Back for real

Phew. What an exhausting three weeks. After Bath-London-Madrid-Venice-Rome, I collapsed into my sweet, sweet bed in London, swearing never to move again.

I have broken my resolve to stay in bed for the next week, only getting up long enough to a) get more food, b) queue more Buffy, or c) get another ball of yarn. I have broken it for you, because I feel pictures of baby Japanese deer must be shared!

So here is (knitting free) recap of my vacation, Japan style. Europe will come soon, but I don't want to drown you in photos. Also, it would take foreeeeever to upload them all. Knitting free because I decided I didn't want to have to deal with security and knitting needles. Also, because in the last two days I have knit approximately 1" of 2x2 ribbing. No one needs to see that. Baby deer are much better.

Day 1.
Can you believe this is where the Atom Bomb fell, years ago? This park, the Peace Park in Hiroshima, is one of the most beautiful, serene, and well, peaceful places I've ever been. The only reminder is the A-bomb dome, peeking up in the middle there. It left me speechless, and an emotional wreck. I think everyone should be required to go to Hiroshima.

Day 2.Tokyo. Big City. Big lights. We ate sushi off a conveyor belt and walked around. It was awesome! But big cities are not my favorite places, and Tokyo is really quite busy. I was glad to leave, although I am glad I got to see it!

Day 3.
We went to an amusement park, where Eric insisted we go into the -30 degrees (Celsius) room. I don't know why. I also don't know why there was a gigantic fake polar bear, but here you go.

Day 4.Kyoto is stunningly beautiful. So is the Golden Pavilion. It was truly breathtaking. The Kyoto landscape made me melt into a little puddle, and I wanted to go roll around in the amazingly green moss. I didn't, but I wanted to. (Ah, what academic, informed commentary on these photos.)

Day 5, AKA Christmas Eve.The town of Nara has some free roaming deer. A lot of deer. Really, really cute and smart deer who prey on the kindness of tourists. I was one of those tourists. I soon fell to their wily ways.
Eric also fell prey to their cuteness. (well, that guy's not so cute, but he had character.)

Ah! Deer in the shrines! Cute cute cute! (that one sort of looks like a Llama, doesn't he?)

Day 6, AKA Christmas. I took way too many pictures of ducks, but I will leave you with just this enduring message.

I have about, oh, 300 more pictures, so if anyone wants to see them, let me know. I didn't want to bore you all to death with the other 50 pictures of the deer, although I don't know why you wouldn't want to see them!

Happy 2008.