As Escape Worldwide celebrates its 11th birthday,
the team take a look back at some of their favourite destinations. Karen
Stewart recalls a trip to northern India, when the story of the Taj Mahal brought
a tear to her eye.
There are some places in the world that you feel you
know even if you haven't been, and the Taj Mahal is one of them –
it's such an iconic building that everyone knows what it looks like, but when
you actually visit you're really blown away by just how beautiful this place
actually is.
I was part-way through a trip to see
the highlights of northern India when I visited the Taj Mahal –
it was my first trip to India and a real eye-opener to this fantastically
diverse country. I began with a few days in Delhi, which acts as the main gateway to
northern India and is a good place to get started, before moving on
to Jaipur, which I have to say was my favourite part – there's
something about the atmosphere there that I can't quite describe, but
just makes it really worth visiting.
Touring India can be quite a tiring experience
as there's so much to take in – it's such a hectic place and just walking down
the road can be an experience. The roads can be very busy, so getting around
can be slow at times – don't try to do too much. But then, just when
you're getting a bit tired, you arrive at somewhere as stunningly beautiful as
the Taj Mahal, and you quickly remember how wonderful this place is.
It's fair to say that the Taj Mahal is
among the most visited sites in India, so you're unlikely to get much
in the way of peace and quiet here – forget having a 'Princess Di' moment to
yourself. From a distance the Taj Mahal takes your breath away, but
it's only when you get up close to it that you can really appreciate the detail
involved. The bas-reliefs on the walls, the calligraphy on the gates and the
gemstones that are inlaid into the interior walls all come together to produce
the most beautiful building imaginable. Seeing the beauty and hearing the love
story behind it brought a tear to my eye.
The entrance to the Taj Mahal itself is
through the landscaped gardens, with a reflecting pool running
through the centre giving another perfect photo opportunity – be sure to bring
plenty of film, memory cards and batteries with you as you're bound
to take more photos than you thought was possible.
I'd recommend taking a guidebook too as
there's so much to take in here – the history of the building, the story behind
it, the meaning of the architecture and the construction of it – that you
simply won't be able to remember all the detail. If you can find a quiet
corner, re-read some of the stories, just to ensure you've really appreciated
why this place is quite so special.
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