The second stop on the Portland Garden Bloggers Fling was the city’s Chinese garden, located right in the heart of the downtown bustle of Portland.  It encompasses an entire city block.  Entering the garden, you leave behind the bus fumes, honking horns and scads of people click clacking their heels on the way to work.

 Waiting for the doors to open.

 I’m not sure if this statue was greeting us or trying to keep us away!

 Intricate stone work greeted us as we walked into the garden.

It takes your breath away.  This pearl nestled among skyscrapers provides a welcome respite from city life.The view across the lake makes you feel like you’ve become a time traveler to a faraway land.

 I love the lines and the curves of all the pagodas.

 I can only imagine how long it took carvers to create some of these intricate pieces.

 Beautiful details adorn even the windows.

The point of this pagoda roof looks almost menacing as it peeks out from the trees.

Garden bloggers fan out to check out all the sights.

The sounds from this waterfall add to the spiritual sense in this garden.

 Inspirational writings adorn the rocks along side the waterfall.  I wish I knew their meaning.

The entire garden surrounded this lake.  The blooming water lilies made me think of Monet’s garden and paintings.

A tea room on the grounds offered a resting place from some bloggers. But with the growing warmth and humidity of the day, I passed on the hot tea.

 This clever pepper-shaped window offered a glimpse into the neighboring courtyard.

 The courtyard is framed here by a life-sized circle.

 Our visit to this garden was a beautiful and peaceful start to our day.

And a peek into the distance revealed the glint of the city lurking with its modern skyscrapers as we left the garden.