May 26

Travel Day to Kyoto


The bikes were loaded onto a truck at some point, and we were loaded onto a bus for a 9am departure to Kyoto.  The trip took about 4 hours.  I went out for a walk before breakfast this morning and was glad we weren't cycling today - hot!  We had a brief stop about half way there to stretch our legs and get some food.  This is the last bridge to cross to get onto Honshu Island - Japan's main and most populous island.


A few of us bought tickets for the hop-on, hop-off bus.  I was thinking this would be a good way to see the city without working up a sweat.  Well - good idea, bad execution.  The bus had no inside seating.  We were on the top deck out in the open sun........  And - there were very few sights that we could actually see from the bus.  All seemed to be behind trees or several blocks off the route.  Oh well - we got a good orientation of city.  

One site that we did get off to see was the Kinkaku-ji Temple, best known for its Golden Pavilion.  The Pavilion and the grounds were absolutely lovely.  



Since we got a late start, that was really the only site we were able to explore.  The bus dropped us back at Kyoto Station, which is a site unto itself.  


Back to the hotel and (shockingly!) we found everyone in the bar.  Hung out there for a while and then settled in to the room.


Kyoto

Population:  1.5 million (9th largest in Japan)

AI Summary:  Kyoto, Japan's cultural capital for over 1,000 years, is renowned for its 2000+ temples and shrines, including 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites.  Located on Honshu Island, it is famous for stunning, traditional, and historic sites like Fushimi Inari-taisha and Kiyomizu-dera.  It is the premier destination for experiencing traditional tea ceremonies, kaiseke dining, and geisha culture in the Gion district.  

Comments

  1. Lynn CJune 10, 2026 at 7:12 AM

    Again, only the first pic came through for me... Not sure if it is just my system or if they did not upload...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

Image
Here I go again.  After taking last year off from big bike trips, I thought this one looked interesting.  A totally new part of the world for me.  A new (to me) company, although I know a few people who have been repeat guests with them.   The company is TDA Global Cycling.  It's a Canadian company but they do epic tours all over the world.  Their flagship ride is the Tour d'Afrique.  The trip I'm doing is called "Journey to the East", and is one of their easier trips.     We cycle the length of South Korea from north to south and then fly over to Japan to cycle south to north through that country.  Big miles and lots of climbing, although a few more rest/tourist days than I've had on some tours.  I'm looking forward to being able to experience some of the culture along the way.  I'm always a bit nervous about whether I've bitten off too much, but so far I always manage.  I think I've reached the point in life wh...
Read more

May 2 & 3

Woke up to a notification that my flight was delayed until 5:30 pm.  No problem - time for a long walk, laundry, and a few last minute things. Thanks to Ursula for the ride to the airport. I was there really early, as planned, and beat any rush. The check-in agent hadn’t processed a bike before but with a bit of help I think it got through ok. As the boarding is about to begin, the AirTag shows it in close proximity to the plane. I ate my fill in the lounge and probably don’t need to eat again until sometime tomorrow. Next up - nearly 12 hours on a plane - ugh!  Last I looked, the seat beside me was empty. Fingers crossed….. Once on the flight, they were clear to announce that the flight would be 11 hours and 59 minutes.  Maybe some different regulations are required for a 12 hours flight?  In any case, it was all good.  Well, except for the screaming child directly behind me.  Couldn't listen to audiobooks/podcasts for a few hours at the start of the fligh...
Read more

May 4

Image
Seoul Seoul (according to Wikipedia):  Seoul is the capital and largest city of South Korea.  The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon, emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, behind New York, Tokyo, LA, Paris, and London, and hosts more than half of South Korea's population.  The population of the metropolitan area is over 25 million. Seoul's history traces back to 18 BC.  In the early 20th century, Seoul was occupied by the Empire of Japan.  The city was liberated by U.S. forces at the end of WWII.  The Korean War (1950-1953) brought fierce battles, with Seoul changing hands four times and leaving the city mostly in ruins.  One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins.  Nevertheless, the city has since undergone significant reconstruction and rapid urbanization.  After a numb...
Read more