Sorry everyone
Tuesday 22 February 2022
owch
Just realised all my photos for this blog were hosted via Google Drive on my old account, guess I'll have to re-upload em all sometime.
Wednesday 30 October 2019
My Other Life
At some point hopefully I can post some pictures of my trip to Europe in February 2019.
But until then, I thought I should point out I also have a personal blog which is much more Dear Diary oriented and probably a lot more mature content warning required.
You can see it at http://abnormalitiesandoddities.blogspot.com
But until then, I thought I should point out I also have a personal blog which is much more Dear Diary oriented and probably a lot more mature content warning required.
You can see it at http://abnormalitiesandoddities.blogspot.com
Sunday 28 February 2016
Museum of Wellington City and Sea - Wellington, New Zealand
Since I moved to Wellington a few months ago, I haven't really had time to check out a lot of what is on offer. Which is basically a constant stream of cool things in this city.
But one free thing to do is to visit Wellington Museum down in Jervois Quay, in contrast to Te Papa which is basically our National Museum and exhibition style space, the Wellington Museum is more directly about Wellingtons history.
The Museum is housed in The Bond Store, an 1892 premium heritage building designed by leading architect Frederick de Jersey Clere. It was renovated during the 1990s and reopened in November of 1999 as the Museum of Wellington City & Sea.
To be completely honest I was a bit slack about recording details about things, so these replica crowns and things, well I am just assuming they're there to show our links to the EMPIRE!
Or to taunt anyone who doesn't have a crown of their own..... I don't know make up whatever story you feel would justify a collection of fake blinged up headwear.
And a few swords, because nothing says YAY MONARCHY like medieval weaponry!
This is a statue, not a ghost, I just don't have a steady enough hand for slightly long shutter times.
Because this museum started its life as a maritime museum there are obviously rather a lot of things related to the Port of Wellington, various boats, figureheads, and things of that nature. There are probably a few very impressive knots in some big old ropes there too, but I didn't get pictures.
Basically the bottom two floors are things of this nature, as well as some history about the Bond Store itself. There are also some cool interactive displays around the place as well.
This is a really big crab, I should have stood beside it for some perspective, but it was bigger than my head. And I don't like knowing that there are crabs this size in the universe. What kind of loving god creates these atrocities.
In case you are unfamiliar with New Zealand history, on the 10th of April 1968 a ship called the Wahine was bringing passengers from Lyttelton to Wellington, but as it came in sight of its final destination it was caught in a storm and ran aground at Barrett Reef. Attempts were made to tow the ferry but it was impossible, and eventually the order was given to abandon ship. 52 people lost their lives over the next 48 hours. For more information about that follow the link at the bottom of this entry, OR! visit the Museum of Wellington City and Sea, where you can watch a short documentary film and look at various salvaged parts of the ship.
This wall of notes is basically a space in the museum where you can write whatever you like on a small piece of paper and pin it to the wall. There are some gems up there already including one from a young British girl who claims she is royalty. I encourage you to write your own and put it up there! I certainly will next time I am there... it seems like something I would want to think about a lot before posting.
What We Do In The Shadows is a New Zealand film about a bunch of vampires and werewolves living in Wellington, filmed in a documentary style it is friggen hilarious, written by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Boy). And starring all of the NZ comedy mainstays.
And at the museum you can see some of the costumes! In a kind of miniature version of the living room from their shared house in the movie.
This vampire is just hanging out in the corner of the ceiling... as you do when you are a vampire.
Okay so most of the rest of the pictures here I didn't get stories for, they're just cool things out of context, and that's one of the best way to view cool things I think.
For some reason this reminded me of Return to Oz, how the witch had all of her heads in the cupboard. Only this actually had nothing at all to do with that.
The history of broadcast television in New Zealand, the little TV even plays clips of old timey shows.
This lion was the last one stuffed by Wellington Zoo before they stopped being jerks and stuffing any animals that died in their care. So it's actually a bit sad, but I guess if you've already stuffed an animal like a massive asshole then it probably should remain on display somewhere.
I for one welcome our Meccano overlords! This is actually Captain Cook the first European in Australia and New Zealand. Do you know how he died? In a fight with Hawaiians when he turned up there pushing his shitty colonial attitudes...
Last but DEFINITELY not least, these cool vacuum tube looking lights are actually displaying the time until the next screening in the time machine Ngā Hau which displays cool little vignettes of Wellington history on a cool octagonal display. It was really fun to watch, and there is all kinds of cool environmental lighting and effects to make you feel like you are traveling through time.
Up Next: I am honestly not even sure where I will be heading next, quite probably Zealandia which is a nifty wildlife sanctuary type thing.
Links:
Wellington Museum
The Wahine Disaster
What We Do In The Shadows - Wikipedia Article
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
But one free thing to do is to visit Wellington Museum down in Jervois Quay, in contrast to Te Papa which is basically our National Museum and exhibition style space, the Wellington Museum is more directly about Wellingtons history.
The Museum is housed in The Bond Store, an 1892 premium heritage building designed by leading architect Frederick de Jersey Clere. It was renovated during the 1990s and reopened in November of 1999 as the Museum of Wellington City & Sea.
To be completely honest I was a bit slack about recording details about things, so these replica crowns and things, well I am just assuming they're there to show our links to the EMPIRE!
Or to taunt anyone who doesn't have a crown of their own..... I don't know make up whatever story you feel would justify a collection of fake blinged up headwear.
And a few swords, because nothing says YAY MONARCHY like medieval weaponry!
This is a statue, not a ghost, I just don't have a steady enough hand for slightly long shutter times.
Because this museum started its life as a maritime museum there are obviously rather a lot of things related to the Port of Wellington, various boats, figureheads, and things of that nature. There are probably a few very impressive knots in some big old ropes there too, but I didn't get pictures.
Basically the bottom two floors are things of this nature, as well as some history about the Bond Store itself. There are also some cool interactive displays around the place as well.
This is a really big crab, I should have stood beside it for some perspective, but it was bigger than my head. And I don't like knowing that there are crabs this size in the universe. What kind of loving god creates these atrocities.
In case you are unfamiliar with New Zealand history, on the 10th of April 1968 a ship called the Wahine was bringing passengers from Lyttelton to Wellington, but as it came in sight of its final destination it was caught in a storm and ran aground at Barrett Reef. Attempts were made to tow the ferry but it was impossible, and eventually the order was given to abandon ship. 52 people lost their lives over the next 48 hours. For more information about that follow the link at the bottom of this entry, OR! visit the Museum of Wellington City and Sea, where you can watch a short documentary film and look at various salvaged parts of the ship.
This wall of notes is basically a space in the museum where you can write whatever you like on a small piece of paper and pin it to the wall. There are some gems up there already including one from a young British girl who claims she is royalty. I encourage you to write your own and put it up there! I certainly will next time I am there... it seems like something I would want to think about a lot before posting.
Honestly I have no idea what all of these canes were about, again create your own story, since I fully encourage the use of a vivid imagination when details don't present themselves.
What We Do In The Shadows is a New Zealand film about a bunch of vampires and werewolves living in Wellington, filmed in a documentary style it is friggen hilarious, written by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Boy). And starring all of the NZ comedy mainstays.
And at the museum you can see some of the costumes! In a kind of miniature version of the living room from their shared house in the movie.
This vampire is just hanging out in the corner of the ceiling... as you do when you are a vampire.
Okay so most of the rest of the pictures here I didn't get stories for, they're just cool things out of context, and that's one of the best way to view cool things I think.
For some reason this reminded me of Return to Oz, how the witch had all of her heads in the cupboard. Only this actually had nothing at all to do with that.
The history of broadcast television in New Zealand, the little TV even plays clips of old timey shows.
This lion was the last one stuffed by Wellington Zoo before they stopped being jerks and stuffing any animals that died in their care. So it's actually a bit sad, but I guess if you've already stuffed an animal like a massive asshole then it probably should remain on display somewhere.
I for one welcome our Meccano overlords! This is actually Captain Cook the first European in Australia and New Zealand. Do you know how he died? In a fight with Hawaiians when he turned up there pushing his shitty colonial attitudes...
Last but DEFINITELY not least, these cool vacuum tube looking lights are actually displaying the time until the next screening in the time machine Ngā Hau which displays cool little vignettes of Wellington history on a cool octagonal display. It was really fun to watch, and there is all kinds of cool environmental lighting and effects to make you feel like you are traveling through time.
