Delhi has a nice feel to it - it is a little more civilized than Mumbai, at least the part we saw of Mumbai. In retrospect, hitting Mumbai direct from Canada was a culture shock, a huge culture shock, and it took us a few days to begin to get our heads around where we were! I think if we had hit Delhi first, then Mumbai, it would have been more of a favourite.
This morning after breakfast we met yesterday's autorickshaw driver with his friend and went off site seeing. We went first to Jama Masjid, a stunning mosque and the largest in India. Building the mosque began in 1644 and it was completed in 1658. It has 3 gateways, 4 angle-towers, and 2 minarets. We climbed up the 130 steps of one of minarets and had a fabulous view over the city. The mosque is built out of a mix of sandstone and marble, and is utterly gorgeous
After the mosque, we went to the Red Fort on the banks of the river Yamuna. Once again the architecture of all the buildings within the walls of the Fort is stunning. The Fort is built out of red sandstone by Emperor Shah Jahan. It was started in 1638 and completed in 1648. The idea was to move the capital to Delhi from Agra but before this happened he was captured by his son and imprisoned. The Fort was built at the height of the Mughal power. When the British took power from the Mughals officially in 1858, they took over the Fort and added some buildings for their troops, then when India became independent in 1947, the Indian army moved in. The buildings have now become an historical site (part are UNESCO, I believe), and the Indian army has moved out to allow for renovation of all buildings. We took a guide to show us around and he painted a very vivid picture of the splendor that the Fort would have seen in the Mughal and British reigns. When you enter the Fort you immediately walk through Chatta Chowk, a covered bazaar, full of ornate and glittery Indian tourist goods, but the rest of the buildings are authentic history. They are quite beautiful, and the grounds are huge expanses of gardens, pools, canals, and buildings. Unfortunately, there is no water now, so you just have to imagine the lights reflecting off the water at the evening balls and other celebrations. We saw the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audiences), the fabulous Turkish baths, the Pearl Mosque, made of marble, the Emperor’s private palace and just so much other beauty it’s impossible to convey it all here.
After the Fort, we took our little auto rickshaw to Humayun’s Tomb. This is built in Mughal architecture around the time of the mid-16th century. There are two tomb buildings, or mausoleums, and the larger one is magnificent. It contains over 100 bodies. We spent about an hour here just wandering through the tombs, the mosque, and the gardens.On the way back to the hotel we went back to the “supermarket” and bought some English stone ground brown bread, bananas, peanut butter, cucumber, and tomatoes, then back to the hotel for a feast! Mmmmm, it tasted sooooo good, and only cost about 80 rupees (Cdn $2.00).
Now we are in the Internet, but of course, the computers don’t read DVDs, and our pictures are on DVD! I think Ray has managed to get some off his camera on the blog. We will continue to try. Tomorrow, we start the second leg of our journey on Daphne. Not sure what the itinerary is……but stay in touch. Thanks to all for your comments. Keep them coming, we love it!
This morning after breakfast we met yesterday's autorickshaw driver with his friend and went off site seeing. We went first to Jama Masjid, a stunning mosque and the largest in India. Building the mosque began in 1644 and it was completed in 1658. It has 3 gateways, 4 angle-towers, and 2 minarets. We climbed up the 130 steps of one of minarets and had a fabulous view over the city. The mosque is built out of a mix of sandstone and marble, and is utterly gorgeous
After the mosque, we went to the Red Fort on the banks of the river Yamuna. Once again the architecture of all the buildings within the walls of the Fort is stunning. The Fort is built out of red sandstone by Emperor Shah Jahan. It was started in 1638 and completed in 1648. The idea was to move the capital to Delhi from Agra but before this happened he was captured by his son and imprisoned. The Fort was built at the height of the Mughal power. When the British took power from the Mughals officially in 1858, they took over the Fort and added some buildings for their troops, then when India became independent in 1947, the Indian army moved in. The buildings have now become an historical site (part are UNESCO, I believe), and the Indian army has moved out to allow for renovation of all buildings. We took a guide to show us around and he painted a very vivid picture of the splendor that the Fort would have seen in the Mughal and British reigns. When you enter the Fort you immediately walk through Chatta Chowk, a covered bazaar, full of ornate and glittery Indian tourist goods, but the rest of the buildings are authentic history. They are quite beautiful, and the grounds are huge expanses of gardens, pools, canals, and buildings. Unfortunately, there is no water now, so you just have to imagine the lights reflecting off the water at the evening balls and other celebrations. We saw the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audiences), the fabulous Turkish baths, the Pearl Mosque, made of marble, the Emperor’s private palace and just so much other beauty it’s impossible to convey it all here.
After the Fort, we took our little auto rickshaw to Humayun’s Tomb. This is built in Mughal architecture around the time of the mid-16th century. There are two tomb buildings, or mausoleums, and the larger one is magnificent. It contains over 100 bodies. We spent about an hour here just wandering through the tombs, the mosque, and the gardens.On the way back to the hotel we went back to the “supermarket” and bought some English stone ground brown bread, bananas, peanut butter, cucumber, and tomatoes, then back to the hotel for a feast! Mmmmm, it tasted sooooo good, and only cost about 80 rupees (Cdn $2.00).
Now we are in the Internet, but of course, the computers don’t read DVDs, and our pictures are on DVD! I think Ray has managed to get some off his camera on the blog. We will continue to try. Tomorrow, we start the second leg of our journey on Daphne. Not sure what the itinerary is……but stay in touch. Thanks to all for your comments. Keep them coming, we love it!
1 comment:
I sent my daughter an extract of the entry in which you describe galloping on a camel. In it, you say that the camels are ugly. She objected that the camel she rode in Dubai was quite pretty. I suggested it was probably because it was an Arabian, and we know how pretty their horses are. I then sent her the photo of Ray with the camel, and she had to agree that her camel was "wa-a-ay prettier", but she added that her mount has a pretty easy life, living on a government reserve, where it has servants to look after it's every need. I'll send you a photo when you get back.
I take it you have heard about the Mexican 'flu, and Susan Boyle. Overcast, 10 C and drizzly here today.
Randall.
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