130
There was a short guide to the Nitobe Memorial Garden that was included in the entrance fee during my visit to Vancouver in 2012. In the guide, the symbology of the Japanese garden was explained and how different features of it might be interpreted. This particular garden could be seen as a symbolical walk through life, with childhood, adolescence, marriage, adulthood and old age. Every plant, every tree and stone and piece of lawn, was meticulously pruned and cut and placed with extreme care and thought, and I guess that was why it was such a calming place. It was as if the trees themselves got my heartbeat to slow down and my breathing to become deeper. And just then, the sun broke through the clouds and made the fresh leaves of the trees shine. Oh, it was magical.
Photo: The Nitobe Memorial Garden, Vancouver, Canada, May 2012. Posted on Instagram April 26, 2021.
Katja Malmborg 