Taj Mahal

We did it.  One day before the 3 month mark in our marriage, Jeff and I visited the most beautiful building in the world dedicated to love.  The Taj Mahal was completed in 1653 as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal is located in Agra in Northern India. Every traveler we met said it is the most breathtaking building they have seen, and it did not disappoint.

The first glimpse we got once inside the compound.

 When we first entered and saw the building, I almost had tears in my eyes.  We spent about an hour walking around the Taj, taking in the beautiful marble designs, but the true beauty is from a slight distance.

Some of the marble designs.

We had to wear little red shoe covers to protect the marble.

This picture is very hard to see due to the pollutants in the air, but down the river sits the Red Fort. In 1658, just 5 years after the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son in the Red Fort, where he could see the Taj from his prison cell for the remainder of his life.

Our train from Varanasi to Agra took 4 hours longer than it should have.  It's because partway through we had to wait for a new train conductor; the first one was Agra-phobic.

The money shot.