Germany - Autobahns and Christmas Markets

Germany - Autobahns and Christmas Markets 

by Bea

In Frankfurt we rented a big car and headed off towards Mannheim, relying on GPS and a soft spoken 'Hilda' who told us which way to go.  The motorways are quite frightening.  To those who are not familiar with them!  The right lane is for slow trucks, the middle is average speed vehicles and the left lane was for Porsches, Lamborghinis and anything else that can move at the speed of light!  They would come out of nowhere and even when we were driving at 140 (phew!) they flew past us.  Scary.  Q coped really well negotiating his way around trucks and getting us to villages and castles.

Mannheim was our first experience of a Christmas market and the famous gluwein - mulled hot wine.  Delicious!  We also sampled crepes and waffles.  I was still on the hunt for Christmas decorations to decorate our room in Venice with but it's hard to find cheapie things in Germany.
Declan and I particularly loved the carousel - a staple of Christmas Markets everywhere - but this one was lovely and big and old, and had an ancient automated organ player as well.



We drove on to Heidelberg and our hotel was comfy with a huge breakfast.  Bread in particular is really nice in Germany and of course they have the cold meats and cheese option for breakfast too.
We found a laundromat (and I am sure they shrunk my clothes!) and then set off for the Heidelberg castle, a gorgeous old ruin on the hill above town.





We went on a walking tour with Helmet, an older gentleman who knew all the facts and cracked the odd German style joke.  The complex also housed an Apothecary Museum and purportedly the world's largest wine barrel!

Back in town the Christmas market was nice - and very similar indeed to Mannheim.  The main difference was that the town's streets were part of the event and you could wander along and pop into cute little shops on the journey. The quaint character streets were crowded with people and the gluwein was flowing!  I found a lovely Father Christmas figurine at a huge rambling Christmas Shop.



The next day we set off to Stuttgart but detoured to visit Hohenzollern Castle, a 200 year-old Prussian building that looks like something from a fairytale.



Nowhere near as old as Heidelburg Castle which was about 800 years old, it was very intact and you could view rooms inside via a guided tour with a rather jaded fraulein.   We all wore hilarious felt slippers over our shoes so as not to damage the floors!
We got to Stuttgart that night and it was huge and confusing to get to the market, which was massive.  We stayed long enough to have a quick bite to eat and to look at some of the hundreds of stalls, which were all pretty similar to other markets we'd seen.  Then Q drove us on to Augsburg, probably our favourite place in Germany.
As we approached, it looked to be just like any other German suburban town, very non-descript and boring.  I was preparing myself to be disappointed when we rounded a corner and whammo!  It was like entering the Pied Piper of Hamlin story. Cute narrow streets, character buildings with very steep roofs and a Cathedral going back to the 9th Century! The Augsburger Hof hotel was terrific.  Comfy beds, compact but well designed and of course the marvelous German Breakfast.  We walked all over town, into the markets and churches on the way.







The boys visited a puppet museum called Puppkist. Declan saw a huge Father Christmas - made of lego!

On the 23rd of December we saw the final performance of the Angels.  A strange idea that was remarkably compelling. Windows on one of the town squares most impressive buildings came open at 7pm and figures of angels appeared (in costume and well lit)  and moved about in time to baroque music.  They were real people but managed to look like clock-work!  Intriguing.



The next day we left lovely Augsburg for Munich and the train down to Venice.  We left Germany having only experienced a small taste, but we'd love to go back and see more someday.

The Train from Munich to Venice 

by Q

In many ways although it was handy to have a car, driving fast and on the "wrong" side of the road was stressful and it was a relief to return it at the Munich railway station. Not really knowing how much time to allow we did turn up a bit early but a snack and looking around the station filled in the time OK. Didn't take long to find the train and our seats, comfortable enough although facing "backwards" and not really clear where round the world travellers are meant to stash their big bags.

It was a lovely sunny day as we wove our way through the Bavarian countryside and then, without warning into Austria and into the Alps. That it's been unseasonably warm was reinforced by the fact only the very highest mountains had snow. Still frozen lakes and well bundled up pedestrians outside showed it was still very cold.

A nice feature of the train was the restaurant car with a good range of food and at a reasonable price, table service included. Big windows in the dining car gave a lovely view as we passed lots of alpine villages, each looking like "Heidi" might be in residence but no livestock visible anywhere - presumably all safe in their barns for the winter.

The Bremmer Pass took us into Italy where pastoral land gave way into vineyards, all in their dormant winter state, reached right up to the railways line. The mountains in this area were extremely spectacular - rising right from the valley in sheer walls of rock.




It was dark by the time we arrived in Venice and we were immediately out on the canal on a "Vaporetto" or water bus crowded with Christmas shoppers. Our hotel was only a few steps from the stop and we were pleased to be able to get settled and begin the process of decorating the room. It was hard to believe it was Christmas!

