At this very moment, I'm sitting in the pub underneath my hostel in Bath. I've had a couple of drinks, I'm watching the Chelsea vs. Tottenham football game and I'm having a bloody good time.
I'm back on the road - and I'm loving it. After arising slightly later this morning than I'd hoped, I packed up my bags, tidied up my mess as best I could (again, thank you very much for the last week Margaret and Lee!) and hopped on the tube to Waterloo station on the way to my first stop: Stonehenge.
I was in a bit of a hurry to leave and I didn't have a chance to have breakfast, so after buying my ticket to Salisbury I grabbed some lunch, a drink and a book to read on the train. A couple of hours later I was deposited at Salisbury station with a bus ticket out to Stonehenge.
For some reason, I have been completely unable to get the Spinal Tap song out of my head - but that's okay, because Stonehenge completely lived up to all of my expectations. Fair enough, it's basically a pile of big rocks - but what a pile of rocks!
This site is so old and rich with history, it's mind boggling to understand what an amazing monument it is. The stones are MASSIVE and, according to the tour guide, are buried in the ground so that ony two thirds of each rock is poking out of the ground. I don't quite understand how they know, but the stones were apparently carved in Wales and shipped to the area and erected. The beautifully crazy bunch who built it also put in a few fancy architectural tricks in order to hold the stones together. Fantastic stuff.
Aside from the 'henge itself, the area was jaw droppingly beautiful with green pastures surrounding the area. It was also freezing cold, thanks to a particularly brittle arctic blast that decided to arrive yesterday - but nothing could dampen my enthusiasm. Naturally, I took a bunch of pictures (some of them should be pretty spectactular too, the sky was magnificent) but I won't be able to post any until I get back to London.
Braving the weather for another 40 minutes waiting for the bus, it suddenly dawned on me that something was missing - I left my bloody book on the bus on the way! After a few curses at my carelessness (notch up a £7.99 carelessness tax), the bus arrived and I was soon on the train to Bath.
Incidentally, if anyone is interested in buying me a belated birthday present: Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis would be a nice surprise.
What can I say about Bath except I absolutely love the place. I originally had no intention of coming here, but a couple of people mentioned I should drop by while I'm close to Stonehenge - and I'm so glad I did. I'm currently booked in to stay for two nights, but I'm seriously considering adding another day so I can take a bit longer to check the place out.
I'm not kidding - after three hours I was looking the window of a real estate agent checking out prices of houses. This is the first place I've been to that I've felt I could really live here.
As usual, I arrived as the sun was starting to go down. After I checked in, I stopped by the bar downstairs for a drink before heading out into the town for a quick recce. By now it was getting quite dark, but I messed around with my camera for a little while taking some snaps (I have no idea how they'll turn out) before heading back to the bar for some food and some more drinks.
Which is where I am now. And with less than three minutes on the Internet machine (and Shampoo's 'Trouble' playing over the sound system), I must depart.
Monday, 19 March 2007
On the Road Again
Tomorrow morning I'm leaving on my first UK adventure. I'm planning to be gone for at least a week, maybe two, so don't panic if you don't hear from me - I'm probably off having a good time somewhere.
Friday, 16 March 2007
One Week of London
Technically, this is my eighth day - but what the hell.
I think I've now significantly recovered from jet lag enough to be able to recount some of the shenanigans I've been up to since arriving in the United Kingdom.
My introduction to London was quite a shock, but a pretty good one. As I've mentioned, Lee, Margaret and I all went to see Nine Inch Nails in Brixton - which was a big thrill for me. Not because I was seeing NIN (although it was a great show) but because I've always wanted to go see a band at Brixton Academy - and here it was, not three hours into the country and I've already struck one of the items from my checklist!
The same night was also my introduction to the tube and the famous red double-decker buses, although most of it was a total blur because my brain had started to melt out of my ears from exhaustion.
In the morning, I woke up and headed into the city with Lee, who suggested I should jump on one of the tour buses that are continually driving around the city. Not one to ignore good advice (I can hear the muffled laughter from here), this is what I did. It was cold, but damn was it exciting seeing all of the sights I've only ever seen on teevee. The Thames, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral... the place is packed with things to see.
I stopped off at the London Eye and took a trip up in that - somehow forgetting that I'm afraid of heights (I can hear the muffled laughter from here), so I spent most of the ride doing my best to get close to the glass and trying not to look down too much.
