Taj Mahal

Photo courtesy of Christina Forrest

Not even 25 and I've seen the Taj Mahal.... twice! We went once in the morning when it opened and it was very foggy, we couldn't even see the Taj Mahal until we were 30 yrds in front of it (even then it was a slight outline). We went the second time a little later that day when the sun was out and the fog had mostly lifted and we saw the classic views. Both experiences were completely different but both mind boggling.

With the fog, everything just seemed so surreal. With everything disappearing into the mist; there was no telling what you would see or encounter next. The gardens seemed much more grand and mysterious with the fog. And like any American, when we saw the 'spot' where everyone takes the photos and we couldn't actually see the Taj Mahal... We took pictures too and laughed the whole time trying to make light of the situation. I was able to focus on alot more detail with the fog and paid more attention to the subtle designs within the building, so when we finally did see the whole picture, I had a much greater appreciation than I would have if I hadn't seen it when it was foggy.

We left for a while and then came back in the afternoon; this is when we got 'the shot.' It was also 100x more busy than it was in the morning and the line to get into the Taj Mahal was incredible; it snaked around the entire building... a few times. So, it was the usual ooos and ahhs and so on.

The interesting thing about the Taj Mahal is that it looks larger farther away, then when your right there... it looks much smaller which is something I've never seen before. When we were at Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal looked like one of the largest buildings I've ever seen!