We have moved our clocks so far during our cruise two hours ahead, as we sail to our destination – Greenland. It was another sunny day with temps in the low 60’s. The waves were a comfortable 5’ and we once again mounted in our favorite spot by the pool. We had breakfast and lunch in The Restaurant and it was nice to be served at a table instead of perusing the buffet options in the World Cafe. The nice thing about the World Cafe however is…they have sushi, which The Restaurant does not offer.
In the afternoon we listened to a guest lecture given by Corey Sandler entitled “The Beatles Decoded – Rene Magritte, Khalil Gibran & “Sexy Sadie”’. The talk was very interesting as Corey told us the meaning behind many of the Beatles songs. Before the lecture started, he showed some rare recorded footage of the Beatles while they were performing and he delved into the meaning behind the lyrics. There were a few songs I was not familiar with, and I learned a few things I never knew about the Beatles, and it made for a very enjoyable afternoon.
We had dinner in the Restaurant, and as usual, it was an excellent cuisine. We both had a duck and chicken liver parfait and for the main course, lamb chops that were done to perfection. The manager of The Restaurant, J.P., we knew from our Antarctic excursion, and he has been very helpful procuring dinner reservations for us and doing anything he can to make our cruise memorable.
The young lady who arranges the reservations at the specialty restaurants is also very accommodating, as is Allan’s favorite crew member, the sweet girl who serves the gelato. They are on a first name basis now after only three days.
After dinner I went to hear the taped performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. I stayed through the first act but I was not a fan of the music. Give me La Boheme or Madam Butterfly instead.
Then it was off to bed. Tomorrow is another sea day.
Instead of having a day at sea and then visiting Newfoundland the day after, we are in the port of Sydney in Nova Scotia for the day, and the next two days will be at sea en route to Greenland. Because of the change in itinerary, no shore excursions were offered today, since we arrived last minute.
Allan and I went to the little cafe on the ship called Mamsen’s for breakfast, and we ordered the famous waffles. I didn’t get the fruit and the pure peanut butter rolls, but Allan got the works!
After a nice morning relaxing at the pool area, we waited to go on shore to investigate the town of Sydney. Sydney was once one of the main producers of steel in North America and during both the First and Second World Wars, it was a major staging area for England-bound convoys. Today its main industries are tourism and, interestingly enough, customer support call centers.
When the ship docked, Lisa, John, Allan and I walked into town along the boardwalk, and passed the world’s largest fiddle, a tribute to the folk music and traditions of the province’s Celtic community, and then we stopped at an arts and crafts boutique. We then walked over to the memorial for the merchant marines, which tells the heroic story of the sailors on merchant ships who carried equipment and supplies to the Allied forces in Europe during WWII.
Since nothing much was going on except a lot of construction, we walked back to the ship and had lunch. I had a delicious Asian beef noodle soup and I finished the meal with vegetables on a skewer, as well as some steamed veggies.
At 8 pm, we went to the Chef’s Table restaurant for an Asian cuisine. The selections were stellar, and thankfully, there was not a cumin spice to be found like what was in our meal the other night.
The wines that were paired with each course complemented them perfectly and the courses that were presented were absolutely wonderful. We were thinking we should come back and enjoy the entire meal once again. The Chef’s Table changes cuisine every third day, so in actuality, we could be there tomorrow, but alas, we will find another venue for dinner tomorrow evening, which I’m sure will be equally enjoyable.
We finished the evening at the pool lounging on the chaises, to read and then it was to bed.
When we woke up this morning and looked out onto our veranda, we were greeted with the remnants of the sunrise, with the almost full moon shining above the horizon. Such a lovely way to start the day.
At 9:20, after a hearty breakfast, we embarked on a shore excursion that took us to the Citadel, Peggy’s Cove, The Fairview Lawn Cemetery, (where some of the people who perished in the Titanic disaster are buried). and finished the day with a visit to the Halifax public gardens.
The Citadel has 4 fortifications that were constructed after the city was founded in 1749. There is a 30′ wide moat around the Citadel that has prevented any attacks during the wars. The Citadel was strategically important, as it guarded the Halifax Harbor and the Royal Navy Dockyards.
