2011 7535+ Miles Club: Sunday - May 8: FREE DAY -- Happy Mother's Day

Just wishing the Mom's I know a Happy Mother's Day -- this was a difficult part of the trip to be away from everyone when I normally would have picked up the phone to call or visited with each of you.

Free Day = chance to explore the city on our own and see what we missed

Caught up on some rest, did some homework, then headed out to master the transit system. The goal was to find Taipei Confucius Temple and The Art Market. Ed and I had a strategy, planned out a route and set out on our adventure.

The rest of the class saw the Temple the day we explored Tokyo. Not ones to miss out on an adventure, we decided to take the MRT and see what we missed. The trip turned out to be well worth the effort. The temple is a center for Confucian rituals and was magnificent. We walked arcoss the street and saw a beautiful garden and then it was on to another temple. 3 of 4 blocks in one area were all part of the Temple. It made me realize the value the culture here places on their temples and worship.The ornate stye was like nothing I have seen in the U.S.

We then went back to The Jade Market area we had visited earlier in the trip because we saw there was supposed to be an Art Market in the area. What we found was another chance to go through the Jade Market and time to stroll the Flower Mart which led into the Art Market. The trip was more of a challenge to see if we could navigate the transit system on our own.

The markets were interesting and for me I loved the flower market. It was like going to Bordines or Wurtzel's for me back home - it's a good thing they restrict bring plants across borders. The bonsai trees and orchids were simply breathtaking. We made it back to the hotel with time to relax for a little while before Monday morning adventures began.