The next morning began with breakfast in our new hotel which had 3 restaurants and so we began with the American one where this was my juice
plate of goodies
and fruit course
as Suzanne had her juice
and main course
and I returned for a second helping of various foods, many of which I never thought of as breakfast foods
and some more traditional rolls
and then Suzanne had her coffee and so we were ready to begin our adventures.
We took the bus to Rokuonji Temple, the Golden Pavilion
along with the crowds
and recorded its status on the World Heritage List
and started in to the pavilion itself
with Suzanne posing at the marker
before we walked the path
and made our way
into the area
where the pavilion stood by the water which reflected extremely well
and was cause for many photos
starting with these of me
and then back to the pavilion itself (which is coated with gold from Kanazawa)
and this group of students being photographed
as we admired the reflections
before Suzanne found a quiet spot
in which I could take this photo of us
before a friendly soul took this photo of us with the pavilion behind
and we continued on our quest for the perfect photo of the pavilion and its reflections
before walking on past this interesting bush
and the closer view of the pavilion
with its gargoyles
and then we were on to the fish in the pond
and back to the remarkable reflections of this beautiful garden
as we made our way to the trail
with its waterfall
and rock sculpture formations
which attracted coins
and the marker beyond
as we came across a supported tree
and this group of school children admired the rock that was a chair
as tree roots were exposed
and this water was the drink of choice
and we made our way
past the sign thanking us.
Next, we went up the path
past many lanterns
until we reached the Western style rest room
at Ryoanji Temple which is also a World Heritage Site
and we noted the map
and began our walk around the lake
which also had beautiful reflections
to a small shrine where Suzanne posed
as we marched around structures
keeping the pond in view
and read this sign
and then saw the Buddha
and a model of what was to come with the 15 rocks.
Once through the exhibits, we sat to appreciate the rock garden
|
|
|
|
|
|
which interfaced to the rocks
and then Suzanne captured these photos of me contemplating the garden
|
|
|
|
|
and a beautiful garden
with berries growing
and this pagoda
which had a story to tell
as we admired many bushes
and followed the path through the lovely foliage
|
|
|
|
|
and twisted tree
and another flower about to bloom
along with more hydrangeas
before we boarded the bus
and recorded another bus (this one a correct one, ours not as we discovered when we were trying to get off)
and the route it took.
On the way back to our room, we bought some beer
and sandwiches.
After a break, we headed out and stopped at a shrine that had this unusual monument
and then made our way to a restaurant overlooking the river where this was the menu
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
and then we made our way back to the hotel stopping for a picture of the Kyoto Tower
as I took this photo of Suzanne
which came out better with flash
and then we got the reflection of the tower in the train station which looked every bit as good as the original
and saw a bit of the aqua fantasy show
before taking this self portrait of both of us
and then heading past Cafe Du Monde on our way back to call it a night.
