We timed our visit to Montreal perfectly with a spectacular event that occurs in the Botanical Gardens every Fall.
A Chinese Lantern Festival.
Every Fall, the Botanical Gardens come alive with handmade silk lanterns imported from China that line the walkways and decorate the Chinese Gardens themselves.
As if the gardens, lotus-lined ponds, bonsais, bridges, and pagodas were not beautiful enough- adorned with the exquisite lanterns, they become magical!
And if you think they are beautiful during the day, when darkness sets in, these lanterns are illuminated and give off quite a special glow.
Reportedly there are more than 500 silk lanterns used in and around the gardens!
These are all just stunning, each different and more unique than the other.
Crimson red, hot pink, turquoise blue, deep purple, golden yellow-every colorful jewel-toned hue of the rainbow.
Now, don't get me wrong. There are *so* many other reasons to visit the Botanical Gardens-anytime of year. Like the Insectarium, the Rose Garden, the Aquatic Garden and the Japanese Garden. But, we were certainly glad to be able to see the Chinese Lantern Festival along with all those other wonderful attractions!
And though I have picked some lanterns for your viewing pleasure on the blog, you can be sure to find a baziilion more, including more of the surrounding gardens, here as a set in my Flickr account. If you pop on over, I promise you a delicious photo tour, you soon won't forget!
Oh, and did I mention that you can also comment on each photo on Flickr? Well, you can!
Which is your favorite?
Have you something similar where you live? Tell us about it!