Thursday, December 29, 2011

Day 363- Kobe view


29 December 2011- We ventured down to the waterfront area, and rode in the Kpbe ferris wheel. A pretty view, but perhaps not the best decision to choose the completely clear carriage...
Posted by Picasa

Day 362- Nishiki markets


28 December 2011- The Nishiki market is a series of covered over arcades in the middle of Kyoto, lined with mostly food shops. Open daily. Here a pickles store shows its wares.
Posted by Picasa

Day 361- Wishes and hopes


27 December 2011- We went to Kiyamizudera- a Buddhist temple. It's usual to find these wooden plaques at Japanese shrines and temples- wishes and hopes and prayers, placed where they can be heard.
Posted by Picasa

Day 360- Snow!

26 December 2011 - We did something different this day- we took a "romantic" train ride through a mountain gorge, and back again (we didn't take the river boat ride that was the other return optin). While there were flurries on our way to the train, nothing was sticking. We did get a glimspe of snow dusted mountains here. Later we found out that one of the temples near where we caught the train received a hefty amount of snow- maybe we should have gone there.
Posted by Picasa

Day 359- Merry Christmas


25 December 2011- We spent Christmas morning at a huge Temple market in Kyoto. The market is held every month on the 25th, and is biggest in December and January.
Posted by Picasa

Day 358- pretty lights


24 December 2011- Japan does fairy light installations on a massive scale around Christmas- here trees along a stretch of riverbank for over 500 metres were decorated in lights, that went from yellow, to red and green to blue. Amazing. and packed with people
Posted by Picasa

Day 357- Making mochi


23 December 2011- We went to an open air farmhouse museum in a park in Osaka. As we came to the final house we spotted this group of people, with tables set up as an outdoor kitchen. We looked at the house, and I went inside (taking off hiking boots is not fun, so Greg didn't.) While I was inside, one of the old ladies decided to tell Greg what they were doing. By the time I came outside, he had a bowl of vegetable miso soup, and another was on the way to me. They were making mochi- a traditional year end/new year food in japan. It is made by pounding cooked gelatinous rice into a gelatinous mass, adding flavouring (such as ginger) and shaping into cakes/balls that fit into the palm. While I have been given mochi before (it is like christmas fruit cake in that respect, given to all the neighbours), I have never made it. Mochi rice is different from normal rice. They were cooking it in a very oldfashioned bamboo steamer over a wood fire, then put in the big stone bowl and pounded with wooden mallets. It is hard work.
Posted by Picasa

Day 356

22 December 2011- A long day of traveling- an hour or so to the airport, 8 or 9 on the plane and another hour on the train and taxi. No pictures along the way, so here is a shot of the hotel bathroom.
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Day 355- Tiramisu


21 December 2011- Dessert at our team Christmas function. Very nice. Probably the last photo I will publish this year (unless I work out how to do so from my phone) as I am off to Japan with Greg tomorrow morning. Looking forward to some cold weather.
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 200- USA


Received 20 December 2011 from San Fransisco. A lovely paiting of Japanese ladies in kimono by a New Zealand artist.
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 199- Germany


Received 21 December 2011 from Germany. I love the wreath
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 198 - Belarus


Received 21 December from Belarus. A lovely snowy scene
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 197- Thailand


Received 21 December 2011 from Thailand. A picture of the swinging ceremony in front of a temple in Bankok
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 196- Germany


Received 9 December 2011 from Germany. Part of the secret christmas card swap.
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 195- Netherlands


Received 14 December 2011 from the Netherlands. A lovely picture of a market stall/shop
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 194 - Estonia


Received 14 December 2011 from Estonia. Part of the secret christmas card swap.
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 193- Germany

Received 14 December 2011 as part of the secret christmas care swap, fromGermany. so much snow
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 192- Poland

Received 14 December 2011 from Poland as part of the secret christmas card round robin
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 191- USA & Christmas!


Received 14 December 2011 from the USA as part of a secret christmas card round robin
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 190- Germany


Received 14 December 2011 from Germany. A card from a big postcrossing meetup and part of the November round robin
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 189- Finland


Received 6 December 2011 as part of the secret christmas round robin
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 188- France


Received 6 December 2011 from France. A lovely picture of a typical shopfront.
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Postcard 187- Russia

Receive 6 December 2011 as part of a round robin- ice drifting.
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 186- Russia


Received 6 december 2011 as part of a round robin. A building in Saratov
Posted by Picasa

Postcard 185 - Ukraine


Received 6 December 2011- A painting by a Ukrainian poet. I like it despite the rather disturbing nature of the scene. part of a round robin
Posted by Picasa