Day 15 and 16 Agra - Uttar Pradesh

Hello,

next stop, new challenge in another city with endless honking and thundering traffic. It is always just in a different place on the map. And this time it's Agra, yes Agra, the city with the 'Taj Mahal'.

The journey there led through a traffic-calmed zone, due to the exhaust fumes slowly corroding this monumental structure. And after paying the (really expensive) entrance fee of 1000 INR (14 Euros), politely dismissing the very nice guide, and storing my backpack in the clock room, I only had to pass through the security gate.

Now it was time, and I stood in front of it, the 'Taj Mahal'...Wow, speechless. It's incredible what can be created from marble. A giant relic of glory and true beauty. Truly impressive. So, another checkmark on the list of visited wonders of the world, and on to the next visual experience, the 'Agra Fort'. I spent the journey there on a bicycle rickshaw, also quite an experience and environmentally friendly. There, they charged me another 500 INR, including a 50 INR discount because I had visited the 'Taj Mahal' beforehand (Hats off, at least a gift of greatness). Once again, I enjoyed the splendor of beauty. The following day, in the morning, I took my luggage to the train station and took a stroll to other noteworthy locations in Agra. For this, I crossed the Yamuna River on a bridge.

And it was precisely on this bridge that I was foolishly robbed. Although I had to do without my delicious toast bread, as I didn't notice it, suddenly it was gone. A nimble monkey, and to add to the misery, it sat down 5 meters away and started devouring my good bread. When I jokingly took out my camera, another monkey bared its teeth at me, probably thinking I was going to take back my bread. *Laugh*

On my sightseeing list for today was the 'Itmad du Daula', a truly beautiful (Baby Taj Mahal), the 'Chini Ka Rauza', and the 'Ram Bagh'. Before heading back to the train station in the afternoon. This time, I approached it from the other side, through a long and narrow market lane where I had to be very careful not to get run over. In the evening, I enjoyed a few snacks, had one or two cups of tea, and then boarded the 'Marudhar Express', which comfortably took me on a roughly 600 km overnight journey to Varanasi.

Hello...