Weekend Wonders
- isaactvosburg
- Jun 26, 2025
- 4 min read
Throughout my three weekends here in India, I've had the chance to do and visit some incredible things. To be honest, though, this weekend's wanderings in particular blow everything else away. I'll explain why exactly that is through snippets of thoughts tucked between my many photos:
Seeing architecture that's been around longer than your country evokes a certain sense of awe, beyond even the ornate and imposing beauty of such structures. It's a sense of wonder that transcends centuries of human history, conflicts, wars, kingdoms, colonists, and governments gone by. Put simply, it's breathtaking for a multitude of reasons.
Red Fort and some new friends
It's one thing to take a picture of a place, it's another to ask someone to take a picture of you at said place, and it's yet another for someone else to ask you if they can take a picture with you because you, a blond-haired and blue-eyed white guy, happen to be at that place. All of the above happened in excess throughout this weekend's architectural excursions. The latter was a commonplace enough occurrence that my fellow interns suggested I start charging by the photo. I think I would've made a decent commission that day had that been the case. I'm glad to have met so many passing strangers, fast turned to friends :)
Scenes from inside the fort
Grand halls filled with merchants peddling their wares to passersby, stunning arches in all directions, and intricacies far more than the eye can see: These are the sights contained within the expansive Red Fort of Old Delhi. You know that this fort is really something when you walk in, explore structure after structure, and forget entirely that you are still contained within its great walls.
The Naubat Khana and Diwan-i-Khas, located within Red Fort
Maybe it was the sunlight, maybe it was the marble, maybe it was the fact that I was standing where the seat of the Mughal Empire once stood---whatever the case, I was thoroughly and completely enamored. I soaked in all the sights I could, and thought back to the time when princes once roamed these very same courtyards. History surrounded me, and happily allowed it to engulf my imagination.
Red Fort as we left and Jama Masjid as we arrived
Saying goodbye to such a wonderous place---Red Fort, that is---I wondered what possible grandeur could top or even match that. To my surprise, the streets of Old Delhi held within them a magic of their own which certainly provided complement, as well as contrast. This was the human side of history, the part that is alive and breathing, where, among the rickshaws, motos, and small cars, one can still spot an ox-drawn cart making its way down Old Delhi's interlacing lanes.
Jama Masjid from the central courtyard
Watching as the evening drew long, the sun sank low, and the lights of the Mosque flicked on. Hearing the call to prayer for the first time in over a year. Feeling the radiant warmth of the red stone tiles upon the soles of my bare feet. Saturday evening soon became Saturday night, and my friends and I were on the train back home.
Notable sights en route to Qutub Minar
Sunday's expedition included another train ride, this time to Qutub Minar. My friends and I walked the twenty or so minutes from the station to the breathtaking and storied complex. Maps were hardly necessary, as the tallest stone tower in India is relatively hard to miss, even from a distance.
The details are intricate, the stonework immaculate, the sight itself? Worth all the storage space left in my phone.
Something tells me this caption should be inSPIRE-ing...
I stopped to read what Arabic I could from the bits of the Quran inscribed upon the minaret. I was amazed by the detail and the craftsmanship that simply stood, stretching skyward, before my eyes. When this was built, I'd like to imagine that the laborers on the uppermost levels thought themselves scraping the roof of the very heavens.
More sights from the Qutub Minar Complex
What amazed me when I first took stock of my surroundings, and what continues to amaze me about this site now, is that all these centuries ago, it wasn't simply enough to construct a Mosque or a Temple or, frankly, any structure that has survived this long. No, it wasn't enough to build it and call it a day: Every single pole had to be meticulously crafted, carved like soap, from stone. Each block, brick, and column was set in place not just for stability, but for suitability to a set of standards we humans in the 21st century may never live up to.
A view from the central courtyard
This weekend's wonders took my breath away. I'm grateful to have visited such extraordinary works of collective human effort, designed to outlive and outlast the test of time. As I reflect upon my experiences, all I am left with is this:
India, you amaze me.
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