210 Taipei, Yangmingshan National Park 15.2.2019

art in the Chateau

At noon, Julia and Simon, picked me up. We had met in Bulgaria in the hostel Chi and since then been in contact via facebook and we β€œnearly” would have met in Thailand, missing each other only a few 100km.

First, they invited me to a Vegetarian restaurant that they know quite well, because some relatives stick to a Vegetarian diet. Some things I knew before like this very soft fried tofu or some vegetables, but other things were new to me. And everything tasted so good πŸ˜€

On the way to Yangmingshan (located in Beitou District), Simon bought cheese cakes and Julia bubble milk tea and if I would not have been full before I latest was yet!

First, we visited the Grass Mountain Chateau, former residence of late President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, here called Madame Chiang. The place had to be restored after burning down nearly completely and now is a mixture of restaurant, museum and gallery.

Then we had a walk in Yangming Park with the flower clock and a water fountain and flowers and flowering trees even in the mid of February.

Next to the park is Jhuzihhu (“Bamboo Lake”), a valley with many Lily fields

and near to it another highlight for me (but with nearly no other visitors), Xiaoyoukeng, an active fumarole

Near to dusk, we arrived in Datsun Nature Park at that time a very calm and lonely place

and soon darkness and fog mingled with the mountains to a mysterious landscape we were driving through to our last stop before going home, the Wuji Tianyuan Temple in Tamsui, a 5 tier Taoist temple, with worship halls for different celestial beings on each level.

With many new impressions and nearly 100 photos, still full by the great lunch, after a long afternoon and evening of walking and talking and going around, Simon and Julia brought me back and went home to celebrate the birthday of their son.

I kept the blog entry short, because I was so tired but I hope the photos will talk instead of me!

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