Gardens and Dance

On Wednesday morning we were treated with a visit to the botanic gardens that are part of Northwestern University.  One of the highlights was being able to see a Venus Fly trap in operation.  I resisted sticking my finger in as our guide said it would be bitten off! But poking it with a stick was fun.  The gardens had an amazing number of plant varieties, most of which I had never heard of - all in a idyllic tropical setting.

The tour was followed by an amazing lunch in the main building on the site. There was fish and squid and soup and a bunch of things I did not recognize but it was beautifully presented and tasty too. Kathleen thoroughly enjoyed the lunch.

Jasmine jumping at the right time

After lunch we took a quick bus ride back to the University for a short lecture on Filipino dance followed by a demonstration put on by dance students at the University.  The enthusiasm of the dancers was captivating - they obviously were having a lot of fun as they went through their repertoire of Philippine folk dances. The finale had them involve some of our group in a dance that involved jumping over bamboo poles at just the right rhythm so as to avoid having one's feet trapped.  I was relieved not to a be picked as a "volunteer" although it did look like they were having fun. Nobody got caught.