Driving up the 101 in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, you may think you’re seeing things when this suddenly appears.
No, it’s not a set for Arabian Nights–it’s the temple for Swami’s Self-Realization Fellowship.
The Fellowship was founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda, who was said to be a big influence on George Harrison. Harrison spent time at the temple, which was only three miles from his friend and mentor, Ravi Shankar. You can study yoga and meditation at the fellowship.
As you can see in this long shot, the property is situated close to the ocean.
I lived in San Diego for years before I found out about Swami’s Gardens. They are free to the public and beautiful. People meditate there, so they ask you to be quiet and respectful.
Every time I go, there’s something different blooming. On this particular January day, pink anthuriums,
pink begonias
and red anthuriums.
I like the sunlit palms
and ocean views.
The Pacific had the most unusual texture that day–like blue coffee with cream.
A great place to meditate, yes?
More on Thursday.
{carole}
Pearls & Prose 
How I would love to sit on that bench. Lovely shot.
That’s a stunning building and those gardens look wonderful. I got one of his books here.
Thanks, Caroline. Do you have his autobiography?
Yes, that’s the one. I replied earlier btw but somehow the comment never appeared here.
Some kind of WordPress hiccup, I guess. Have you read it yet?
No, I haven’t.
The comment thing happens sometimes when I answer from my blog because I see there’s an answer to a comment.
That’s happened to me too.
Wow . . . who knew???? (Great shots.)
It’s a nice little secret garden. 🙂
I love how blue the water is!
Me too. Hey, good to hear from you! Hope you had fun in L.A.
A great hidden gem. I can’t think of a better place to meditate. It’s so idyllic.
Are there a lot of visitors in the gardens?
It’s fairly crowded on weekends, but not during the week.
Pretty! I can never get my skies to be as blue as in your photos.
California does all the work for me, Jennie. 🙂
That’s where George Harrison spent his last night on Earth, and Ravi Shankar’s funeral was held there. I tried to go to Ravi Shankar’s funeral since it was open to the public, but “open to the public” for people like that has a totally different meaning than for little people like me. I didn’t get in.
I had no idea…thanks for sharing. Sorry you didn’t get in.