Northern Honshu - Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture

Cats and Owls 

By Declan

Ever wondered where cafes involve animals? well, the answer is Hanamaki.

1.)  Cat Cafe Hanamaki

Why on earth would someone create a cafe that has a little cat petting zoo in it?

I don't know why but all I know about it is this:

The little building held 20 cats (at least)

Some were moody, shy and even one eyed!

 

2.) Ricky's Owl Cafe

The most adorable owls were kept in this nice little place. (and they served excellent parfait!)

Including quite a few little faces including White ones, evil looking ones, Mother and son owls and lots more! The thing I found fascinating about the cafe was that unlike the cat cafe they actually served proper food from a menu. (The cat cafe only had a coffee machine).

Writer's Comment: 

" At frankfurt airport I was startled to see a police woman carrying a lightweight machine gun. (Loaded)"

(Sorry if this is a spoiler because that happened 3 days after the animal cafes.)

Hanimaki

By Bea

Yes we have left wonderful Japan after enjoying Kyoto's history, Tokyo's quirkiness and the relaxing beauty of hot water onsens in Hanamaki.  

At an onsen resort you all sleep on futons on tatami mat floors.  You are given yukata robes to get into (a bit tricky the first time!) and then you have a hot bath.  As many times as you want but they recommend not more than three a day as they are over 40 degrees in heat!  Of course you do the wash beforehand - balancing on a stool, scrubbing all over and tipping basins of water over yourself - and then you sink naked into the bath.  

At Osawa there were indoor baths for women and men separately and then a short walk outside and across a bridge to the famous riverside bath that's unisex.  Quite a mind shift for New Zealanders who are used to wearing togs in Hanmer Springs!  However everyone is polite and discreet and we went at night mostly so there were shadows for modesty.  A gorgeous experience. 

We visited a craft workshop complex with Phil Williams and Declan was able to make his own Japanese sweet biscuit, and a little decorated wooden horse that is based on the quarter draught horses that feature in a local festival.  

We did visit the gimmicky animal cafes.  I was less than impressed as I am not a fan of zoos.  The cat one was pretty much like being in a mad cat ladies apartment with a load of bad tempered and snack-hungry cats, but the owls cafe was a bit distressing...All the animals were imported and to see them crammed into a small room, with no natural light or ability to fly or to live any sort of natural life was really sad.  

They just sat there all day and got picked up by people to have their photo taken. 

Phil and Fukiko Williams were kind enough to drive us all around Hanamaki and other towns and we saw local ski-fields, visited cafes (with clever devices to warm underneath the tables!)...

... and even had an evening at their language school Speak Up, where we were the VIP guests on whom the students practiced their english schools!  They were delightful. 

And yesterday was my big birthday, spent travelling from Hanamaki in Northern Honshu, and ending up in an airport hotel in Frankfurt.  

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes.  Dragging around airports is not my idea of fun so I'm relieved to be in Germany now and we are about to drive ourselves around Bavaria for four days and see a few Christmas markets.   

Thousands of Tori and the Elusive Bamboo Forest

By Quentin: There are a couple of major attractions we hadn't seen in our last trip to Kyoto and so we decided to check them out this time. They are in the South and West of city and so we needed to get to grips with the subway and train system. That turned out to be a good way to use up a lot of the loose change we'd accumulated in this cash-heavy economy.

Our first stop was a walk through the historic neighborhood of Gion. We knew this a little from our last visit as we'd stayed nearby. Its narrow streets are popular for young Japanese couples who come to reconnect with their culture by dressing in traditional kimono and either walking or riding around in rickshaws. Generally the women look pretty happy and guys kind of miserable - "I wanted to go to Hawaii instead!





The main feature of the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine, which dates from 711 (!),  is a path to the top of Mount Inara through a path which is decorated with thousands of shinto gates or tori.

The image of the fox is an important one at Fushimi Inari-taisha and there are many fox statues, generally in pairs with one fox featuring the key to the grainery in its mouth. We stopped at a shrine and purchased a wishing board in the shape of a fox. One could decorate it as one wanted and then write your name and address as well as a wish on the back. It gets hung up on a shrine with hundreds of others and eventually burned by Shinto priests to deliver the message.






It was a long way to the top but the view was great, if a little hazy. This was the only day we had drizzle and then a little rain.







Second stop, after a diversion to the main Kyoto station and the large department store attached for a watch battery and afternoon tea, was to the "Bamboo Forest" in the western district of Arashiyama. In December the forest, and much of the surrounding area is illuminated in the evening.  Google Maps provided on Quentin's phone provided much valuable train information and we soon found our way to the correct station. There were plenty of people discharging and heading in the "right" direction including thousands of Argentine "River Plate" football fans whose team was playing in the FIFA Club World Cub in nearby Osaka the next day.

