From Kyoto and back again

There were no cherry blossoms in Kyoto. S and I took a 2-day mid-week trip last week to check out the status. We knew we would probably be too early for the height of the blossoms, but we didn't necessarily expect winter weather-- even snow at night. We snapped the odd picture of a tree or two which had also apparently gotten the date wrong on the invitation and appeared early for the grand opening. But our dreams of pink covered mountains are still without realization...

We did still have a great 2 days of lovely Kyoto gardens and temples, highlighted by a few geisha appearances at night on the streets of Gion. From our traditional inn, we could hear the "clip clop" of their wooden geta shoes on the streets and ran to the window to catch a glimpse. We both also had our first time in the Arashiyama area of Kyoto, which is possibly my new favorite part. We rented cycles that made my Cambridge mama-chari look like a Harley and explored some amazingly quaint streets, thatched houses, bamboo forests, and gardens. It makes me think again of how great it is that S and I really do have very similar interests-- we always want to see and do the same things, which makes spending time traveling together all the more pleasant. There's hardly any compromise when it comes to our interests.

The weekend closed in Tokyo with a beautiful hanami in Yoyogi Park and a big night out on the town. I think we finished around 4AM, but S should have finished way before! A capirinja put him over the edge, and I ended up practically carrying him home. It was his birthday. Good thing I'm a big believer in those.

I left Tokyo on Monday and capped the trip with a 2-day stay in Paris to see my uni roommate (another one) Trish, who was in Europe for work. I'd say that if last time I ate my way through Paris, this time I shopped my way through. One BCBG dress, two summer weddings. Not a bargain, but pretty things never are.

Now I have a hellish week of work ahead. All the travel hasn't exactly made me very productive this last... month. Time to get back to work before the next visitor comes along in one week-- the Mom, dun dun dun....