We boarded our bus again and off we went to visit Peggy’s Cove, which is nestled along the shores of St. Margaret’s Bay. The cove is a small fishing community and is one of Canada’s most popular tourist spots.
Only 35 residents live in the cove during the summer with 30 residing there during the winter months. The cove has everything needed to support their lives..a church, a school, a general store, and of course, fish and lobsters!!
The lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove is the most photographed of lighthouses, and it truly makes for a beautiful photo with the rocks that have been smoothed by the winds and the sea crashing below. Many people have perished on the black rocks below the lighthouse because a rogue wave can arise suddenly and sweep anyone who is foolish enough to try to navigate the rocks, to their death. Our guide reiterated many times… Don’t go on the black rocks!!!
One thought as to how the name Peggy’s Cove came about, was when a young child, the only survivor of a ship wreck, was rescued. She was subsequently adopted by a family living at the cove and they named her Peggy, and thus, the area became known as Peggy’s Cove. Others think the cove got its name because it is right off St Margaret’s Bay, and Peggy is a nickname for Margaret. Who knows what the true story is.
(Sadly, right near Peggy’s Cove in the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay, was where on September 2, 1998, Swiss Air flight 111 crash landed killing all 229 souls onboard. The flight took off from JFK – its final destination being Geneva, Switzerland, when an onboard fire caused the plane to plunge into the sea. Ships, warships, aircraft, and submarines came from all over the world to aid in the retrieval of bodies and plane parts. The largest plane part that was discovered was the size of a dinner plate. That’s how enormous the devastation was. Additionally, two paintings by Picasso were on the plane and were never found. There is a monument marking the tragedy on the shore nearby.)
The Cove houses many artists and a famous one, William deGarth, not only painted beautiful watercolors of the sea, but he decided at the age of 70 to become a sculptor, and he created a mural carved in the huge granite stone that was in front of his home.
The work depicts thirty-two fishermen and their wives and children with the wings of St. Elmo, the patron saint of fisherman, protecting them. It also features the image of little Peggy, who deGarthe believed gave her name to the village.
We had a nice bowl of chowder at the Sou’Wester, a restaurant in Peggy’s cove that overlooks the water. The chowder was hearty, but the bowl was rather small and we would have enjoyed having a bit more. The meal ended with a slice of gingerbread cake doused with a generous spoonful of lemon sauce.
Walking around the cove on this beautiful day was wonderful, with the sun shining on our faces, the balmy winds at our backs, and the beauty of the sea right in front of us. It was a lovely place to visit.
The next stop on the tour wasn’t as joyful. The Fairview Lawn Cemetery holds the graves of 121 victims of the Titanic. The graves are arranged in four lines on a sloping hillside within the cemetery. The majority of headstones are small black-granite grave markers with the name of the person buried there and the date…April 15, 1912. Also inscribed on the grave markers is the number assigned to the victim when their body was recovered from the sea.
Some of the graves were nameless as the bodies were never identified, but recently, with the help of DNA, a few bodies were able to be identified and their names were inscribed on the front side of the marker. There was also a larger grave marker for the tomb of an unknown child who perished. It was a somber visit.
We then went to the Halifax Botanical Gardens, established in 1867. The garden is an example of a Victorian garden and most all of the plants and flowers were in bloom, including the dahlia and rose gardens. It was pleasant to stroll around and see the beautiful niches and flower beds that had been created.
Then it was back to the ship where, as we set sail, our captain told us that because of circumstances beyond anyone’s control, we would not be having a day at sea tomorrow but instead would be visiting Sydney in Nova Scotia, instead of visiting L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland on the following day. There was a problem that arose with the pier in L’Anse aux Meadows and we would not be able to dock there.
We finished the day eating at the World Cafe with Lisa, John and a new friend Barbara, dining on sushi and surf and turf. Afterwards Allan and I decided to go to the show Duets in the theater, and were entertained by four singers serenading us with famous songs that became hits when two iconic singers sang them like… I’ve Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher, Streisand and Diamond’s rendition of You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore, and Travolta and Olivia Newton John singing You’re the One That I Want. It was a little chilly in the theater, but cozy blankets were provided, so I snuggled under one of them and enjoyed the show.
