Adjacent to the Olympic Park and Tower, the garden seems removed from the hubbub of the city. It is amazingly quiet here, with places to sit, places to hide, and places to meditate. There are water displays, bridges, stonework, ponds, and the amazing differences between some of the plant areas make it seem like we are transitioning to different worlds, all within a day's stroll.
With all of the plants and the flowers and the trees, my favorite part turns out to be something we find by taking an accidental turn. My friend points to a small, almost obscure path, and says, "This looks interesting," so we start up the hill. Before we realize it, we have left the beautiful, lush garden behind and entered a world of rocks and mosses and sand and cacti and, surprisingly enough, a waterfall.
It is incredible here. No one else is wandering around here except for us. It seems stark by a glance but is ripe with beauty upon close inspection. The rocks form a labyrinth of trails that cross over one another, and the cliffs around us buffer us completely from any other noise. It is silent here, so introspective; a writer's dreamland.We do not finish the Botanical Gardens. We simply do not have the energy left on such a hot day. Our feet are begging us to give up, and we still have the Olympic Tower to conquer. Another day, perhaps, another few days, even. I'll be ready next time, though. To those who've never been -- Be prepared. It's the closest you'll come to being teleported without all the messy particle-ization to worry about. More pictures below this blog:
