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Vienna – Kaiserliche Schatzkammer

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The Kaiserliche Schatzkammer or the Imperial Treasury of Vienna! Where we are hoping to see all the things that we have seen copies of so far! lol For people into medieval embroidery or early medieval gold work, this place really is a treasure trove. I was super excited to be here, before we even entered the building.

Tabard of the Herald of the Princely County of Tyrol -Johann Fritz (embroider)
Vienna, 1838, Silver lamé, velvet, gold, silver and silk embroidery, silver fringing braid.

From the Left: 1) Staff of the Grand Controllers – Southern German, 1600-1610. 2) Staff of the Grand Steward of the County of Gorlzia – Southern German, c.1660. 3) Staff of the Hungarian Grand Equerry – Vienna, 1700-1725. 4) Staff of the Grand Comptroller – Vienna, 1835. 5) Cane of the Grand Equerry – Vienna, 1790-1800. 6) Staff of a Master of Ceremonies – Vienna, 1800-1850. 7) Staff of a Junior Master of the Table – Vienna, 1800-1810. Staff of the Grand Master of the Table – Vienna, 1835. 8) Staff of a Master of Ceremonies – Vienna, 1800-1835. 9) Staff of a Grand Master of Ceremonies – Vienna, 1850-1900…. Wood or cane, bronze, gilded, and silver mounts.

The Hereditary Banner of Austria. Austria, c.1705.
Silk, damask, embroidered with metal and silk threads.

Keys of the Imperial Chamberlain, from 1711 to 1918.
As a sign of their privileged status chamberlains at the Habsburg court wore a key that symbolized their access to the ruler’s chambers. The office of chamberlain was reserved to members of the high nobility. The holders of this office belonged to the “first society” and were part of the emperor’s retinue at official ceremonies. The falconer’s gear as well as the tabards and staffs on view here are similarly the insignia of various officials or families in the hereditary lands and indicate their rank and status.

Dog Collar, Insignia of the Grand Master of the Hunt, Vienna, 1838.
Velvet, leather gold embroidery. Mounts silver mounted.

Austrian Archducal Coronet of Joseph II, c.1764. Silver glided, diamonds, semi-precious stones removed.
As early as the reign of Duke Rudolf IV (1339-65) the Habsburgs pursued the goal of being raised to the dignity of archduke. Their claim was finally recognized in 1453, and the archducal coronet, an insignia resembling a crown became the official symbol of Habsburg rule in the hereditary lands. Such an insignia was created for Archduke Joseph in 1764 based on medieval models.
The coronet’s gold foil frame, or “carcass”, is exhibited in this room. The jewels were soon removed from the coronet to be used for other purposes.

Insignia for the Hereditary Grand Master Falconer, Vienna, 1835. Leather, velvet, gold braid, gold embroidery and feathers. Falconers pouch and two falcon’s hoods.

Tabard for the Herald of the Roman King, Vienna, 1600-1650; gold lamé, satin, gold embroidery, finger border, glass beading.

Tabard for the Herald of the Roman Emperor, Vienna, 1613 and 1719.
Gold lamé, silk and glass.

Tabard for the Herald of Emperor Francis I Stephen, Vienna, 1775-1750.
Velvet, satin, gold and silver lamé, gold silver and silk embroidery, gold and fringe border.

Tabard for the Herald of the King of Bohemia, Vienna, 1600-1700.
Velvet, gold and silver embroidery, fringing braid, glass beading.

Tabard for the Herald of the King of Hungary, Vienna, 1600-1700.
Silver lamé, gold, silver and silk embroidery, fringing braid.

Crown of Emperor Rudolf II, later crown of the Austrian Empire
Jan Vermeyen goldsmith, Prague, 1602.
Gold, enamel, diamonds, rubies, spinels, sapphires, pearls, velvet

Imperial orb for the crown Rudolf II.
Andreas Osenbruck goldsmith, Prague, 1612-1615.
Gold, enamel, diamonds, rubies, sapphire, pearls.

Sceptre for Emperor Matthias for the crown of Rudolf II.
Andreas Osenbruck Goldsmith, Prague, 1615.
Ainkhürn (narwhal tooth), gold, enamel, diamonds, rubies, sapphire, pearls.