Up Next: I am honestly not even sure where I will be heading next, quite probably Zealandia which is a nifty wildlife sanctuary type thing.
Links:
Wellington Museum
The Wahine Disaster
What We Do In The Shadows - Wikipedia Article
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
Summer Star Trek - Mirror, Mirror - Wellington, New Zealand
Summer Star Trek is basically a local performance troupe recreating Star Trek episodes on a minimal budget outdoors. These gigs are inspiring and inventive with their use of sounds (provided by their band Trouble with Trebles) and handmade props. This charming young lady is the Enterprise's computer for example.
Back for their third year Summer Star Trek this year was classic Star Trek episode Mirror, Mirror. In which Captain Kirk and his away team find themselves transported to a dark alternate universe, where science officers have goatees and everyone is an assassin.
One of the really cool aspects of this performance is how people often become objects... for example the lady in the background of the above picture is a door, and when people walk through she says "WOOOSH!" at another point in the show some people wearing shiny outfits were "force fields" which was totally clear when they started waving sparkly strands of something.
Another cool aspect of the show is the amount of comedy included, but let me be clear this is not satire, they are not mocking the source material just giving it a few sly winks and nods. Spock is clearly out of his Vulcan mind here....
Audience participation is a pretty big part of it, joining in on the preshow sing-a-long is basically mandatory, and when this kid decided to run up and get amongst it, and the actors just rolled right along with it. Artists!
Happily back on the Enterprise and chasing skirt.... exactly the Kirk we need!
This show while technically free, relies on donations from the crowd at the end, just pay what you can. It was definitely worth everything I gave them though.
Next up: Wellington Museum
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
Thursday 28 May 2015
Seaward Bush - Southland, New Zealand
This post is mostly just a collection of photographs from my recent walk through the Seaward Bush Reserve which is only about a 10 minute drive from my parents house! Bonus nearby nature!
There are actually loads of these places in New Zealand, so if you just want to feel like you are in Middle Earth just stroll into one of these and go for a wander.
Partly I went for this walk to take photos, and get some practice, and I can heavily recommend forest type situations as a good method for learning to cope with shifting light values. Every few metres I was adjusting for ambient light.
I also used manual focus, and all manual mode just for a change of pace, a huge amount of my photos before were shot using Aperture Priority mode.
New Zealand really is a beautiful country though, and a nice 45 minute walk helped remind me of that.
It also kinda makes me want to take on a more serious adventure, like the Milford Track.
Things growing on other things are cool.
And almost out!
So there we go people, a very quick trip through a neat little New Zealand nature reserve... I have no idea what my next blog post will be about, but there definitely will be one I promise.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
There are actually loads of these places in New Zealand, so if you just want to feel like you are in Middle Earth just stroll into one of these and go for a wander.
Partly I went for this walk to take photos, and get some practice, and I can heavily recommend forest type situations as a good method for learning to cope with shifting light values. Every few metres I was adjusting for ambient light.
I also used manual focus, and all manual mode just for a change of pace, a huge amount of my photos before were shot using Aperture Priority mode.
New Zealand really is a beautiful country though, and a nice 45 minute walk helped remind me of that.
It also kinda makes me want to take on a more serious adventure, like the Milford Track.
Things growing on other things are cool.
And almost out!
So there we go people, a very quick trip through a neat little New Zealand nature reserve... I have no idea what my next blog post will be about, but there definitely will be one I promise.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
The Aurora Australis
The Aurora is a phenomenon mostly linked with places like Norway, Sweden, Alaska and other icy nasty freezing places and is generally referred to as "The Northern Lights". What most people don't realize is that there are also "The Southern Lights" which are visible in Antarctica (okay another icy nasty freezing place) but also from New Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia.
So some factoids, since we love factoids here... Aurora is a Latin word for "dawn" and the Roman Goddess of Dawn.
Aurorae are basically caused by solar activity, interacting with our atmosphere, various charged particles and magnetism cause these very awesome displays (this is a VERY rough description if you want some hardcore science visit the Wikipedia article at the bottom)
The Vikings believed that the aurora was caused by Valkyries flying through the sky and the light was flashing from their armour. I like that as a theory, it is cooler than the science.
