It's Magical!

"You have to see it," she exclaimed. The tram was winging its way to Mandalay Bay and the only other people in my compartment was a nice couple eager to talk. The huge flowers on the ceiling in the lobby are all made of hand-blown glass she went on to explain. The hotel puts up displays for each season and they are just spectacular. Okay, now she was piquing my interest. I had lots of questions, but the tram was quickly reaching its destination. I decided I needed to see the Bellagio Hotel for myself.

I found some time to make my way down the Strip in Las Vegas to see flowers, which according to the nice couple were well worth my time and effort. The hotel entrance sits back from the street and after all the walking I had been doing at Photoshop World , I was really happy to be whisked along the moving sidewalks. Down one more escalator and I was finally at the entrance to the Bellagio Hotel which was quite grand. Huge lions sat on either side of the wide walkway directing guests to the lobby. No, they weren't real but stunning and proud just the same.

Fountains lined the flower beds giving that wonderful sound of lazily gurgling water that is so inviting. As I stepped into the lobby, I knew instantly what the nice couple meant when they said I had to see the flowers. Look up! Each flower was at least three feet across overlapping the others around it. It looked as if a magical flower garden had been turned upside down. Couches invited guests to sit and crane their necks for long gazes perhaps expecting crystal fairies to peek back at them from behind the massive petals. I sat and craned and gazed along with others who were as mesmerized as I was.

Further into the lobby I spied a glassed in conservatory that beckoned me to come and explore. As I entered I was greeted by raining trees sparkling like thousands of tiny diamonds as light danced on the water falling from each leaf. To my left I saw leaves that made me feel as if I'd suddenly entered the land of giants. Water slid and hopped from leaf to leaf as it made its way to the pool below. I continued to walk drawn in by the magic of this place.

Directly ahead of me a water wheel carried its cargo round and round whoosh. . . whoosh. . . whoosh. I was startled by a deep voice and as I turned I wondered if Dorothy and Toto might appear. Didn't they encounter talking trees in The Wizard of Oz? The tree delighted the children who pointed and laughed. All around the tree sat the most beautiful pumpkins of all colors and shapes. Some were as tall as me weighing hundreds of pounds.

As I rounded the corner behind the water wheel my eye caught sight of a fabulous miniature Bellagio Hotel complete with water fountains. I looked closer and discovered that the entire model was constructed of natural materials like beans, peas and bark. The roof of each little building was comprised of pieces of pine cones which from a distance looked like tiles. Tiny people made the model complete. This was by far my favorite exhibit in the entire conservatory.

Yes, indeed, the Bellagio Hotel is well worth the time and effort to discover for yourself. The grandness of it all will take you right back to your childhood when giant flowers, talking trees, and intricate models would capture your imagination for hours. Now I'm going to say to you the same thing the nice couple said to me, "You have to see this magical place!"

Now go forth and discover something magical!

(By the way, all the photos in this blog, like the two previous blogs, were taken with my cell phone camera. When it's the only camera you have, it's the best camera you have. I am pleased with most of the photos I was able to get with my three mega pixel cell phone camera. As I said in my last couple of blogs, sometimes it's about capturing the memories I don't want to lose in spite of the fact that I know I won't be getting the finest quality photos. In that case my cell phone camera will do rather than have no photos at all.)