Two icons in one day

So up at 5.30am to get to the Taj first, first, first! I am teeming with excitement - DY less so. When I ask him for about the 20th time if he's ready, his response: "As ready as I'll ever be" (he's trying to work out whether he can walk the distance between the hotel and the car without needing the bathroom).

Get to the ticket gate at the Taj at 6.08am and stand in the queue with the other 200 tourists (already?). Am reliably informed by our Guide that there's no point getting there any earlier as the gate doesn't open until 6am. Look at the other 200 people and wonder.

We're in - I'm almost running, DY crawling, and the Guide somewhere between the two. Walk through the entrance and there it is. Even with people crawling over it like ants, it is enormous, magnificent, truly grand. Wonder when all those shots you see of the Taj are taken - must be on Friday when it's closed, 'cos there are people everywhere. Wander through the gardens and approach from the East - sunlight just breaking through the cloud, lighting up the sparkling white marble. Admire the inlaid text and the truly beautiful floral representations. Looking up makes you dizzy it is so huge. Pleased to see a Kite has chosen one of the domes for it's nesting site - disrupts the linear perfection of the building slightly.

Walking around the outside in awe I spot a small African-American woman in a red sari, with her hair in braids. An unusual sight, so I look again. This time I notice the enormous African-American man standing behind her. Panning out, I now see the entourage surrounding them, including the man-mountain bodyguard whose arms are so big they almost look like they're not attached. Will Smith, plus his team. They are all listening intently to their Guide and revelling in the moment, as do I.

The North side of the Taj faces over the river and is a beautiful vista, fields covered in mist, a camel grazing on the low tide water weed, locals doing their washing. Very peaceful.

We avoid the rush and stroll slowly back through the gardens, gazing as we go. I have to say it is very impressive, but many of it's precursors have also been memorable in different ways. For some it's been the gardens and sense of tranquillity they inspire; for others the advanced engineering capability, whether building domed roofs or pushing water uphill; and others the pure beauty of red sandstone and the geometric layout of Persian architecture. All good stuff.