Mmm, food

Weisie enjoys a sausage at the Frankfurt Festival.

Mmm, beer

Ben enjoys a beer.

Buffet galore

Our aeroplane was struck by lightning shortly after take off – a first for both of us. There was an almighty BANG, then a moment of dread. I looked to the overhead compartment for oxygen masks, but none fell. No flames and no crescendo of the engines as the plane spiralled into the sea. Notwithstanding this anticlimax, you would expect the captain to get straight on to the PA system and assure his passengers that everything was okay. Not on Lufthansa. Seven hours later, just before we landed in Frankfurt, the captain mentioned offhandedly that a lightning bolt had entered the aircraft just above the starboard wing and exited below the cockpit windows 40 minutes into the flight and that there was no serious damage… well, duh.

We were dazed and confused upon arrival in Frankfurt owing to lack of sleep. It was early afternoon local time but well past midnight where we had come from. We retired to our hotel room after a quick wander around town and learned from CNN that a not inconsiderable typhoon had hit the southern island of Japan.

Having slept our fill, we arose early and waited for the hotel restaurant to open for breakfast. Louise and I are not usually scared of banquets, buffets or Big Macs (the three main B-food groups), but this buffet was daunting. There was Parma ham, an assortment of fine cheeses, fresh coffee, every pastry and breadstuff imaginable, and lots of sausages! We were just about the only people staying there and felt compelled to ensure that wastage was kept to a minimum (this required nearly 2 hours).

Feeling completely stuffed we rolled down the river banks and fortuitously discovered that Frankfurt was holding its annual festival. There was a load to do. So, we bought some Weiss wursts and set about demolishing them. I also managed a chicken schnitzel burger, a bag of roasted nuts and about 2 litres of beer. After that we were knackered so went home to snooze, before squeezing in a pizza for dinner.

Next day we took a Rhine River cruise and saw many castles and drank Riesling by the carafe. Besides the bustling local hordes and smoky cabin, the experience was memorable. We had time to improve on our tan and relax, in preparation for the trip to London the next day.

Hold your nose and cough

Weisie at Owakundai, the stinky sulphur springs in Hakone. We were warned to keep our stay here to under 15 minutes otherwise we might die (which was a bit drastic I thought).

Don’t lean on the mirror!

The day we travelled to Hakone was the best by far. Unfortunately, Mt Fuji eluded us entirely. We did not even catch a glimpse of her. Every map and brochure ensured us that the majestic volcano would loom over us as we sailed across Lake Ashino and rode the cable car up and over Mt Soun-zan. Nevertheless, we paused for a late lunch on the lakes edge and at the sulphur springs, which were at the half way point of the cable car ride (see photo above), to take in the forest and mountain views. On returning to Iyogi, we had a final dinner with Ben and Jess, which still in my mind is still the best Italian meal I have ever had.

The following day we said farewell to our extraordinarily generous hosts and packed our things. Our backpacks, I might add, were at this point so heavy that we could barely lift them. I was carrying a computer and accessories, my entire Garbage Pail Kids collection (which I had sold to a Scotsman on eBay and promised to deliver them to him in the UK), and Louise had both winter and summer wardrobe options (no amount of convincing that one good jacket unzipped was fine for warm weather and zipped-up was fine for cool weather). We lugged our bags to the airport hotel in the scroching heat where we stayed the night in anticipation of our early flight next morning. I photographed the official hotel notice in our bathroom, which read as follows:

For safety: (It is important to adhere.)

* Don’t hang towels, clothes, curtain on the light’s instruments. (There is a possibility for the fire to come out.)

* It is important to use a shower and faucet after making sure of its temperature.

* It is necessary to be mind in the unit-bath room because it is so slippery.

* Don’t lean on the mirror, and throw the thick staff to it.

If anyone can assist me in translating the last warning, I would be grateful.

Torii-fic (sorry)

Louise and Jessica in front of the torii gates of Yoyogi-Koen in Harajuku. Inside the park, you half expected Ninja to drop from the enormous cyprus trees. At the heart of the park was Meiji-jingu, a fantastic Shinto shrine.