An Escapade to Asian Gardens
The next day was supposed to be sunny with cloudy intervals. That’s what the trustworthy BBC weather forecast predicted for Sunday in Bremen. This time however, they were wrong. Sunday morning was cloudy, grey, cold and rainy. The kind of weather that’s perfect for staying in on a Sunday. And after a hearty breakfast buffet we certainly had to fight the urge to have a hotel-bed day.
We checked out of the hotel nonetheless and walked under the rain towards the tram that would take us to the Bothanika. The ride showed us the residential part of Bremen with wide avenues sheltered by tall acorn trees, their impressive canopies like dampened rooftops. The houses in this part of town were lavish, and some were borderline mansions, with their different levelled balconies overlooking lush gardens, elegant driveways and prim porches. The ground would crunch under our feet as we walked, stepping on the hundreds of acorns and small pine cones scattered across the sidewalks and street.
 We entered the Botanical Gardens greeted by a natural pond were two lonely ducks were resting. In the quiet of the morning we could hear their gentle wading in the lightly rippled water. The park was filled with lawns of different colored flowers, plants and herbs. Ed spotted wild strawberries next to a tiny pond with small two turtles laying lazily. We took shelter on a short pine tree whose branches were reposed over the soil, creating the perfect natural awning.
Not too far off I spotted what seemed like a Buddhist shrine. Sure enough, inside the stone Sanskrit-filled dome was a small Buddha. The surrounding trees were decorated with colourful prayer flags, as they would be in the Himalayas to bless the countryside. It certainly was a strange sight for a botanical garden in Northern Germany, and we were instantly intrigued about what other surprises were hidden around here.
We entered the visitor’s center and paid the 9€ fee which gave us entry to the museum. Too bad all the explanations were in German, if not it would’ve been fun. It was more of a science center for kids, where exhibitions of flowers, plants and small fauna were creatively designed. Towards the end, there was a mannequin dressed as a flight attendant showing the way through a door. We took small paper passports from her cart and walked through the door that led to an airplane cabin. There were two real airplane seats, and from the speakers came the sound effects of an airplane landing. The voice of a woman welcomed us somewhere in German as we walked out through a passageway. continue
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