Kyoto Day 2

Last night we got to bed at 11 and I woke at 4, so we are not quite time-adjusted yet! We got up at 6 for starting out at 7 am today. Breakfast was a green tea in the room and a pastry bought the day before, as there would be nothing open that early.

The bus took over half an hour in a westerly direction to the bamboo forest. Even at that time brides were out getting their pictures taken. It wasn’t far to walk up a hill amid the bamboo which grows that high in 3 months. On the way back to the bus we went in the Gardens of Tenryu-ji temple for 500 yen, about £4. It was very pretty with some blossom, but mainly it was azaleas and rhodies like home.

We walked back to the road to wait another half hour for a bus which took another half hour to get to the castle we’d not been able to get in yesterday, Nino-jo Castle. It was beautifully restored but we weren’t allowed to take photos inside. It was surrounded by gardens and a canal, which had some trees along the banks still in bloom.

Next we got a bus a long way north to Kinkakuji Temple, a rather gaudy golden temple set on a little island in a lake amid beautiful trees. We had yet another walk up the hill and down, so by the time we got the bus back we’d done over 5 miles. It is quite cold but no rain today. The buses are very busy, and like at home, none come for ages then there’s two one after the other. We got back to the hotel at 3, having been out since 7 and had nothing to eat. In a nearby shop Mr C grabbed a noodle sandwich (!) and I got what a thought was a cheese roll but it turned out to be a sweet thing with sweet icing/cream in it. We can’t find a shop or stall selling fruit. They eat a lot of fast food - haven’t seen a sushi place yet but plenty of cheap noodle places. Tonight we are going to Gion area where it might be possible to see geishas hurrying to appointments then we’ll have a meal. We are both tired - in fact Mr C is snoring none too gently. I’m going to have a relaxing bath. Oh our loo seat is heated!

My iPad is playing up taking on photos, so I hope it survives the trip.

I broke a bit off my tooth the first night, the one the dentist recently put a temp filling on, which he promised would last till we get back when I’ll get a crown on, but there is now a big hole under it. He was right, the filling is still there but half the tooth isn’t. I hope I don’t get toothache but maybe I’d better get to a dentist in a Tokyo as I don’t imagine there’s much opportunity in Siberia.