On Saturday we all hopped on the tube and watched Lee play a game of Lacrosse - then headed down to the bar for a few drinks. I was pretty grateful for such a peaceful day, to be honest.
Sunday was quite fun - I took myself into the city and wandered around for a while, mostly around the Regent Street and Leicester Square area. I spent a few hours checking out the Apple store quite thoroughly, then just meandered around the streets taking it all in. When it started to get dark I headed back to the flat.
Funnily enough, just as I was about to open the door it was opened for me by Lee and Margaret who were on their way out to dinner - which they very kindly invited me along to. We wandered up the road to a restaurant they've been to a few times before and assured me was really good.
It turned to be the funniest meal I've ever eaten in my life.
We turned up a little early, but were still allowed in by the very cheerful manager. After a few minutes he came to take our drink orders, but warned us that they'd had a big lunch crowd so the alcohol situation was a little shaky. Lee and Margaret discussed with him about what to order, and off he went. They then proceeded to tell me that the manager - the guy who served us - wasn't the usual guy that's there, but he still seemed just as jolly.
Not five minutes after he took our drink order, he was back at the table with a surprised look on his face wondering why we didn't have any alcohol - and then proceeded to take our drink order. Again. This was just the first sign of just how jolly he was that night.
In the meantime, more people had arrived and had started to order - including a table of eight. After a good ten or fifteen minutes, our effervescent manager reappeared at another table with some dishes - unfortunately, they weren't what this table had ordered. Obviously a little flustered, he placed a couple of the dishes down on a nearby empty table and returned to the kitchen.
Moments later, he reappeared at the same table and apologised - and proceeded to take their order again. The next time he disappeared back in the kitchen, the large table had decided they'd had enough and all proceeded to leave.
By now we'd had our drinks delivered but, from what we could work out from the girl who was also working that night, it turns out he had taken the orders from several tables, but had neglected to take note of which order went with which table. In order to save time, she took our order again, apologised profusely and, with a beautiful smile that simultaneously expressed frustration, incredulation and further sincere apology, informed us that this was her first night working here.
As we continued to wait, we began to notice the manager was starting to sway a little more than he'd done previously. We also noticed that the rest of the staff were obviously none too pleased at his behaviour, especially the new waitress. She later told us that she'd forced him to sit on the floor in the kitchen and eat all of the wasted food that he'd tried to deliver.
As Lee and Margaret continued to reassure me that this place was not normally like visiting an episode of Fawlty Towers (and I believe them!), the waitress was taking charge and getting everything back on track. We shared a few laughs with some of the other diners and soon everyone's food had arrived. As expected, it was excellent.
Then the manager tried to make himself a cup of coffee.
As we continued to eat, a loud crash came from behind the bar. And then another. I could see into the bar from my seat, so I watched what was happening. Sure enough, our good friend was back there trying to figure out the coffee machine and doing a superbly awful job at it.
We decided not to risk a dessert and instead elected just to leave. At the bar we found the waitress and the (swaying) manager, whose shirt was now covered in coffee stains. I guess he was the only one who was able to work the cash register, as he was being sternly ordered by the waitress on what to enter into it. As we left, she thanked us profusely.
Monday I did nothing except stay indoors - by now I needed a bit of a break. Especially considering...
Tuesday was my birthday! This whole trip has been my big birthday present to myself, but I figured I should do something fun for the day so I headed in to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, then took another wander around the city until it was time to meet up with Lee and Margaret who took me out to this fantastic Pakistani restaurant. Not only was the food wonderful, but the service was impeccable - dishes started to arrive within five minutes of ordering. After dinner, we went into Soho to a couple of bars for some drinks. A damn fine birthday, I must say - definitely a memorable way of entering my thirties.
Wednesday I took in a show... okay, a movie. As a massive fan of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead, I finally found my chance to see Hot Fuzz - and, naturally, I loved it. I'll have to watch it a few more times to decide if it's topped Shaun though (which is currently one of my favourite movies of all time).
Thursday saw me head back into the city for another walk around, this time I took a look around Buckingham Palace and the gardens that are nearby. Everything looks a lot smaller than I'd imagined, but it's still a thrill to see all of these places in the flesh. One of the highlights was when a squirrel decided to run up to me - I guess in hopes that I'd feed it. It then paraded around the area, giving myself and another lady enough time to snap a few photos. You'd swear it was posing for us.