So how can you see the aurora? I have linked at the bottom a resource which alerts when solar conditions are likely to generate one (at least in New Zealand), and then you simply need to find a location with a clear view to the south. MOST aurorae are not visible to the naked eye, except very strong ones.... so how the hell do we get these pictures?
Take your DSLR camera (since naturally you all have one), preferably mounted on a tripod.
You want to set a shutter speed of around 30 seconds, set your ISO to 1600 at least for your first shot, focus on something and lock that focus, and then aim at the aurora area. Take a shot, this one will likely be a throw away, it will let you know if you need to change your ISO or Aperture to allow more light in if the shot is too dark. Or too light which is a little unlikely. Keep playing until you get it right.
Below is a collection of links of interest to anyone who would like more information about aurorae, and the awesome community of people who hunt them... in New Zealand we even have a nice community group called Dark Skies also linked below.
NEXT UP! Some nature shots from a bush walk I took one sunny winter afternoon.
Useful Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora
http://www.aurora-service.net/aurora-forecast/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NZaurora/
http://www.darkskies.nz/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
Aurorae are basically caused by solar activity, interacting with our atmosphere, various charged particles and magnetism cause these very awesome displays (this is a VERY rough description if you want some hardcore science visit the Wikipedia article at the bottom)
The Vikings believed that the aurora was caused by Valkyries flying through the sky and the light was flashing from their armour. I like that as a theory, it is cooler than the science.
So how can you see the aurora? I have linked at the bottom a resource which alerts when solar conditions are likely to generate one (at least in New Zealand), and then you simply need to find a location with a clear view to the south. MOST aurorae are not visible to the naked eye, except very strong ones.... so how the hell do we get these pictures?
Take your DSLR camera (since naturally you all have one), preferably mounted on a tripod.
You want to set a shutter speed of around 30 seconds, set your ISO to 1600 at least for your first shot, focus on something and lock that focus, and then aim at the aurora area. Take a shot, this one will likely be a throw away, it will let you know if you need to change your ISO or Aperture to allow more light in if the shot is too dark. Or too light which is a little unlikely. Keep playing until you get it right.
Below is a collection of links of interest to anyone who would like more information about aurorae, and the awesome community of people who hunt them... in New Zealand we even have a nice community group called Dark Skies also linked below.
NEXT UP! Some nature shots from a bush walk I took one sunny winter afternoon.
Useful Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora
http://www.aurora-service.net/aurora-forecast/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NZaurora/
http://www.darkskies.nz/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
Home
So after something in the region of 13 years I finally decided it was time to head back to New Zealand. This was a fairly difficult decision, I had been unwell for quite some time in Germany by the time I decided I should give in and go home. But it was also a decision based on being so far from my family and my father who has been sick, and also because I missed being able to engage in random conversations with strangers. (Yes this was technically becoming possible through my German classes, but not quickly enough)
It has been a little strange to be here, this is the first time that I have been unemployed in almost 15 years, and living on the government assistance that I receive is just awful. I have no idea how anybody does it. I am just lucky that I can live with my parents for awhile as well.
I have mostly been enjoying the time to relax, feel better (yes my health has been great since coming home), and to just enjoy my home country for a change.
Right now I am actively looking for jobs, there are some prospects but nothing certain for now... will I end up staying in New Zealand? I am not certain yet... but everything is being handled one day at a time for now.
And what about this blog? Since I have walked back home.... I am actually going to keep it up, there will be a post about the Aurora Australis, and one about Seaward Bush a neat little bush walk near my house.
I don't aim for my travels to be over either, I want to visit some friends in America within the next two years, and I still have things to see in Europe and some cherished people there who will be overdue for a hug by the time I can get back there.
Love,
Abigail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
It has been a little strange to be here, this is the first time that I have been unemployed in almost 15 years, and living on the government assistance that I receive is just awful. I have no idea how anybody does it. I am just lucky that I can live with my parents for awhile as well.
I have mostly been enjoying the time to relax, feel better (yes my health has been great since coming home), and to just enjoy my home country for a change.