The day started out early with a rocking ship. I was a tad queasy so wasn’t interested in breakfast, but I rested on a chaise at the pool and after awhile I went for a bowl of congee and felt much better. (Chi…I didn’t put yogurt in it😂.). The waves were quite something all day, but after my initial queasiness, I was fine.
We read for awhile and then had lunch watching the dolphins that were following our ship. What a sight to see as they dove in pairs along side us.
In the afternoon we went to a port talk about Halifax, where we will be touring tomorrow. The port of Halifax was very important during many wars.
December 6, 1917 saw one of the greatest disasters in Canadian history, when the ship the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying explosives, collided with the the SS Imo, a Belgian Relief vessel outside the Halifax harbor. The resulting explosion, devastated the north end of Halifax, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring about 9,000. It was the largest artificial explosion before the use of nuclear weapons.
Interestingly, significant aid came from Boston, Massachusetts in an effort to help revive the devastation of the homes and businesses as well as to help the families who lost loved ones. To this day, every Christmas, the government of Halifax sends a lighted Christmas tree to Boston to be erected in the town square, as a thank you to for all the aid they sent.
We had drinks with Lisa and John and then went to the Chef’s Table for dinner (menu below). This restaurant pairs wine with each course and the meal was…interesting. The ahi tuna appetizer was delicious, but I wasn’t a fan of the beef dish, as the chef served it roasted with cumin and other herbs. The cumin was overpowering and I just don’t think cumin and beef go well together, so I didn’t eat it. The wines however were very nice.
We again watched a beautiful sunset and all in all, it was a very relaxing day.
We are looking forward to touring Halifax tomorrow.
We traveled through the maze of traffic in NYC with our travel companions Lisa and John, as our fearless van driver navigated the crowded streets of Manhattan, on our approach to Pier 90, where our ship, The Viking Saturn, was docked.
Check-in was very efficient at the pier and since we arrived around 11 am, there weren’t many people presenting their boarding passes and passports, so before we knew it, we were onboard our ship, for our Canada, Greenland, and Iceland adventure.
We were immediately escorted to an emergency station, the place we would flock calmly to if the captain deemed it necessary to abandon ship, This area is where further instructions would be imparted to us and we would don life jackets and board a second means of transportation, aka “the lifeboat”. They served us champagne as we, the captive audience, listened intently to the instructions. (Somehow, I don’t think in the event of a real emergency, we would be guzzling champagne while scrambling into the life boats, but it was a nice touch.) After that enlightening session, we had a lovely lunch in the World Cafe and afterwards, we explored the ship a bit, and then went to our cabin where our luggage was awaiting us.
At around 5, we met Lisa and John for drinks on deck 7, so that we could watch the ship’s departure from port. I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, and there was some confusion as to what side we should be sitting on…port or starboard… for the best view. The crew tried to be helpful, but no one knew the definitive answer, so we decided to stay starboard, and we weren’t disappointed. We sailed past lady liberty in all her glory, with the sun right behind her, and as always, it was a magnificent site to behold.
We then went to ‘The Restaurant’ (that’s really the name of the restaurant) for dinner and had a nice meal with Lisa and John while watching the sun set. After dinner we walked the upper deck in search of the super blue moon that was going to be shining in the night sky, but some wispy clouds were occluding it and we couldn’t see it very clearly. The evening was balmy with a lovely breeze, but we were tired and decided it was time for bed. Once back in bed, however, I decided that I really wanted to check out that super blue moon again, because after all, it happens once in a blue moon, so I went back to deck 8 by myself in my PJ’s, and I was rewarded with seeing it cloud free. The picture I took doesn’t do it justice. Then it was back to the cabin for a good night’s sleep, as the Saturn cruised the Atlantic Ocean, making its way to Halifax, Canada. Tomorrow will be a day at sea.
Well, we’re off on another adventure. We leave from the pier in NYC and will board our ship the Viking Saturn that will take us to ports in Canada, Greenland, and iconic Iceland. I’ll try to post every day, as long as the the internet cooperates, so sit back and I hope you will enjoy the journey.
New York City! Being a native New Yorker (that’s pronounced New Yawker by the way), I need to get back to the city periodically to get my fix of the hustle and bustle of the city streets, to inhale the fragrances that waft through the air, to marvel at the beauty of the skyline, and then of course to scarf down bagels and pizza, which you can’t get anywhere else in the world! Yes, there’s nothing like New York.
