My husband and I recently traveled to India for a family wedding. In my mad dash to the airport, I left my GMG stickers at home. While there I was never able to connect to the hotel’s very slow computer to access my email, and truly felt ‘a world away.’ Somehow, I did manage to logonjust once to GMG’s website to catch up on local news and print a GMG sticker. The Indian wedding was 3 days long, and included a Sikh and Hindu ceremony. I took part in the mendhi (henna) and other ceremonies. The family also arranged tours of Old Delhi and the Taj Mahal. We totally immersed ourselves in Indian culture and customs, were charmed by our warm new relatives, and enjoyed delicious, buffet Indian meals. Cows were seen roaming the streets and sidewalks, along with dogs and monkeys, like this one seen at the Taj Mahal. And if anyone thinks Boston driving is crazy, they haven’t been to India! This video is shot from the front of our bus, on the way to the Taj Mahal. :O
https://youtu.be/3M1JQZRiuqI ~ Karen Pischke




Great post Karen, thank you for sharing. What a splendid trip! So interesting to see all the women riding the motor bikes as passengers and “side-saddle.”
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Karen, what a wonderful adventure and experience. They sure like to use their horns there.
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It sure was E.J.! 🙂 Have you been to Inda? We were told beforehand we would experience “sensory overloaded,” and we sure did. Especially with sounds. The wedding was great. We also were able to enjoy a couple days after the wedding at Keoladeo National Park, for fresh air and quiet. You would have loved all the beautiful birds!
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What a grand wedding experience ~ nice to read and view ~ love the outfit love the henna and agree no matter where we go ~ Gloucester travels with us.
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Thank Mary! It truly was an amazing experience and opportunity, but whenever I travel I do feel a bit like Dorothy with the red slippers – “there’s no place like home.”
Keoladeo National Park, where we went after the wedding was a bit more like Gloucester and Cape Ann. The remodeled palace we stayed in was truly “grand,” and relatively inexpensive. The National Park was uncrowded with peaceful paths to walk or bike, and beautiful ponds with amazing birdlife.
My favorite birds here were the Kingfishers and Sarus Crane. Sarus crane are the ‘tallest flying bird,’ and can stand up to 5.9 feet. Generally seen in pairs, the male with a gorgeous red head and loud trumpeting voice. We felt lucky to see these, since they are on the list of vulnerable species. In India, seeing the Sarus Crane after a wedding is said to be ‘an auspicious sign of marital virtue.’ 😀
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beautiful
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