Ceremonial robes of a Knight of the Hungarian Order of St Stephen, Vienna, c.1764.
Velvet, fake ermine, gold and silver embroidery, gimped embroidery in gold.

Robes of a Knight of the Austrian Order of Leopold, Joseph Fisher (1769-1822), Vienna, c.1808.
Gros de tours, fake ermine, gold embroidery, metal foil, ostrich feather, silk

Mantle of the Austrian Emperor, designed by Philipp von Stubenraüch (1784-1848), Vienna, c.1830.
Velvet, gimped embroidery in gold, Paulette’s, gold braid, ermine and silk.

Robes of a Knight of the Austrian Order of the Cross, designer Philipp von Stubenraüch (1784-1948), Vienna 1815/16. Velvet, silver embroidery, leather silver embroidery.

Conronation vestments of the Kingdom of Lombardy and Venetia,
Designer Philipp von Stubenraüch (1784-1848), Vienna, 1838.
Velvet, gimped embroidery, gold, ermine, moiré, gold and silver embroidery.

The Robes worn by King of Bohemia as Elector, Vienna or Prague, c. 1625-1650…
Mantle, gloves and matching ermine hat.

Jewellery Box of Empress Marie Louise, Paris, 1870, silver gilded velvet.
Martin Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843) and Augustin Dupré (1748-1833).

Marie Louse, Empress of the French (1791-1847).
Francois Pascal Simon Gerard, Paris, 1812, oil on canvas.

Cradle of the King of Rome, Paris, 1811. Silver gilded, gold, mother of pearl, velvet, silk, tuile, gold and silk embroidery. Designers and craftsmen: Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (1758-1823), Henri-Victor Roget (1758-1830), Jean-Baprise-Claude Odiot (1733-1850), Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843).

Ewer and Basin used for Imperial Baptisms, Spanish Master, 1571, gold and partly enamelled.

Diamond Sabre, Turkish, 1650-1700, Vienna, c.1712.
Damascened steel, gold, silver, partly gilded, diamonds, wood, leather.

Two Chains of the Order of the Golden Fleece, court jeweller A.E. Kochert, Vienna, c.1873.
Gold, partly enamelled, diamonds, rubies.

Two Bouquets of Flowers, Florence, c.1680-1700. Gold, partly enamelled, silver gilded, precious stones.

LEFT: Hair Amethyst, Spain, c.1665-1700. Amethyst, gold and emeralds.
RIGHT: Fire Opal, Origin Hungarian, c.1650. Opal, gold and enamelled.

Hyacinth, “La Bella”, Vienna, c.1687. Garnet, gold, silver gilded, enamelled.

Egg Cup form the estate of King Louis XVI of France (1754-1793), Paris, c.1774/80. Silver gilded.

Family Tree showing Kings and Emperors from the House of Habsburg. Gold and chalcedonies.
Tree: Vienna, 1725-30. Intaglios: Christoph Dorsch (1675-1732), Nuremberg, 1725/30/

Cameo showing the Portrait fo Emperor Franz I – Giovanni Beltrami (1777-1854).
Made before 1840. Onyx, and enamelled gold.

Set of Jewels from the estate of Archduchess Sophie (1805-1872), Paris, 1809/19.
Gold, silver, diamonds, emeralds, topazes.

Emerald Unguentarium, Dionysius Miseroni, Prague, c.1641. Emerald 2860 carat, enamelled gold.
‘As early as the 17th century the 2,680-carat emerald vessel was regarded as one of the most famous objects in the Imperial Treasury. The tremendous value of this unique showpiece, whose lid was cut out of the jewel’s interior, is illustrated by the story that Genoese jewellers declined to value it as security for a loan which Emperor Ferdinand III (1608-57) sought, avowing that they were not accustomed to dealing with such large pieces.’
Sadly the light in here is so bad, that I had to pluck an image off the internet.

Crown of Stefan Bocskay, Turkish, c.1605. Gold, precious stones, pearls and silk.

Case for the Crown of Stefan Bocskay, Turkish, c.1605. Fabric: Persian, c.1600, wood and silk.

Hungarian Opal Jewellery Set, Egger Bros, Budapest, c.1881.
Gold, enamelled, Hungarian opals, diamonds, rubies.

