Japanese Tea Garden and Stow Lake at Golden Gate Park

After visit De Young museum, we visited the famed Japanese tea garden nearby

The Japanese Tea Garden is a fee-charging tiny garden with a small pound with a arc bridge over it, a couple of small pagodas and a tea house. The foliage at the garden was good, nothing spectacular or unique. The tea house served Japanese desert and tea. 

The garden is so small we finished walking around in 30 minutes despite stops for taking pictures. 

Looking at the map, I saw a much larger pond west to the tea garden, the stow lake, we walked there.

Stow lake has a "big" island in the middle of it, named strawberry hill. There is a trail around the lake perimeter, and two pedestrian bridges connecting the trail to the hill. The stow lake is beautiful and elegant, reminded me of St. James Park at London. 

The water of the lake is emerald green, and the three arc stone bridge in the foliage was nice. We then spotted a big elegant grey heron. We also saw many water fowls congregated on logs in the water. There are many water fowls on the north end of the lake, duck, American coots etc. 

There is a trail on strawberry hill, so we walked over the bridge and hiked the hill. We climbed to the top of the hill through a stairway by a water fall on the other side of the hill. Golden Gate Bridge is visible from the top of the hill. 

A much nicer walk here than in the confining tiny tea garden,

Water fall on Strawberry Hill, Stow lake

Golden Gate Bridge viewed from the top of strawberry hill at Golden Gate Park