Life is a patchwork of experiences
Let these photos take you along with me on what I think was the best Rhine River Christmas Market cruise with Riverside Cruises.
What was my best Christmas present this year? A Christmas Market cruise on the fabled Rhine river with Riverside Luxury Cruises.
I grew up with a lot of German Christmas holiday traditions and it’s been my long time wish to experience the authentic Christmas Markets in Germany. My wish came true on a seven day Rhine River cruise from Amsterdam to Frankfurt where each day offered a new celebration of the holiday spirit.
Bavaria’s Wieskirche or the Pilgrimage Church of Wies is a UNESCO site in a beautiful stop if visiting nearby Neuschwanstein Castle.
Bavaria’s Wieskirche or the Pilgrimage Church of Wies, is a UNESCO protected church in the bucolic, green foothills of the German alps. Built in the mid 18th century by two brothers, J.B. and Dominikus ZImmermann, the site became a pilgrimage destination to see the Scourged Saviour, a wooden statue that was purported to produce miracles to those who prayed to it.
When the existing chapel that displayed the wooden figure became too small for the pilgrimage rush, the local abbey commissioned the larger church and shrine – which is Wieskirche we have today. Continue reading “Bavaria’s Wieskirche – The Pilgrimage Church of Wies in Photos”
In this Discovery Princess review, I share a lot of detailed information about the ship from my personal expereinces on a recent cruise.
I have recently developed a love for cruising in all forms. Big ships, little ships, ocean, river, or canal, I love being on the water. So, when I had the chance to take part in a travel writer’s conference on the Discovery Princess, I didn’t have to think twice to sign up.
I discovered the unique art of Temari balls in Japan and collected a variety of examples throughout my recent trip.
I am walking uphill in one of Tokyo’s residential suburbs. It’s my last day of a six week sojourn around Japan, and I am as far as I can get from the Tokyo hotspots of Shibuya and Shinjuku and still be within the greater Tokyo Metropolitan area.
I am looking for a very specialized museum, well off the typical tourist beaten path, but despite walking up and down the sidewalk, I don’t see it. My Google maps app has reliably brought me to the appropriate subway station, but now it says that my goal should be right here. Yet it continues to elude me.
Continue reading “Indulging My Obsession With Japanese Temari Balls”
These are some of my favorite photos that capture the essence of the many different Japanese locations I visited this past summer.
Tori gates are a classic symbol of Japan. These Tori gates snaked up the mountainside at the Takayama Inari Shrine. Though smaller and less visited than the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, I thought it was much more serene and beautiful.
Continue reading “Off the Beaten Path in Japan – My Journey in Photos”
For me, the most moving monument at the HIroshima Peace Park was the Children’s Peace Monument with its statue of Sadako Sasaki holding an origami crane. I am sharing Sadako’s story and how her paper cranes became a symbol for peace.
These were the words that greeted me at the Children’s Peace Monument in the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park. On August 6, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. After the second bombing, Japan surrendered and the World War II conflict in the Pacific was over.
On my fourth visit, I was ready to experience Japan off the beaten path on a cruise with Heritage Expeditions.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
My tour around Japan with Heritage Expeditions, ended, literally, with a big bang!
Continue reading “Japan Off The Beaten Path With Heritage Expeditions”
In this Heritage Expeditions Review I share all my expereinces cruising around Japan on the beautiful Heritage Adventurer expedition ship.
I love cruising, especially small ship cruising. I also love Japan – it’s one of my favorite travel destinations. So, a cruise on the Heritage Adventurer expedition ship that took me to some of Japan’s less visited sights was a dream come true.
Continue reading “A Heritage Expeditions Review – Cruising in Style on the Heritage Adventurer”
On two of my visits to Kyoto, I took a traditional fabric dyeing class at the Kyoto Shibori Museum which preserves and promotes the old traditions for producing decorative Japanese textiles.
The Kyoto Shibori Museum preserves and promotes a disappearing tradition for producing decorative Japanese textiles. On my two visits to the museum, I learned that the Japanese art of shibori fabric dyeing is to tie dying like Leonardo da Vince’s Mona Lisa is to a paint by number canvas – it’s a whole different world of artistry.
I tried a couple of the museum’s shibori dyeing classes where I learned all about this ancient Japanese technique and also went home with a beautiful handmade souvenir. Continue reading “Experience the Kyoto Shibori Museum – Keeping an Ancient Artistic Tradition Alive”
Getting to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park from Tokyo was an easy day trip that I did on my own during my winter visit to Japan.
Ever since I watched the PBS Nature episode about Japanese snow monkeys, I hoped that one day I might be able to see them in person. When I had the chance to visit Japan in winter with my husband, we took the opportunity to do a day trip to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park from Tokyo.
The experience with the snow monkeys was as engaging and entertaining as anything I could have wished for. In many ways, it was like looking in a mirror.
Continue reading “Exploring Japan’s Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park From Tokyo – A Look in the Mirror”
