Our next stop was Ryoan-ji 竜安寺 {rock garden}, the garden of the dragon at peace.
The most amazing Japanese maples.
And amazing gardens.
More bamboo with Nate and Lauren in the background.
We have been trying to teach Pete how to do a kiss face ... he wanted to eat no nose instead.
Thanks Gregg for taking this picture!
In the Ryoan-ji we took our shoes off.
This art in the entry was amazing.
We had no idea what was up with these "do not use a tripod" signs - they were everywhere. It should read "do not use a selfie stick"
Lauren was our official tour guide.
This zen temple is considered to be one of the finest surviving examples of kare-sansui {dry landscape}. The landscaping features large rock formations arranged amidst a sweep of smooth pebbles raked into linear patters that facilitate mediations. It is so different then anything you would see in the US.
We took our shoes off, relaxed and trying meditating.
Oh my goodness, I love this little man and his blue eyes! He wasn't sure what to think of Aunt Millie taking lots of pictures of him!
:)
It really was peaceful there.
Almost every temple we have gone to there has been a place to wash your hands in fresh spring water - a short of cleansing.
These are some photos I snapped of the interior of the temple. It reminded me of a yoga studio.
The murals on the walls were amazing.
One of the first things I noticed when we first walked into the temple was the wood floors. The planks must have been at least 15" and made out of some kind of oak. They were gorgeous.
Bamboo.
Truffula trees - Dr. Seuss would love them.
These planks and the wisteria growing on them were really beautiful and smelt amazing.
This temple really did have a reverent and peaceful feeling at it. We really took our time to enjoy the gardens and the scenery in general.
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