We saw two wonders of the world in one morning.
One of the wonders of the world was edible.. a banana lassi.
Now India is famous for its lassis. But this lassi was on a whole new level. Sitting on a rooftop in the sunshine, sipping on sweet, thick, banana-ey goodness is one thing. But imagine this... it had nuts and raisins on the top.
Oh. And the view was of the Taj Mahal.
We got up at about 5am to make sure we got there on time. The night before we had seen the Taj from the other side of the river at dusk. It glistened across a smoggy sunset and in the distance we could see hundreds of people queuing around the perimeter to get in. As sod's law would have it, my camera broke as we got there. They say a picture takes a thousand words. I will save us all some time and describe it in one. Breathtaking. It was a truly and utterly breathtaking. Across the dried-up Yamuna river bed at dusk, we all stared in wonderment at this marble masterpiece.
During the day we had been to the Baby Taj and Agra Fort and learnt all about the Taj Mahal. It is, in fact, a mausoleum. In 1653, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built it in memory of his third wife Mumtaz. He originally intended to build a black marble version of the building (as the myth goes) across the lake from the white marble Taj, but his son believed him to be going insane and locked him in the Fort which has a view of the perfectly symmetrical mausoleum. It is incredible how people showed their love for each other in the olden days. These days you're lucky to get a text or a glass of wine. Just FYI to any future husbands out there, I won't settle for anything less than an exquisite building erected in my honour (preferably during my lifetime though). Demanding? Moi?
So. Up at 5. We joined the very interesting queuing system. Not only do men and women queue separately, but foreign men and women have to queue separately from Indians. As you walk through the dark archway, the outline of the Taj Mahal is visible through the mist. Almost a mirage. It is just overwhelming. The sheer majesty and presence of such beauty and symmetry. When I was little and my parents pointed out a beautiful landscape, I famously turned to them and said "I don't do views." I hold my hands up. I definitely do this view.
As we were so early, some pictures we managed to take are just of us and the Taj.
I think it is somewhere you have to visit. Words and pictures don't do it justice.
Naturally, I lowered the tone by insisting on having a photo as if holding the spike at the top of the building, to match Victoria's, and no doubt be given a place in the downstairs loo at home. (More on that later. It is a room which requires a blog of its own.)
There are myths, I believe, that the workers who constructed the Taj Mahal, had their hands chopped off after it was finished, so that they could never create anything as beautiful for anybody else. This may be a myth, but it certainly makes the story more interesting.
It was a morning of awe. A once in a lifetime opportunity, that I think should only be done, once in a lifetime.
One of the wonders of the world was edible.. a banana lassi.
Now India is famous for its lassis. But this lassi was on a whole new level. Sitting on a rooftop in the sunshine, sipping on sweet, thick, banana-ey goodness is one thing. But imagine this... it had nuts and raisins on the top.
Oh. And the view was of the Taj Mahal.
We got up at about 5am to make sure we got there on time. The night before we had seen the Taj from the other side of the river at dusk. It glistened across a smoggy sunset and in the distance we could see hundreds of people queuing around the perimeter to get in. As sod's law would have it, my camera broke as we got there. They say a picture takes a thousand words. I will save us all some time and describe it in one. Breathtaking. It was a truly and utterly breathtaking. Across the dried-up Yamuna river bed at dusk, we all stared in wonderment at this marble masterpiece.
During the day we had been to the Baby Taj and Agra Fort and learnt all about the Taj Mahal. It is, in fact, a mausoleum. In 1653, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built it in memory of his third wife Mumtaz. He originally intended to build a black marble version of the building (as the myth goes) across the lake from the white marble Taj, but his son believed him to be going insane and locked him in the Fort which has a view of the perfectly symmetrical mausoleum. It is incredible how people showed their love for each other in the olden days. These days you're lucky to get a text or a glass of wine. Just FYI to any future husbands out there, I won't settle for anything less than an exquisite building erected in my honour (preferably during my lifetime though). Demanding? Moi?
So. Up at 5. We joined the very interesting queuing system. Not only do men and women queue separately, but foreign men and women have to queue separately from Indians. As you walk through the dark archway, the outline of the Taj Mahal is visible through the mist. Almost a mirage. It is just overwhelming. The sheer majesty and presence of such beauty and symmetry. When I was little and my parents pointed out a beautiful landscape, I famously turned to them and said "I don't do views." I hold my hands up. I definitely do this view.
I think it is somewhere you have to visit. Words and pictures don't do it justice.
Naturally, I lowered the tone by insisting on having a photo as if holding the spike at the top of the building, to match Victoria's, and no doubt be given a place in the downstairs loo at home. (More on that later. It is a room which requires a blog of its own.)
There are myths, I believe, that the workers who constructed the Taj Mahal, had their hands chopped off after it was finished, so that they could never create anything as beautiful for anybody else. This may be a myth, but it certainly makes the story more interesting.
It was a morning of awe. A once in a lifetime opportunity, that I think should only be done, once in a lifetime.
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