Typhoon warnings yesterday, so we changed our travel plans so we depart Osaka on Saturday morning. The typhoon was due to strike on Sunday morning. The Lufthansa people took care of changing our flight in a few minutes. We booked a room at same hotel in Beijing for an additional night to the nights Viking arrange. Viking China took care of the changes and arrival pickup in record time. So now we are off to Nara.
Another train ride from Shin-Osaka, but a little longer due to the slower regional train.
Nara is the home of several temples that are on everyone's "must see" list.
Not only temples and shrines, but free range deer that have become domesticated.
On our short walk to the Nara shrines, Mike found a stand selling fresh, cut-up persimmon. Good price, and a nice snack. The first time he recalls ever having it.
Upon entering the shrine area, we found a bell ringer, striking the bell several times as we walked by. There's a movie of this, but it will have to wait. Way too big to upload over a slow internet connection.
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| Smartphone Zen... |
We lucked out for lunch!
On our walk into the temple area, we noted a line-up of people waiting to get into a small restaurant. When we left the temple area, we saw a line still there, but moving rather quickly, so we said this will be the perfect place for lunch. While waiting, we viewed the menu, and the Google reviews for the place, so we knew we made a good choice.
The pot is heated to make an overcooked rice, much like paella. Ouch, that metal portion was quite hot, and kept the rice very hot, to the point where crusty bits were sticking to the side. Mike had the crab based one, while Deb had the shrimp based one. We placed our order while waiting in line, so when we were seated, we were served right away.
Yumm!
After lunch, we walked back to the train station for the return trip back to Osaka. We got back after 5pm, but still headed towards the Osaka Castle area.
Then back to the hotel for cocktails, where we met a nice couple from Australia. We had a great time sharing travel stories.
We headed back to the room to pack, as we had to wake up very early for our flight from Osaka to Beijing.
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