Bahai Temple Wilmette

Hard to take a bad picture of the Bahai Temple.

And yet I've somehow made it look like the Leaning Tower despite its obsessive symmetry.

There are 7 Bahai Temples in the world but the one in Wilmette is the oldest and most impressive.  And just a short 10 minute drive from my grandmother's house so it made for a nice little excursion today.

One of the gardens that surround the temple.  I forget exactly how many but there is one on each side so the temple is completely surrounded.

Usually the gardens look a lot more lush than this but perhaps because it's nearing winter they've toned things down.

The detail of the stonework is amazing.

The swastika symbol, or actually 'reverse' or 'left hand' swastika, was a religious symbol used in Hinduism and Buddhism long before the Nazis got their nasty paws on it thus its inclusion in the carvings on the pillar depicting the world's religions (the Nazi swastika is a reverse image).

I'm not exactly a religious person but I love the Bahai Temple.

They don't allow photography inside because it is a place of worship after all and they want people to have peace and quiet and respect if they're in there to worship.  But I did find a virtual tour of the interior that's very cool.  You can use the arrows to look anywhere you want, including straight up at the top of the dome and you can zoom in and out.  The inside is a sight to behold and if you're ever in the Chicago area it's worth a quick trip.

Is it really in the upper 70's in October?  I think Chicagoans are the only ones happy about global warming.  Except for the folks running the Chicago Marathon tomorrow.  For the non-runners reading this, upper 70's is way too hot to run a marathon.  I went out for a 3-4 mile run yesterday morning and I was too hot after 20 minutes.  Hope they have enough water this time.  In 2006 temps. went into the upper 80's and they ran out of water and shut the race down.  Tomorrow's conditions won't be as brutal but still there will be the potential for problems and I hope the organizers learned some lessons from last time.  Good luck and have fun to anyone running.