Agra

Agra was the Mughal capital for many years and as a result has the best preserved Mughal sites.

I had an early morning, 2 hr, train from Delhi to Agra on Saturday. I was rather sick of the hassles from Delhi and generally fed up, so I was thinking of catching one of the packaged tours from the train station, but instead i started chatting up the single guy next to me on the train, a German lawyer, Roland, and asked if I could glom onto him for a day. He rather enthusiastically said yes. We decided that since the 33C forecast was too hot we would get a driver with AC for the day. The car, driver and site guides cost us $30 each and allowed us to see much more than we ever could have any other way while still being somewhat independent. First to the Taj, Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daulah tomb and Fatehpur Sikri. The Taj was great and so was everything else. I think I like Agra Fort best. The Taj is cold and impersonal while the Fort is full of life.