Old town
I feel like we did it all in one day. We walked through Beyoglu and down to a little local fish market, where they sold fresh catch, sometime still alive and wriggling… Sabine had a spicy fish sandwich, and the birds enjoyed a snack, too. Over the bridge, and after the last drops of rain, […] Read More
Introducing Sabine
After another day of rain, I took the tram and metro today to go back to the airport, to wait for my sister. She’ll be here for ten days and we’ll explore the city together. Back home, we decided to stay in for dinner, I whipped up some mac ‘n cheese and a salad. And […] Read More
Re-settled
I moved to my new place this morning, in the middle of Beyoğlu again. It’s only a short walk to the main shopping street, and all the side streets with bars and restaurants, but my street is totally quiet, no through traffic, and a police station at the end. Feels good. I unpacked again and my […] Read More
Harassed
So far, the trip has gone remarkably well, without any incidents or accidents. Well, until Istanbul. Walking home from the hamam and the restaurant on Tuesday, I passed into my neighborhood, an area of Beyoglu that is clearly poorer, more run-down than the blocks around Istiklal street. The houses are old, some abandoned, the streets […] Read More
Hamam
After the first quick visit to the supermarket around the corner for some basics, I met up with Sven for a stroll through the area, notably around İstiklâl Caddesi, the main shopping and pedestrian street in Istanbul. It is a really nice street, with an old tram line passing through, and has countless shops, bars, restaurants, […] Read More
Last day in Japan
I spent the last day in Japan really relaxed. I had toyed with the idea of doing a day trip to Nikko, but scrapped that. Instead, I checked out of my hotel and first had a working breakfast at Starbuck’s, using their fast wifi for some blogging and sorting some stuff… Then I went to […] Read More
Miyajima Island
After the sad first day in Hiroshima, I needed something uplifting. A trip to nearby Miyajima Island, best known for its floating torii gate at the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine. The torii is the traditional Japanese gate usually found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine This one is special though, and it might easily be one of the most […] Read More
Kyoto (again)
I went back to Kyoto today, to see more of the Kyotographie exhibitions, especially the photographic exploration of Mars, as well as some interesting images of Japanese landscapes and homes, called ‘Where we belong‘. However, it was a bright sunny day with blue skies, so I went to see one more temple, Kinkaku-ji, the Golden […] Read More
Shitennō-ji flea market
I wanted to go to a flea market. And ended up in a temple. The Shitennō-ji Buddhist temple, the first Buddhist temple in Japan, dating from the 6th century (albeit rebuilt), holds a flea market and produce market on the 21st and 22nd of each month. I love flea markets and it wasn’t far, so off […] Read More
Kyoto, with a difference
Honestly, after seeing temples and shrines in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nara, I wasn’t that keen on seeing Kyoto anymore. Call it temple fatigue. If JR had announced a major breakdown of their lines and I could not have gone, I wouldn’t have fussed about it…. But I went, nonetheless, and I have spent a whole […] Read More