Fly Me to the Clouds

I always fancied lying on the clouds like the Powerpuff Girls did! Well I just lived that Fancy on my recent visit to Bangalore, the Nandi Hills. Up there the cotton clouds kissed the hills like an inseparable lover. The Clouds were hanging in the air and so were the droplets of moisture that literally turned me on with soft kisses on my face. Love was in the air, and filled my romantic heart with utmost passion!

The Nandi Hills is a destination much talked about and visited from Bangalore City, and since am born and brought up in Bangalore, I have been here several times with my family. It holds a very special place in my heart, as we would pack lunch and spread a carpet and lunch there, play until the sun sets and head back home. This particular trip was very spontaneously planned and it turned out to be quite a trip, details only in your inbox, if you please!

An absolutely stunning route, great roads and perfect for a trip on a Harley with your hot lover! Make sure you wear hot pants or denim shorts to show off your toned legs, and of the 'Jane' in me is disappointed, she would have preferred a summer gown with a pretty bonnet to go with, and of course the lace umbrella !

You shall also on your way find Vineyards, one of the popular ones, the Grover's Vineyard, whose entire bottle of Scintillating Bubbly (Sparkling Wine), called the 'Zampa' was enjoyed the very next day at a park in Bangalore with my partner in 'Crime', what crime? May that a secret stay!

Though there were too many people up there, one can always find a great secluded spot, to either embrace solitude, or your lover! Now keep guessing which of these was my alibi!

Photographers and enthusiasts get great captures from up here. One modestly moderate capture is below:

I'd reckon a fashion photoshoot here, would make a great portfolio, perhaps the next time I am in Bangalore? Would love to do a Fall photoshoot. What was missed was the Sun Rise, which has given enough reason to return to this love nest!

Some random Flora and Fauna at Nandi Hills that particularly amused me:

 The Tongue in Particular!

The ardent shades of Nature!

On a final note, I was flown to the Clouds, was it the Hills, the Company, the Air or the Romance? I know not and I wish to be flown up here yet again!

Oh I must check out the real estate prices, a Villa overlooking the Hills would be Ideal!

Miss Woodhouse visits Himachal Pradesh!

PRAGPUR, WELCOMHERITAGE JUDGE'S COURT

June 28th, 2014

I recounted while I sat at the Open Air breakfast table all by myself sipping a cup of warm green tea with honey, about how much I have been running.

Oh I took some Liberty with the Cheese

The reflection of the trees from the 12 Acre large fruit orchard and the merry chirping of birds brought me to this rather stark revelation of what I have been doing all the while! I have been working way too hard, running too much, chasing an anonymous entity for long enough to have forgotten that it lies within me. This entity is apparently happiness in as small a thing as doing absolutely nothing!

The Lychee Tree

I am quite a sucker for Romance. I love the stories of Jane Austen, Eloisa James, and the likes. Gone with the wind has till date been my most loved novel (& Movie for that matter!). Though I absolutely relish these novels for several other reasons (perhaps in a later post), I particularly adore the pictures painted of the valleys, lush gardens, Country Houses, Chandeliers, Candle Sticks, Large Mirrors, Ornate Ceilings, Fireplaces, delicate linen, lavish upholstery, exquisite carpets on wooden floor, oh I could go on and on. There was something about that world that only wanted to be beautiful & peaceful. Such is the world of WelcomHeritage Judge’s Court, Pragpur, a sleepy hamlet in Himachal Pradesh, soaked in exquisite beauty and heritage.

Apparently the Judge’s Court was built a century ago by Sir Justice Jai Lal’s father for his son, who was a lawyer at the Lahore High Court during the era of the British Raj. It was initially built for the purpose of a summer home which was the residence of the Lal’s until late 1980s when his grandson, Mr. Vijai Lal envisioned this to be a Hotel. And today, The Judge’s Court, is just not a hotel, but a destination!

Blue skies, gentle Breeze, fruit orchard, farms of seasonal crops and a Grand English style country Manor all containing 20 elegant heritage soaked rooms and suites. It was as though I was Emma Woodhouse and had magically time travelled into a land that in my mind only existed in fiction. But lo and behold, it was tangibly a reality!

I was indeed tempted to adorn a Marie Antoinette styled gown, in peach and walk about the verdant gardens of The Judge’s Court.

Well, at present Miss Woodhouse certainly did not have people’s lives to meddle with but certainly a large mansion having rooms with fireplaces, candlesticks, large antique mirrors, library, exuberant dining room and excellent service men. Salons to read books and verandahs overlooking the gardens to stretch and unwind.

Miss Woodhouse embraces sweet slumber!

I love drama! Everything in life suddenly comes to life when drama takes me over. Sometimes I am too intolerant with my melodramatic behavior, so much so that I strive to censure this avatar of myself. But as I walked into the lanes of the Heritage Village of Pragpur (Apparently the very first proclaimed), I was so very thrilled to see my fictitious reality springing to life. Cobble stoned lanes, English Styled Sloped roof, window panes with French Glass, all of the Heritage Village that has been painstakingly restored by the family of the Lals, just added a great vintage frame to an already rolling drama!

Most of these houses are over 300 years old. WelcomHeritage Judge’s Court Houses 3 Suites amidst this bygone era! See for yourselves!

"Narrow Streets of Cobblestone"

So much about the destination, WelcomHeritage Judge’s Court. More about ‘In and Around’ the destination, follows.

Suggestion: Just pick up a book and read on. This vacation is not about mindless trodding, but it is about unwinding and finding yourself in a Romance Novel!

Order a massage if you think you are too uptight, that will bring you to shape so that you may do the above!

-          --Jane / 12.30AM – 5^th July 2014