Oui oui oui, un sim pour mon iPhone.

Imperia Once More.

Hmm, that makes 6 times.

Travel light..travel fast.

(pfff, from door to door it was a 28 hour trip, grggr).

Oh-No, Mr Mitsuda's suitcase had overweight..

so some of his stuff got dumped into mine..

making it 2x 24KG.

All for me to be carried up and down the stairs.

 remember i'm on the job

Because Yes & Ouch, 

most if not all of the train stations in 

Fancy France and Hip Hop Italia are 

NOT AT ALL fitted out with elevators or escalators.

Wonder how wheelchair and kids-prams handle these modern means of transportations.

After arriving on board, 

we had ample time to get SHOGUN ready for the haul-out.

But we did it and all went well.

The job should be done in 1 week...

oops forgot the piano-piano style of the yard.

Lucky us, the weather is good.

Mind you, still not warm!

See that white fluffy stuff on the hills in the distance?

When the wind comes from that direction...brbrbrr.

But once we turn ourselves around we are reminded that we are indeed in semi tropical Italy.

And the sunrise is as spectacular as ever.

Busy times for Him on the Rooftop.

One day, i took the train to La Douce France 

to pick-up a local internet sim.

Oui oui oui, un sim pour mon iPhone.

The Steps to the Church are Tough 

and in need of some paint.

Sweet sweet Menton Train Station...

waiting for...

a Holy Shitty Train !

Truly disgusting to see these trains.

Inside and Outside.

(hmmm......probably I've been too long in japan.....)

But, i have to admit, it arrived almost on time and the staff is most friendly.

With SHOGUN on the hard, 

we checked into a local hotel.

It's still off-season, so rooms enough.

If you know where to look, you can see the mast of SHOGUN.

A few more days of work and she should be back into the water.

Ready for the TRIP.

Ciao for Now.

On the Road Again: Western Honshu.

This time,

 Esther took us for a spin North.

 To be precisely, to the western part of Honshu.

We left Alishan at 4 AM, to beat the Traffic.

Only a few hours later we were cruising 

the Highways near Hiroshima and...

See the crowd?

Hmm, White Fluffy Stuff ...

..that was maybe the reason why the traffic was far and few.

Lucky for us, the roads were snow-free: 

Esther doesn't have any snow-shoes...

First thing on the list-to-explore...

See that railway bridge?

These duckies gather there.

The local birding group made a nice hidy-ho to observe the

Oshidori. A few wonderful photography hours were had.

BUT...we had to come back the next morning at 7AM

So we did and so did other birders.

 (inside the hide-out under the railway bridge).

Click Click Click

Kwek Kwek Kwek

HUNDREDS!!

For more detailed pictures, 

of course you'll have to zoeff to Marijke's

http://wingsndthings.blogspot.jp/

But there was more to see in this part of Honshu.

 Matsue Castle.

And The Spoon at Izumo Temple.

Don't ask me the details, but at most temples in Japan, 

you'll find  a Cow.

A Cow made of bronze.

And with bronze..it turns dull and green due to O2 and water.

But always, parts of these cows are shining.

Why?

Because rubbing these body-parts...will bring good health to yourself!!

So rub the cow and wash your hands.

BTW, Izumo is the Temple of All the Gods, 

and it has to do with Towing the Land.

  

Some more sightseeing in the neighbourhood.

After a night with +++ rain, an early morning visit 

to the Izumo temples made great photo shooting.

As usual, we cramp inside Esther 

(and sleep the Best of Sleeps).

One night thou, we opted to stay in a traditional ryokan.

Resulting in this Power Breakfast.

Oops, one more.

The famous temple at Tsuwano.

First time we visited this place was 25 years ago....

so we were due. 

Driving south again during a rainy day we explored this awesome gorge. Definite a return-item on the list.

Marijke all excited, as even here some oshidori ducks were spotted.

Last stop was at Tsunoshima's Lighthouse.

Yes, we like mountains, temples, forests, rivers...

but somehow we always have to come back to sea-level.

That was a nice drive.

 (added 1200 K to the clock).

Read More. about Izumo.

Salute.