Abra-abra-cadabra

Last October I had a blast visiting the Abracadabra Superstore in NYC. I just heard about it from a couple different friends. A friend I was visiting New York with wanted to see if she could find a halloween costume there. I wasn’t in the market for a costume but I had a great time looking at all the costumes and halloween decorations.

First we started in the “meat case” of body parts. I love the creepy clown arm!

Next up was the electric chair! It really seemed life-like.

Wandering around the store there are more things to see and every prop you may need.

Even more fun to see is all the costumes that are available to purchase.

If you are in the city, I suggest you stop in for a visit.

Agra

Most people visit Agra as a day trip from Delhi or as part of the golden triangle tour of (Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur). We stopped in Agra for 2 nights as part of our extended golden triangle tour. On our way we stopped at some rest stops and purchased interesting oregano cookies (above).
Lunch today was at the interesting hotel Bundelkhand Riverside with exotic toilet paper.

We helped ourselves to a buffet meal.

After another lengthy car ride we end up at the train station in Jhansi. Cows can do what ever they want in India. This cow wants to walk back and forth between the trains. No one is concerned that it will accidentally get hit or anything.

Our itinerary says first class. We look forward to relaxing in comfort for our long ride only to find that below is what first class looks like. It is crowded, dirty, and loud. The upside is that it was air conditioning, they serve you a meal, and it is relatively safe – even for female solo travelers.

We are very happy to arrive at our 4 star hotel. We had a nice meal at the hotel restaurant at the top floor. I thoroughly enjoyed my butter chicken and wine.

The hotel was pretty busy. There was a private party going on in the courtyard. It might have been a wedding or a conference.

The next morning we woke up to visit the Taj Mahal for the second time (post about it is here).
After spending some time negotiating a price for a marble plate at a local vendor, we ended up at I’timād-ud-Daulah’s tomb or what is affectionately called the baby taj.

We ended our tour of Agra with a visit to the Agra Fort.

Asheville Breweries Part 2

Before leaving Asheville we made a couple more stops to try some more brews. First we went back to Wicked Weed brewery to get a flight. The downstairs tasting room was not open yet so we only got to choose from the selection we could get at the bar upstairs. I got to try a wide variety of their beers.

Brazil Caipirinha Ale

I took back a growler of one of the session beers.

Lastly we stopped off at Lexington Avenue Brewery (LAB). Again we found out that Jude Law had also visited this place a day or so earlier. Such a shame we kept missing him. It was a nice establishment with good mood lighting. In the evenings you can see musical acts here.

We walked around a bit to get one last look at this great city that we got to enjoy for a few days. It has been a great trip. We have added Asheville, NC to our must return list.
See you soon Asheville…

Tower of London and Tower Bridge

One day in London we explored the Tower of London. This was my first visit to the tower since my coach tour skipped it last time.
The tower served many of purposes over the years. It served as a home, an armoury, a treasury, a fortess, etc. Many rulers had their way with the fortress over the years.

Henry III was a particularly odd one with some sort of weird obsession with animals. He had a menagerie here. I am not 100% sure but I think he is responsible for these monkey statues.

Little chapel

We got to learn about life in the court. Those people ate a bunch.

Remember when I was talking earlier about Henry III? He had many animals one of which was a polar bear gifted to him. I am pretty sure the animals didn’t have a long life span given some of the descriptions in the tower exhibits.

Now we get to all the fun stuff. Lots of horse statues.

And a messed up dragon.

And you always need to stop and watch these guys with those hats.

Ravens are big here too. They kind of own the place.

After the tower we went to go get a snack to eat. Carlos ended up making some close friends.

While we snacked we see a nice view of the Tower Bridge. We skipped the visit to the bridge and admired it from afar.

A walk along the Thames leads us to this L’eggs shaped building.

After our walk we decide to visit the Banquet Hall since admission is free as part of the tourism pass we purchased. Outside we saw some protesters.

The Banquet Hall wasn’t all that exciting to visit but I did dig this hallway.

Some more walking around town leads us to some interesting sites.

Yum!

Trafalgar Square

Another beautiful day in London in the books.

Orchha

After visiting Khajuraho we visited Orchha enroute to Agra.
It was of course another long car ride with lots to see on the way. Everything and their mother is on the road and in some cases coming toward us like the cow and bike below. I am thankful that I do not have to drive in India.

One piece of fashion that you rarely see in the US but is still intensely popular in India (in the winter) is the men’s sweater vest.

Old structures are scattered throughout this region.

Our drive took us past this small village on the way to our next destination.

We ran into this group of kids on the way. The driver told us that they play music and the kids follow the truck to church. I guess that is a creative way to get kids to go to church.

Eventually we arrive in the ancient city of Orchha.

Our exploration begins with the pricey admission to Orchha Palace or Jahangir Mahal. This is one of the spots that on top of the admission fee, you must also pay extra if you like to take your own camera in.
Jahangir Mahal is another great place to see Mughal architecture. The structure is in good condition but cosmetically it has not been maintained. Still you can catch a glimpse of how magnificant it must have once been as you walk around the palace.

Just like most Islamic art symbols are used primarily in the decor.

Off in the distance you can see more Orchha buildings.

Walking through Orchha city.

Bundela Chhatries

Along the Betwa river is a collection of old chhatries or moments to respect older rulers. Some are not very well maintained but they do give you an eerie calm feeling as you walk about them near the water. I think it may have to do with it being the least crowded place we visited in India.

Of all the places we visited in India, Orchha was the most pleasant. We were very rarely harassed there. I think they don’t get as much tourism so have not become as dependent on it like other communities. What ever the reason, it was a pleasant visit. I wish we would have chose to spend a night in this calm city.