Big Deal Outta Nothing

What does a math teacher in his spare time? For one such person we know, the answer is "crack open a beer and watch math documentaries". It was the second episode of the four part BBC series, "The Story of Maths", that led to our friend's discovery that the world's oldest recorded zero is located just about 200 miles from Delhi. And with this, the idea for a pilgrimage to Gwalior was hatched.

May is a great month to escape Delhi and express trains get travelers to some interesting weekend destinations in just a few hours. Our group of sixteen departed Delhi early Saturday morning and arrived in Gwalior before 10am.

After a brief rest, we were off to see what we came to see. We pretty much passed through the main part of the fort to get to a small Hindu temple on the other side. People we saw along the way were curious about our matching t-shirts and those we spoke with seemed to know nothing about the famous zero nearby.

Once we reached the temple, we waited for a man to meet us with the key to get inside:

Once through the doorway, there is a tablet on the wall to the left. Look close, there is a zero there in the middle.....2-7-0!

Sixteen zero superfans, matching t-shirts and all:

Four of the five young zeros walking back up the hill, trying to decide if what they had just seen was really worth the trip in this blazing heat:

Ah, the oasis that was our hotel pool:

Kids zoning out (Liam snoozing) during the musical entertainment after dinner:

We spent most of Sunday lounging by the pool after a sizzling hot morning walk to the Jai Vilas Palace. Memorable features included an indoor swimming pool, a toy train that was once used to shuttle brandy and cigars to guests seated around the dining table, and artwork depicting the royal family's tiger hunting expeditions.

In the early evening, we enjoyed a cheap and yummy dinner near the train station before climbing aboard for the smooth ride back to Delhi. A great final excursion of the school year.