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Zurich

6 Jan, 2020 | Switzerland 2020

Flew Hobart to Zurich, landing at 14:00 on Monday afternoon. Checked in to the hotel then rugged up to go outside and acclimatise. Walked down to the lake and up into the old town. Visited the Fraumunster Church, with a history dating back to 853 AD. It has stained glass windows made by Marc Chagall in the 1970s. Xmas lights and decorations were still on display and the city had a festive feel.
Next day we caught the train to St. Gallen to see the World Heritage library and abbey. No photos are allowed in the library, so had to settle for a cheesy shot in front of the selfie point. The library is the star, but the cathedral is also impressive. It has 16 confessionals suggesting the monks were poorly behaved. We wandered around the old town of St. Gallen. The abbey backs on to a square with many well-preserved timber buildings that are brightly painted.
Headed back to Zurich for a lovely afternoon/evening walk along Niederdorf and surrounds. As well as attractive old lanes and alleys there was plenty of interesting street art and graffiti.
Spent a misty morning in Zurich before hitting the Swiss Rail system. It was atmospheric down on the lake and we had a lot of fun taking photographs. Went to the Kunstmuseum (free on Wednesdays). Very classy. The Van Gogh and Cezanne room is fabulous, especially on a cold, winter day.

Next stop - Glacier Express

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Glacier Express

8 Jan, 2020 | Switzerland 2020

Caught an afternoon train to Chur. We’d decided to overnight there before joining the Glacier Express and it was a good decision. Stepping out of the train station we had our first taste of getting into the big mountains. Spent a lovely afternoon / early evening walking around the old town (Altstaat).
Next morning we took the cable car to Brambruesch. This got us up into the snow and tested Julie’s fear of heights and edges in a gentle fashion. She passed with flying colours!
Caught the Glacier Express from Chur to St. Moritz next afternoon. As first-timers in the Swiss Alps we found it spectacular. Most of our time was spent gazing out the windows. We discovered that it’s hard to get a decent photo through the window of a moving train. Everyone scrambled to get ‘the shot’ as we approached the famous Landwasser Viaduct. My favourite has a reflection of Julie’s face, a picture in concentration, photo-bombing my shot. Felt a real sense of expectation on the final section which is a steep ascent into St Moritz. It had a bit of drama.
Overnight-ed in St. Moritz. An orgy of Prada and Jimmy Choo in the middle of nowhere didn’t appeal to me. Caught the Glacier Express to Zermatt early next morning. Looking out over a frozen Lake St. Moritz as we prepared to leave was captivating. Credit where it’s due.
Spent all day on the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt. Travel guides rate the relative virtues of various sections, and some are undoubtedly more spectacular than others. We were very happy doing the full journey on our first visit to the Swiss Alps. Mountains, peaks, valleys, forests, rivers, gorges, villages, snow/ snow/ snow… The passing scenery was never boring, at least for a couple of Australian lowlanders.

Next stop - Zermatt and Wengen

Previous stop - Zurich

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Zermatt and Wengen

11 Jan, 2020 | Highlight, Switzerland 2020

Got into Zermatt as the sun was setting. Views from our hotel room were spectacular.
Next morning the views were again spectacular, in a different way. As the sun came up it kissed the peak of the Matterhorn then slowly moved down the east face. The valley lit up and we could see all of the village and other surrounding peaks. Quite a start to the day.
Checked out of the hotel then stowed our bags and took the train to Gornergrat to see the Matterhorn up close. Wow. It was amazing to be in this iconic mountain environment surrounded by clear blue sky. Lots of people skiing back down the slopes. The range of head wear was nice and diverse.
Transited from Zermatt to Wengen via Visp, Spiez, Interlaken Ost, and Lauterbrunnen. Interesting scenery along the way.
Weather forecast looked good the following day so we headed to Jungfraujoch on an early train. First big view from the ‘top of Europe’ is the Aletsch Glacier. Then saw the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger peaks, all under clear skies. That was great for us as tourists, though it was unsettling to hear locals say how concerned they were about the lack of snow in winter.
On the way back to Wengen we hopped off the Junfraujoch train at Eigergletscher (Eiger Glacier). Chairlifts, ski runs, restaurants. The scale of infrastructure in the Swiss Alps is quite amazing. Hopped off again at Kleine Scheidegg. Walked along the ‘Fox Run’ from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengernalp dodging experienced Swiss skiers and inexperienced tobogganing tourists. Lots of fun. Late train back to Wengen.
Julie laid low with illness the following day so I pottered around Wengen. Next day was a transit from Wengen to Geneva via Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken Ost, Spiez, and Bern.