We soon found the crowded riverside of Arashiyama, with many lights and illuminations. The Google Maps lead us across an illuminated bridge and along the far river bank. It seemed a little odd that the crowds had thinned out but... well hey, maybe they'd all seen it already? We walked about a km along the river bank path, into the growing darkness as the illumination from across the river petered out. Eventually the phone declared we were at our destination! There was no sign of bamboo and little light at all. We headed back and found another party of tourists, phone in hand, about to make the same mistake.

Fortunately there was a display of illuminated lanterns and large Ikebana displays in a park nearby for us to admire. It wasn't quite what we expected however.



Fortunately for tired feet and hungry tummies there were a lot of restaurants in the area and we soon found something to eat. As we were leaving a chance question asked of a traffic policeman revealed that in fact we'd missed the turnoff to the "Bamboo Forest" when we had first come into that area. It seems in this case the "Wisdom of Crowds" could beat out the usefulness of technology - if we'd stuck with the masses we would have been OK.

Luckily the forest was not too far away and it was magical - towering bamboo on both sides illuminated in the darkness. Also we found there was a station nearby so we didn't have to walk far to catch the two trains we needed to get home. It was a great way to finish our last full day in Kyoto.

Ikebana and cycling in Kyoto

"Ikebana"

By Bea

Turned out we are staying almost next door to a teaching school that specializes in calligraphy, tea ceremonies and ikebana, which I'm really interested in! So yesterday I spent two hours with Kimi who was charming, patient and very well travelled, having visited 30 countries and going to Christchurch in February!  She told me a bit about the history of Ikebana - basically hundreds of years old - and the styles (5 main ones) and the philosophy - 'All things change, nothing lasts'..  Very tied in to nature and the seasons, it is much more complicated that just plonking a few bits in a vase, that's for sure!  I was stunned to find that Kyoto is the home of Ikebana  so I feel very fortunate to have learned from a master with 13 years training. Kimi still has not attempted several of the styles as she does not feel she is good enough yet!!  I fumbled around with the materials and had a go and then she waved her magic over it all and made it look great.  It was a great experience.

"The Bike Ride" 

By Declan

Yesterday was full of surprises, from the thrills of the Japanese winter weather to the fun of the  philosopher's path. So here's what happened:

We set off on the journey to the electric bike store at about 12:00 PM and on the way we briefly stopped at a traditional gyoza dumpling cafe. 

(You could have anything you want - as long as it was gyoza) 

Once at the store we had to decide which bikes to choose, I ended up with a nice green electric bike with a leather seat and only 3 gears!

So we were off, along the busy streets of Kyoto we rode, our feather coats blowing in the wind.

We could see the temple up ahead, with broad pillars the size of multiple tree trunks, the gate to the temple stood high like a big mountain of wood and metal.

We locked our bikes on a nearby fence and strode up the polished concrete steps to the most beautiful temple ever.

 Nazen-ji was its name, it suited it perfectly for a big temple full of squeaky corridors.

Suddenly there was a flurry of bald heads and robes as all the monks gathered in a room, the meeting had started. We headed outside and saw a very nice garden. Hidden in the forest was a working red-brick aqueduct that at first we thought was a bridge.

But we had to leave, so off we went.

The Philosophers Path lay ahead. This is a mixture of gravel and paving stones next to a small canal. At the start of the path lay a very small dog park but most of it was filled with cats. Although there was one dog - in fact the one and only "Doge" - a Shiba inu. Near the end we found a tea house that sold tea, soft drinks and Japanese cakes (which were actually potato and gravy on a stick!). We quickly navigated back to the bike shop and returned our just in time. By the way the bikes were very cheap - only $12 each for three hours!

"Cooking In Kyoto"

By Que

There are pros and cons to a Japanese supermarket. The good side is that everything is so cute and fascinating one can spend hours just looking. It's wonderful for buying small quantities - a single carrot carefully wrapped up and so on. The downside for somebody who can't speak, let alone read Japanese is that there's a bit of guessing involved. 

We won't get many chances to cook until our time in Iceland next year and many local restaurants are closed on Monday so it seemed a good opportunity to try a meal in our little house (which has a fully equipped kitchen). The first purchase was some fish - a couple of pieces I took to be fillets with the skin on but were actually half fish with the bone in. Also it turned out to be smoked, but I cooked it anyway and it was fine. Rice was a bit of a challenge and an exception to the "small quantities" rule as 5kg was the minimum amount. After much looking we found what we hoped was some microwave single serve packets - the rice was sticky and included beans but at least it wasn't rice pudding. Some fresh pickles, sauteed vegetables and miso soup made a pretty good meal. Perhaps not any recognized form of Japanese cuisine but good enough for foreigners!