25 Years!

Jim and I celebrated 25 years of marriage last week!  We decided to celebrate by enjoying a day at the Humble Administrator's Garden.  This garden is one of four located here in Suzhou.  The garden was created in 1522 during the Ming Dynasty.  The garden is designed around water.  The lotus plants are plentiful and have beautiful blooms.  We purchased a lotus pod and were told that the seeds are edible.  I didn't attempt to eat the seeds until we returned here to our apartment and assured by the employees that it would be safe to eat them.   The locals claim the seeds can help prevent you from overheating.  If that is true, I should find time to purchase many more pods!  

At the garden pathways are made of pebbles and rocks.  The intricate pathways lead visitors around and throughout the garden into several different pavilions.  Each pavilion is named something like the Bamboo Pavilion.  Monks were known to take time out and enjoy their days inside the pavilions.  Today, they are simply a visitor museum of sorts.  Some of the pavilions are complete with furnishing and some tea pots, etc.  

Rock formations are on display throughout the garden as well.  The rock formations often lead you up steps to a sitting bench or another pavilion built atop a small hill overlooking the water.  All of the pavilions face the water.  

As we departed the gardens, we were approached by an older woman offering us a boat tour.  She was persistent but met her match with Jim.  He was exhausted from the heat and so was I.  Despite our efforts to express that we would return another day she followed us for a full city block.  The language barrier is more difficult in some areas than others.  I hope we can seek her out of the crowd next week and enjoy the boat ride.  

Following our time at the water garden, we stopped and enjoyed a nice long massage.  It was just what I needed.   Later on after the heat of the day passed, we adventured out for dinner.  Following dinner we enjoyed a nice quiet walk back to the apartment.  It is wonderful here to enjoy the walks at night.  The city has gone to great effort to install nice paved sidewalks and street lights.  

I am still surprised at how time really does fly!  It seems like we were just married and that our children should still be running in and out of the house.  Hopefully, we can celebrate another 25 years together!