Temple Square in the spring – Salt Lake City, Utah

I was scheduled to fly from Salt Lake City to Sydney at 2 pm, giving me a full morning free. Well, some of that morning, I’m one of those people that like to “wait for the train at the station”, meaning I prefer to be at the airport very early. I usually arrive 3-5 hours before my flight, if I can. 

Usually, I would not go sightseeing in the morning of my flight, but I could not pass a visit to Temple Square, the centre point for all street addresses in Salt Lake City. I packed the car and drove to the city. I wasn’t sure where to park until I made the wrong turn and found myself on the parking lot of the City Creek shopping mall.  

The first order of business was to get a coffee, sit and observe people. It was great to see how cultures mixed. For one side of the street, you had Macy’s and H&M and the other The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) Office Building and all seem to live in great harmony.

As I crossed the street into the square, I was enchanted. With Spring tulips blossoming all around and great architecture it made me understand why Temple Square receives more visitors a year than Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, making it the most popular tourist attraction of Utah. 

I was really perplexed by how beautiful and peaceful the surroundings feel. I got my camera out and with the Nikon 14-24mm I lost myself on trying to capture the feeling into images. 

In the grounds, there is a statue of Joseph and Emma Smith, founders of the Mormonism depicting him giving her money to start the Relief Society, a philanthropic and educational women’s organisation with in the LDS Church.  What made me take pause was that I had never seen so much feeling represented in a statue. The couple is looking at each other, and their eyes show so much love. I was really taken by how the sculptor, Florence Peterson Hansen, was able to portrait so much love. This statue alone makes the visit worthwhile. 

There were tulips everywhere, a paradise that I could spend the day photographing, and I did not plan a tour or a visit to the Tabernacle since my time was short, and I had a plane to catch. So, looking forward to next year’s visit.