When You Care Enough to Build the Very Best

I just love the Google autofill tool. You know, you start to type in your query and it provides a list of popular possibilities. Many other websites use this, but in Google you get a glimpse of what the world is thinking about and searching for. For instance, I recently typed "How long" into the search bar and the first option was "How long does cocaine stay in your system?" Just now I typed "Why is" in and received "Why is my poop green?" as result numero uno.

And if you type "famous ways" and take the second option you'll arrive at a list of websites providing famous ways to say "I love you". There's no shortage, since from the beginning of civilization men and women have been devising ways to win each other over and show their affection. From the ancient tradition of drinking honey metheglin brew (where the term "honeymoon" comes from) to the flowery love poems of chivalric knights to the giving of knives in Nordic culture, it seems we've thought of everything. In modern times men hold boom boxes blasting Peter Gabriel over their heads and couples say their vows mid-flight during a bungy jump.

Then there's this:

In 1631 the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan died while giving birth to the couple's 14th child. That the woman made it through the first thirteen births in the 17th century without dying should constitute an honor of some kind; it is said that the Emperor was so grief-stricken by her passing that his hair went white overnight. But he bounced back enough to commit his empire's entire treasury to the building of a temple in her memory.

A few posts ago I wrote about our trip to Angkor Wat, which was simply stunning in its breadth. But no single temple at Angkor elicited the same reaction from Jillian and I as we stood in the dawn's light before the Taj Mahal. A combination of Islamic, Persian, and Indian architecture, the white marble mausoleum dome surrounded by other tombs, four towering minarets, and a reflecting pool took over twenty years to fully complete. It's size and simple beauty create a stunning combination.

We spent an hour or so wandering the grounds at the base of the Taj Mahal, peering into the mausoleum of the emperor and his beloved wife and admiring the Islamic script covering the walls. We then enjoyed breakfast at one of the many rooftop restaurants in Agra with an excellent view of the temple. But nothing topped simply standing silently at reflecting pool's edge and staring in wonder.

And perhaps that speechlessness is the best "I love you" of all.