It was a very long, warm day. We got up at 7 for the train, which is across the street from my apartment. The ride was not remarkable, but it was a cool morning, so I was wearing a little jacket and a hat. It did get up to 85 degrees, but it was sunny with a nice breeze. We walked around a bit before the opening ceremony where I got to take some pictures of the flowers. They have quite an impressive collection from all over the world.
We had lunch during the opening ceremony. He had made wraps, chicken and ham. The honey mustard on the chicken was too spicy for me, but I did my best to eat it. The drums were impressive. The girl's costumes were beautiful. I felt very at peace underneath the blossoms watching a performance with someone I love. We then tried to make the tea ceremony, but it had hit capacity, so it was more wandering the garden.
After more wanderings and pictures, we finally made it to the tea ceremony. It was like being transported to a different world. I felt the serenity that the ceremony was supposed to instill. There was beauty in its tradition that I could appreciate. I was super sweaty at this point, but I enjoyed the grace and explanations.
At the end of the day, we headed back to the train station only to find out that we had to wait 2 hours for the train! What were we to do? I remembered advice from my dad that there are reasonably priced restaurants on 2nd ave. We walked the few blocks and picked a Mexican Cantina. They said there would be a 20% tip included, which was fine. I had tacos and he had a quesadilla. We shared bottomless chips and salsa. Oh, that salsa trio was divine. I wish we could bottle it and take it home. We paid less than $20 per person for that meal. It was an excellent end to an excellent day.
I look forward to more excellent days. There are far fewer bad days than there have been in the past. There is hope, beauty and love in my life. Hopefully, the adventures and goodness will continue.
