Day 3: Agra!!!

We continued on the next morning- a five hour drive to Agra where the entire bus (mostly) tried to get a few more minutes of sleep!
Our first stop was a famous fort located just outside the city called Fatehpur Sikri, which was built in 1570 by the emperor Akbar and was the capital city of his empire for fifteen years until it was abandoned for unknown reasons. Fatehpur Sikri was HUGE! We spent about an hour and a half touring around the massive courtyards and pillared hallways where I got to see many different types of architecture. There was even one hall that was the emperor's "courtroom" that had a giant pillar in the center with three very different styles of designs carved onto it. The cool thing though about Fatehpur Sikri is the fact that the entire place is made up completely of red stone! It was very cool looking, and the contrast between the grass and the walls was pretty fantastic.
From Fatehpur Sikri we continued on into the main city of Agra, but before going to the main attraction of the city, the Taj Mahal, we visited the Agra fort which was also built by emperor Akbar as a replica of the Red Fort that we visited in Delhi. It didn't exactly look the same to me...but the color was the same! The emperor moved to Agra for a few years, but liked the climate better in Delhi and so eventually moved back after he had constructed and left his mark on the area :)
And then came the moment I had been waiting for- we drove into the parking lot outside the Taj Mahal (we couldn't see anything yet) and unloaded onto a small van that drove us up the hill (past camels! The first I'd ever seen!) to the entrance gate. After going through security we walked through the gateway into a giant open grassy space surrounded by big red buildings. Following the path we came to the archway of one of the buildings, and looking through over the many heads in front of me, I SAW MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE TAJ MAHAL!!!!!! We went through the tunnel and emerged with the enitire view laid out in front of us- I was completely in awe (as were many others standing at my sides!)! The structure is just SO giant and out of this world amazing! I don't think that I could do the experience of being there justice by writing about it- it was just like being in a dream.
We spent our time there roaming around the gardens, taking photos, and soaking up every moment (or at least I was!) from the experience of being there. Our group had several professional photos taken of each one of us, and then a group shot front and center to the monument. We also toured through the inside of the main dome, where the emperor and his beloved Mumtaz Mahal (whom he built the Taj for) are honored with tombs (their actual tombs are beneath the replicas that are on display).
Leaving the Taj Mahal felt strange...because it was like being in a dream, as soon as we walked back out through the tunnel it was almost as if what lay behind us had disappeared. On the way back to the bus, our group was bombarded with small boys trying to sell us everything from postcards to books to key chains to pens! I bought a book and some postcards (after doing some heavy bargaining) and was eyeing the key chains that a little boy was holding in front of me when he said "20 rs each! 20 rs. each!" looking around at me and then quickly to the women next to me- when he saw her he says "5 rs! 5 rs!" then looks back at me, realizing what he just said, and slaps himself on the forehead. I laughed at him and said "O.K. 5 rs.!" and handed him the money. Even though he had just lost out on what could have been a big pay day, the little boy chased after our van as we pulled away, laughing and waving good bye!
P.S. The photo above is a photo that I took of the professional photo...it's not exactly great quality, but you can see the awesomeness! :)