With some direction from a friend we have made during our stay at Manatee Hammock, we visited the grounds of the White Sands Buddhist Center north of Mims. It’s tucked away in an oak woods with no indication from the road of the treasure that lies within. Signs along the driveway guide you to a sense of peace and then you see the huge statue of the seated Compassionate Buddha. A walk around the reflecting pond takes you past a reclining Buddha around to the standing Buddha flanks by columns reminding us that “The Way to Nirvana is Nirvana” and “Every Step of the Journey is the Journey.” This calm and peaceful experience is just what we are in need of in the moment.
London’s Imperial War Museum in Southwark founded even as the First World War raged offers insights into the myriad costs of the wars of the 20th and 21st Centuries. It was a most disquieting but valuable reminder of the myriad costs of war.
The two of us have long been fascinated with the history of canals and their role in the history of transportation, industrialization, and more recently recreation. This stay in London has given us new opportunities to explore and learn more about how canals contributed to the growth of this great city and how they are being used and preserved today.
It was a most educational visit to the newly renovated National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square in Central London. We were intrigued with the contemporary approach to presenting British History.
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