The early summer scenery of West Lake

The weather in Hangzhou is also impressive. In the past few days, it was either raining or cloudy, but as soon as the holiday 'mode' kicked in, sunshine and blue skies with white clouds 'reported for duty'. To make the most of this fine weather, I really pushed myself. Starting from Hubin Park III, I walked and checked in at various attractions along the southern route of West Lake in less than 5 hours. From Jixian Pavilion to Liulang Wenying, passing through Changqiao Park and Leifeng Pagoda, and finally from Huagang Guanyu to Prince Bay, I walked more than 20,000 steps in total, experiencing the lively atmosphere of West Lake on the first day of the extended holiday. The first-hand news about the lotus flowers in West Lake, the lotus flowers by Jixian Pavilion have bloomed. Although not many, they are quite eye-catching under the sun. I found that the lotus viewing period at West Lake is getting longer and longer, which can last from early June to mid-September. The stinky peonies in Huagang Guanyu Park were a pleasant surprise. It was the first time I discovered that these pink flowers, clustered together, are also very beautiful. The color of these flowers is similar to that of verbena, but they are not single; it's like many 'verbenas' growing together. In fact, stinky peonies are fragrant, but they emit a foul smell if the leaves are damaged. These flowers have strong reproductive abilities and are easy to keep alive. In Huagang Guanyu, besides a large area in the peony garden, there are also many blooming along the roadside.