The other part of the Jardins is a long(ish) woodland work over the valley with some amazing views of rural, bucolic France. The shade is definitely welcome in the middle of a southern French July. There is a gentle transition from the formality and order of the box hedge topiary gardens and into the more natural woodland.
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These gardens (Jardins, ooh la la!) came highly recommended and did not disappoint. A really nice day out.
There are the formal topiary gardens and a huge lovely long forest walk, which ahs amazing views over the valley. I have slit the blog post into two: One post for the cut box hedges and one for the shaded wander amongst the trees
The Château de Marqueyssac is a 17th-century château and gardens located at Vézac, in the Dordogne Department of France. The château was built at the end of the 17th century by Bertrand Vernet de Marqueyssac, Counselor to Louis XIV, on cliffs overlooking the Dordogne Valley. However; in the second half 20th century the house was rarely occupied and the gardens were not well maintained. Restoration began in 1966 and the gardens were opened to the public in 1997.
The Marqueyssac Gardens have 150 000 hand-pruned boxwood which are more than a little impressive.
The Secret Buddha Garden is hidden up high in the hills in Koh Samui's interior, offering what would be cracking views across the island if it was a nicer day and an unusual collection of statues amid lush jungle surrounds. The gardens are a creation of an old Samui fruit farmer, Nim Thongsuk, who in 1976 began erecting several statues and temples around his family's verdant land to the north-west of Lamai Beach. Although oddly enough, I don't think there were any actual Buddha statues!
Still a great break from the monotony of sitting by a pool or on the beach... I get bored easily and so after a day or so of that am desperate for something else to do, even if I do have a good book and banging tunes to keep me occupied. The websites all say you need 4X4 to get there but, nah, you just need a car and a bit of care. It is steep but its roads all the way.
...and so on to Tokyo. Tokyo means Eastern capital; in the same way Beijing is northern capital and Nanjing western. Possibly Xian is the western one. Xi is definitely Mandarin for Western, but the rest is guess-work!). Not sure why, given the antipathy between China and Japan, the Japanese allow their capital to be named in relation to the Chinese one... So to WIkipedia: Originally called Edo the city changed its name when it became the imperial capital.... Just an Asian thing then, that the capital city includes the word capital in its name.
Anyway, become the Imperial capital it did and that capital needed a palace to house the Imperial household, which was our first stop (See. what a clever little intro it was!). The gardens, which are the only bits you are allowed to see, are stunning this time of year. A magnificent display of blossom.
The castle was originally built as the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns. The Tokugawa Shogunate used Edo as the capital city, but Kyoto continued to be the home of the Imperial Court.
This is a collection of Zen temples and raked gravel gardens. Not sure what to make of the gardens. You can appreciate the effort that goes into making them (daily) but they are not really what you would call pretty. Still, it was a really enjoyable stroll around the temples and gardens. The gardens were, though, what they were supposed to be which is a quiet and relaxing spot in which to sit and ponder. The temples themselves had a lot of impressive screens in them.
Tickets for the Alhambra are divided into different sections. One of the nicest parts are the gardens. However, they are still busy, but with a little patience you can still find some peace. Having said that, the number of people who are happy to wander around and then spend hours taking pictures of themselves and clogging up the view for everyone else is not something I understand. Even less do I get the idea of a stick to put your camera on so you can take pics of yourself. Why? Who wants to look at endless pictures of themselves stood in front of God knows what? Why not take some nice pictures of the thing you have come to see? Why do you have to be in every shot? Will you not believe you were there if you don't have a photo to prove it?
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AuthorsWe are teachers and have worked in various schools in Europe & Asia. This is really a chronicle of out travels over the years. It is meant for us to look back on, reflect and remember where we've been, what we've done and all our little adventures. If you like it too, then fab! If you don't, do you think we care? Archives
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