The Real Heisses

Last Day in Delhi, Part 4

The Presidential Palace (the equivalent of our White House), sits at the top of the hill. It looks a little like our Capitol Building, don't you think? Unlike the White House, there are no tours, so all you can do is look through the gate.

I just love the stonework on this gate post!

Last Day in Delhi, Part 3

Next stop was over to the government buildings near Parliament and the Presidential Palace. They are set on a hill looking down the Raj Path towards the India Arch. (If you look closely at the last photo, you can see the arch far away in the smog.) We didn't see many tourists milling around; in fact, the only people I saw for a while were guards with their guns and rifles. We just kept walking up the hill and right past the buildings. We were waved away by a guard when we got close to the Ministry of Defense, so we just walked in the street instead of on the sidewalk next to the building. We did see some visitors when we got close to the Presidential Palace, but they seemed to be Indian. There certainly weren't any other Americans anywhere near!

Last Day in Delhi, Part 2

After not seeing the Red Fort, we made our way by auto-rickshaw to the nearby Jama Masjid, which just happens to be the largest mosque in India. Massive!

This last photo is looking down the steps of the mosque at a very busy street. All of India was crazy this day because it was the day before Diwali, a huge annual celebration also known as the Festival of Lights. It reminded me of Christmas with all the lights, candles, and gifts. It also reminded me of New Year's Eve with all the fireworks and partying. The streets were packed with people buying presents and fireworks--kinda cool.

Last Day in Delhi, Part 1

There was no rush to get up on Monday, our last day in India, since our flight wasn't leaving until midnight. It was nice to sleep in a little, enjoy breakfast, and finish packing. We had everything ready by about 11, so we checked out of the hotel and left our suitcases with the hotel staff and went out to see more of Delhi. We arranged to have a hotel car take us to the airport at 8 p.m., so that gave us eight hours of free time.

Our first stop was the Red Fort, another World Heritage Site. It's just too bad that it's closed on Mondays!

It looks like an amazing place, and I wish we'd been able to go inside.

Maybe next time!

Our Last Night

The end of a very busy Sunday brought some much needed rest. We stayed in Delhi at the Hans Hotel, very conveniently located in the business district near Connaught Place. If you need to stay in Delhi, I highly recommend it for its location, cleanliness, and service.

The India Arch

Delhi is the capital of India and has an impressive area that is very similar to the Mall in Washington, D.C. The India Arch is situated near one end of what is called the Raj Path. You can look far up the path and see the government buildings and the presidential palace (if it weren't so smoggy). This is the India Arch, a monument to their fallen soldiers. We just happened to be there on Sunday, a couple of days before Diwali (like New Year's), so it was very crowded with families, beggars, and vendors. We even got to see a man with a cobra. I didn't even want to get close for two reasons: I hate snakes, and I didn't want to have to pay the guy to take a picture.