Next stop - Geneva

Previous stop - Glacier Express

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Geneva

14 Jan, 2020 | Switzerland 2020

Arrived in Geneva mid-afternoon. Took a walk down to the lake and around Quai de l’Ile. The lake water flows surprisingly fast. Wandered into the old town and visited Cathedral St. Pierre and its Chapel of the Maccabees.
Next morning we headed down to the lake together. It was fun bobbing around on the little yellow boats (mouettes). Julie took off by herself while I went to my meeting at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
We enjoyed walking around the Right Bank area. Took in the Brunswick Monument and walked along Quai du Mont Blanc and Quai Wilson to Parc Mon Repos. The heavily pruned trees that line the quais were bare of foilage in winter. They looked great against the geometic building facades.
The modern architecture around WMO is quite interesting. We went there on the last morning to take photographs, though it was a very wet day. Back to the hotel via Rue des Grottes. Quite a cool little area with good street art.
Picked up our bags, headed to the airport, and flew home.

Previous stop - Zermatt and Wengen

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Arrived late Saturday night. Headed out on Sunday morning to explore the local district. First stop was Atago-jinja. The word ‘jinja’ means a Shinto place of worship. This one dates back to 1603. It’s a lovely oasis of quiet and green surrounded by roads and skyscrapers. Places like this must have a deep significance for people living in one of the most densely populated places on Earth.

Atago-jinja is built on the highest point in Edo. All of 26 m above sea level, which tells you how flat it is around Tokyo. It’s famous for the 85 stone steps that lead up to the shrine. There’s a legend of a samauri who rode up them on horseback to deliver plum blossoms to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. We stalked Ieyasu and his clan on this trip.

South of Atago-jinja lies Zojo-ji. This is an important temple of the Jodo (Pure Land) sect of Buddhism. It’s a very large complex that dates back to 1393. These days, the temple sits in the shadow of that Gustave Eiffel rip-off, the Tokyo Tower. At first look it’s an odd juxtaposition, but this is Japan. The interplay of ancient and modern is everywhere.

Along one side of the temple grounds is a row of “care guardian dieties of children”. Small statues with knitted caps and capes, plastic flowers and windmills. These are dedications made for the safety of children and memorials for miscarriages and stillbirths. At the rear, within high walls, lies the mausoleum of the Tokugawa shoguns.

To the west of Zojo-ji is Roppongi, a modern district with an emphasis on art and design. Highlights include Tokyo Midtown, 21_21 Design Sight, and the National Art Centre Tokyo.

The area around Tokyo Midtown has some cool outdoor sculpture.

21_21 Design Sight is a building by the architect Tadao Ando. What’s striking is the way it presents sleek lines at ground level, then takes you into a below ground space that is full of light.

Nearby is the National Art Centre Tokyo by the architect Kisho Kurokawa. Its curved facade looks amazing from the outside. The external facade turns curved, transparent wall when you are inside the building and it’s a fantastic effect.

Julie did a ‘high contrast’ photo tour later in the week and took a great photo in this space that now hangs on our living room wall.

The main exhibition on show when we visited was “Vienna on the Path to Modernism“. So we had Klimt and Schiele with our concrete and glass. Pure Japan.

Heading further west towards Shibuya we stopped by the Spiral Building by the architect Fumihiko Maki. It was being yarn-bombed. Walking the streets you see all kinds of cool things. We liked this building that looked like it was coated in chocolate dots.

Timed our run to be at Shibuya crossing in peak hour. First we sought out the “Myth of Tomorrow” mural which has a very intruiging history. Then we picked our spot to watching pulses of bodies wash across the striped tarmac. It is captivating.

Next stop - Nikko

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Nikko

8 Aug, 2019 | Japan 2019, Nikko

In Nikko we splashed out on half-board at a good quality ryokan overlooking the Daiya river. For 3 days we were very well fed and bathed ourselves morning and evening. Resplendent in our daily choice of kimonos. It was all extremely pleasant.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon. The ryokan was a little north west of Nikko central. We chose it because it was within walking distance of the shrine and temple complex and some other interesting places. Checked in then headed off to start exploring. We could but admire Jyokoji Temple from afar – only buddhists allowed!