Right now I am actively looking for jobs, there are some prospects but nothing certain for now... will I end up staying in New Zealand? I am not certain yet... but everything is being handled one day at a time for now.
And what about this blog? Since I have walked back home.... I am actually going to keep it up, there will be a post about the Aurora Australis, and one about Seaward Bush a neat little bush walk near my house.
I don't aim for my travels to be over either, I want to visit some friends in America within the next two years, and I still have things to see in Europe and some cherished people there who will be overdue for a hug by the time I can get back there.
Love,
Abigail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Super lazy unmotivated creature of Sloth
I haven't really traveled in awhile, and even when I did, I really just didn't feel like picking up my camera at any point.
And its not that there would have been nothing to take a picture of, it's just a general feeling of apathy recently. Like I am just auto piloting along with no real highs or lows, just a general consistent flow of things.
I am trying to snap out of that... but it's not easy when your social contact is so heavily limited to Facebook or a handful of people.
I visited London for a Star Trek convention which was really fun and had my picture taken with the Next Generation crew (well most of them).
Somewhere back in time a very young Abigail would be astounded by that.
And yet jaded slightly empty feeling Abigail just floated through that moment as well.
In Sydney I would have considered myself an extrovert easily, I loved to be the center of attention and was constantly talking to new people. And now I rarely talk to anyone unless there is some special need for it.
I don't honestly know which method is better, but I have a feeling I was happier when I was an extrovert and that being away from the source of so much amusement has not done anything good for my head.
All of the amazing moments, beautiful places, and once in a lifetime things I have done these past 2.5 years are great. They are. But they're not as great as regular hugs and conversations with people that actually MEAN something.
Anyway... this is my one emo post about this. Just to vent. And to apologize for those that expect more posts and I have not provided for.
Peace out kids.
And its not that there would have been nothing to take a picture of, it's just a general feeling of apathy recently. Like I am just auto piloting along with no real highs or lows, just a general consistent flow of things.
I am trying to snap out of that... but it's not easy when your social contact is so heavily limited to Facebook or a handful of people.
I visited London for a Star Trek convention which was really fun and had my picture taken with the Next Generation crew (well most of them).
Somewhere back in time a very young Abigail would be astounded by that.
And yet jaded slightly empty feeling Abigail just floated through that moment as well.
In Sydney I would have considered myself an extrovert easily, I loved to be the center of attention and was constantly talking to new people. And now I rarely talk to anyone unless there is some special need for it.
I don't honestly know which method is better, but I have a feeling I was happier when I was an extrovert and that being away from the source of so much amusement has not done anything good for my head.
All of the amazing moments, beautiful places, and once in a lifetime things I have done these past 2.5 years are great. They are. But they're not as great as regular hugs and conversations with people that actually MEAN something.
Anyway... this is my one emo post about this. Just to vent. And to apologize for those that expect more posts and I have not provided for.
Peace out kids.
Wednesday 3 September 2014
Kyoto, Japan
In June I visited Japan for a work trip, and thankfully managed to have one day in Kyoto for some sightseeing. Normally on work trips I might see the inside of a mall or video arcade for a few hours so it was really a treat to be taken around a series of temples by some of my Japanese colleagues.
So here we go... lets see how much of this I can remember, and how much Wikipedia can help pad out my storytelling.
Our first stop in Kyoto was a really nice tofu restaurant called Nanzenji Junsei, which is nearby Nanzenji Temple. I will freely admit that I am not a massive fan of tofu normally speaking but this place made some truly amazing stuff. I highly recommend their baked tofu. And just because its such a fancy place they even had their own Koi pond. Pretty right?
So after a tasty lunch we first visited Nanzenji Temple, built in 1264 by Emperor Kameyama, and its site was selected because it was the Emperor's favorite place for natural beauty.
After some time the Emperor became a monk following the faith of chief priest Daiminkokushi, and so he donated his villa as a Zen temple in 1291. (forgive the laziness I am literally copying this from the tourist pamphlet I found in my suitcase... that's what passes as research today, checking a suitcase)
In Kyoto there is a system for five great temples (Kyoto Gozan), this temple is not one of those five, instead it presides over them. And it has since its establishment. In 1386 a new system was declared with Nanzenji at the top in its own category as "First Temple of The Land"
These photos are at the Hattō, which is basically one of the gates.
