Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[drron29]

 

 

 

[CurlerRob]

 

🍺🥌

[drron29]

 

 

 

[drron29]

 

 

Edited February 20 by drron29

[QueSeraSera]

just awful drron 😀

where's stumbles?

 

[drron29]

10 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

just awful drron 😀

where's stumbles?

 

I'm very sorry. I am a naughty little boy and have given myself a couple of slaps.

So tonight no blue humour but back to images of Japan.

[drron29]

And what better way to redeem myself than food pictures. First is the breakfast buffet at the hotel. When you first walk around it doesn't look much. lots of small plates like this with the bacon offering.

 

But the bacon never ran out. they were constantly replenishing every thing. The thing I enjoyed most was the fruit selection. We both really love persimmons especially the Japanese varirty. I can't think of any other place where they were an option.

 

So a bowl of persimmon and blueberries started each breakfast.

 

I liked the chicken and pork dumplings.

 

I also loved the marinated seafood and the marinated smoked salmon.

 

 

Regular salmon was nice.

 

But I didn't go for the peach buns.

 

After my fruit I would have a cold plate then a hot plate. They changed from day to day.

 

 

[drron29]

We have been to Kyoto on several occasions and have seen most of the popular sites. I planned on visiting 3 places. The first was just across the road - the castle. The family went off. They had a full program whereas we could just take our time. It is though 1300 yen to enter with no senior discount.

 

 

 

Through this gate is the real star of the place.

 

 

 

The Palace.

 

Shoes off and no photography inside. It is Magnificent. A place of history. Built by the first Shogun in 1603. Added to by the third Shogun.

But in 1867 the fifteenth Shogun handed back power to the Emperor in this palace thus preventing a terrible civil war.

 

Now off we go around the gardens surrounding the Palace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And another demonstration how particular they are in looking after nature.

 

[DavyWavey70]

I Went on an adventure!

 

[drron29]

 

 

 

[drron29]

The walk around the Gardens continues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I climbed the base of the Keep. good vantage point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[drron29]

The last of the gardens. Still some autumn colours but the winter camelias starting to flower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[drron29]

n the late afternoon I went with the family to Fushima Inari. The only major shrine in Kyoto I hadn't visited as Mrsdrron doesn't climb hills. Not far by train and the Tori gates start on the platform.

 

Then you cross a river.

 

 

And 2 train lines.

 

 

Then start to walk up hill.

 

Lots of temples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally to the rows of Tori gates.

[lincslady]

To get back to ephemera, I could not get into the Hobbit stuff when it came out, and gave upon the Da Vinci Code after about two pages - is anyone else so far removed from what the majority seem to enjoy?  I think I must be a bit peculiar (no comments required).  

[jpalbny]

I first tried reading The Hobbit when I was 10 but couldn't get into it. By high school I had read the entire series. I read them again when the movies came out. Love those books!

 

And the Dan Brown books also.

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 2/21/2024 at 7:21 PM, DavyWavey70 said:

I Went on an adventure!

 

Thanks – what a great video!  Really captured exactly what we saw in Hobbiton last month from Silver Whisper.  And confirmed Silversea's choice to give us lunch at the Red Barn instead of the Hobbiton cafeteria.

[jpalbny]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Thanks – what a great video!  Really captured exactly what we saw in Hobbiton last month from Silver Whisper.  And confirmed Silversea's choice to give us lunch at the Red Barn instead of the Hobbiton cafeteria.

 

Elevensies are much better there, I heard.

[Host Jazzbeau]

17 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

Elevensies are much better there, I heard.

If you spend the whole morning, you can have breakfast, second breakfast, and elevensies...

 

[drron29]

 

 

 

[drron29]

Now the scenes everyone comes here to see. Very hard with the crowds to get a shot with no one in sight.

 

 

 

 

And this is the point where I turned around and the family continued to climb the hill.

 

But going down there were far less people. All the Instagrammers need to be on the summit for sunset.

 

 

And this is where the Up and down tracks meet. apparently too late to get to the summit.

 

Waited for the family and we strolled down the street which had many food offerings.

 

First I had Takoyaki.

 

Then Taiyaki but not the advertised variety but one filled with custard.

 

 

Going down we caught the sunset.

 

 

 

And finally back to the train station.

 

[drron29]

That night the family went off to a Fire ramen restaurant. very small and you have to queue for some time. As it was freezing we decided on a nearby Yakitori restauran but it was closed so went to a cheap Izakaya across the road, Very basic. Order and pay by machine and hand your ticket to the cook.

 

 

No English so Google translate saves the day. We shared some gyoza and chicken Karaage and I had a bowl of spicy Udon.

 

 

 

The next morning i walked around the small hotel gardens. Surprising how much autumn colour there still was.

 

 

 

 

 

And the small post office across the road from the hotel.

 

We then caught the shuttle to the station and walked around the mall. I left Rojaan there and I went off to the third place I wanted to visit.

 

 

 

That shinkansen is the first one to enter service way back in 1964.

[DavyWavey70]

20 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Thanks – what a great video!  Really captured exactly what we saw in Hobbiton last month from Silver Whisper.  And confirmed Silversea's choice to give us lunch at the Red Barn instead of the Hobbiton cafeteria.

Haha, it actually tasted better than it looked, remember Hobbits don’t have shops! 
 

 

18 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

Elevensies are much better there, I heard.

They certainly are JP. I Can vouch for them. 

 

 

[DavyWavey70]

And another little video finished today.

 

 

[drron29]

 

 

 

[drron29]

So just a few of the exhibits in the museum. They do design different trains in Japan. First some of their history. The first mass produced locomotive in Japan.

 

And their first successful electric train.

 

Other exhibits.

 

 

A wonderful model train set up.

 

It was time for lunch. naturally the cafe overlooks the train lines. almost constant traffic.

 

 

And my lunch. A bowl of miso ramen with pork and an egg.

 

And yes i cracked the egg into the ramen and slurped it down with great gusto. The old Japanese fellow beside me gave me the thumbs up.

I then had to pay a visit. The rest rooms were very clean. I had noticed many dads with very young boys. So the cubicles came with this.

 

Then outside. You could get steam train rides.

 

Then the roundhouse full of steam locos.

 

 

 

 

And over the road the Royal Park hotel had put old trams to good use.