FROM TRADITIONAL TO MODERN

Jumping back to Christmas Eve, 2013, the next stop on our Taiwanese journey was the oldest city in Taiwan, Tainan, settled by the Dutch East India Company. The house where we were to spend Christmas eve and Christmas day brought another big surprise. Notice the juxtaposition of the modern house we are to stay in and the Chinese temple in the background.

As soon as we stepped in through the gate I knew I was going to love this as much as the last place.

One can sit on the bench and listen to the water as it cascades down the wall into a Koi pond.

Shoes off at the door, of course, and traditional woven slippers provided for our comfort; concrete floors. Maowu is ours for the next 2 days.

There are more surprises on Christmas morning. We are to go next door to the main house for our breakfast.
You can't see anything over the high wall but when we open the gate this is the view.

There will be time to visit the garden after breakfast. We remove our shoes and put on slippers and enter the breakfast room. Soft Christmas music is playing.

Vivian hasn't opened her presents yet so we bring a few over to open at the table. What a table; a single piece of wood. Mark has requested a Western style breakfast and it is delicious. I wouldn't normally eat soup for breakfast but this one was so good. You can see that everything about this place is attention to detail.

There is a small water feature inside the room. I'm wondering if I could so something like that.

Then it is time to explore the garden. I am in love with the stone troughs.

And with this bronze bird sitting on a twig.

Just time for a group photo before we go back to our house, open presents and catch up with the family back home.

They are getting ready to go to bed in the USA

and we have plans to explore the town on the 4 bicycles the house has arranged for us. It may be Christmas Day but life goes on as usual in Taiwan.