Japan: Kamakura, Odawarra Castle

The next day we took the train to Kamakura to see the giant Buddha statue--large enough that you can walk around inside!

 

We went for lunch at a little Chinese restaurant down the street, which was delicious, but was most notable for the little old lady that served us.  She took our order and then went to a counter and gave it to the kitchen through a little window in the wall.  Soon, a couple other tables filled up and you could see the woman getting antsy for people's food.  So she opened up one of the cabinet doors below the counter, bent down, went inside, and appeared in the kitchen.  We could watch her through the window serve up our rice and soup and put everything on trays.  Then she went down through the cabinet again to our side and served our food.  It was too epic to even get a picture.

Next we stopped at Hasedera Temple and it was one of our favorite parts of the trip.  

We had to rush back on the train so we could get to Odawarra Castle before it closed.  BG was bummed we were there too late for her to dress up in samurai clothes, but I think she was happy when we found the substitute.  

It was a long train ride home, but we saw some beautiful things!

Japan: Cup Noodle Factory, Pokemon Store I

As soon as Brandon's parents found out they were going to Tokyo on their mission, we knew we were going to come visit.  In fact, we were so eager to go, we almost went six months ago, but they wisely suggested we wait until the summer humidity was over.  So we booked tickets to go during the kids' fall break from school.  A (relatively) quick nine-hour flight and we were there!  

Brandon's folks were kind enough to meet us at the airport and drive us to our airbnb.  We so appreciated them picking us up--and the extra time we had to nap in the car!  We got settled, bought  groceries, had some curry (I think we ate curry at least four times on our trip--we're a curry loving bunch!), got some Japanese goodies at the dollar store, and called it a day.  

Sunday morning we walked to church, had a quick lunch, and walked to a nearby park.  It was fun to see some of the wildlife (including a blue heron and some very impressive spiders) as we tried to keep ourselves awake until bedtime.

  

The next day we took our first (of many, many) train rides, this time to Yokohama and the Cup Noodle factory!  We made our own noodle combos, let the kids play in the noodles park, ate noodle dishes from all over the world (Indonesia's was the favorite), and explored the museum.

From there it was just a short walk to a Pokemon store!  Kiddo had been saving his money and he was ready spend it all on cards!  Well, they didn't have any cards, but that didn't stop him from getting a few other things.  And, let's be honest, we ended up with some Pokemon for everyone.

We happened to switch trains at Shibuya Crossing (the Times Square of Tokyo) right around rush hour and stopped to see the 2,500ish people crossing the street every time the light changed.

Also, jet lag can be rough.  But at least everyone on the train is quiet!

Family Pictures 2018

As promised, here are this year's family pictures!  We got pictures taken a few weeks earlier than last year to try and get away with wearing long sleeves and sweaters.  No such thing.  We had a cold snap that weekend that took us by surprise.  I'm still bummed that I wasted all that time picking outfits when we ended up wearing coats, but we're a cute bunch regardless.

To see previous year's family pictures, click on the links below:
2017
2016
2015
2013
2012
2011

Kearnses Visit: St. Petersburg

We took an early morning bullet train and a quick four hours later we were in St. Petersburg!  Brandon and Kiddo had been there just a few months ago, but it had been over ten years since I had gone (and not at all for the girls) so we were excited to see everything anew.

Our first stop was to look at the 'lighthouses' built by Catherine the Great and then the Peter and Paul Fortress.  G2 was already zonked out by this point, and we were a little unprepared for the weather, but we didn't let that stop us!

Then we headed to the Church on the Blood, which I remember loving when we saw it before, but this time we went inside and--holy cow!  Every surface is made of mosaics and it was absolutely stunning!

Then we went to the Hermitage!  Brandon had been inside before, but none of the rest of us had, it definitely lived up to the hype!

The next day was mostly spent at the palace of Peterhof.  The weather was beautiful while we were touring the inside (which we had never done before), but was dismal the entire time we wandered the grounds.

After Peterhof we headed back to St. Petersburg to see some last minute things: the Kazan Cathedral, St. Isaac's, and the Bronze Horseman.

It was so great to show our friends some of the country we love!  Visit us again soon Kearnses!