Hanging Out In New Delhi

(This is Debbie.)

The last couple of days we have had a chance to hang out around New Delhi or "Delhi" as the locals call it. On our way to the embassy two days ago, we made a brief stop at the India Gate. It is massive and was built in honor of all the soldiers that lost their life in a war (the name of the war currently escapes me). Although honestly, I would have probably gotten it wrong anyway. So many things get lost in translation for me. I'm having a hard time with the language barrier. It's much easier to just let Vic do the talking since he's more used to the accent than I am. I smile and nod a lot.

You can get an idea of just how big the gate is by seeing how tiny Sammy looks.

Although based on the above picture, it's all about perception.

Yesterday we went to the Red Fort which, the property itself seemed to just go on and on. I'm not really sure what it was used for (but plan on researching it when I get home). When we asked our guide/translator, Matthew (who is a local) he also wasn't sure. One thing I do know is, it was magnificent.
Within the walls of the fort, like many forts, was the emperor's palace. It was amazing, with all the marble and water ways (minus the water now). Matthew told us the water would flow through the palace and with all the marble, it would cool the rooms and act like a fan.

Here is some of the marble on the inside. It was very detailed. Long ago, it was inlaid with pure gold, but has since been taken out and replaced with painted gold.

A palace dog.

This is one of the marble tiles. Each color on the white marble is a different stone. I can't imagine how long that would take for the artists to create.

An update on our little Maddy: She loves playing with her big brother and will often smile big and laugh for him. (Of course, this is when Vic is not around - so he hangs out around the corner so he can see it). She has her appetite finally and loves to feed herself (I'm so happy!). Today we went to the mall. She won't walk anywhere in public (she's probably never done it since she's spent the last two years in an orphanage). While in the mall I just couldn't carry her anymore - she's a little heater and can get quite heavy. So we made her walk around the mall for like 45 minutes. We were the crazy loud Americans that was letting their kid throw a tantrum (wow, did we get looks). She finally broke and walked the rest of the day - and looked happy about it. You just don't realize how new everything is to kids who have lived in an orphanage.

I just want to thank everyone who reads our travel blog and is supporting us. Every night we have fun reading the comments and being able to share this experience with you.