After a couple of days in Varanasi, we were now heading to Agra, famous for hosting one of the most beautiful monument in the world: the Taj-Mahal. After our first experience with the Indian trains, we were a bit concerned with the upcoming ride. Would it be such a pain or would it be just fine? Truth is, it was perfect! We travelled in a Sleeper car (one of the most rudimentary class, hence very cheap!) with some fellow American travelers and it was the opportunity to share our experiences... Until we all fell asleep!
Early in the morning, we got out of the train and directly headed to our hotel to indulge with a satisfying breakfast as well as to soak up the preliminary sunlights from the roof top.this is where we saw the Taj Mahal for the very first time, there just in front of our guest house. What a view!!! And despite the distance, the Taj didn't fail to impress us. Yet, we would have to wait for the very next day to get closer.
We decided to visit the Agra fort, a stunning "castle" with an amazing architecture, especially when spotted from the outside. Then we opted for the baby Taj which was built before the Taj Mahal. It was the opportunity for us to discover an entirely marble-built structure. Even though it was smaller than the pride of Agra, it was certainly a nice discovery, far from the tourist crowds! A visit which was definitely appreciated by all of us. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we were now traveling with a very nice Spanish guy, namely Marco, whom we met in our hotel in Varanasi. It is always good to meet nice travelers on the way!
After those first visits, and given how tired we were, we headed back to the hotel for a nap. Only when we were done was it time to move up and to find a location to stare at the sunset. We went to a little park where we could have a nice view of the Taj as well as an unobstructed view of the local river and the sun going down on its skyline. Quite a show. And soon after, we learnt that we were actually standing on the location where a black Taj Mahal was supposed to be constructed... Unfortunately, this never happened...
The day after, the alarm ringed very early in the morning so that we could be among the first people to enter the Taj Mahal domain. We queued up from 6 am and after some troubles passing through the securities, we were finally able to approach that famous landmark. It didn't disappoint at all, to say the least! The closer we got, the nicer it seemed to be. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. The construction starting in 1632 AD and completed in 1648 AD and needed around 20 000 workers and a thousand of elephants to carry materials. We could really understand what a tremendous amount of work such a monument requires. However, we have to admit that we were expecting a little more when it comes to the inside of the Taj since we thought that it would be very impressive... And actually, the place is almost totally empty... But still, this visit was one of the highlights of our journey in India. The symbol of love, as this was built in order for the prince to prove his love to his dead wife.
With those great memories in mind, we were ready to move on to a totally different world: the busy city of New-Delhi!
Early in the morning, we got out of the train and directly headed to our hotel to indulge with a satisfying breakfast as well as to soak up the preliminary sunlights from the roof top.this is where we saw the Taj Mahal for the very first time, there just in front of our guest house. What a view!!! And despite the distance, the Taj didn't fail to impress us. Yet, we would have to wait for the very next day to get closer.
We decided to visit the Agra fort, a stunning "castle" with an amazing architecture, especially when spotted from the outside. Then we opted for the baby Taj which was built before the Taj Mahal. It was the opportunity for us to discover an entirely marble-built structure. Even though it was smaller than the pride of Agra, it was certainly a nice discovery, far from the tourist crowds! A visit which was definitely appreciated by all of us. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we were now traveling with a very nice Spanish guy, namely Marco, whom we met in our hotel in Varanasi. It is always good to meet nice travelers on the way!
After those first visits, and given how tired we were, we headed back to the hotel for a nap. Only when we were done was it time to move up and to find a location to stare at the sunset. We went to a little park where we could have a nice view of the Taj as well as an unobstructed view of the local river and the sun going down on its skyline. Quite a show. And soon after, we learnt that we were actually standing on the location where a black Taj Mahal was supposed to be constructed... Unfortunately, this never happened...
The day after, the alarm ringed very early in the morning so that we could be among the first people to enter the Taj Mahal domain. We queued up from 6 am and after some troubles passing through the securities, we were finally able to approach that famous landmark. It didn't disappoint at all, to say the least! The closer we got, the nicer it seemed to be. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. The construction starting in 1632 AD and completed in 1648 AD and needed around 20 000 workers and a thousand of elephants to carry materials. We could really understand what a tremendous amount of work such a monument requires. However, we have to admit that we were expecting a little more when it comes to the inside of the Taj since we thought that it would be very impressive... And actually, the place is almost totally empty... But still, this visit was one of the highlights of our journey in India. The symbol of love, as this was built in order for the prince to prove his love to his dead wife.
With those great memories in mind, we were ready to move on to a totally different world: the busy city of New-Delhi!