Chi Lin Nunnery & Nan Lian Garden • 2 comments • Someone told me if you've seen one temple, you've seen them all. To some extent, I agree but still appreciate the effort that must have went into building these structures as well as the time it takes to maintain them. When I saw a picture of this incredible golden building while researching Hong Kong I knew I had to see for myself whether it was real... it wasn't one of the "seen 'em all" temples. The Pavilion of Absolute Perfection (that's actually what it's called) was more impressive in person than it was in any picture. Rain was inevitable so we thought we went prepared: with two umbrellas. The Nan Lian Garden is serene, lush, and gorgeous. Maybe it's because I'm a boring old lady at heart, but I could have spent hours there. There is a restaurant, underneath a waterfall, on the grounds that we wanted to go to. Unfortunately they were closing early and we ended up grabbing a snack at another cafe. The Chi Lin Nunnery is a large buddhist complex which is why all of the offerings don't have meat. There is amazing vegetarian food to be found in the world, especially in Asia, but this was not the place to find it. The "cheese & gluten toastie" might have been the most bland thing I've ever eaten, so, maybe pack a snack if you're planning on heading there. During the downpour, we found an air conditioned room with an exhibit called 'Fascinating Glassware of Murano, Venice'. There was a sign with a long description about how amazing Murano glass is but no real reason for why it's on display at the Nunnery aside from a brief mention of the pieces being influenced by Ming chinaware, but that's not really an explanation. I wasn't there for the glass though. Turns out, two umbrellas just weren't enough to keep up from getting soaked during a typhoon so, this exhibit was a retreat from the storm. I'm not complaining - I loved the intense sky on this day, watching the people running around with umbrellas, and how everything looked under the heavy rain. - Mina
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden • 4 comments • Built in the mid-80's using a similar approach to that of the original Ming dynasty garden, Vancouver’s Chinese Garden is a small sanctuary in the midst of a busy city. We visited on a sunny afternoon and agreed if people could put this place together that perhaps we could, at the very least, maintain our own backyard. - Mina <<<>>>
jardin majorelle • 10 comments • The Majorelle Garden was designed by the expatriate French artist, Jacques Majorelle, nearly 100 years ago. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé were the owners of the garden since 1980 and when Yves Saint Laurent died, his ashes were scattered in the garden and a modest monument was erected in his honor. Seeing cacti and palm trees never gets old - perhaps it's all those years of living on the prairies. This garden was one of the many highlights of our time in Marrakesh. It's a serene oasis in the middle of a very busy and very loud city. The gorgeous cobalt blue on the walls reminded us of Frida Kahlo's home in Mexico City, as did the overall vibe of the garden. Apparently, there are many species of birds that can be found there, but we only counted three. We definitely heard, what sounded like millions, of them near the bamboo. The shoots were covered in carvings, much like you would see on a tree stump in the woods. We're not into vandalizing nature, but we did serendipitously find a heart with M+A carved into it. I wasn't familiar with Majorelle (the artist) before visiting Morocco and gather his paintings are largely unknown. I'm so thankful that he designed this amazing place and that we were able to experience it firsthand.