Which finally leads me today, Friday. Tonight I'm meeting up with an old friend from high school who I ran into briefly in Newcastle on Christmas Eve. She's been living out here for the last couple of years and invited me to her work farewell do, which is where I'm off to right now.
I think I've now significantly recovered from jet lag enough to be able to recount some of the shenanigans I've been up to since arriving in the United Kingdom.
My introduction to London was quite a shock, but a pretty good one. As I've mentioned, Lee, Margaret and I all went to see Nine Inch Nails in Brixton - which was a big thrill for me. Not because I was seeing NIN (although it was a great show) but because I've always wanted to go see a band at Brixton Academy - and here it was, not three hours into the country and I've already struck one of the items from my checklist!
The same night was also my introduction to the tube and the famous red double-decker buses, although most of it was a total blur because my brain had started to melt out of my ears from exhaustion.
In the morning, I woke up and headed into the city with Lee, who suggested I should jump on one of the tour buses that are continually driving around the city. Not one to ignore good advice (I can hear the muffled laughter from here), this is what I did. It was cold, but damn was it exciting seeing all of the sights I've only ever seen on teevee. The Thames, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral... the place is packed with things to see.
I stopped off at the London Eye and took a trip up in that - somehow forgetting that I'm afraid of heights (I can hear the muffled laughter from here), so I spent most of the ride doing my best to get close to the glass and trying not to look down too much.
On Saturday we all hopped on the tube and watched Lee play a game of Lacrosse - then headed down to the bar for a few drinks. I was pretty grateful for such a peaceful day, to be honest.
Sunday was quite fun - I took myself into the city and wandered around for a while, mostly around the Regent Street and Leicester Square area. I spent a few hours checking out the Apple store quite thoroughly, then just meandered around the streets taking it all in. When it started to get dark I headed back to the flat.
Funnily enough, just as I was about to open the door it was opened for me by Lee and Margaret who were on their way out to dinner - which they very kindly invited me along to. We wandered up the road to a restaurant they've been to a few times before and assured me was really good.
It turned to be the funniest meal I've ever eaten in my life.
We turned up a little early, but were still allowed in by the very cheerful manager. After a few minutes he came to take our drink orders, but warned us that they'd had a big lunch crowd so the alcohol situation was a little shaky. Lee and Margaret discussed with him about what to order, and off he went. They then proceeded to tell me that the manager - the guy who served us - wasn't the usual guy that's there, but he still seemed just as jolly.
Not five minutes after he took our drink order, he was back at the table with a surprised look on his face wondering why we didn't have any alcohol - and then proceeded to take our drink order. Again. This was just the first sign of just how jolly he was that night.
In the meantime, more people had arrived and had started to order - including a table of eight. After a good ten or fifteen minutes, our effervescent manager reappeared at another table with some dishes - unfortunately, they weren't what this table had ordered. Obviously a little flustered, he placed a couple of the dishes down on a nearby empty table and returned to the kitchen.
Moments later, he reappeared at the same table and apologised - and proceeded to take their order again. The next time he disappeared back in the kitchen, the large table had decided they'd had enough and all proceeded to leave.
By now we'd had our drinks delivered but, from what we could work out from the girl who was also working that night, it turns out he had taken the orders from several tables, but had neglected to take note of which order went with which table. In order to save time, she took our order again, apologised profusely and, with a beautiful smile that simultaneously expressed frustration, incredulation and further sincere apology, informed us that this was her first night working here.
As we continued to wait, we began to notice the manager was starting to sway a little more than he'd done previously. We also noticed that the rest of the staff were obviously none too pleased at his behaviour, especially the new waitress. She later told us that she'd forced him to sit on the floor in the kitchen and eat all of the wasted food that he'd tried to deliver.
As Lee and Margaret continued to reassure me that this place was not normally like visiting an episode of Fawlty Towers (and I believe them!), the waitress was taking charge and getting everything back on track. We shared a few laughs with some of the other diners and soon everyone's food had arrived. As expected, it was excellent.
Then the manager tried to make himself a cup of coffee.
As we continued to eat, a loud crash came from behind the bar. And then another. I could see into the bar from my seat, so I watched what was happening. Sure enough, our good friend was back there trying to figure out the coffee machine and doing a superbly awful job at it.
