Catching up...

Once again it's after 1am in Osaka and I am too tired to contribute a decent written post on here...

Tuesday saw us get on a train to Kyoto, where we stayed overnight. It was nice to get out of Osaka even if for only a night. A visit to one of my favourite temples, Kiyomizu-dera, and its surrounding sights and stalls took up the best part of day one.

Dinner in Gion saw me devour the best tofu I have ever tasted, (and as I was a vegetarian for 17 years, I have eaten a lot of tofu), accompanied by some very lovely sake.

Kyoto is a beautiful city at any time of day or night, however, something quite magical happens when the sun goes down and the streets are lit up with lanterns, and filled with amazing aromas of various forms of Kyoto style cuisine.

I had planned to run along the Kamogawa on Wednesday morning but, I must confess, Tuesday night saw me drink far too much, and despite still waking up early as planned, my body felt in no fit state to run 5kms. I felt a little down on myself but reminded myself that I AM on holidays.

Wednesday saw Allison and I back in Gion, this time to watch the Maiko and Geiko dance performance in Pontocho. I had been once before on a previous visit to Kyoto, and despite knowing roughly what to expect, those lovely ladies still managed to delight me once again.

In the afternoon we visited another of my favourite places from previous trips - Fushimi Inari Shrine. Pictures say far more than words ever could about this place...