Our last day in Kolkata already? In some ways it feels like we've been here for ages and that home is so far away. In others, we feel like we are just getting settled in and used to a certain way of daily life.
We enjoy our day, knowing these memories will last a lifetime. Mina and Marlene take us to St. Paul's Cathedral first. Its lovely with its white exterior against the light blue sky. It is small inside and it doesn't take us long to walk through it. We admire the stained glass and take same pictures then head out to drive to the Indian Museum.
The Indian Museum is large and we admire the architecture more than the artifacts. Again, the white artifice is attractive, especially against the blue sky on this warm day. We walk down aisles of statues and ancient coins, archeological relics and fossils, and feel that this two hundred year old building hasn't changed much in all those years. The long dank rooms hold the same dusty dark wood cabinets as they did years ago, crammed with thousands of old animal skulls, fossilized shells, and rocks. The signs are still in handwritten painted script, mounted above each cabinet, like "Crocodylus palustris" and "Homo Sapiens." It reminds me of the office of Indiana Jones.
After climbing two huge flights of stairs twice, Mom is exhausted. It's been a long week for both of us. We are ready to go home. Our last stop of the trip is a delicious meal at The Park Hotel. It is a five star hotel and we are treated by Mina and Marlene to Biryani, Papad, spinach rice, Lamb shanks, spinach rice, and molten cake. It is the perfect note in which to conclude our adventure.
We'll miss the daily unpredictability of staying in a new country and the entertainment of observing a unique way of life as we drove through the heart of the city. Most of all, though, we will miss our newest friends, Marlene and Mina, who showed us the hospitable, caring, fun, friendly heart of the Indian people.
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