Luck now led us to Agra

Our arrival in Lucknow wasn't lucky, but like all these things is was a gradual decline, and we only realised how badly it had gone when we hit the bottom. It started at Varanasi train station, which appears in constant crisis, with pilgrims asleep, eating, crying and praying on every square inch of the floor, as you'd expect this somewhat impedes station efficiency, not to mention our brains.

Once on the train we had the usual seat shenanigans, after all we'd failed to pay baksheesh for a good seat, so the top bunks for us - think big luggage rack. Our train then ran into a summer dust storm, which enveloped everyone and everything, it was twilight at 2pm and looked more like Africa. At Lucknow the storm had taken the form of 'mini-cyclone', with trees and power-lines down. Enter worst tuk tuk driver in India, who not only didn't know his home town, but got cross with us about it. Thankfully, once located, our homestay was all calm and relaxing, if completely dark. It wasn't till the following day we saw our problems in perspective - the news reported the storm had killed over forty people across the state.

Lucknow's residency, scene of the infamous mutiny/first war of independence siege, was evocative, but not in the way we'd expected. All the British memorials felt out of place, they're the same as the ones in the Churches at home, just in a park in the middle of a modern city in north India. The British government of India has left little or no legacy with the people, except perhaps the schools and universities, the residency is there, but it feels meaningless to most people, including us.

We went for the overnight express to Agra. Our berths were excellent, the only problem was the over-enthusiastic air-conditioning, which meant we had to use blankets. The berths themselves could not have been cleaner or more private.

You all know the reason for going to Agra, but it turns out that as well as the mighty Taj there are three other sites that surpass everything else we'd seen. The only thing that lets Agra down is, well Agra. The government must take oodles of cash out of the place and absolutely zero makes its way down to the town.
The Taj didn't disappoint. We can confirm it's wonderful, whopping and white. In fact it's size and simplicity were the two things that struck us, and the fact that inside it's strangely small and dark. The one odd side effect of seeing it is to wonder if we haven't got anything better than Big Ben or Tower Bridge to set against it as the site of Britain - but I somehow think not - suggestions on a postcard.

The other sites included a mosque in the middle of nowhere that was magnificent and resulted in me staring open mouthed, Mrs B got a little bored; Akbars mausoleum, which for sheer scale was unbeatable and Agra fort, so much better than Delhi's version.
The Agra gripes were: we weren't staying in 'The Oberoi', the hotel next to ours, but a world away in quality. Our friends who'd stayed there will remain nameless, but I will say - even though it was your honeymoon - it sets a very bad wife precedent that can't be matched by all of us.
The other Agra gripe was it cost 750rupees each for us to get into the Taj once, between us we could have paid for 70 Indians to visit, but because of the heat we could only be there either early morning or evening, not both, this was a shame, as we'd definitely have gone back if I wasn't so tight.