Jan, Don and I visited the Nan Lian Gardens and Chi Lin Nunnery. It was not a place the kids would have really appreciated, so it was a good thing to do while they were at school. The gardens were beautiful and peaceful. They were meticulously groomed. There was soft Chinese music playing throughout the gardens. It was amazing to have this peaceful, serene place in the middle of a bustling city.
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| Serene garden with skyscrapers in the background |
We also visited the Chi Lin Nunnery on the adjacent grounds. The temple halls have many Buddhist statues. You were not allowed to take any pictures inside the temple, but the displays were impressive. The altars in front of the statues usually had bowls of fresh fruit as an offering. Everything was very clean and well taken care of. We saw several women cleaning every nook and cranny while we were there.
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| Chi Lin Nunnery |
We went back to the gardens for lunch. There is a popular vegetarian restaurant there. We got there right when it opened. Even though it was a Tuesday, it was packed by the time we left. The food was delicious. The restaurant was in a building that was covered with a waterfall. There was a large window so you could see the water while you were eating.
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| waterfall over the restaurant |
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The gardens also had a couple of galleries on the grounds. One had beautiful wooden replicas of monasteries in China built over 1000 years ago (you were not allowed to take pictures in there). The structures were amazing. Another gallery, called the Rockery, contained a display of rocks excavated from the Red River in China.
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