Our main aim that afternoon was to visit what’s called the Kanman-ga-fuchi Abyss. A path running along the south bank of the river is lined with about 70 stone statues of Jizo, a Bodhisattva who cares for the deceased. Each one is wearing a red knitted cap and a red bib.

At the end of the path is a cemetery filled with monuments and statues, covered in moss and lichen. All you could hear was the rush of the river below. It was quite beautiful.

Next stop - Shrines and Temples

Previous stop - Tokyo

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Shrines and temples of Nikko

9 Aug, 2019 | Highlight, Japan 2019, Nikko

Friday was spent exploring Nikko’s World Heritage shrines and temples. Old Shin-kyo Bridge spans the river near the entrance.

We spent most of our time in the Tosho-gu Shrine which is by far the largest. It includes the tomb of Tokogawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Climbing stone steps from the river you pass through a massive stone torii (entrance gate) and see a giant pagoda.

This leads to the shrine’s main gateway, called the Omotemon, guarded by fiece looking Deva kings.

On the other side of the gateway lies a courtyard with the Three Sacred Storehouses and the Sacred Stable.

Next is the purification building (Omizuya) which has a gorgeous ceiling. Beyond this a smaller torii leads from the courtyard further into the shrine. It’s exciting to feel yourself being pulled through the complex towards the next set of highlights. Through the torii you can see a large gate in the middle with bell and drum towers to the left and right.

Yomei-mon, the Sunset Gate, is most certainly a highlight. It has every form of ornamentation you can think of. It’s said that those who built it were worried it’s perfection would offend the gods, so they placed one pillar upside down as a deliberate mistake.

The degree of decoration and ornamentation within the inner section of the shrine is intoxicating. Gilt and bright colours, burnt wood and matt finishes.

To get to Ieyasu’s tomb, called Okumiya, you exit through the Sakashita-mon (gate). The mantle has a carving of a cat called Nemuri-neko which is much loved by Japanese pilgrims. Exiting the gate you get a nice view over the roofs of the building complex. Hope they have good fire prevention plans in place. It’s a giant tinder box.

It’s quite a climb to Okumiya, and being summer it was hot going uphill. It’s cool and tranquil when you get there. The shogun’s tomb is very simple, in contrast to the shrines and temples below.

We then left Tosho-gu and headed to the next shrine. It’s pleasant to walk between them, providing a break from the intense decoration. Next we visited Futasaran-jinja. Founded in 1619 it’s the oldest shrine in Nikko. It is much smaller and less grandiose than Tosho-gu. The relative simplicity felt calm and peaceful.

Next stop - Lake Shuzen-ji

Previous stop - Nikko

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Lake Shuzen-ji

10 Aug, 2019 | Japan 2019, Nikko

On Saturday we took the bus to Lake Chuzen-ji (Chuzenjiko). The road from/ to Nikko is an impressive one-way loop. At Chuzenjiko we boarded a ferry that circumnavigates the lake. The ferry is hop on/hop off so you can fit a lot into the day. Paddle boats, mountain scenery, waterfalls and lake vistas.

Foreign embassies built villas on the lake in years gone by. We got off at the Italian villa and walked to the British villa. Young Japanese musicians were playing classical music at both villas. We encountered them walking from one to the other.

We caught the ferry back to our starting point, then walked into Chuzenjiko.

It sits adjacent to the very impressive Kegon Falls.

There is an elevator tunnelled through the rock that takes you down to a viewing platform.

Caught the bus back to Nikko in time for a bath then dinner at the ryokan. Relaxing end to a great day.

Next stop - Tamozawa Imperial Villa

Previous stop - Shrines and Temples

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Tamozawa Imperial Villa

11 Aug, 2019 | Japan 2019, Nikko

We had a late flight home from Haneda Airport on Sunday night. The transport system is so reliable that we were happy to spend the morning in Nikko, confident we’d make all of our connections. We walked up to the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park. It was used as a temporary palace for the Emperor and as the Crown Prince’s residence until 1898. The villa has over 100 rooms, with expert craftsmanship inside and sublime views out into the gardens. As a child, the Emperor Akihito was evacuated here in 1944 and we could see entrances to the air raid shelters as we wandered though the gardens. At the end of our visit we went back to the hotel, collected our bags, caught the train to Haneda Airport, and flew home to Hobart.