Most of the flowers were only in buds last time we visited Whitehall, so we didn’t see much of the flower garden there. It was also an overcast, slightly drizzling day. This time, thanks to the intermitten sunshine, we got to enjoy seeing the flowers in full bloom. Peonies and irises were magnificent and the best blooms in the entire flower garden. Peonies also come with such fragrance that we all took turns smelling them.

We took our banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches with grilled pork) to a picnic lunch at the terrace right next to the flower garden. I cannot imagine a better view than what I had in front of me while eating my sandwich. No outdoors restaurant can beat that, except perhaps one right on the ocean. Well, I would still prefer the flowers. Trees, plants, flowers and bird songs usually make me so happy! What is more, the sun was shining and we got to sit in the shade of a large, tall tree. While picnicking, we saw a family sitting on the other side of the garden with two daughters probably in the same ages as Jacob and James. The older daughter acted just like Jacob in her jumping around and playing with her little sister. What an interesting coincidence!