First stop: New York Pizza! If you’re a native New Yorker, you eat your pizza by folding it in half, never by cutting it with a knife and eating with a fork. It’s wonderful when the oil and the tomato sauce drips down your chin while you savor each slice. We went to a place called Carve and had our pizza…Margarita style, making sure that our napkins sopped up the oil and sauce before they threatened to stain our clothes.
Next stop: Broadway! I was able to get tickets to the Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, at the Lunt-Fontanne theater, starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The musical is based on a book by Hugh Wheeler and based on a 1970 play Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond. This is the first time since 1980 that the musical was performed as the original production that Sondheim envisioned, with a 26-player orchestration.
It was fabulous! Josh’s voice took Sweeney to new heights and his deep and resonant voice added to the macabre set. Annaleigh was hilarious with her antics, as she fell in love with Sweeney, only to be cast aside literally in the end. They are both up for Tony’s for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and the show itself is up for Tony’s in Best Revival of a Musical, Mimi Lien for Best Scenic Design, Natasha Katz, for Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Nevin Steinberg for Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Steven Hoggett for Best Choreography. They all deserve to win!
Third stop: Hotel Scherman! We checked in to this lovely and quaint boutique hotel on Restaurant Row at 346 West 46th. The staff were so accommodating, and the hotel was immaculate. Our room was spacious – king bed, refrig, and a huge bathroom. Breakfast was included on the mezzanine level patio and offered hardboiled eggs, an assortment of breads, (including of course NY bagels), fruits, yogurts, cereals, and beverages.
Fourth stop: Jean-Georges! We walked from the Hotel Scherman to Columbus Circle, taking in the gorgeous evening and the NYC skyline, on our way to Jean-Georges, a two-star Michelin restaurant (top rating is three-star). We’ve been to French Laundry, in California, which was an amazing three-star restaurant, and Jean-Georges was excellent as well. The menu (below) was diverse, and by the time the last two courses arrived, we were so sated, we couldn’t even finish. (Note to self: Don’t keep eating the savory breads, no matter how heavenly the gourmet butter is.) The least expensive bottle of red wine on the menu was $400 so we purchased two glasses each of a cabernet at $38 a glass. We dined on the 10 course omnivore menu and each bite was bliss to the tastebuds. To enhance many of the courses, a small amount of coulis would appear via a waiter holding a small gravy boat, and the sauce would surround the highlighted offering and add to the savoriness. The waitstaff explained each course to us, and each offering appeared on different and unusual plates – the food atop being artfully arranged. We celebrated our 50th anniversary at the restaurant, since on our actual 50th date last August, we both had COVID. Our waiter presented us with a delicious little anniversary cake. And when we were leaving the restaurant, we were presented with two almond loaves to enjoy for breakfast. It was a romantic and magical evening.
We walked back at our hotel around 11:45 pm and the next day we enjoyed the…
Fifth stop: RiseNY! We had never heard of this museum before, but we were so glad that we found it. It took about 2 hours to go through the exhibits, which (according to a blurb from RiseNY) was a “journey through seven galleries – Finance, Skyline, TV/Radio, Fashion, Music, Broadway, and Film…spot-lighting historic artifacts, and memorabilia from each gallery“. It was a trip down memory lane – reliving famous events in NYC as well as seeing the sets of the famous TV shows like All in the Family, Seinfeld, and at Sesame Street we even met Oscar the Grouch in his garbage can. We watched the Beatles as they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964, and I loved seeing the fashion statements in the Fashion gallery, that featured some of the famous outfits performers have worn through the years.
After we toured the museum, we went on a simulated ride over the NYC skyline! THAT WAS AMAZING!!!! According to the blurb of the museum, “Full motion seats let you dip, turn, and soar, while wind, mist, and scents heighten the experience, creating the sensation of flight.” I have a fear of heights, and in the beginning, I did have to close my eyes, but then, wide-eyed, I enjoyed the rest of the show. It began to rain on the screen, and we were sprinkled with water as the ride soared along. We zoomed over Yankee Stadium, the skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, to mention just a few of the sites. And then, we found ourselves at the soon-to-be 2023 New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, and we were given a blast of cool air while snowflakes flew in our faces as the ride glided to an end. It was so much fun and we enjoyed every minute.
