Autumn in Japan 2009

We visited Japan over thanksgiving weekend! We left Guam on Nov 26 and spent 4 days there. We were embraced with the nice cool weather and the marvelous change of autumn colors which Japan has to offer. The Ryokan Ohto was not too far from the Kyto Station. We took an express train from Kansai directly to Kyoto. The next day, we spent the whole day taking public buses and was amazed how easy it was to travel by yourself there. We visited the golden temple called Kinkakuji Temple. The japanese garden has a class of its own. Our tour stop to see the ancient imperial palace and our last stop was at Kiyomize Temple (known as a world heritage site by UNESCO). We were totally so tired after the whole day walking sightseeing this beautiful city.

Our second day, we spent traveling by train to Nara to see Todaiji Temple, Nigatsu-do Hall, Kasuga Grand Shrine, 5 storey pagoda. In the afternoon, we continue to Arashiyama at Sagano to see the beautiful autumn colors by the river. It was a cold day but wonderful indeed. There were many Japanese whom came out in the cold to enjoy the beautiful gardens, and autumn colors. We picked the right time of the year to visit Japan. We truely enjoy the sights Japan has to offer. An autumn dear to our hearts indeed!

Germany in Europe

Our vacation started with a 3 hours flight from Guam to Taipei, 16 hours of transit before we catch our 13 hours flight to Frankfurt. Yes.... it is very long and tiring. We were surprised how well Kevin adapted to the time change. The weather was really nice and cooling. We visited many places in Germany before starting our tour to see Eastern Europe and Italy. Some places in Germany included drive to Heidelburg, Karlshure, Titisee, Rastatt, Baden Baden & Munich. Along the way we drove through some nice wineyards to see different colors of grapes and color changes of the autumn leaves. The scenary were breathtaking.

One of the highlights in Germany was too experience the world famous Octoberfest in Munich. There were thousands of people from everywhere attending the festival. It was so cold there but the locals were dressed in their bavarian costumes drinking, laughing and playing. There were also lots of rides for both the adults and children. If you like crowd, this is the place to be. More places in Germany to go... we are still planning to head to Sturtgatt, Bonn, Cologne etc... watch out for more pictures...