We decided not to risk a dessert and instead elected just to leave. At the bar we found the waitress and the (swaying) manager, whose shirt was now covered in coffee stains. I guess he was the only one who was able to work the cash register, as he was being sternly ordered by the waitress on what to enter into it. As we left, she thanked us profusely.
Monday I did nothing except stay indoors - by now I needed a bit of a break. Especially considering...
Tuesday was my birthday! This whole trip has been my big birthday present to myself, but I figured I should do something fun for the day so I headed in to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, then took another wander around the city until it was time to meet up with Lee and Margaret who took me out to this fantastic Pakistani restaurant. Not only was the food wonderful, but the service was impeccable - dishes started to arrive within five minutes of ordering. After dinner, we went into Soho to a couple of bars for some drinks. A damn fine birthday, I must say - definitely a memorable way of entering my thirties.
Wednesday I took in a show... okay, a movie. As a massive fan of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead, I finally found my chance to see Hot Fuzz - and, naturally, I loved it. I'll have to watch it a few more times to decide if it's topped Shaun though (which is currently one of my favourite movies of all time).
Thursday saw me head back into the city for another walk around, this time I took a look around Buckingham Palace and the gardens that are nearby. Everything looks a lot smaller than I'd imagined, but it's still a thrill to see all of these places in the flesh. One of the highlights was when a squirrel decided to run up to me - I guess in hopes that I'd feed it. It then paraded around the area, giving myself and another lady enough time to snap a few photos. You'd swear it was posing for us.
Which finally leads me today, Friday. Tonight I'm meeting up with an old friend from high school who I ran into briefly in Newcastle on Christmas Eve. She's been living out here for the last couple of years and invited me to her work farewell do, which is where I'm off to right now.
Thursday, 15 March 2007
So Where Was I?
Last time we left off, our hero had just worn away a significant amount of shoe rubber walking around Kyoto. We now continue with the rest of his adventures in the land of the crazy vending machines - Japan!
The morning after my massive walk around Kyoto, I was naturally pretty tired - but no rest for the wicked. Overnight the weather had turned for the worse and it was really bucketing down outside - and the train station was quite a long way away. The guy at the hostel suggested I bus it back to the station, so a short wander up the road to the bus stop and 150 yen later I was back at the train station and on my way to Hiroshima.
I'm not going to add any commentary about Hiroshima itself, I'm pretty sure everyone knows its history. All I'll say is that I had one hell of a rush trying to pack as much of the place into one brief afternoon.
As I've mentioned earlier, I didn't really plan this trip all that well - there are a lot of things I'd do differently now. If I had any single regret about my trip to Japan it's that I didn't get enough time at Hiroshima. I was very lucky that the hostel I was staying at was so close to the Peace Park so I managed to see quite a bit of this area.
Without a doubt the most impressive sight here was the A-Bomb Dome, but there were also quite a few different shrines to the many different people who died here. It's a sobering area to walk around. I can't help the feeling that some of the psychopaths who are in power of the various governments around the world could do worse than spend an afternoon here so they can see first-hand the unnecessary pain they inflict upon ordinary people.
Sorry, that's as political as I plan to get. Back to the action.
With the light starting to fade, I walked as fast as I could up to Hiroshima Castle to take a look here. This place was originally built in the 16th Century and was destroyed by the atomic bomb. The recreation was completed in 1958 and is now a museum.
It's a really nice area here and the castle outside is quite impressive, but by now I was starting to have a bit of Temple/Shrine/Castle burnout. I took a bit of a walk around the streets for a while, but I was still pretty tired from the day before so I decided to head back to the hostel for the night.
The next day has already been fairly well documented already, but I'll cover it briefly again - I caught the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Osaka and managed to check into the wrong hotel. What I haven't talked about yet is my extreme regret that I didn't just skip Osaka completely and stay in Hiroshima for another night.
While I was at the hostel, a couple of the other people staying there were planning a trip in the morning to Miyajima - which, I'd been told by another traveller, is considered one of the three most beautiful areas in all of Japan. Rather than spending a tranquil day looking at these fantastic sights, instead I was stuck in yet another city - but this time, it didn't appear to have any of the redeeming features of Tokyo or Kyoto.
