Japan in Yayoi (March)

Justin and I went to Japan this last Spring. Taking a break from our day of walking and culture immersion we stopped for a picture in the middle of Ginza-- the Fifth Avenue of Tokyo. We were in Tokyo for 7 days visiting my friend, Yuki. She did an amazing job hosting us and guiding us through the crowded city and subways. Our trip included participating in traditional contemplative activities such as flower arranging, known as Ikebuna and a tea ceremony, known as Sado. Yuki arranged both of these for us as well as time to visit a local elementary school for half a day. The week there went by quicker than either one of us thought possible... Our last day there was spent on a tour of Mt. Fuji and Hakone in which we were able to admire breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji and ride back to Tokyo on the Shinkansen, Japan's bullet train.

A blogger is born

With the help of Justin I've entered the blogging world to share my experiences in Europe this summer with my friends and family. Beth, Justin's sister, and I will fly into Madrid on June 12th and will start our 3 week adventure by taking a long train ride from the Madrid Chamartin station to Paris Montparnasse. From Paris we will finally be close to our destination and will take the Eurostar train through the famous Chunnel into London. After nearly 48 hours of travel, we'll start our England adventures on Wednesday, June 14th, spending 2 full days in London and 1 in Bath. Italy will bring excursions in Venice and Rome and Spain will be our last stop with musings at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, surf and sand in San Sebastian and lots of "Vale!" in Madrid.