Dilli Darshan : Red Fort

Even though we passed the Red Fort multiple times when in Delhi, we never really went in because it was just there, we could visit it whenever we wanted, isn't it? Anyways finally when I got in a Dilli Darshan mode, we made a trip to the Chandni Chowk area and the Red Fort: places we had seen and heard of in movies countless times, but never really seen in reality.

The Delhi metro has made this a lot more comfortable and feasible though, thank god for that! You sit in the metro and there you are!! Right in the middle of the dilli of old, with narrow gallis, famous shops, crowds everywhere and a lot of history hidden at every turn..

We walked on to the Red Fort through long queues and through the covered market selling touristy stuff at throwaway prices; and on towards diwan-e-am and diwan-e-khas inside the fort. The Red Fort from the outside is a sight to behold: grand, majestic and royal; from the inside though, it barely retains its original grandeur. It still has pretty structures, and artistic paintings but a lot of it has already been lost to years. The gardens are green, the buildings have colourful paintings and the whole place has a spacy and airy feeling about it.. Very pretty.. As for the history, we didn't really bother for a guide, so not much time was spent on that. Just admiring the works done so long ago, a lot of which we've already managed to lose.

After that we did a short trip around chandni chowk. You can buy any kind of stuff, clothes, toys, accessories etc etc at unbeleivable prices there. You bargain hard but still feel cheated as the shopkeeper still sells u stuff at that price! We also ate at the famous jalebi wala there, was a let down though.

A must visit when here would be the Gurudwara. An oasis of calmness in the chaos outside. Its a nice big structure, revered by many. One thing you would definitely notice about the place would be the cleanliness there given its in the heart of the crowdiest part of the city!