We went to breakfast in the opulent hotel dining room at 5:15 this morning because we had to catch an early train. I had not previously taken any pictures of this room, so I made sure that I accomplished this task.
Everyone in our group was ready to go to the station on time. We didn’t have to wait too long before the train arrived. After the train stopped, we had about five minutes to board the train before it started moving again. We rode in a first class car which left much to be desired. The windows were dirty and condensation had accumulated between two layers of glass. After riding 2 1/2 hours we got off the train near Agra. Our bus was there to pick us up and take us to Agra.
We checked into our hotel, then ate a tasty buffet lunch at one of the hotel dining rooms. I didn’t have to eat any Indian food either! Then the bus took us to the Taj Mahal.
Our city guide told us the history of the Taj as we looked out over the grounds. Then we walked toward the building. It was especially busy today because it was going to be closed tomorrow. It is always closed on Friday. We didn’t have to stand in the extremely long line. It took a while to get through the door because there were so many people crowding to enter. Finally we succeeded in entering, and it became less chaotic. We walked around the tombs of the shah who built it to honor his deceased wife.
The building has beautiful flower designs on the outside walls. Precious stones have been cut into the shape of flower petals and inset into the outside walls.
When we got inside, we had more room to walk. It was difficult to see the raised tombs of the Shah Jahan and his wife because there was a perforated wall around the tombs. We could see them well as we completed circling around because there was a large open space.
We had some time to explore the grounds on our own. I enjoyed sitting and watching the Taj as the sun got lower in the sky. Then we drove back to the hotel.