Coffee and churches

From there, we went to the Abode Hotel, one of the oldest in the city, with great displays of vintage luggage and a terrific book exchange. Sadly, we were too early for their coffee shop to be open. Their barista didn't come on shift until 11.

We walked on through Coloba and into Fort, an area of Mumbai famous for its Gothic architecture. We stopped for coffee and spent an hour chatting. Dimple lived in Leeds and in London for a few years, so we had plenty to talk about.

Afterwards, we visited St. Thomas's Cathedral, where Rudyard Kipling was baptised. This 300-year old building is the oldest church in Mumbai. It is named in honour of Saint Thomas the Apostle, who is believed to have first brought Christianity to India. The cathedral marks colonial Bombay's point zero, the exact centre of the city. From the church 16 mile stones were laid out, leading to the north of the city. I was particularly taken with the unusual decorative ironwork that adorns the pillars inside the cathedral. I don't remember seeing anything like it before.Read more