Revisiting the Taj

During the recent trip to India I had the chance to revisit the Taj Mahal, which is - and I know what an old chestnut this is - always an almost mystical experience. My father and I first visited the Taj in 2004 and he's been itching to get back ever since - obviously, it was Annie's first trip. As it was last time, it was a brutally hot day (about 110 F) - and Annie had the beginnings of a stomach ailment - so we didn't stay too long - but enough to once again get an appreciation of what a marvel it is, and long enough to once again be thankful that I've had the chance to see so many of the world's masterpieces in the last few years. Everybody knows the story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Muhal so I won't bother repeating it, but it is, arguably, the greatest testament to love in world history. The last two pictures are of the foundation, across the river, for the "mirror" black mausoleum that Shah Jahan was planning for himself (they were supposed to be connected with a golden bridge), which was never constructed - Shah Jahan's son, Aurangzeb, felt his father was spending way too much on projects like this (and he was also a much more austere follower of Islam - I've posted on his grave earlier), so he overthrew him and locked him up in the Agra Fort, with a beautiful, albeit distant, view of his beloved wife's Taj Mahal (more on that later). The final picture is a view from the back of the Taj looking out towards the Agra Fort.