Kyoto

Our first bullet train ride went smoothly, except they had no vegetarian food left, so potato crisps and scorched almonds made an acceptable meal.  we arrived at the Hotel Kanra,   it was so lovely it made us realise how stylish Japanese life is. The bed was massive and slept   CAOC, I had a futon on the floor, it was so comfortable and cosy. First night we went to try to find some vegetarian but the place we had been told was veg also had lots of fish and meat so off we went to a trusty Italian, by the river, the pizzas were great, the pasta good and the sweets made us order more. The hotel breakfast was delightful, never realised the Japanese eat so many vegetables for breakfast, and the vegetables here are full of flavour.

 A 15 minute train ride took us to the Bamboo forest, we got sidetracked looking at the interesting shops and buildings, including this tiny house, we could have spent more time exploring the streets but we were on a mission to see the Bamboo forest.

and it was hard to get the path photo without lots of others in the picture.  I was intrigued by the graffiti carved on the bamboo beside the path, but it meant nothing to me as it was all Japanese.  All that walking had made us hungry and we went through the old temple grounds where we knew there would be vegetarian food and was it special, there are more small bowls of food not in the photo.  the others sat on the floor but I had a little chair and table respecting my age

and here is a panorama view of the gardens, its hard to believe that these places have been here for hundreds of years. the gardens are immaculate, and now I know why, they are continually pruned to shape, I wonder just how many people are employed tree pruning, giving the fir trees a hair cut and putting order into the branches, still its a delight to the eye.  The pond was full of koi and the boys enjoyed trying to spot the biggest fish. 

We had lingered long with out sight-seeing and so by the time we got back to Kyoto station it was late, and Alex took the boys back to the hotel, a 10 minute walk. Chris and I found a craft shop that sold everything, so I bought some wool to make us a scarf  and some beads, Chris got some Japanese fabric, and when we got home the boys had a quick pizza, I had my dinner downstairs, grilled vegetables, I forgot my camera, but the plate looked incredible and the taste was the same, I ordered a persimmon tart for my sweets, and it was so good.  Chris and Alex wanted to go out and they found a vegan place but that was a disaster, but I think some good sake helped them get over their disappointment. My meal at the hotel was a much better deal.  We  love Kyoto.