Osaka is the only place I stayed that I didn't enjoy. Mistaken hotel incident aside, I found the place dirty, smelly and generally unpleasant. It was also the only place in my entire trip where I actually felt threatened by any of the locals - everywhere else I only ever felt welcome. I went for a walk after I'd checked into the correct hotel, but by this time it was dark and I was nowhere near any of the sights worth visiting.
Thankfully, the next day I was heading back to Tokyo - which I did as early as possible. Along the way, the Shinkansen travelled past Mt. Fuji so I took the time to take as many pictures as I could.
That's about all there is to tell really. After this, I took the Narita Express back to the Airport and stayed overnight in yet another hostel, then in the morning caught my flight to London via Frankfurt.
The morning after my massive walk around Kyoto, I was naturally pretty tired - but no rest for the wicked. Overnight the weather had turned for the worse and it was really bucketing down outside - and the train station was quite a long way away. The guy at the hostel suggested I bus it back to the station, so a short wander up the road to the bus stop and 150 yen later I was back at the train station and on my way to Hiroshima.
I'm not going to add any commentary about Hiroshima itself, I'm pretty sure everyone knows its history. All I'll say is that I had one hell of a rush trying to pack as much of the place into one brief afternoon.
As I've mentioned earlier, I didn't really plan this trip all that well - there are a lot of things I'd do differently now. If I had any single regret about my trip to Japan it's that I didn't get enough time at Hiroshima. I was very lucky that the hostel I was staying at was so close to the Peace Park so I managed to see quite a bit of this area.
Without a doubt the most impressive sight here was the A-Bomb Dome, but there were also quite a few different shrines to the many different people who died here. It's a sobering area to walk around. I can't help the feeling that some of the psychopaths who are in power of the various governments around the world could do worse than spend an afternoon here so they can see first-hand the unnecessary pain they inflict upon ordinary people.
Sorry, that's as political as I plan to get. Back to the action.
With the light starting to fade, I walked as fast as I could up to Hiroshima Castle to take a look here. This place was originally built in the 16th Century and was destroyed by the atomic bomb. The recreation was completed in 1958 and is now a museum.
It's a really nice area here and the castle outside is quite impressive, but by now I was starting to have a bit of Temple/Shrine/Castle burnout. I took a bit of a walk around the streets for a while, but I was still pretty tired from the day before so I decided to head back to the hostel for the night.
The next day has already been fairly well documented already, but I'll cover it briefly again - I caught the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Osaka and managed to check into the wrong hotel. What I haven't talked about yet is my extreme regret that I didn't just skip Osaka completely and stay in Hiroshima for another night.
While I was at the hostel, a couple of the other people staying there were planning a trip in the morning to Miyajima - which, I'd been told by another traveller, is considered one of the three most beautiful areas in all of Japan. Rather than spending a tranquil day looking at these fantastic sights, instead I was stuck in yet another city - but this time, it didn't appear to have any of the redeeming features of Tokyo or Kyoto.
Osaka is the only place I stayed that I didn't enjoy. Mistaken hotel incident aside, I found the place dirty, smelly and generally unpleasant. It was also the only place in my entire trip where I actually felt threatened by any of the locals - everywhere else I only ever felt welcome. I went for a walk after I'd checked into the correct hotel, but by this time it was dark and I was nowhere near any of the sights worth visiting.
Thankfully, the next day I was heading back to Tokyo - which I did as early as possible. Along the way, the Shinkansen travelled past Mt. Fuji so I took the time to take as many pictures as I could.
That's about all there is to tell really. After this, I took the Narita Express back to the Airport and stayed overnight in yet another hostel, then in the morning caught my flight to London via Frankfurt.
Tuesday, 13 March 2007
Today I turn 'Old'
Today's my Birthday
I'm older but no wiser
Happy Birthday Drew
(Haiku)
My plan worked. About four or five months ago I made the decision that I would be in another country for my 30th Birthday - and here I am. Today is the day and I don't feel too bad. Actually, I feel pretty good. Normally I don't like celebrating birthdays, but I thought this one might be a good one to make a bit of a fuss over. Hence my trip - this is my birthday present to myself.
But today is a day for celebration, not rumination! Today I'm going to go and hobnob with the stars - that's right, I'm going to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum! Lee and Margaret are taking me out to dinner tonight in the city, then later on in the week we're going to see a Shakespeare play - The Tempest, starring Patrick Stewart.
Thanks to everyone who remembered, I appreciate it a lot more than you'd think.
