Tag: solo
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Takayama… a quiet but interesting day.
I arrived three days too late to watch this world famous parade of massive shrines though I don’t think I would have been able to book in anywhere as it attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the event. It has been celebrated for hundreds of years and many of the huge shrines, which are…
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Stunning beauty at Kamikochi
Today being fine and tomorrow forecasting rain I decided to take the bus to Kamakochi in the true mountains of Japan. A two hour trip climbing upward on narrow roads sculpted into the mountainside following hairpin bends through steep river valleys. There is so little level land that every tiny plot is taken up by…
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The Philosopher’s Path 哲学の道, Tetsugaku no michi
Where to begin? Kyoto on this autumn day was quite wonderful. The leaves are beginning to turn and the weather is perfect for this five hour walk. But first a catch up on yesterday evening. The Gion area where I’m based is in a conservation area and retains much of old Kyoto; narrow lanes with…
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Back in Kyoto for some proper sightseeing and a Shunga exhibition
I left a sunny Okoyama and caught the train to Kyoto. Arriving before I could check in I dumped my bags at the hostel (very comfortable) and set off for an initial stroll. I’m in the rather nice Gion district and the hostel is surrounded by antique shops selling beautiful work as well as craft…
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Hiroshima in the rain… a sombre day
It’s difficult to know what to say about this without being trite. Today I took a walk to the Peace Memorial Park which is where the bomb was detonated about 600m above the area which completely devastated an ancient part of the city. The dome was one of few buildings to survive the blast and…
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A ferry trip to the island of Miyajima … stunning
I intended to visit the island tomorrow but rain was forecast so I decided to make an early start today instead. A dull start turned into a fine, warm day. The trip was well worth it; a 45 minute journey from Hiroshima Peace Park. Today being Sunday is was quite busy by the harbour with…
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A day in Kyoto
I was woken at 5.45 by a fellow dorm mate who could not open the dorm electronic lock! Never mind … I wanted to enjoy this full day in Kyoto so had booked an early tour of the shogun’s palace at Nojo Castle and the Imperial palace. As Kyoto was the capital of Japan until…
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Walking Yamanobe-no-michi
Today I decided to walk in the mountains outside Nara. It was 30 degrees but I still managed 11 miles. It was a magical experience. Yamanobe-no-michi is the oldest road in Japan and linked Nara to Edo (Tokyo). A train ride of 15 minutes took me to Tenri where i picked up the trail. It…
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A morning of deer, temples and shrines in Nara
Todai-ji This is a vast temple complex in the hills a short distance from the city. The complex passes through various gates until you reach the great hall containing a giant statue of Buddha… its quite magnificent and magical despite the number of people many of whom came to worship. It’s quite a stunning place…
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A day in Himeji
After a good sleep I awoke to humidity and heat but decided to catch the train to Himeji which is about an hour from Osaka. The train journey took me past rows of high rise apartments and small houses. Land is at a premium and there were few open spaces or gardens as I travelled…
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Last night with friends and today quiet places
It was so good to catch up with Cristina … she prepared one of her delicious dinners of pasta and then some tasty savoury tarts with asparagus and a soft chocolate pudding. We had a convivial evening. It was good to be back in her delightful apartment though it was challenging to drag up my…
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Krka National Park, Skradin and Trogir
A dull start to the day but perhaps this weather is more appropriate to the season than the heat I’ve been experiencing so far. Krka is very lovely and at 9.30 in the morning very quiet. A small group of people on the bus … all very friendly. Talking to them made me realise how…
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Split … tourism amidst history
I arrived in Split last night at about ten o’clock and settled into the hostel. Cheap but not very nice but it’ll do for two days. I’m missing the companionship of Mostar. I found a nice restaurant for breakfast and then started wandering the city. It’s very busy with tourist groups the layout of the…
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A last day in Mostar … on to Split
I loved Mostar; the friendliness, the beauty, the history and Hostel Miran. Miran and his family and staff made this a home from home. Being there was like being one of the family and Miran was an interesting, thoughtful and funny host. Communal breakfasts, wonderful guests; this is absolutely my best stay anywhere so far.…
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A day in Mostar with friends
Last night we went to eat at a lovely restaurant overlooking the river and enjoyed wine, good food and good company followed by a gelato on the way back to the hostel. Ina also came last night but she returned to the UK this morning. Today the three of us took a walk around the…
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A day in Bosnia; Blagaj, Pocitelj and Kravice
