Renuka Lake, Nahan - A Rain-Soaked Road Trip with Kids, Parathas & a Turtle Goodbye

Renuka Ji Lake

Some trips begin with a plan. Ours began with a craving — a craving for a weekend away from Delhi’s honking symphony. One phone call to my friend later, we were set for Renuka Ji Lake in Himachal Pradesh. Google reviews on TripAdvisor were glowing, the pictures looked serene, and the dhaba stops were calling.

Chapter One: The Plan v/s The Reality

The plan: leave at 5 a.m. sharp, beat the traffic, kids happily dozing in the backseat.

Reality: 7 a.m., we’re still stuffing snacks, diaper bags and “just in case” sweaters into the car. My son and my friend’s daughter eyed us adults like “these people can’t get their life together.”

We finally picked up my friend, his wife, and their daughter. After battling school buses, office-goers, and cows claiming their lane space, we touched NH-8 and the car breathed a sigh of relief.

St Paul's Cathedral, London

St Paul Cathedral

On my first day out while exploring London, I came across St Paul's Cathedral, one of the most famous and most recognizable sights of London. St Paul's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and mother church of the Diocese of London.

The present church dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style was part of a major rebuilding programme which took place in the city after the Great Fire of London.