The “Two Considerable Treasures” – Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-64) bequeathed to his successor, Emperor Maximilian II, two treasures of special importance: an enormous agate bowl (about 50cm across), and the “Ainkhürn” or unicorn horn. It was laid down that these two pieces would forever remain in the possession of the eldest male member of the family in perpetuity as ‘inalienable heirlooms’ and could not be sold or given as gifts.

Agate Bowl, Constantinople, 300-400AD. Carved from a single piece of agate.

“Ainkhürn”or Unicorn Horn.
Ferdinand I received the “Ainkhürn” as a gift from King Sigismund II of Poland in 1540. During this age the mythical unicorn was thought to be an actual animal, which might only be captured in a virgin’s lap. The unicorn was thus regarded as an allegory of Christ, and its horn a symbol of divine power, from which secular dominion was derived. The horn, which was also thought to be an antidote to poison, was traded in Europe at tremendous prices. Only in the 17th century was it recognized that what had been believed to be unicorn’s horn was in fact the twisting tusk of the narwhal (Monodon monoceros).

I WANT ONE!

Amber Altar, Northern Germany, c.1640/45. Amber, partly painted, metal foil, wax, wood.


The Adoration of the Shepherds, Central Italy, Florence?, Early 17thC.
Oil on alabaster, wood, copper, silver.

The Bag of King Stephen of Hungary, Russia, c. 1080-1120.
Gold and silk embroidery on silk, smokey quartz.

Ivory Reliquary Box, Sicily, 12thC. Ivory on wooden core, brass fittings.

Christophorus Relief, Upper Rhine, c.1475-1500, cast copper, gold-plated, glass stones.

Chalice from the Propety of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
Circle of the Rondino Di Guerrino, Sienna, c.1375. Silver, gold plated copper, pit enamelled.

Late Gothic Chalice, Hungary, c.1500. Gold plated silver, gemstones.

Chalice with the Motto of Emperor Friedrich II, Southern Germany likely Nuremberg, 1438.
Gold plated silver.

Holy Blood Monstance, Transylvania, c.1475 contains older spoils.
Gold plated silver, rock crystal, precious stones, semi-precious stones, pearls.

Relicquay Oast Tensorium – Matthias Waltbaum (1554-1632), Augsburg, c.1600.
ebony, silver, partially gold plated.

Reliquary Casket, Venice late 1500s. Wood, sardonyx, lapis lazuli.

Emperor Ferdinand’s Prayer Book, Augsburg, 1590. Approx 5cm tall.
Gold, enamelled, parchment.

Devotional Book of Empress Claudia Felitcitas, Constance, Augsburg, c.1674. Silver and paper

Madonna with the Child and the Boy John – Adam Lenckhardt (1610-1661).
Wurzburg, c.1630. Ivory.

The Flagging of Christ, Rome, c.1635-40. Gold-plated bronze, lapis lazuli, ebony.
Christ: Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654).
Henchmen: Francois Duquesnoy (1597-1643)

Three Kings Reliquary, Paulus Baumann (1567-1634), Augsburg, 1630-35. Silver, gold plated, lapis lazuli.

The Carrying of the Cross – Johann Caspar Schenck (1630-1674), Vienna, c.1664-65. Ivory.

Chalice with Coat of Arms of Emperor Charles VI – Ludwig Schneider (1640-1729), Augsburg, c. 1710/15.
Silver gilded, enamel painting, glass

Christ as Judge of the World
Johann Baptist Känischbauer von Hohenried (1668-1739), Vienna, 1726.
Gold, partially enamelled, rock crystal.

Gloves, Palmero, before 1220.
Samite (silk), gold embroidery, enamel, niello plaques, pearls, precious stones.

Shoes, Sandalia – German, 1600-1625, Palermo, 1100-1300.
Silk, pearls, precious stones, tablet weave, lampas braid.

Blue Tunicella (Dalmatia), Palermo, Royal Court Workshop, 1125-1150.
Silk, gold embroidery, small gold tubes, gold with cloisonné enamel, pearls, tablet weave.

