Today I set off from London to head north to the country home of two more friends from my walk on the Camino de Santiago — Keith and Lynn. We first met in the train station in Bayonne, France, enroute to St Jean Pied de Port, and as this was before I was an old hand at public transport I…
Category: An Epic Adventure
July 17: Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral
Another day to venture outside of London to see some historic sights. An 80 minute train ride brought me to Salisbury, a medieval cathedral village at the confluence of 5 rivers, and the county seat of Wiltshire in the SW of England. There are a couple good reasons to visit — one is the Cathedral and the other is the…
July 16: A Sunday in London
I set off a bit late this morning, with a vague plan of heading towards the National Gallery and found myself wandering some parts of town I hadn’t yet been to. Leicester Square was like Times Square — many of the same shops and street performers all working the crowds. (With all the American brands on display it made me…
July 15: Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral and Dover
Having visited London many times, and taken in many of the local sights, I set a goal to get outside of the city and see some of the countryside and the other wonderful and beautiful places that make England so special. So, since I still won’t attempt to drive a vehicle on the “wrong” side of the road I booked…
July 14: London, the beginning of the 2nd leg
For those who are actually following along on this journey with me, you will have noticed a break, with my last entry being May 29 and a summary of the experience in Japan. I traveled to Maui from Tokyo and didn’t feel that there was much to offer from poolside so I left the blog until I had some travel…
May 29: Final day in Japan — Fuji appears and some musings
When I peaked out the window of our room this morning I was delighted to see Mt. Fuji clearly outlined against the blue sky. We had caught a bit of a glimpse during dinner last night, and the sky turned orange and yellow and pink around the peak of the mountain. But the view this morning literally would take your…
May 28: Hakone
I must count us as very lucky to have had Mt Fuji in view yesterday, given it’s notorious elusiveness. Today was cloudy most all day, so not even a quick glimpse of the sacred mountain was seen. A potent symbol of Japan, and all things Japanese, it is the highest summit in the country at 12,388ft, and has been revered…
May 27: Hiroshima to Hakone
A very long travel day to get from here to there. We are heading back towards Tokyo, in anticipation of our flights home in a few days, so had to traverse much of Japan today. The first train, from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka was 90 minutes long and since we hadn’t reserved a seat, we had to stand most of the…
May 26: Miyajima
Just 25 minutes away from the city center of Hiroshima lies an island just offshore that is a sacred Shito site since ancient times. With a surface area of 11.6 sq miles, it is forbidden either to be born or to die there, so there is no maternity hospital or cemetery on the island. Named an UNESCO World Heritage Site,…
May 25: Hiroshima
I’m not sure where or how to start this post. The very name of this place forces one to consider, remember, react, wonder at the actions of men in wartime and grieve for it all. It is impossible to remain indifferent after a visit here. On August 6, 1945 at 8:15AM, the Enola Gay dropped “little boy”, the first atomic bomb,…