Blue crab small sepia III

Our day today was spent together as husband and wife. India is a very historical country and we took the time to see some of the sights today. We visited a tomb that was built in the 1700s.  The grounds are quite large with the tomb itself in the center.  It is surrounded by four pools with fountains in them. The pools themselves were filled from aqueducts that surround the area. It was probably quite beautiful in its day. Sadly though, a lot of the area is in the process of restoration.  This makes for pathways that are uneven and if you don't watch your step.... The tomb itself was an amazing piece of architecture with beautiful plastered ceilings etched in gorgeous designs. It is said they were painted as well, with lovely frescos that are now only a very distant memory. The exterior still shows signs of grandeur though with the tilework that is glorious to look at, if only at a distance .

We then went to Lodhi garden. This garden is an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle. Tour buses aside, I was extremely grateful to have the driver from the house. He dropped us off at gate no. 1 and off we went in the India heat.

While I mention the heat, let me emphasize that the heat here is nothing you have ever experienced.  We thought because we were used to our southern exposure,  we would be able to handle the heat here. Not the case at all! If you come here, wear good quality walking shoes and bring your own water. Don't refill your bottle from public sources, buy bottled! I am not kidding,  this heat can melt your shoes and make you dripping wet with hardly any exertion. It's worth it though!

Back to Lodhi.......
The gardens are beautiful with restorations going on here as well. Apparently the Prime minister wants to preserve the beautiful history of India. These gardens have many historical buildings as well, one of then being where the Lodi is buried. The enameled blue glass is resplendent although a lot is missing. It is easy to see why it is called the glass temple. I can only imagine how glorious it was in its day. I am saddened though by the apparent lack of respect, (or lack of a sense of history) that the local college students have for this beautiful piece of architecture.  They were jumping up on crumbling walls, to take photos. This particular piece of history was over 500 years old! We continued our walk deep into the far reaches of the gardens until we reached the large lake at the rear. By then we were soaking wet with sweat and still had to walk back to the gate. We were offered chips by a vendor, but said no thank you. However, when he said coke, Chris could not resist. We turned around and coke was actually a mango drink. We said no coke? He shook his head. He then said I'll get coke and took off running.  Sure enough as we continued our walk, here he came with two cold cokes. We parted with our 150 rupies and thanked him very much. The people here are always eager to please, albeit a little pushy sometimes !

We the headed to the Indian center to take in some art. One gentleman was being successful,  having already sold three of his pieces. One of the shows we happened upon was a cultural show. Masks, paintings, and embroidered cloth were all on display for the public to enjoy.

We then made our way to the American diner. It is a restaurant offering American style food. ( minus the beef of course! Mutton is the meat of choice here) Chris ordered a plate that had several types of meat (mostly chicken), sausage (chicken)and a small piece of what looked like spam ( as a serving of pork). I ordered cajun chicken with alfredo spaghetti and mushrooms. I must admit, when the manager came by to ask how our meal was, I told her wonderful except when I ordered cajun, I expected spicier fare. She said she would tell the chef. All in all it was a delicious meal in air conditioned comfort, cokes with filtered water ice, and a brownie blast dessert sundae that we barely finished.

We then headed back to the house, for an afternoon of paint, finished off with tea at 5pm. A wonderful day had by us!
Small blue crab sepia III , acrylic on canvas 8x8
Day 79 of the 100 days- 100 paintings 2018