When I spent a weekend in Leeds

Tripoto
10th Nov 2016

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A sunny day is a luxury here in England. Come what may, it must be celebrated. On observing closely, I saw numerous pedals, jogging tracks, dog walks, prams, wheel chairs, kids' scooters and many other similar things. My favourites are the cyclists of all age groups (No wonder, Team GB had the highest number of gold medals for the cycling events at the Rio this year!). As I hit the road, I wasn't very amazed to see the cars full of kids making merry, caravans tied to the rear and the open spaces outside McDonalds being crowded. This time I was exploring a new neighbouring town, Leeds. I happened to be there by random chance and had decided to stay there the previous night.

For all those, who love to experiment with food, the Leeds City Centre brings on to the plate some authentic South Indian food. Tharavadu, a super speciality in Kerala food, offering delectable and original recipes from the tiny tropical state of India, is highly recommended. They have a menu full of variety from different regions of Kerala, the taste of food travels straight to the brain and releases a good amount of endorphins for you. The ambience is synced with the aborigines of Tharavadu, you could easily notice the authenticity of the music and the brightly painted walls, Kerala style. Since it is catering to a large number of people in one go, the place is a bit noisy (That is how we Indians can be sometimes!), and the service tends to be a bit slower. But once the food arrives, you would forget the world and shift your focus to the food. Yummy, Mouth-watering, delicious, it was everything that they say about Indian food. With an edge towards keep the taste buds turned on, the south Indian delicacies make sure that the appetite is satisfied way beyond the capacity. Just when we ousted our limits of binging, we decided to get up and take a walk, on the lowly streets of Leeds.

The high street in the City Centre boasts of many big brands. By the time we reached here after our dinner, most of the showrooms had already closed. It was better this way for there was hardly any crowd and yet it was brightly lit. The winds took upon themselves to cut short our stroll; it was a long road, broadened for the walkers as well as hawkers. We let the winds gush past us, setting a bit of cold in us. It was a starry night, the winds were strong and the cars were racing on the empty roads. We were on the crossroads many a times, wondering whether to look at the stars or be alert on the sides. The street lamps made it a bit difficult to spot the stars, so we focussed on crossing the roads carefully. The walls on the sides were painted with graffiti, not the best ones, but still represented some old world charm.

Very soon we reached our hotel and crashed into our beds. It was the sunrise, the next morning that woke us up. The sunshine poked us quite a few times before we managed to leave the blanket for good. A good English breakfast was perfect to bid farewell to our hotel. We ate in abundance and carried the fruits along. The plan was to be picnicking at the Golden Acre Country Park.

Though initially we wanted to see the steam engines at the Middleton Railways, the badminton racquets in our boot convinced us to move towards the country park. If there was anybody who was the happiest about the sunny day, it was the pets of Leeds. They were everywhere in the park, with their masters who carried their throw balls. There were mothers who walked the prams too. While our badminton racquets kept us busy for a really long time, it was the never ending walk across the woods that made our day. There were trees that were magnificent; there were logs of wood that were never moved hinting towards the era when these would have actually been planted. These logs would date back to the grandmothers' days, how the sapling would have grown to be a beast of a tree, serving beyond dead, the sturdy and the strong one, once deeply rooted and now lazily resting. What startled me was the density of the trees, there was only a thin line of difference between a forest and this country side, some part of it even opened up to a wide expanse of the fields that were actually golden in colour. Perhaps they were the reason, the park was so named.

The wooden bridges that led to the other side of the park were cute. Only one by one could we cross it, and the traffic of the pedestrians made little sense. One path from this bridge led to the lakeside, where were parked the prams and the wheelchairs. The grandparents and the grandkids together fed breads to the ducks. There were parents who could let loose their kids towards the railing of the lake, for the kids got too engrossed in looking at the ducks who were moaning for more bread. The joy of giving was clearly experienced. What we had was the joy of appreciating. We sat there for quite a bit, enjoying the sight, of the little ones handholding the elder ones and giving away something of their own to the needy ones. It was a happily perfected sight.

The next when I started to move, it was towards the ice cream bar that served tall scoops of vanilla. I was tempted to ask for a double scoop but I realized even one would serve me good. I wasted no time in asking for just the flavour I wanted, without exploring the other flavours that the healthy girl over the counter wanted me to buy. If vanilla is good, life is good. With that mantra, and trying to escape from the heat of the sun, we sat on the wooden benches that were lined under the line of coniferous trees. Licking the vanilla makes me forget the world around me. I was meditating upon my cone until the crackling of the biscuit in my mouth made me come back from my stage of nirvana. With a happy heart I walked towards the parking. It was a blissful day, these country parks are a way to enjoy the local spirit of a place. I wish there were some like these in India as well. Though there are large gardens and parks within my city as well but a little more intense like these would have been another level of fun. They are richer, greener and a little wilder.

I stepped out of Leeds with a great day to remember. It was a perfect chilling out day for me, without much a thought and close to nature. I was talking to the trees, smiling to the bridges and playing over the logs. The child in me didn't want to go home but the adult in me could see the couch at home. So homeward bound I was.

Photo of When I spent a weekend in Leeds 1/1 by Vrinda

This blog was originally published on 'Vrinda Bhagat'