The semi-circular Coronation Mantle of red silk was produced in Palermo in the 12th and early 13th centuries; with its depiction of a lion subduing a camel, the long, richly embroidered outer garments-blue tunicella and white alba-as well as shoes, stockings and gloves together with the belt reflect, (in part based on their inscriptions in part on other evidence), a connection with the Norman kings of Sicily. The overall design and elements of the decoration are derived from the court attire of Byzantine emperors. The older textiles probably came to the Empire through the Hohenstaufen emperor Henry VI. He married the Norman princess Constance in 1186 and became king of Sicily in 1194. In the empire they were apparently thought to be priestly vestments, used for coronations and complemented by additional textiles.

Coronation Mantle, Palermo, Royal Court Workshop, 1133/34.
Samite silk, gold and silk embroidery, pearls, enamel, filigree, precious stones, tablet weave.

OMG… finally a chance to see this! I’ve been looking at pictures of these objects in books for nearly three decades. I can’t believe I get to see them in person.

The Eagle Dalmatic, South German, c.1330/40.
Red silk twill damask, embroidery in silk, gold, small axinites.

The Stola (below) imitates a ‘loros’ an older type of textile of Byzantine or Norman origin. The six metre-long sash of yellow silk was decorated with black imperial eagles in medallions, only one of which has been preserved. Differently than the original manner of wearing the “loros”, in the medieval Holy Roman Empire the long sash was worn as a priest’s stola, that is forming a cross across the breast. This can be seen in Albrecht Dürer’s famous portrayal of Charlemagne (Room 11). The purple Dalmatic is embroidered with eagles and crowned heads. In this way the wearer of the garment is associated both with the heraldic beast of the Holy Roman Empire and his predecessors as king.

Alba, Palermo, Royal Court Workshop, c.1181 with later additions.
Taffeta silk, Samite silk, fold wire embroidery, pearls, precious stones and tablet weave.

Stole, Italy, before 1328. Louise silk, gold threads, pearls, silver gilded appliqués with graduation, champlevé enamel and glass stones.

Imperial Cross, Western German, c.1030. Body: oak, precious stones, pearls, niello.
Base: Prague, later additions c.1352, silver gilded enamel.

The Burse of St. Stephen, Carolingian, 800-833. Wooden body, gold, precious, stones, pearls.

Imperial Crown, Western German, c.960-980. Cross: 1020. Arch: 1024-1039.
Gold, cloisonné enamel, precious stones, pearls.

Idealised portrait of Emporer Charlemagne (742-812).
Copy after Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), German c.1600. Oil on canvas.

Idealised portrai of Emperor Sigmund (1361-1437).
Copy after Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), German, c.1600. Oil on canvas.

Vestments worn by Emperor Francis Stephen I of Lorraine (Baroque copies of the Coronation Vestments of the Holy Roman Empire). Vienna 1763/64.

Stole, Vienna 1763/64. Gold lamé, silk embroidery, gold, partly enamelled.

Gloves, Vienna 1763/64. Atlas silk, gold embroidery, gold enamel, precious stones.

Dalmatic, Vienna 1763/64. Altas silk, gold, partly enamelled.

Mantle, Vienna 1763/64. Atlas silk, gold and silk embroidery, gold braid, enamel, precious stones.

Alba, Vienna 1763/64. Atlas silk, gol, silver and silk embroidery, precious stones.

Room full of extant herald’s tabards! Mostly 1700s, but just gorgeous.

Herald for the King-At-Arms and Herald of the Archduchy of Brabant, Brussels, c.1717.
Embroiderer: Louis Almé. Velvet, gold lamé, appliqué, gold embroidery and fringing braid.

Herald’s Tabard for the King-At-Arms and Herald of the Duchy of Burgundy, Brussels, c.1600-1700.
Velvet, silver lamê, fringing braid.

Tabard for a Herald of Maria Theresia (First King at Arms), Brussels, c.1742.
Embroiderer: Eldens. Velvet, gold and silver lamé, appliqué, gold, silver and silk embroidery, gold braid.

Tabard for the First King-At-Arms of Archduke Albrecht, Sovereign of the Netherlands.
Brussels, c.1599-1621. Velvet, gold and silver lamé, appliqué, gold silver and silk embroidery, fringing braid.

Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) – Bernhard Strigel (1460-1519), German, c.1500. Oil on Limewood.


Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy hoped to succeed Emperor Frederick Ill on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. To achieve his aim, he assented to the marriage of his only daughter Mary to Archduke Maximilian, the emperor’s son and heir. The wedding, however, only took place after the duke’s death in 1477. Mary and Maximilian’s son Philip was born on 19 April 1478, ensuring the “Burgundian heritage” would ultimately remain with the House of Habsburg.

Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (1457-1482) – Francesco Terzio, Southern Germany, c. 1600 terracotta.

Tapestry Showing the arms of Emperor Charles V – weaver: Willem de Pannemaker, Brussels, c.1540.
Wool, silk, gold and silver thread.

Tabard for the Stattholder First King-at-Arms, called Towson d’Or (Golden Fleece), Brussels c.1580.
Velvet, gold and silver lamé, gold, silver and silk embroidery.

Order of the Golden Fleece Knight’s Chain, Burgundian-Netherlands, c.1435-1465. Gold and enamel.

Potence Chain of Arms of the Herald of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Netherlandish, c.1517.
Gold and enamel.

This is one of the most beautiful heraldic objects I’ve never seen. I’ve admired it for years… never thought I’d be able o see it.

I am completely unapologetic for the amount photographs that I took and have added here!

Just when you think the Schatzkammer has delivered up all it’s treasures – the next room contains only some of *the* most famous embroidered objects ever created. I like did a double take when walking in… it was like the first time I saw the Cluny Tapestries all over again. They are so amazing and so beautifully preserved! Just fucking spectacular!

Liturgical Vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Cope of the Virgin, Burgundian, c.1425-1440.
Embroidery on linen, metal and silk threads, pearls, pastes (glass), velvet.
Hood depicting the virgin.

Liturgical Vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Dalmatic, Burgundian, c.1425-1440.
Embroidery on linen, metal and silk threads, pearls and velvet.

Liturgical Vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Cope of Christ (Pluvial), Burgundian, c.1425-1440.
Embroidery on linen, metal and silk threads, pearls, pastes (glass), velvet.
Hood depicting the Almighty.

Liturgical Vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Casula, Burgundian, c.1425-1440.
Embroidery on linen, metal and silk threads, pearls, pastes (glass), velvet.

Liturgical Vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Cope of John the Baptist, Burgundian, c.1425-1440.
Embroidery on linen, metal and silk threads, pearls, pastes (glass), velvet.
Hood depicting John the Baptist.

Liturgical Vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
ABOVE: Antependium (rear panel), Burgundian, c.1425-1440; the Trinity, prophets and apostles.
BELOW: Antependium (front panel), Burgundian, c.1425-1440; Mythical marriage of St Catherine
Embroidery on linen, metal and silk threads, pearls, pastes (glass).

Phew! Man, I haven’t been a smoker since May 17th 1997… but damn, after that I need a cigarette and a good lie down. Back out in the Real World, I had to make do with some bratwurst and a Coke Zero!
What an amazing visit! I think this has now officially out paced the Museé de Moyen Age as my favourite museum.

Bastogne – War Museum

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The Bastogne War Museum is a World War II museum focusing on the Battle of the Bulge, located a few kilometres northeast of the Bastogne city centre in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. We were looking for somewhere to break up the afternoon drive, and this feel like a culturally useful stop… gotta smash some history into your STEM students any which way you can!

Out front we encountered what appeared to be some select pieces from Berlin’s East Side Gallery, including some very colourful painted Trabants.

According to the interwebs – ‘the musuem is located on the former Bastogne Historical Centre Site and was opened in 2014 after four years of work. It features a highly interactive audio tour walkthrough which takes about two hours and showcases many artefacts from the events leading up to and the battle of Bastogne itself. It has three immersive films and follows the story of four fictional characters involved in the battle. The main exhibition progresses chronologically and presents a timeline before, during and after the offensive’… which kinda sounds okay? Until you get there!

OMG it’s a massive swing and a miss from me on the audio tour nonsense. Most of the displays are full of text – lots of maps, written explanations in four different languages, info about different artefacts and objects, and all the while you have these four fictional characters babbling in your ear trying to make the experience somehow personal and relatable. I had to shut those fuckers up so I could read and actually absorb something!

