Odawara Castle

Today I took the girls with some friends to Odawara Castle. We were hoping to see the cherry blossoms around the castle but they were just budding, darn! It was still a beautiful day and the castle and grounds were gorgeous even without the cherry blossoms. The girls loved running around the castle and going to the top of the princess tower as they called it!

We paid a few bucks and the girls got to wear princess dresses from the Edo period I believe.

This picture cracks me up. Reagan did not like the hat. She would not have made a very good Japanese princess back in the day!

 Reagan was a much happier princess after the hat came off!

The Japanese Princess Posse.

Wish we had a boy with us, the Samurai costumes were really cool!

Of course they found a kiddie play area!

It was a really fun day, we might have to go back so Daddy can see it!

Hong Kong:: Part two

The next morning we ate an amazing buffet breakfast at our hotel and then headed for the pool. The weather was a bit overcast and it was the only day that was slightly chilly but we had promised the girls a pool morning so we went. The outdoor pool was heated and the girls had a blast!

After the pool we headed to Lantau Island to see the sights there. We rode a huge cable car up the mountain, the ride up took about 25 minutes!

To the top we go! This was just the first leg of the journey

There is the giant Buddha! Reags spotted it first!

Yep, that's Nate in the background. A stranger (so I thought) insisted on taking a picture of me and Aubrey. He was actually trying to get me to buy his picture as well. He shouldn't take such good photos on my camera then. ha!

A reference.

Sister Love. They are so sweet together most of the time, the other part I am trying to forget because it drives me crazy!!

We got our exercise on climbing up to the top of Buddha!

We made it. Little Reagan climbed almost the entire way by herself. Aubrey counted steps to 75 and then lost interest.

The girls love to take pictures. Aubrey is really good, Reagan not so much. Aubrey took this one!

Looking for the Po Lin Monastery

Found it, I think. Still not sure if this was the actual monastery.

Inside glance

Going down!

Our cable car going down had a "crystal" bottom aka glass bottom. It was cool but gave me the heebie-jeebies sometimes when I looked down. 

 Doing the Reagan face.

 After Lantau Island we kept the fun going and headed to the Ladies Market in Hong Kong. Basically it is a  huge free standing market. Didn't take a photo but it was neat to experience and Nate bought a few things (Nate I thought the ladies were suppose to buy things at the ladies market?;). Afterwards we got the girls ice cream and roamed the streets looking at all the lights and activity around us.  

The next day it was time to go home! Even though our flight was in the early afternoon the girls managed to get one more hotel pool swim out of Nate while I packed up. The flight home wasn't as easy, but we made it! Trying to make a connection in Beijing with little ones is not an easy process, that's all I will say on that one. 

We really enjoyed HK but we found the people there are different than what we have become accustomed to in Japan. I want to say out loud that I LOVE THE JAPANESE PEOPLE! I knew they were special but this trip made us realize it even more.

Hong Kong:: Part One

The girls and I just got back from visiting Nate while his ship ported in Hong Kong. We had so much fun visiting Hong Kong and being back together again! Flying with the girls solo is not exactly easy but they did a great job overall.

Nate met us at the Hong Kong airport, we didn't know exactly how it would work so we didn't have a set plan. As the girls and I were wandering around the airport trying to figure out how to get my cell phone to work (never really worked in Hong Kong) we heard him yelling at us from a huge escalator a ways away. The girls started running towards him as soon as they heard his voice. I am getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

We then took 4 different trains to get to our hotel. We did a quick change of clothes and then were off for a delicious Cantonese dinner in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong. We walked up down some of the city admiring the lights and sounds before we called it a night.

The next day Nate booked us a tour of Hong Kong Island through his ship. A bus took us to a few different spots to explore. The tour gave us a great perspective on Hong Kong and we really enjoyed it!  Here are a few pics from the tour.

We took a tram to the top of Victoria Peak. Victoria Peak is the highest mountain in Hong Kong and it was a VERY steep ride up! The peak has a gorgeous view of the city and there is shopping and restaurants at the top.

Going up in the Tram

At one of the lookout points. It was a little foggy but we still got a great view of Hong Kong!

Next stop was the Aberdeen Fishing village. We took a boat to go see the fisherman and their houseboat village. It was very interesting to me. Not sure if you get the idea from the pictures but there would be huge yachts mixed in with very old boats and ways of life. It sort of encompassed the way I saw Hong Kong on this trip. As our tour guide said Hong Kong is an East-meets-West personality, it is very westernized and most people speak English (unlike Japan). The people I saw in Hong Kong were extremely diverse. I was not expecting it to be a melting pot of cultures and people.

The last stop was shopping at the Stanley Market where we bought some souvenirs.  

We also found a really cool outdoor restaurant/shopping/bar strip a few steps past the Stanley Market. That area gave a very British and European vibe. I had no idea Hong Kong was a British territory until 1997. I learned this on my first Hong Kong train ride because the voice on the train was a British lady telling you which stop you were at (in English!). That caught me totally off guard!

As we made our way back to the train headed for our hotel we made some stops on our own. Aubrey doesn't really nap anymore and Reagan can nap anywhere. So Reags took her nap in the stroller while we wandered around the city more.

After that we headed home to get showered up for date night in Hong Kong. Nate had a Navy function to attend at the American Club so we made a date night out of it. It was nice to have some grown up time! The American Club is on the 49th floor in a skyscraper in Central Hong Kong.  It was amazing to see the city skyline view from that location.

Hong Kong Part II coming soon:)

Last week

I took a few pictures of some things we did last week. I am trying to keep daddy up to date on what his girls are doing while he is away.

Found a new park that the girls love!

Aubrey and I were invited to Hina Matsuri which is "girls day" in Japan. Our Japanese host was so welcoming, considerate, and accommodating. She served us a traditional Japanese lunch that is specific to Hina Matsuri. We ate on her heated wood floors and sipped Japanese tea together.  It was really neat to see a Japanese home, it was my first time to be in one. I joined a cultural exchange group where we meet once a month with our Japanese friends, they host a month and then we (Americans) host the following month. After much discussion at lunch it was decided that we will take them to Chili's on base in April. They are so excited to eat in a real American restaurant! 

Aubrey with the Hina Dolls. They are given as gifts from grandparents. Some Japanese women inherit huge displays.

 I met a group of my friends one day for a hike in Taura to see the beautiful Ume blossums. I would like to hike it again with the girls before the blooms are gone but it is quite the hike with lots of steps! At the top of the mountain we ate a picnic lunch and bought Ume wine to share. It was a wonderful day!

This might be my favorite temple so far. Its called Hokoku-ji and its very close to where we live. We stumbled upon it one day running errands. I even had my big camera with me at the time which never happens!

You walk through a garden of bamboo trees with a stone path and little stone bridges. 

In the back of the bamboo garden you are severed Matcha tea (similar to our green tea). They make it in front of you!

Japan is quickly stealing my heart!