FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World #7 – The Taj Mahal

May 11, 2017 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World #7 – The Taj Mahal 

Taj Mahal FUN-facts

  • Translated means Crown of the Palace.
  • Commissioned in 1632 by Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal.
  • She was a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child.
  • It took 20,000 artists 10 years to complete at a cost of 32 million rupees.
  • In 2015 it would have cost 52.8 billion rupees or $827 million US.
  • Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”

FUN-Fact – It is made of semi translucent white marble and polished to emphasize the exquisite detailing of flower carvings.

More FF – Specialists brought in from as far away as Europe produced magnificent marble screens, archway spandrels decorated with highly stylized almost geometric vines, flowers and fruits, and pietra dura (marble inlay work) made with thousands of semiprecious stones, yellow marble, jasper and jade then polished and leveled to the surface of the walls.

  • In the summer of 2007, more than 90 million people cast their votes to determine which architectural marvels in the world deserved to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There were a total of twenty-one landmarks vying for that title.

  • Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt still stand. The pyramids were given an automatic spot after infuriated Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace to have to compete for something that had belonged to their country for so long. I agree!  We saw them in 2007.
  • It is our goal to see all twenty-one landmarks. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty-one, however, not together. So the rule is, “If you’ve been there but not together, it doesn’t count.”

New 7 Wonders of the World we’ve been to:

#1 Chichen Itza, Mexico – 2005

#2 Great Wall of China – 2010

#3 Machu Picchu, Peru – February, 2012

#4 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro – February, 2012

#5 The Coliseum – Rome, Italy – August, 2012

#6 Petra, Jordan – March, 2013

#7 The Taj Mahal – Agra, India – November 2016

New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups we’ve been to:

# 9 Statue of Liberty, New York – May, 2005

#10 Sydney Opera House, Australia – January, 2006

#11 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul – May, 2007

#12 Acropolis, Athens – May, 2007

#13 Angkor Wat, Cambodia – March, 2010

#14 Eiffel Tower, Paris – October, 2010

#15 Stonehenge, England – October, 2011

#16 Alhambra, Spain – August, 2012

#17 Easter Island, Chile – February, 2013

#18 Neuschwanstein Castle – Füssen, Germany – September, 2013

#19 Red Square, Moscow – July 2014

TBD #20 – Kiyomizu Temple – Kyoto, Japan – April 2018

TBA #21 – Timbuktu – Mali, Africa (may never happen due to current civil war)

FUN-photos: Incredible & Insane India – 42 Crazy & Chaotic Days – Part 1

December 24, 2016 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Incredible & Insane India – 42 Crazy & Chaotic Days – Part 1 

  • We covered a lot of territory…from the tippy top in the Himalayas…and ending … at the very end… literally! …in the city of Trivandrum.

First 22 Days – Bustling Bombay…our Himalayan high…Dizzying Delhi… Awesome Agra with its Majestic Taj Mahal and Red Fort Complex…Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary…Rathambore Reserve… in search of the ever elusive tigers…which remained just that…Jaipur Palaces…Pushkar Camel Fair…Commanding Kumbhalgarh Fort… Jain Temple Treat…Unbelievable Udaipur…and Very Sacred – Very Special – Varanasi…where we celebrated Dev Dewali on the Ganges.

FUN-travel: Majestic Taj Mahal

November 4, 2016 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Majestic Taj Mahal 

How deep is your love?

  • Well, apparently, very deep…taj1

…for Shah Jahan…

…the Mughal emperor…

…who constructed the Taj Mahal…

…to house the tomb of his favorite wife…

….Mumtaz Mahal…

…a Persian princess…

…with whom he fell in love at the first sight…

…and who died giving birth…

…to their 14th child.

  • Taj Mahal means “Crown Palace”…

…and is the centerpiece…

…of a 42-acre complex…

…an ivory-white marble mausoleum…

…yes, seriously, no one ever lived here…

taj2

  • Commissioned in 1632…

…it took 22 years to construct…taj3

…by some 20,000 artisans…

…at a cost estimated at the time…

…to be around 32 million rupees…

…which in 2015 would be…

…approximately 52.8 billion rupees (US$827 million).

FUN-fact: The Diwali celebration continued at the Oberoi as candle lanterns were lit and then gently floated up into the night sky.