Onwards to Agra

Wednesday 3rd October

After our day of travelling we were knackered so we had a lie in followed by a leisurely breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We then decided to actually do something with the day so we got the subway to the Qutub Minar station. Lonely Planet says to take a Tuk Tuk to the complex so we followed their advice, agreed a fee of 40 Rupees and got about ten feet before the driver stopped, announced he would take us to a market instead and then demanded another 100 rupees. That’s literally an extra pound but we were both so fed up of trying to argue with him that we got out and started walking. Unfortunately we were walking in the wrong direction but we quickly figured it  out and flagged down a decent driver who took us there for a mere 50 rupees. What a bargain.

The Afghan style victory tower and minaret was erected in 1193 and it rises up almost 73 metres. It is also the site of the oldest mosque in India. We were both really impressed with the complex – the buildings are beautifully ornate and the grounds are so well kept.

We had a good look round and then made our way back to the hotel to pick up our bags and catch our train to Agra! The station was relativley calm and not really what I was expecting. We got some snacks and after a short wait, boarded our train that was on time and not at all what I was expecting. We were in the air conditioned carriage which was clean, spacious and a bargain at £7.50 each. They even came round with blankets, pillows, drinks and a meal. We’re trying to be very careful about what we eat so that we can avoid the dreaded Delhi Belly for as long as possible so we avoided most of what they brought round but it’s the thought that counts!

The journey was pleasant and quick and we got to Agra in about two hours. From here we took a taxi to our hotel, the Trident Agra, where we were shown our amazing room, complete with another chocolate cake to celebrate our wedding. I would have gotten married sooner had I known there was so much free cake! Dinner was even better, with a free starter, two free desserts and about five visits from the head chef to check if our meal was ok!

The hotel has been great so far and we can’t wait to try the pool tomorrow, which is quite topical as we finished the evening by watching the new Baywatch movie!

Intro to India

Tuesday 2nd October

The past few months have been the busiest and most expensive months of our lives. We bought a house, spent three months completely refurbishing it (well, three rooms and my dad did most of it but still), oh and we decided to get married. It has been quite the journey getting me down the aisle but we got there in the end and on Saturday the 29th of September, we got married!

Obviously the best part of getting married is 1. the cake and 2. the honeymoon and so, we are off on a three week trip around the Golden Triangle and Rajasthan. It’s a trip that Rory has always wanted to do and as his lovely accommodating wife (who got her own way with pretty much everything in the house) I happily agreed.

And so, today we travelled from Belfast to London and on to Delhi where we took the subway to the beautiful Claridges Hotel. Located in a leafy area of New Delhi, the hotel is just minutes from the Ghandi museum. Today is his 149th birthday so the museum was closed to the public but we got a glimpse of his assassination site before moving on to the Lodhi Gardens.

Dehli’s loveliest escape was the site of two villages until 1936 when the wife of the British Resident had them cleared and a garden created to remind her of home. The park contains 15th century tombs and mosques and we really enjoyed the walk. I was genuinely surprised at how clean and tidy this part of the city is. I was also seriously impressed by the wildlife - even in this small city park we saw a vast number of birds, including peacocks, squirrels, monkeys and even a little lizard who was in the process of polishing off a cricket.

From here we went to Safdarjang’s Tomb. This mid-eighteenth century tomb is an example of Mughal architecture and I liked that it looks like a less fancy Taj Mahal. At this point my groovy hiking sandals were started to ruin my feet so we gave up, got a tuk tuk back to the hotel and lazed about for the rest of the day.

The hotel bought us up some roses, wine and chocolate cake and while the wine isn’t much use and we can’t bring the flowers with us when we leave tomorrow, we had a good go at the chocolate cake while watching HBO – something that we did when we visited Thailand all those years ago! We finished off the evening with our first Indian meal and I didn’t even get sick – one day down, just another three weeks to go!

Until next time New York!

Friday 8^th December

Our last day is finally here – we deliberately left the day unplanned as we wanted to use the time to see anything we missed or revisit any favourite places. Another perk of having an unplanned day is having a lie in! We got up a bit later, spent some time getting packed and ready for our final day and eventually we headed out in to the cold New York air.  

Our first stop was Macy’s which we have walked past a dozen times but never actually went in to. Not going to lie, I was expecting to walk right on to the set of the Miracle on 34^th Street department store, Cole’s, but it wasn’t half as magical. It was a huge store, full of holiday shoppers and tourists which is my actual worst nightmare! I liked that the escalators were old school and made of wood but we were both glad to leave!

After being here for a few days you really get to know how to get around, at least on the main streets so we spent the rest of the morning re-tracing out earlier steps. We considered going back to Ellen’s Stardust Diner for our last lunch but the queue was twice as long as our first visit so we gave in and stopped at the closest burger bar. We lucked out because the burgers and fries were delicious and we were only a short walk from Central Park!

After a last walk round, we stumbled across an impromptu acapella performance at the Bethesda Arcade! The singers were great and seeing the different street performers throughout the city has definitely been a highlight of our trip. 

Finally, we made our way back towards the hotel, stopping at Target to spend the last of our dollars. The queue was so long and the nicey selection so laborious that we were short on time and ended up running to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Thankfully we didn’t miss our bus and in no time at all we were at the world’s smallest airport, which was great when we were arriving but less than great when we were hoping to buy snacks for the plane!

The journey was quick, I think we even managed to get some sleep before arriving in Belfast at 9am. The trip has been a long time coming (thanks to all those childhood Christmas movies) and I’ve really enjoyed myself! It was nice being somewhere that was so easy to get around, where we had delicious food, millions of donuts and some of the most amazing sights this side of the pond. I imagine we’ll come back one day, but for now, I’ll finish with the words of Tom Wolf, one belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.