/7 air-conditioning in Dubai where the thermostat was always set at least a degree or three lower than what I was comfortable with. I'm the first to pull on warm clothes in winter and can't stand cold showers even in the summer. Not that I like summer, either. For me, it's Monsoons all the way :)
ReplyDeleteBut your description does such a beautiful job of capturing the particular experience of the cold and why it would be so refreshing for someone from sweltering climes. Also, think of a truly romantic setting. It would just never be summer, would it? Bollywood used to take us all the way to snowy Switzerland to convince us that lovers were truly in love.
Also true is how we can carry the warmth or the "chill" psychologically, bringing home the feeling, hopefully, for unfriendlier seasons to come.
Hi Manisha,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! Agreed - I'm not particularly fond of the artificial cold caused by air-conditioning either but also, I have a higher threshold with natural cold for sure! Monsoons are a different emotion altogether :)
So true - what you've said about romantic seasons in Bollywood! It definitely won't ever be summer!