This was a really great day; new friends, good company and Miran the owner of our hostel who was a really great guide and who knew his country and particularly the Mostar area where he has lived all his life. The tour took in two villages, a beautiful waterfall and ended at a mountain top…
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Island hopping… Elafitski otoci in
Today i took a full day trip to three islands off the coast of Dubrovnik. The trip was all in including lunch and all the wine and soft drinks you could neck down. I should have known it wasn’t my kind of trip but i still enjoyed people watching. A group of 19 of the…
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A walk through Shkoder to Rozafa Castle
Well where shall I start. I rather like it here. Shkoder is definitely a city of contrasts. This morning I woke to the sound of a cockerel from some garden nearby and then breakfasted in the garden on fried eggs, a type of spicy sausage, coffee, fruit juice, delicious bread and jam … all for…
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Plitvice National Park
This was a wonderful day in bright sunshine in a stunning setting. A rare limestone geology (karst) has made lakes and waterfalls through a gorge. The Lakes are the most touristy part in a huge and wild area. Pine, cherry and beech forests are home to wolves, bears, lynx, wild boar, deer and much more…
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A morning in Zagreb
I arrived in the rain last night but the hostel is right on the main square, includes breakfast, has good lockers and you sleep in a spacious and private “pod”. It’s really cool. The morning dawned sunny and warm so I took a free walking tour of the city. An excellent guide , Luka, took…
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Morning at The Albertina … Lichtenstein, The Blaue Reiter, Die Brucke and other delights
A beautiful and warm morning and yet another gallery. Im a bit obsessed I think no but they give such pleasure and open my eyes to new things. The Lichtenstein was really wonderful really well curated. I saw an aspect of his work I was unaware of. I knew of his use of comics, films…
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Musee D’Orsay … impressionists
This afternoon I visited an impressionist exhibition at the Museum. It was wonderful telling the story of the beginnings of Impressionism. In 1874 the artists who were excluded from the traditional Salon decided to mount their own … The Salon de Refusees. It was the first coming together of artists we now know as Impressionists.…
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Whale watching
Whales galore A fantastic day. After snowing like mad the skies cleared as we set out from the harbour. Almost as soon as we left we encountered three humpback whales which stayed around our boat for about two hours. Photographing them was difficult in the freezing cold but I managed a few decent shots before…
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Northern Lights and Þingvellir
Last night after a very stormy day the skies cleared and it was so windy that I was blown over! But Northern Lights trip was on! The snow ploughs had been out as roads out of Reykjavik had been impassable during the day. We left Reykjavik about 9.30pm and drove about an hour out of…
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My last day
Well I’ve just finished my last lesson. My Italian has improved and I’ve learned a lot although I got off to an over ambitious start which dented my confidence. The grammar of prepositions has been very difficult as Italian has about seven variants for each one and they use them differently … English is much…
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A visit to Queer Cinema Festival
The film I’ve just seen was a documentary on Intersec. It was stunning, touching, heartbreaking and joyful. The experiences of the people interviewed were shocking and troubling and the efforts made to maintain a purely binary view of sexual identity by society and the medical profession were terrible and still exist today. What came through…
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Today … visits to Flea Market at Santo Spirito, Brancacci Chapel and Queer Cinema
Last night I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Laura’s with some of her friends. I had met Gregorio and Roberta before. They are charming. They had a very rapid conversation about the Meloni situation which was amusing. Cloister at Santo Spirito … a rather austere church Santo Spirito contains a crucifix by the young Michelangelo……
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Capella Scrovegni a Padua e Giotto
I’m writing this sitting by the Grand Canal having my Colazzione. Yesterday was very busy: St Marks, Doge’s Palace and Padua combined with a lot of walking. As i walked I was struck by how hard it must be living in Venice. Bridges and steps everywhere, deliveries by trollies, hauled up and over bridges or…
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A day in Arezzo
Yesterday evening after a busy day and a 2 mile walk in 30 degree heat from Santo Spirito along the Arno I found Laura had invited Cristina, my host from my stay in Florence in June, to dinner with her friend Gianfranco. Laura and Cristina are good friends it seems. It was lovely to see…
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A last evening in Oslo
Rivers and Hipsters … Grunerlokka I thought I should visit the hippest place in Oslo before I Left. You walk by the river and it many waterfalls on the way to Grunerlokka an old industrial area. Full of bars, thrift shops and graffiti. It’s really interesting and just around the corner from the hostel. I’ll…
Escape to myself 