Although the trip is only three nights, and minus travel time three days, it seems like we have done enough things for a weeks time. I think this is so because it is impeccably easy to change locations here via the railroad transit system.
On the fast trains we have been covering distance like we would walking out our front door, getting in the car, driving traffic-free and ending up at our destination. The timing is similarly handled by us going to the train station, finding the frequent rapid trains give us barely no time to wait, hopping in, and 45 minutes later ending up at our far-away destination.
This is how the story went this morning when we took a train to Himeji caslte. Nicknamed "The White Heron," it is the arguably the most famous castle in Japan. Let me divulge the bliss of this spot:
The city is flat, when you exit the train station you walk up a medium to small-sized boulevard toward a towering white Japanese castle; black thatched roof, white wood. Picture this: Three large cubes stacked on top of one another, follwed by two smaller ones. The air was warm today, the wind even felt hot. A perfect March day, at least in the mid-60s. We rented free bikes from the tourist office and biked along the boulevard. Outside of the magnificent castle is a worn-in park and different gardens. If you are in to being active, then you'd want to do it here, all equipped with one of the world's most intact originally preserved castles.
The casual 15 minute bike ride around the moat was like topping our already delicious caramel brulee with a cherry. A sweet ending to a perfect morning outing.
(PS. Although not the best bicycle rider in the world, I pulled it off this time with no accidents. I am infamous for falling off of bicycles. One college summer I babysat for a family and would go to and from by bike. One night when I left, boom, down went Danielle, tipping slowly from the sidewalk into the street... "I'm all alright," I waved, and shouted to the family, slowly picking myself up. And that's just one story to speak of.)
3 comments:
comment damnit.. ;(
No need to be rude, D! My internets have been broken!!! :( The poltergeist that has moved into my humble abode has prevented me from enjoying your rockin' blog, yo. He told me he likes the blog though. Well done. I wonder whether or not you think like you write. Were you really thinking of a cherry on that bike ride around the moat? Or were you thinking of not falling over? Or perhaps both? ;) -T
See you overcame a huge obstacle!! Your moma would be so proud!
Post a Comment