It was a fabulous two days, and we can’t wait for our next visit to the most wonderful city in the world – New York!
JEAN-GEORGES MENU
Amuse Bouche – Sea trout crispy sushi sea urchin, salted butter and yuzu, with a cup of sweet pea soup
Caviar – Coconut semifreddo and dill
Japanese Snapper Ceviche – Turmeric, golden kiwi and elderflower
Yellowfin Tuna Ribbons – Avocado, radish, ginger dressing and chili oil
King Crab – Nishiki rice, vermouth fondue and nori
Spring Pea Dumpling – Smoked morel mushrooms and sansho
Black Sea Bass – Clams, celtuce, spring garlic-sorrel jus
Maine Lobster – Braised endive, passion fruit-whiskey emulsion
Hudson Valley Foie Gras – Rhubarb, lemongrass, Sicilian pistachio
Charred Duck Breast – White asparagus, kanzuri, strawberry consommé
We had quite a delay in getting back home. Apparently a volcano erupted in the Aleutian Islands, causing the plane, that we were waiting for to arrive to take us back to Newark, to be delayed. There was also a medical emergency on that plane, that required the pilot to turn back to San Francisco. So all these things combined, delayed our plane about 6 hours. But, because the crew can only work 13 hours according to FAA rules, when we finally boarded our plane in Tokyo, we had to make an unexpected stop to refuel in San Francisco and to change crew members, which delayed our arrival home another hour. We wound up getting home at 4 am, instead of around 9 pm.
We will miss Japan. It is a beautiful country, with humble and gentle people, streets, subways, trains, buses, and hotels that are sparkling clean, and delicious food that tempted our taste buds at every meal. We met some wonderful people on the tour, and of course our guide Hiro was second to none. We saw so many wonderful sites, and participated in so many amazing adventures, that the days flew by too quickly. And of course…the cherry blossoms. Words can’t capture how truly magnificent they were.
一期一会, which is pronounced as Ichigo ichie. Translated, it means “once in a lifetime encounter.” In other words, you must enjoy and live every exceptional encounter to its fullest, as long as it lasts.
This morning after breakfast we realized that our luck had finally run out with the sunny weather. Rain was predicted for most of the day, but it didn’t deter us from taking the subway to the Daiki Suisan Sushi Seminar, to experience the making of nigiri sushi.
We were greeted by the master sushi chef and we sat down at the table and examined the fish on the tray in front of us: ahi tuna, flounder, salmon belly, octopus, squid, shrimp, and salmon. The chef then had us don plastic gloves so that the sticky rice we’d be working with would not stick to our hands. We made a small ball of sticky rice, weighing it on the scale to the correct weight determined by the chef. Then, we formed the rice ball into a long rectangle, making a dent in the middle with our thumb. We then placed the fish on top of the rice, making sure that the rice was not too visible under the fish. I did mine very carefully and the chef went by and gave me both thumbs up, so I went on and did the same for all the other fish.
The chef gave us a strip of seaweed and we put a rectangle of rice in the middle of it, leaving a small space on either side. Then we wrapped the rice overlapping the seaweed around it and we topped it with a fish, pickle, and I believe sake mixture.
I finished making all my sushi and this time the chef went by and said to me “Beautiful!” (I was the only one who received that accolade, so apparently I am good at frothing Matcha as per the monk and now I’m a good sushi maker according to the chef! LOL!)
The chef then told us a little about his life, and then he brought out all of his sushi knives and told us what they were all used for in the fish and vegetable cutting preparation. It was a very interesting morning, and best of all, we ate the sushi that we made for lunch. It was delicious!!
We thanked the chef, and Allan and I presented him with Hershey candy bars for his grandchildren, and he was very appreciative.
We all went and had some matcha ice cream in the sweet shop nearby, except for Allan who has vanilla since he was pretty much macha-ed out. We walked around a bit in the huge mall under the subway system, before we boarded the subway back to the hotel.
