Unlucky on the way to Lucknow

The one nightmare of our 2 weeks in India was the train ride from Agra to Lucknow, which was supposed to take 5 hours and took 12!!!  It was amazing to watch how much patience the Indian people exhibit, including their children.  No one fussed until the very last hour when we were all tired and hungry.

Lucknow is not a city where you find many tourists and there are wide boulevards and lots of greenery, with beautiful parks and lovely flowers, especially dahlias and roses.

It seemed especially peaceful after all the tourists we encountered in Jaipur and Agra.  Our guide referred to his hometown as a "fresh city" not contaminated by "commissions for the guides"!

We visited several palaces and temples but were particularly moved by our visit to La Martiniere School , a top boy’s school in a building which was once the palatial home of and designed by Claude Martin, a French soldier turned architect who spent his life in Lucknow.

We were also very moved by our visit to SEWA, Self-Employed Women’s Association, an autonomous organization of Chikan artisans who make the most beautiful hand-embroidered garments.

Lucknow is a very important culinary destination, especially for Indian Kebabs of which there are 120 different kinds!  Most of these kebabs look like meat patties, the most famous and delicious of these are the Tundey Kebabs, made of lamb (or water buffalo) and raw papaya.  

We spent another special moment having tea with Newab Sahib at his home filled with antiques and great stories of his royal life in Lucknow.  We were very satisfied and ready for our final few days on the lake in Udaipur.