Shimla

Dropped off at Delhi train station early for the train to Chandigarh (the Shatbadi Express).
 From Chandigarh train station we were driven to Solan train station to join the ‘toy’ train on its climb up to Shimla. The Himalayan Queen left Solan in the afternoon and arrived in Shimla at tea time. This mountain railway goes through some stunning scenery with some great Himalayan vistas. The narrow gauge railway passes through numerous tunnels and across many bridges.

 

 

 

 

 

  We stayed the night at the Radisson and woke up to see the foothills of The Himalayas in all their glory.

 

 

 

 

On Saturday we met our guide Amit for a walking tour around Shimla. We started up on The Ridge, past Christ Church and the Gaiety Theatre – where Rudyard Kipling once trod the boards.

 

 

  

 

 After walking by the post office with the decorative post box.

 

 

 

 We saw the amazing Railway Board Building constructed from steel and cast iron. Our walk then crossed town past many faded stately homes to the magnificent Viceregal Lodge on the summit of Observatory Hill. This building was built in 1888 as the summer residence of the Viceroy, it houses an interesting museum with photographs from meetings held here for India’s Independence and the signing of the treaty.