We had been communicating back and forth with Bill and Carlos who are in the middle of a Japan Cruise. They took the bullet train, 20 minutes, up to Kyoto from Kobe where their ship was docked. We agreed to meet at the Kyoto National Museum and they called us from the station to tell us they had arrived. We took a cab to the museum but they were not there, they were still standing in the taxi line back at the station. it was going to take them longer to get a taxi than it did to travel to Kyoto! So we changed plans, got in a big taxi and went down to the station to pick them up. It took a bit of time for them to find us but once they did we were off to the Imperial Palace. It was raining the entire time we visited the palace and we were happy about that. There were still a good amount of people at the palace and we could only imagine how many folks would be there on a sunny day. After an hour of oohing and ahhhing at the palace we called a taxi to go back to the house. There we enjoyed pickled Japanese cucumbers, Leslie's tasty soup and freshly bought sushi. Telling stories, new and old, was a great way to catch up and re-connect. We bid them farewell in time for them to catch the last fast train to Kobe and called it a night.
The Kyoto Tower saved the day. I asked Carlos where he was in relation to the tower and we triangulated to find each other
A 10 foot tall model of some specific building
The entrance tot he Kyoto Station where Bill and Carlos were not
The taxi line was super long here too
Not a problem, we have been transported to the Imperial palace
The total rain for the day was 1.5 inches
The four of us
Impressive 20 foot tall gates
This looks like a guard tower
If I were visiting the Emperor prior to 1869 at this palace, would be very impressed
Detailed architecture
The brass accents are superb
It is soggy
Not allowed in the central courtyard
But we could see the tree in bloom
Another gate
The back door to the palace
So detailed and balanced
Peak peeking out of the trees
Bill and Carlos
The gang is all here
The rain is holding out strong
Kimono time
The gardens were lush
Trees, moss and water features
So peaceful
Another bridge
A frame for the tree to grow on?
Stone bridge
A grove of cherry trees
Looking pretty
Shiny brass
Pines!
Heading back to the place for dinner after buying fresh sushi
Yippie
More fun than sitting in some restaurant
Hot tea for everyone to warm us up
Pickled cucumbers
A hearty soup followed by sushi
We bid you farewell and safe travels
It has been 1 year and 303 days since we began our Migration