And this very dark room was inside the Hōjō, I think
After that we went to visit a little more cheerful shrine, which also acts as a very busy marketplace and social hot spot.... this is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is the head shrine of Inari the kami (spirit) of foxes. Inari specifically encourages agriculture, industry, general prosperity and success. And was the patron for sword-smiths and merchants.
We did not explore the whole shrine since it is basically an entire mountain and we were running out of time, so then we drove to the Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), which has the official name Rokuon-ji (Deer Garden Temple)... but I think people are just excited about the Golden Pavilion so they call it that ;)
And of course many opportunities to try to have a wish fulfilled (if you can aim a Japanese coin at a bowl, this may be a new career path for beer pong players)
By this stage in the day I was just taking pictures of anything pretty or hilarious... as evidenced below.
I honestly have no idea what my next post will be.... maybe I will see how many photos of a Star Trek convention I can get ;)
Update: the answer to that was about three..... and a serious hangover.
Further reading:
Nanzenji Junsei (great tofu)
Nanzenji Temple
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Torii
Inari Ōkami
Kinkaku-ji
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
So here we go... lets see how much of this I can remember, and how much Wikipedia can help pad out my storytelling.
Our first stop in Kyoto was a really nice tofu restaurant called Nanzenji Junsei, which is nearby Nanzenji Temple. I will freely admit that I am not a massive fan of tofu normally speaking but this place made some truly amazing stuff. I highly recommend their baked tofu. And just because its such a fancy place they even had their own Koi pond. Pretty right?
It feels odd to me to be starting a blog entry with pictures from a restaurant, but the place was just so pretty and traditional that I took a lot of pictures there haha.
So after a tasty lunch we first visited Nanzenji Temple, built in 1264 by Emperor Kameyama, and its site was selected because it was the Emperor's favorite place for natural beauty.
After some time the Emperor became a monk following the faith of chief priest Daiminkokushi, and so he donated his villa as a Zen temple in 1291. (forgive the laziness I am literally copying this from the tourist pamphlet I found in my suitcase... that's what passes as research today, checking a suitcase)
In Kyoto there is a system for five great temples (Kyoto Gozan), this temple is not one of those five, instead it presides over them. And it has since its establishment. In 1386 a new system was declared with Nanzenji at the top in its own category as "First Temple of The Land"
These photos are at the Hattō, which is basically one of the gates.
And this very dark room was inside the Hōjō, I think
After that we went to visit a little more cheerful shrine, which also acts as a very busy marketplace and social hot spot.... this is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is the head shrine of Inari the kami (spirit) of foxes. Inari specifically encourages agriculture, industry, general prosperity and success. And was the patron for sword-smiths and merchants.
This place was really vast and basically covers most of a mountain, so I thought I should include a map for your perusal.
Here you can see a Torii, these are a type of gate designed to signify that you are crossing into a sacred space.
So then why here are there lots of these gates? This is common to Inari shrines because people who have been successful in their life like to donate a Torii to thank Inari. The name of the donator is normally inscribed on the Torii.
Once you walk through several hundred of these gates you arrive at the Inner Shrine, here you can receive various blessings, try to win wishes and there are some merchants around.
We did not explore the whole shrine since it is basically an entire mountain and we were running out of time, so then we drove to the Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), which has the official name Rokuon-ji (Deer Garden Temple)... but I think people are just excited about the Golden Pavilion so they call it that ;)
And so they should be look how pretty that thing is!
Interesting thing about the pavilion is that it actually mixes three different architectural styles for each level: shinden, samurai and zen.
Around the pavilion are of course beautiful gardens, and a really nice walk around the pond.
And of course many opportunities to try to have a wish fulfilled (if you can aim a Japanese coin at a bowl, this may be a new career path for beer pong players)
By this stage in the day I was just taking pictures of anything pretty or hilarious... as evidenced below.
I honestly have no idea what my next post will be.... maybe I will see how many photos of a Star Trek convention I can get ;)
Update: the answer to that was about three..... and a serious hangover.
Further reading:
Nanzenji Junsei (great tofu)
Nanzenji Temple
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Torii
Inari Ōkami
Kinkaku-ji
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial license.
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