I'm older but no wiser
Happy Birthday Drew
(Haiku)
My plan worked. About four or five months ago I made the decision that I would be in another country for my 30th Birthday - and here I am. Today is the day and I don't feel too bad. Actually, I feel pretty good. Normally I don't like celebrating birthdays, but I thought this one might be a good one to make a bit of a fuss over. Hence my trip - this is my birthday present to myself.
But today is a day for celebration, not rumination! Today I'm going to go and hobnob with the stars - that's right, I'm going to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum! Lee and Margaret are taking me out to dinner tonight in the city, then later on in the week we're going to see a Shakespeare play - The Tempest, starring Patrick Stewart.
Thanks to everyone who remembered, I appreciate it a lot more than you'd think.
Monday, 12 March 2007
Episode 2
I finished Episode 2 of my rubbish travelogue (or crapumentary series) today - this time I take a look at the airports I've visited on my way to London.
In case you missed it, here's Episode 1 as well:
Sunday, 11 March 2007
Sunday Mornings
I've tried to fight it, but my body clock decided to go nuts on me this morning and I was wide awake at 6.50am. It's Sunday morning and I'm awake before 7am - surely this is a record.
It's been a busy few days - all a bit of a blur, to be honest. The first night was just amazingly surreal, being whisked off to a concert only hours after landing. Not that I'm complaining, it was a great show, but I did end up literally falling asleep on my feet during one of the quieter songs. I'm serious - I felt my knees buckle and I started dropping to the ground. I caught myself in time, but I guess being awake for 24 hours straight will do that to you.
I can't help the feeling that I'm getting ahead of myself, though - I still need to write about my last few days in Japan! Well, no time like the present, I guess. I mean, it was only a week ago...
The night I wrote about Tokyo was actually my first night in Kyoto - Saturday night, in fact. As I have since discovered on this adventure, it's not a very bright idea to try and cram too much into so little time. I've also realised it's not a very bright idea to try to do much after you've actually arrived where you're staying - so the rest of that night was a write-off. I did go for a bit of a walk around the city for an hour or two, but that was all I managed. Well, aside from having a chat and a couple of drinks with a fellow traveller.
Like Tokyo, though, the next day was massive. After a few chilly days in Japan, the weather in Kyoto was a magnificent 22 degrees with a perfect blue sky. My first stop (after a big long walk) was Nijo Castle. This place was great, exactly the sort of thing I wanted to see on the Japanese leg of my tour. The area itself is made of two separate buildings: Ninomaru Palace, the outer building, and Honmaru Palace, the inner palace (surrounded by a moat).
Ninomaru Palace was the more impressive of the two, mostly due to the Nightingale Floor. This was really cool: in order to alert the Shogun to people wandering the corridors (I'm guessing by this they mean assassins or other unfriendly people), the floors are deliberately designed to gently squeak as they're walked over. Throughout the tour, all you can hear is a constant squeaking throughout the place. Honmaru Palace was more ornate (and did I mention the moat?) and had some fantastic gardens, but it wasn't quite as interesting as Ninomaru. But it did have a moat.
Another brief walk later and I was at Kyoto Imperial Park, a rather huge chunk of greenery right in the middle of the city that is home to the Imperial Palace, Sento Palace and the Kyoto State Guest House - none of which is open to the public so I only saw the outside of them. It was a nice walk though. There were lots of people around that day (it was a Sunday) taking advantage of the weather, but it's also a really nice looking area with lots of plum blossoms, err, blossoming.
After checking my map, I realised the Heian Jingu Shrine was nearby (actually, there were lots of shrines nearby - there are temples and shrines everywhere in Kyoto!) that sounded interesting, so up the road I walked again... but it wasn't there. I checked the map again and figured I'd made a wrong turn, but no - I was in the right place, it just looked closed. A little disappointed, I found somewhere else to go instead and wandered off. As I kept walking, I came across a giant red gateway - and then realised I'd found the shrine I was looking for, I just came at it the wrong way.
By this time I was getting quite hungry, so I thought I'd head toward the city and grab something to eat. To get there I followed one road which led past the Chion-in Temple - this one looked too cool not to take a look. To get to it you needed to scale these massive steps - which I did - but by the time I got to the top, the bell started ringing to say the place was closing. It looked nice, though. I meandered through Maruyama Park for a while, passing the Yasaka Shrine until I finally reached the edge of the city.
