Did You Win Any Brownie Points?

Okay, if you couldn't figure out what country I've been in recently from the picture clues in my last post, this last clue should give it away:

The Taj Mahal, built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 1600's as a tomb and testament of love to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to her 14th child.

I have been in the beautiful country of India!

Brownie points* to those who guessed it correctly!  This was my second trip to India.  I first visited India in 2005 and was fortunate enough to be able to tour some parts of the country then. We visited the city of Agra during my first trip (extra brownie points to Denise for correctly guessing that!), which is where the Taj Mahal is located, as well as Agra Fort, where the photo of this fabulous puzzle lawn came from.

puzzle lawn inside a courtyard of Agra Fort

In addition to fabulous lawns, I couldn't help but be impressed by the stunning architecture of Agra Fort.

The Agra Fort has a long and colorful history - records from 1080 AD mention it being captured by an invading force!  After several other turbulent government turnovers, it was eventually rebuilt in the 1500's by the famous emperor Akbar the Great.  He rebuilt it using red sandstone, the reason it is also known as 'the Red Fort of Agra'.

Agra Fort also plays a small part in the tragic love story surrounding the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan, the ruler who built the Taj Mahal, ended up being imprisoned at the fort by his own overly ambitious son. He allegedly spent his last days laying in the tower there that overlooked the Taj Mahal, gazing at his monument to his beloved wife.

Musamman Burj, the tower which offers the best views of the Taj Mahal from the fort

On my first trip to India, we also visited the beautiful state of Kerala, located on the southwestern tip of India (brownie points to Usha for identifying that location!)  I think you can see why it is sometimes referred to as 'God's own country'.

Besides being a prime destination for tourism, Kerala is also where many spices are grown and produced, such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.  Rice, coconuts, cashews, coffee, and tea are also exported from there.

This is a tea plantation.  Workers make their way throughout the rows of bushes, handpicking the leaves for tea.

At some point I would love to take my kids to see all of these beautiful sites.  This trip to India, however, we mostly stayed with Mr. Red House's grandparents and relatives, who live in the city of Bangalore.  We did take one other little trip, but you will have to wait until the next post to find out more about that...

*Sorry, brownie points are still not redeemable for actual brownies..