After visiting Senso-ji, we took the metro to the Ginza shopping district. Our first stop was to the huge Muji flagship store, not just to browse but to have lunch. This was a simple dish with freshly made tofu. Itoya is possibly the largest stationary shop in the world. It has eight floors and stocks … Continue reading / view photos Ginza shopping
Category: Travel
Senso-ji temple
The most visited temple in Tokyo is Senso-ji. The temple was about a 30 minutes’ walk from our hotel. We took the long way round, walking along Sumida River. The sun was out and so were the office workers, having lunch. We left the river at Asakusa and headed to the Kaminarimon Gate, the most … Continue reading / view photos Senso-ji temple
Cherry blossom in Ueno Park
Travelling on the Shinkansen (“bullet train”) is expensive for foreigners. To soften the blow, you can buy a JR Pass voucher before you arrive in Japan. Once in Japan, you exchange the voucher for a pass, after which you can reserve seats on the inter-city trains. If you buy from the official website (not an … Continue reading / view photos Cherry blossom in Ueno Park
Going to Tokyo
This is my first trip abroad since the pandemic. It’s been almost four years. When you travel regularly, it becomes a habit. You get used to the rhythm: booking places, planes, trains, and buses. When you stop travelling, the process becomes alien. Tasks that seemed second nature are now done with caution, hesitation. You can … Continue reading / view photos Going to Tokyo
Leaving Loch Torridon
For our final full day in Scotland, we headed to Loch Carron, where we found the ruined 15th century Strome Castle. This area, now deserted apart from the odd tourist, was once a thriving town with a ferry port. The following day, it was time for our homeward journey. We drove to the Beinn Eighe … Continue reading / view photos Leaving Loch Torridon
Eagles, ticks and drawing
On the previous day, Cath and I had driven through Inveralligin, north of Upper Loch Torridon. One of our guidebooks had a walk not too far from there and the terrain was sufficiently flat for Helene to join us on the walk. So, we drove there. The walk had good views across Loch Torridon. When … Continue reading / view photos Eagles, ticks and drawing
A stroll from Lower Diabaig
The day started with us watching the Queen’s funeral. It was an unprecedented event in our life times: the death of a monarch. As we watched, we observed that the Queen had reigned for our entire lives. Regardless of whether you supported a republic or monarchy, it was difficult not to be moved by the … Continue reading / view photos A stroll from Lower Diabaig
Bealach na Bà pass
When we were in Kingussie, our hosts told us about the Bealach na Bà pass in the Applecross peninsula. I’d not heard of it. It’s the steepest road in the UK, eventually reaching 626 metres. We mentioned this to Cath, when we met up, and it turned out that she, with some friends, had attempted … Continue reading / view photos Bealach na Bà pass
Walking along Loch Damh
Before we got to Scotland, we had done a big online food shop for the week. One of the supermarkets delivered orders at the Torridon community centre twice a week. There must have been sufficient local demand to make the delivery because, our cottage owner told us, the driver had an hour’s journey to get … Continue reading / view photos Walking along Loch Damh
Driving to Badan Mhugaidh
On the third day, our holiday, as originally planned, could begin. So it was goodbye to Kingussie and onto Achnasheen to meet our friend Cath, who was going to drive us all to Torridon, a Scottish village, which is where we were staying. The final breakfast for me at The Osprey Hotel was a king-size … Continue reading / view photos Driving to Badan Mhugaidh