We took the train to the restaurant where the farewell dinner would be served. We walked down a long quaint alley, with little restaurants on either side, and then we arrived at the restaurant. We took off our shoes and climbed the stairs to a room which overlooked the river. We had bento boxes for dinner, and we all thanked our guide Hiro for the wonderful job he did getting us from place to place, regaling us with interesting stories about his life in Japan, and just being a fabulous guide!
After dinner, we took the train to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is famous for its thousands of vermilion colored Torii gates which line the walking trail. It is the most important of all the several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Statues of foxes are found along the trail, thought to be the messengers of Inari.
We had the shrine almost all to ourselves as it was around 8 pm when we arrived, and it was very serene walking under the gates.
We rode the train back to the hotel, and bid farewell to some of our new friends that we wouldn’t be seeing in the morning. We finished packing and went to bed to get a good night’s sleep before our plane ride back home tomorrow.
The fish awaiting us at our sushi seminar
The master sushi chef
Voila!
My perfect sushi that got the comment “beautiful” by the master chef.
The chef’s knife collection
Matcha ice cream
Allan opted for plain vanilla as he was matcha-ed out!
Farewell dinner
Bento box
The narrow street to the restaurant
Gate leading into the Fushimi shrine. No pictures were allowed inside the shrine
We purified before entering into the shrine by washing our hands
I mentioned in a previous post that I participated in some sumo wrestling, and here’s the proof! (I tried using distraction as a ploy, but that didn’t work! This guy was as sturdy as a tree!)
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What an amazing day we had today! After breakfast, we rode in our bus to the Arashiyama area, a serene and peaceful scenic place. We boarded a punt boat that would take us down the Oi river to visit the Asenjo-ji Temple.
A punt boat is a flat-bottomed boat designed for use in small rivers and shallow water. The men (punters) of the boat, propel the punt boat by pushing against the river bed with a pole. We were lucky that the river wasn’t too deep today, since if it was, the poles would not be long enough to push into the river bed to propel the punt boat along.
The scenery along the river was bucolic, with the different shades of green in the trees as spring is just beginning to blossom. There were ducks that followed our boat along the way, and they had gorgeous feathering. We also saw some cormorant in the river as well.
After about a 20 minute ride, we arrived at our destination – the Senko-ji Temple, to meet, meditate, and chant sutra with the monk who lives there.
We had to climb up 240 steep winding steps to the top of the mountain, a feat not for the faint of heart. We all made it, stopping a few times along the way to catch our breath, and to admire the foliage.
At the top, we were all given the opportunity to ring the temple bell three times, by drawing back the rope and beam hammer to make a beautiful sound that carried over the surrounding mountains. We climbed the last few steps and were greeted by the monk. We removed our shoes, and entered the reception hall, where we sat on benches to listen to the monk, who told us about Zen Buddhism and the concept of seeing one’s true nature by trying to understand there is no “I” – that our true nature is empty and willing to accept.
The monk told us how he has trained for years to try to become enlightened, and then he chanted sutra, while giving thanks for our safe travel to Japan, and for our safe return to home. He then guided us through meditation. We sat quietly, practiced our breathing, and focused on a spot three feet in front of us. We breathed in and out slowly to the count of ten, and then we started the count again. We tried to empty our minds of all thoughts. It was very peaceful and gave us all a sense of calm.
We then were given matcha powder with hot water, and after frothing it, we drank it along with a sweet candy, made of red bean paste. (Just want to say, once again, I excelled at frothing, since the monk went by me, peered into my mug and said, “Very good!” I mean c’mon…the monk even said I did good!! 😂)
After our enlightening visit with the monk, we had lunch and then it was off to learn about the history of Ikebana, the art of flower arranging, from a professional Ikebana instructor. Our instructor was a renown Japanese florist, who specializes in the art. Some of his arrangements have been requested by very popular and influential people in Japan.
The florist owner talked to us about flower arrangements, how to arrange the flowers with regard to height, color, length, and of course, incorporating simplicity.
We worked in pairs, so Allan and I worked together, and we were given a bowl, a vase frog, and a clipper. The instructor then presented us with branches of pussy willow, chrysanthemum stems, tulips, and some greenery. He taught us how to open certain flowers, like the chrysanthemums, by rubbing a finger into their centers, how to bend the pussy willow branches, and how to cut the bottoms of all the flowers and greenery…some on an angle like the pussy willow, some straight across like the tulips. He also told us that using sake, will extend the life of the arrangement much longer than using plain water. Huh!
