The Taj Mahal! My travel guidebook is full of quotations from poets and scholars who in the 5 centuries since the Taj was built have described it in larger-than-life terms. While I can't capture it in words nearly as well as these learned individuals, I will say that none of them wordsmithed what I felt when I saw it with my own eyes. It was magnificent, we were all blown away by how beautiful and grand it was.
Our helpful guide provided the narrative of how the Taj is a monument to love, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial and tomb to his wife who died during the childbirth of their fourteenth (!!!) baby. Griefstricken Jahan pulled together the finest architects, a whole lot of local white marble and an army of workers who slaved under horrible conditions to built what is now considered the most beautiful manmade structure on earth. All that information is great but almost unnecessary as I found the best way to appreciate the Taj is to stare at it in silence with one's own thoughts....which I got to do for about 20 seconds until Ingrid stuck her finger in my ear.
We arrived early in the morning to beat the crowds and see it in the morning light which had the added benefit of giving Ingrid more space to run around without being doted upon by the crowds. And we thought the Chinese loved seeing a blond haired blue eyed child, the Indians really loved her! See the video at the top of this post where Ingrid stomps around in her little foot coverings to protect the Taj marble floors.
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