A Day of Cherry Blossoms in Tamsui, Part 1: Tianyuan Temple in Sanzhi

On March 9, 2012, I set off with Belle and her dad for a day of wandering around Tamsui.

Our plan was to begin with the cherry blossoms at Wuji Tianyuan Temple in Sanzhi, then continue to Tamsui to visit the Little White House, Oxford College, and Fort San Domingo. Before all that, though, breakfast at the McDonald’s on Section 7 of Chengde Road ^.^

A breakfast stop at McDonald’s on Section 7 of Chengde Road — Breakfast on Chengde Road before setting off for the blossoms

With the GPS leading the way, we reached Tianyuan Temple before long.

The entrance area on arrival at Wuji Tianyuan Temple in Sanzhi — Arriving at Tianyuan Temple in Sanzhi with help from the GPS

Enough talk—time for the cherry blossoms XD

Cherry blossoms near the beginning of the route through Tianyuan Temple — The first blossoms of the day in the rain

Cherry blossoms around the entrance to Tianyuan Temple — A springtime view near the temple entrance

Several trees near the entrance were already in full bloom. The sky was gray with rain, which made the blossoms stand out even more.

A blooming cherry tree near the main entrance to Tianyuan Temple — A cherry tree in full bloom beside the entrance

We followed the side path toward the pagoda deeper inside the grounds, where even more cherry trees surrounded us. Circling the pagoda brought a succession of views filled with branches, pathways, and temple architecture.

Cherry blossoms along the path leading toward the Tianyuan Temple pagoda — Following the side path toward the pagoda

Cherry blossoms and the grounds surrounding the Tianyuan Temple pagoda — Blossoms around the Tianyuan Temple pagoda grounds

Cherry blossom branches under the overcast sky at Tianyuan Temple — Blossom-covered branches beneath a rainy sky

Cherry blossoms along the walking loop around the Tianyuan Temple pagoda — Spring color along the loop around the pagoda

Cherry blossom branches spreading across the temple grounds — Interlacing blossom branches at Tianyuan Temple

A cherry blossom view from the walking route around the pagoda — Finding a different blossom view around each turn

Cherry blossoms blooming at Tianyuan Temple on a cold, rainy day — Blossoms still flourishing in the cold spell

Cherry blossoms beside the buildings in the Tianyuan Temple grounds — Temple architecture framed by cherry blossoms

Cherry blossom branches around the route beside the pagoda — Blossom branches spreading along the pagoda route

The cherry blossom route around Tianyuan Temple on a rainy day — A rainy blossom walk around Tianyuan Temple

Cherry blossoms in the grounds of Tianyuan Temple — Cherry blossoms at Tianyuan Temple on a cold, rainy day

Because it was a weekday—and cold and rainy as well—we avoided both traffic jams and crowds. Parking was fairly easy too… well, quite a few nearby residents had turned the space in front of their homes into parking spots and charged NT$100.

The blossom-viewing route made a loop around the pagoda. At a relaxed pace, it took about an hour to see everything ^.^

Next up: lunch in Tamsui and a visit to the Little White House~~

Related posts

March 2012 — A Day of Cherry Blossoms in Tamsui, Part 1: Tianyuan Temple in Sanzhi

March 2012 — A Day of Cherry Blossoms in Tamsui, Part 2: The Little White House

March 2012 — A Day of Cherry Blossoms in Tamsui, Part 3: Oxford College and Fort San Domingo