The Red Fort

I went on a tour of Old Delhi back in December but we sort of skipped over the Red Fort. The guide, knowing that we were soon going to Agra, said we should just wait and see Agra Fort. He said that Agra Fort is "the fort of all forts", and it is, but, I still wanted to see the Red Fort. So, I went back last week with my visiting friend, Jason. It was 10am, but very hot and I wasn't feeling well, turns out I had bronchitis. Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing the inside of the fort.

Row of shops (Agra Fort didn't have that!):

The Hall of Reception, or where I sat resting, giving Jason a chance to discover the grounds:


What I sat looking at, and people watching, of course:

Safdarjung's Tomb

At the far west end of Lodi Road lies Safdarjung's Tomb--yet another place I've wanted to visit but hadn't had the chance, or excuse, until my friend, Jason, stayed with us for a few days last week. We arrived at ten in the morning but it was already very hot.

Seemingly small entry....
leads to a huge interior space, again hidden among the hustle and bustle of the surrounding streets,
The tomb:
My sightseeing buddy:
Backside of the tomb:

We were the only visitors to the tomb at the time we were there. It was nice and peaceful and a pleasure to walk around without worrying about dodging traffic or people.

Baha'i Temple

The Baha'i, or Lotus, Temple sits in southeast Delhi. I love architecture and have been wanting to visit this temple since our arrival in Delhi. Fortunately, a friend was visiting over the weekend and wanted to see it too. So, we headed out on a hot afternoon leaving the boys at home with their papa. This beautiful marble building takes the form of unfolding lotus petals that sits on nine pools of water, which, I learned, represents the nine spiritual paths of the Baha'i faith.


It is such a drastic change from the forts, mosques, temples and tombs that we see throughout Delhi. We were not allowed to take photos inside and you are supposed to remain silent. As we were sitting there, admiring the architecture and people watching, a service began. The silence was broken when a young woman started singing with such a beautiful voice that echoed throughout the temple. It caught be by surprise and I felt privileged to be there at that moment, hearing her sing.

Had to put this in...the biggest flowers I have ever seen.

We had to leave our shoes at the shoe check (not a job I would want on a hot day like this).


One of the things I love about Delhi is that as busy, crowded and expansive a city it is, you stumble upon these vast open spaces, which I find amazing. Another thing I love is that at every historical monument we visit, it is full of Indian tourists--we were definitely in the minority here.

X in Sri Lanka

Xavier goes to Sri Lanka about once a month for his job. Since he's working, he doesn't have time lots of time to visit or to take pictures. But, he shared these with me from his most recent trip. I can't wait for the day when the boys and I will join him.


He stays in places with views like this:
Sri Lankan rickshaws, different from Delhi's green and yellow ones:
A bay on the north of the island:
Sri Lankan countryside with buffalo:

Deflated

No towing in this neighborhood...

National Science Museum

About a month or so ago, Dorian had a day off school so, with some of our friends, we went to the National Science Museum. It was well worth the visit! The kids could run around, touch things, make things move, dance and play. It was perfect. And, cost a total of 40 rupees, about 88 cents, for admission (the kids were free).

This was my favorite display.

Fortunately, it got much more interactive.

Arthur had his own interactions.

The kids found a "stage" for them to sing and dance and climb.

Lots of buttons to push.

This was the coolest--the kids move to make the lights and sound go.

Thank you Science Museum, we will be back!

Sari wearing...

I have yet to be invited to an Indian wedding and really hope to go to one someday--for the experience of it and to be able to wear one of the saris I bought recently. Fortunately, the other night, we were invited by some good friends to join them at their kids school's fundraiser dinner where everyone was requested to dress in Indian attire. Yay! I got to wear my sari.

Luckily, the boys' babysitter came a bit early to help me get dressed. I WILL learn how to put on a sari by myself someday!


Fun night under the lights and stars...with fireworks, food and dancing.
X wasn't wearing Indian attire, but I think he looked pretty handsome anyway.

Back...

It's nice being back in Delhi. Actually, it was nice to go away then to come back and have it feel like home. It's been especially nice to see how happy Dorian is to be back and to see him finally feel like this is his home after he went through such a long adaptation period. Dorian has been saying "namaste" to everyone he sees--he started upon arrival at the airport with the immigration officer, who immediately stamped our passports and let us through, and has not stopped since.

It's nice having warm weather and walking in our neighborhood and seeeing some familiar sights. The monkey is back hanging around our house and has found a new friend to play with and take naps.

These boys walking ahead of us to the market were so sweet.

Dorian is so happy to have his bike back!
Arthur's happy to have his highchair back...makes eating so much easier!

And the playground...

Boys will be boys...

On our recent trip to France we were so lucky to have time, however brief, to catch up with some good friends. It was so sweet to see the boys play together--they are great kids with amazing mamas.

Arthur gets quality time with Pablo...



Then, with Noa...


Dorian and Noa bond over meat and carrots...


We had a fantastic time with everyone. I just wish I had taken more photos and had had more time with them...

Palourdes

On the beach in La Baule, while the tide was low, we saw these people out with their buckets and shovels picking up, what the French call, palourdes (clams). Every day the tide was out, they were there, bent over and searching. I spoke with the man in the blue jacket who nicely let me take a close up photo of his bag full of clams. He said there were more than usual at the moment because of a recent storm. Later that day, we went to a restaurant and ate some palourdes...with a nice garlic-butter sauce, so good. And, many thanks to those who spend their mornings gathering them!

A breath of fresh air...

As I mentioned, we decided to go to the seaside while in France. It seemed like the perfect place for our boys to cleanse their lungs of all the Delhi pollution and dust, even if it was February. And, it was because nobody in their right mind would plan a seaside vacation in winter...I mean, we had the beach to ourselves:



The boys were extremely excited about taking a high-speed train from Paris to La Baule in Brittany. I was sure it was going to rain the whole time we were there, but to my great and pleasant surprise, we had lots of sun and just a tiny bit of rain.



I love going to the beach to lie in the sun and relax, unfortunately, that's just not done in February...but, we thoroughly enjoyed walking on the beach, digging, being chased by the waves, watching the horseback riders, being amazed by the kitesurfers and, of course, the fresh sea air.

On the go...

We have been on the go for the past ten days or so...we've been back in Paris to renew our visas and while waiting for them we wanted to take full advantage of being in a much less polluted environment and took the kids to the seaside. What, seaside in February?? I know, but we really wanted some fresh sea air and, as luck would have it, we had sunshine every day we were there, even if it was quite chilly. It's been great being here, showing the boys Paris and catching up with friends. About two minutes after arriving at the hotel, we had baguette, croissants and pain au chocolat...



And we've not stopped eating since! We've thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Paris through our boys' eyes and have many more photos to come.