Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Gardens

  • National Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    National Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    It is our last day in Tokyo as we visit the National Garden of Japan in Shinjuku. The garden sits within 15 minutes of our house. We didn’t visit before because of the cherry blossom festival. There were huge crowds and timed entry for weeks. Today, things are back to normal and we can walk…

  • Japanese Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    Japanese Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    We came to Kanazawa to see the castle. But the cherry blossoms are at their peak and a world famous garden sits just across the street. Kenroku-en garden is considered one of the best traditional Japanese gardens in Japan. I feel lucky to see it as the pale pink blossoms blanket the garden. It is…

  • Skagway, Gateway To The Klondike: Travel Goals Alaska

    Skagway, Gateway To The Klondike: Travel Goals Alaska

    I was a big fan of “Northern Exposure”. In fact, I just watched the series again recently. New York City Doctor in the wilds of Alaska makes for some fun television, mostly due to the quirky locals. It seems wild and unsettled. Walking the streets of Skagway after the cruise ships leave port, I can…

  • Sakura Season: Travel Goals Japan

    Sakura Season: Travel Goals Japan

    All of Japan is awash in blossoms. We thought when we arrived in early March that we would miss the “sakura” season. I was pleasantly surprised to see blossoms immediately. Our first days in Tokyo included multiple cherry blossom encounters in a cemetery, a park, and even on a pedestrian overpass along the highway. As…

  • Cherry Blossom Tea: Travel Goals Japan

    Cherry Blossom Tea: Travel Goals Japan

    I have long dreamed of having a cuppa in a traditional Japanese tea house. At the National Museum in Tokyo, I unexpectedly find a lovely tea house in a beautiful garden and immediately want to go in. Better still, there is no wait. Off come my shoes and I am inside. The tatami mats are…

  • First Look Vancouver: Travel Goals Canada

    First Look Vancouver: Travel Goals Canada

    I may have mentioned in an earlier post that we like to take a big red bus tour of new cities on the day of arrival. Why, you ask? Well, we are usually tired after a long plane ride and struggling to stay awake to avoid jet lag. The bus driver does all the navigation.…

  • Imperial Palace: Travel Goals Japan

    Imperial Palace: Travel Goals Japan

    Today we visit the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo. While it is the primary residence of Japan’s Emperor, the inner palace area is closed to visitors. Instead, we head to the East gardens. Both the palace and the gardens are built on the grounds of the former Edo Castle, the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. There are…

  • Stroll Through The Park: Travel Goals Japan

    Stroll Through The Park: Travel Goals Japan

    A remembrance of the day that every museum and cultural attract in Tokyo is closed. We make our own fun.

  • Meiji Morning: Travel Goals Japan

    Meiji Morning: Travel Goals Japan

    This morning I wake up with the sun. It is a mystery to me how my internal clock always knows sunrise. Even on the other side of the globe, I’m up at the first hint of dawn. Last night we arrived in Tokyo after nineteen hours of travel. Unsurprisingly, the boys are still fast asleep.…

  • Albuquerque Botanical: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    Albuquerque Botanical: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    The Albuquerque Botanical Garden is an unexpected delight. The grounds are immaculate. It is a shady oasis in a desert landscape. As we walk among the trees by a large lake, I am refreshed. It is nice to visit the desert, but I am a hillbilly girl who loves the forest. This will have to…