This is part of our 100 Things in 2014 challenge. Here’s the full list.

Today we visited the Lan Su Chinese Garden, which is a partnership between Portland and our sister city in China, Suzhou.

Our first stop was the Tower of Cosmic Reflections, in which we sipped a on a pot of tea, and enjoyed some light snacks. The experience was tranquil and stimulating, all at once. Here we have tea-soaked hard-boiled eggs, and mung-bean flour cookies.

The buildings and landscaping here are gorgeous. This guy is eating all the evil, and preventing fires in the home.

If you’ve never visited this place, it’s worth it. It’s amazing how much tranquility can be crammed into less than a city block in a rough part of town.