I'd read about a soba bar toward the northern end of the city, so this was the way I started to head. Passing through the Sanjo Shopping Arcade - with a detour though the Nishiki Food Market - I came to where the place was supposed to be, but couldn't find it. By now I was having severe hunger pains, so I decided to head back to the hostel and dropped into the first place I found that looked good. One very nice meal later, I decided that 11 hours on my feet was quite enough for one day (it was dark by now, anyway), so I headed back to the hostel and crashed.
So that's Kyoto. There's still so much to go and I'm so far behind, I'll try to get up to date as soon as I can.
It's been a busy few days - all a bit of a blur, to be honest. The first night was just amazingly surreal, being whisked off to a concert only hours after landing. Not that I'm complaining, it was a great show, but I did end up literally falling asleep on my feet during one of the quieter songs. I'm serious - I felt my knees buckle and I started dropping to the ground. I caught myself in time, but I guess being awake for 24 hours straight will do that to you.
I can't help the feeling that I'm getting ahead of myself, though - I still need to write about my last few days in Japan! Well, no time like the present, I guess. I mean, it was only a week ago...
The night I wrote about Tokyo was actually my first night in Kyoto - Saturday night, in fact. As I have since discovered on this adventure, it's not a very bright idea to try and cram too much into so little time. I've also realised it's not a very bright idea to try to do much after you've actually arrived where you're staying - so the rest of that night was a write-off. I did go for a bit of a walk around the city for an hour or two, but that was all I managed. Well, aside from having a chat and a couple of drinks with a fellow traveller.
Like Tokyo, though, the next day was massive. After a few chilly days in Japan, the weather in Kyoto was a magnificent 22 degrees with a perfect blue sky. My first stop (after a big long walk) was Nijo Castle. This place was great, exactly the sort of thing I wanted to see on the Japanese leg of my tour. The area itself is made of two separate buildings: Ninomaru Palace, the outer building, and Honmaru Palace, the inner palace (surrounded by a moat).
Ninomaru Palace was the more impressive of the two, mostly due to the Nightingale Floor. This was really cool: in order to alert the Shogun to people wandering the corridors (I'm guessing by this they mean assassins or other unfriendly people), the floors are deliberately designed to gently squeak as they're walked over. Throughout the tour, all you can hear is a constant squeaking throughout the place. Honmaru Palace was more ornate (and did I mention the moat?) and had some fantastic gardens, but it wasn't quite as interesting as Ninomaru. But it did have a moat.
Another brief walk later and I was at Kyoto Imperial Park, a rather huge chunk of greenery right in the middle of the city that is home to the Imperial Palace, Sento Palace and the Kyoto State Guest House - none of which is open to the public so I only saw the outside of them. It was a nice walk though. There were lots of people around that day (it was a Sunday) taking advantage of the weather, but it's also a really nice looking area with lots of plum blossoms, err, blossoming.
After checking my map, I realised the Heian Jingu Shrine was nearby (actually, there were lots of shrines nearby - there are temples and shrines everywhere in Kyoto!) that sounded interesting, so up the road I walked again... but it wasn't there. I checked the map again and figured I'd made a wrong turn, but no - I was in the right place, it just looked closed. A little disappointed, I found somewhere else to go instead and wandered off. As I kept walking, I came across a giant red gateway - and then realised I'd found the shrine I was looking for, I just came at it the wrong way.
By this time I was getting quite hungry, so I thought I'd head toward the city and grab something to eat. To get there I followed one road which led past the Chion-in Temple - this one looked too cool not to take a look. To get to it you needed to scale these massive steps - which I did - but by the time I got to the top, the bell started ringing to say the place was closing. It looked nice, though. I meandered through Maruyama Park for a while, passing the Yasaka Shrine until I finally reached the edge of the city.
I'd read about a soba bar toward the northern end of the city, so this was the way I started to head. Passing through the Sanjo Shopping Arcade - with a detour though the Nishiki Food Market - I came to where the place was supposed to be, but couldn't find it. By now I was having severe hunger pains, so I decided to head back to the hostel and dropped into the first place I found that looked good. One very nice meal later, I decided that 11 hours on my feet was quite enough for one day (it was dark by now, anyway), so I headed back to the hostel and crashed.
So that's Kyoto. There's still so much to go and I'm so far behind, I'll try to get up to date as soon as I can.
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