Allan and I had fun positioning the flowers, measuring the length of the pussy willow so that it was about two and a half times the width of the bowl, bending the pussy willow branches into a pleasing arc, and then filling in the other flowers, keeping in mind simplicity.
When we finished our arrangement, the instructor critiqued our efforts. He told us that he loved the way our pussy willows curved and our placement of the other flowers. The only suggestion he had was to cut the other flowers down a bit more. We did that and our final creation met with his approval. It was a very informative lesson, and the knowledge I learned will apply when I’m arranging flowers in the future.
We rode back to our hotel and only had time for a quick bathroom break, as some of us had opted to attend a concert, and we had to take the city bus to get there. The bus was very easy to navigate; you get on the back of the bus, and when your stop comes, you press the button alerting the bus driver you want to get off, and then you walk to the front of the bus with your pass, tap it, and get off. We used the same pass that we were given for the subway rides that we had taken.
We arrived at the home where our private concert would be, and we were greeted by the musicians, a man and his wife. The wife played the koto, a string musical instrument with 13 strings, and she knelt down by the instrument and played the most beautiful and serene song – the notes zen-like. She has been playing the koto for over 65 years and she also teaches how to play it, to try to keep the tradition alive.
She also played the shamisen, a three stringed instrument that originally used to accompany kabuki. The instrument had a long thin neck, and had a beautiful sound when strummed.
The man then came out in costume and played the Shakuhachi, a Japanese flute made of bamboo. This type of music was traditionally performed at the imperial court. He played some songs for us and finished with Amazing Grace, and as the last notes of the haunting melody floated in the air, we were all hypnotized by this unique instrument.
They then played a piece together, composed by a young man who wanted to depict the ocean in song, and we were encouraged to sit back and use our imaginations to feel what the song was saying to us. It was beautiful, and you could almost feel the waves of the ocean crashing, and then receding, leaving its footprint in the sand.
It was a unique experience and we were so happy we were given the opportunity to be part of it.
After the concert, we took the bus back, and 6 of us went to a nearby restaurant to eat Okonumiyaki, a type of pizza/pancake consisting of a batter and cabbage. It is particularly popular in the cities of Hiroshima and Osaka.
And what a feast it was! First, we were served delicious fried potatoes, followed by grilled octopus, with shrimp, pickled cabbage, and bonito flakes, made of smoked skipjack tuna. Then came some grilled beef that was flavored expertly, followed by grilled chicken. And then since we were sitting right at the grill, we watched the chef prepare our Okonumiyaki. After grilling the pancake-like batter, with eggs and cabbage, he topped it with a thick and sweet Worcestershire sauce and drizzled mayo for the finishing touch. It was delicious, and I was sorry we had eaten so much before hand, because we were rather stuffed and couldn’t appreciate our Okonumiyaki to the fullest.
And then, as unbelievable as it was, the chef prepared for us yakisoba noodles (fried noodles), with sautéed bacon. It tasted just like a delicious Italian pasta with a garlic flavor, and even though we were really stuffed, we made room for this delicious dish!
The chef ended with making us French toast with ice cream. I know – how could we possibly eat any more???? But eat it we did, and it was delicious. The French toast has a custard quality to it, and paired with the ice cream, it was the perfect end to the evening.
What a day it was! From start to finish, an amazing opportunity to delve into the culture of Japan and all its wonderful sounds, tastes, and beauty.
The punt boat
Sitting on six inch chairs in the boat
The punter, using a long pole to propel the boat
Cruising along the river
Making our way up to the temple
We each rang the bell three times
The temple reception room
The monk
Making our way back down the mountain
Ikebana. Our bowl and frog ready for our floral arrangement
Our creation!
Playing the koto
Playing the Shakuhachi
Playing the shamisen
Two unique instruments combining to make a beautifully distinctive sound
The beginning of our feast… roasted potatoes.
Grilling the shrimp and octopus.
Then came the grilled beef
Making the Okonumiyaki
Delicious!
Fried noodles
Dessert. French toast and ice cream.
Forgot to mention the other day. These are Sake cups that we received as gifts from the home-hosting visit.
