Amalia – our new boat – is a Sirius 35. We have read a lot about the boat, watched YouTube videos, researched it online, looked at Amalia herself and talked to other Sirius owners, but nothing prepares you for the
After an entertaining (?!?) night on the ferry in the company of a Norwegian couple, we arrived at Gothenburg on the ferry this morning at 9.15am – exactly when the timetable said – and by a complete fluke, we were
Harrowing, haunting, thought-provoking and emotional – just a few of the adjectives that could be used to describe today. The main emotion though was untrammelled anger – anger at the people who made the decision to drop the first A-bomb
Tea …. that essentially British drink …. or? Actually the real history of tea is a Japanese (and Chinese) history – we just came along later and exploited it! Tea was grown in China, but quickly made its way through
The gate (torii) of Itsukushima Shrine is perhaps one of the most iconic views of Japan. The red gate to the shrine appears to float serenely on the water looking like a magical entrance to another land. In a sense
Takayama is an oddity within Japan. The city takes up a larger area than Tokyo – a total of over 2,000 square kilometres and yet it only has a population of just over 88,000 compared to 14 million people in
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning and probably dates from medieval times, though it is not entirely clear exactly when it emerged as a staple ingredient. The taste, aroma, texture, and appearance of miso vary by region and season and
Today was a Mount Fuji day. We had been assured when we arrived at the Hakone Hotel that we could see Mount Fuji from our rooms, but with torrential rain and mist, it stayed resolutely hidden – something which it
Today was meant to be a very full day, but ‘best laid plans of mice and me ….’ and all that, meant that it was quite a quiet day. The plan had been to get the train from Shinjuku to
There are lots of adjectives starting with ‘T’ which might be applied to Tokyo – thrilling, thriving, titillating, trenchant – but one which you definitely wouldn’t apply to most of the city is tranquil. The city teems with life and