San Francisco Botanical Gardens

If it's a sunny day you can do no better than visit this magnificent series of gardens showing trees, plants and shrubs from all over the world that suit the mild climate of California. You'll need a map and there's a lot of walking if you want to see it all. It's 55 acres of beauty set in Golden Gate Park.
Admission is $7 for non-residents of SF. sfbotanicalgarden.org

Parking is on the long perimeter road that circles the gardens and there's two  entrances for convenience sake.

You can sample redwood forests, desert plants, Australian and South African habitat etc. We always like to start at the Japanese gardens.....

A tranquil and restful start to the tour. Little splashing waterfalls here and there

Coi pond

Great idea to throw coins in the water...(?)

I have yet to visit Japan but like their idea of beauty. Someday a Princess cruise around Japan is in order as my favorite ship, Diamond Princess, is stationed there.

Such a pleasant place to walk when you have no schedule, just living in the moment.

As I recall there may be a separate fee to enter the Japanese gardens but whatever it was it was laughably little for what you experience there.

Here is a map where you can see all the different areas identified. It's not just a "walk in the park"....

I am a big lover of what's known as an English Garden where plants grow together in a natural ad-hoc fashion moreso than formal gardens where each flower has it's own little patch. As Nature intended you might say.

As it was a hot day it was nice to step into the cool redwood forest.

Carol has found a bench but then that is her forte!

The city is now but a memory

Suitably refreshed by the cool air in the forest we were ready to move on to the desert gardens nearby...