We slept late! More jet lagged and generally tired than usual, we gave into the indulgence of morning twilight, and just made the end of breakfast service. Breakfast is our favorite meal. Period. Both of us spend a lot more time thinking about breakfast than any other mealtime...and we have it down to our favorites (usually 2 eggs over easy, bacon, toast, Miss Shirley’s grits (at the Hilton Pensacola Beach) etc.). This morning we ordered a full English breakfast and loved every bite...but then the very friendly folks in the club room asked, what about an Indian breakfast? Well, of course! What were we thinking? We immediately ordered dosas and sauce for dessert! (And we had them every day we were in Delhi from then on).
Our dear friend, Shradha Singh, lives in Delhi. We first met her during the years we volunteered at the Baha’i World Center in Haifa, Israel. She’s the kind of friend you can call a week before you’re coming, set up some visiting time, and sit down over tea as if no time has gone by (not even the 20 years since we saw her last). It was wonderful to see her. We met her at the door of the hotel and immediately went for tea and talk in the nearby Khan Market (ooooh what a lovely market) at the patisserie, L’Opera, our new favorite meeting spot. So, we had treats and caught up.
Every 19 days Baha’is around the world meet for devotions and community consultation. We were delighted that this meeting, called a Feast, fell on a day we were in India. Shradha took us to an intimate gathering of friends and family in one of the smaller communities in Delhi where we shared prayers, stories and much laughter. Did I mention food? Oh yes...some wonderful dishes of goodness were part of our visit. We were thrilled to be there and grateful for our time with this community of Baha’is.
Then, before we knew it, even though it was quite late we were spontaneously invited to drive out to the famous Lotus Temple...the exquisite Baha’i temple in India. (www.bahaihouseofworship.in). The ride was ... most exhilarating and fun! The temple at night stood still and serene in the midst of a very commercial area of the city, and was softly bathed in the full moon glow. It has been a dream for both of us to visit this spot, and we were filled with awe at how the temple was built by the local community, by many traditional methods. It is truly a unique House of Worship, open to all.
