February 09 |
More Sights Around Town |
Another day, another itinerary. This time to Taiwan National University, the Shilin Official Residence, and other places nearby.
Da'an Forest Park |
I had some time before I would meet up with my friend again, so I took a short walk to Da'an (Great Peace) Forest Park,one of the largest parks in the city, and a favorite of the locals. Here, one family kicks a soccer ball and tosses a frisbee on the grass. In the distance is The Taipei 101, now the tallest building in the world, a distinction previously held by the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. |
Foreigner-Friendly |
As I've commented before, the city is very foreigner-friendly. Note that here, too, the signs in the park are bilingual. |
Greek Temple in the Jungle? |
The first stop on my friend's tour was her alma mater, the Taiwan National University. Here's a clever little oddity tucked away in one corner of the campus: what appears to be a Greek temple and Egyptian obelisk, situated in jungle-like surroundings. Despite the somewhat contradictory juxtaposition, it's actually a rather peaceful and introspective place. |
Chinese Garden |
Later, we headed to Chiang Kai Shek's presidential residence in Taipei, a secluded estate with numerous gardens on premises; here we see a simple Chinese garden. Also to be seen are western (Italian, English) gardens, a rose garden, a fruit-tree garden, and many other themed areas. |
Stargazers |
One of the exhibit halls had a flower-arrangement exhibit, and here is a profusion of stargazer lillies... |
Orchids |
A nearby orchid exhibit showed off many clever and artistic arrangements. |
Lunchtime in Shilin |
Since the Official Residence just happened to be a short walk from the Shilin station, it made plenty of sense to stop for lunch (where else? ;) at the Shilin market. Yup... good stuff. |
"Storybook" House |
And just when you thought you've seen everything, you come to this, a tudor-style house in the middle of an Asian capital. Yes, there's a bit of history surrounding this place, and interestingly, it's Japanese in origin. Curious? Read about the Taipei Story House. |
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Thomas M. Tuerke
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