I know these sorts of things are probably designed for people who are unaccustomed to steady reading, or are only used to having their history totally spoon-fed to them, but I don’t know how anyone could possibly follow the narration of the tour *and* absorb the chronological timeline and details that are right in front of them. Especially given the narration is done very emotively with music and/or the sounds and noises of war running through the entire soundtrack. :/

I took some photos here and there, but am so not going to hash over the day to day of the build up to the Battle for Bastogne. I am certain there are any multitude of documentaries available on this particular engagement on Netflix at any given time, and if your patience doesn’t run to an hour long documentary, I am sure there are some TL;DRs on YouTube you could find for a 20min run down… failing that, go watch ‘Band of Brothers’ and you can have a expertly dramatised version of the events as told by US soldiers who lived through it.

Hitler wrote Mein Kampf while in jail after WWI… not sure why it made me think of Trump’s Project 2025 manifesto, but it currently does. 😐

DM notes when inflation went crackers post WWII.

I find Nazi memorabilia morbidly interesting; at the time it was probably no different from any other type of orangised group of people in society plonking their symbols all over their badges, flags, crockery, cutlery etc. But now? With the historical context, seeing a swastika anywhere (that isn’t a Japanese temple) is just so… jarring.

Youth passport.

Typical items of kit.

A portable printing system used by the Resistance.

Map of the European and Pacific theatres.

Paratroopers very high tech kit… oh dear god.

The Pacific Theatre – just like in Japan, there is ZERO mention of the ANGAU troops and the engagement in Milne Bay in PNG that dealt the Japanese army their first defeat in the region. I mean, I would probably know nothing about it if it weren’t for the fact that my grandfather served in the 25th Batallion there in WWII. I find it interesting that even here, there is plenty about the US and Midway and Guadalcanal, but not a peep about Aussie chokkos repelling the Japanese.

I had expected far more vehicles and even aircraft in this museum – the air support was integral to holding Bastogne against the Germans once the Allies were surrounded. But not so much.

How to talk, children and not give away plans to the enemies.

I’m unsure what sort of tank this is… but it does look far to clean and shiny for this purpose.

The restored state of these vehicles seems unnecessary. In Gallipoli, nearly everything looks aged, distressed and ‘like it’s been through a war’. A lot of these displays feel… sanitised.

One of the video presentations, complete with fog machine and voices of a German LT, and an American solider talking about the days waiting for Patton from either side of the engagement.

Another dirty big tank, that looks clean and brand spanking new with a fresh coat of paint, in spite of the enormous hole in the side of it?

Local artwork made in the years following the war – repurposed brass to make lanterns, reliquary type objects, an umbrella stand and even a little wishing well.

Newspaper front page after Hiroshima is bombed…

There was another section of the Musuem called, the ‘45 … which had some enormous dioramas made up. This was weird – there was no context given for this area of the museum. Just cleaned up cars and staged scenery for them.

Outside there are some monuments to the 75,000 American soldiers who lost their lives in Bastogne at the Battle of the Bulge. The offensive was integral in turning the war in favour of the Allied forces. The German army suffered over 100,000 casualties. These monuments have a very ‘Thank you, America!’, feel about them. In fact, the entire town of Bastogne has that vibe, with plenty of American flags and actual ‘Thank You!’, signs visible in shops etc.

The major monument dedicated to the American servicemen who came from all parts of the US.

Much like Waterloo, which I visited a couple of months ago, it is a strange feeling to look out onto such peaceful countryside and know that the ground was once soaked with the blood of so many young men killed in war here. The noise of the aircraft, tanks and artillery couldn’t be further away as you listen to birds and leaves rustling in nearby trees.

Popped into a cafe in Bastogne with Angus because Belgium equals… WAFFLES!

And later – some traditional pommes frittes with mayo on our drive.

Luxembourg

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Luxembourg seems to be in two parts, and in between is a gaping chasm that must be 150 feet deep… it feels really weird topography to build a city on?

It doesn’t look that steep from these pics, probably because it’s heavily forested, but trust me, it’s quite the ways down. There seems to be massive public skate parks. Need to sus this out a bit more – weird topography for a city just going from the new section to the old town.

Monument to the Jews of Luxembourg in the Second World War…

Ah, another Notre-Dame Cathedral! But, because we are in Luxembourg, it’s got a sign out front saying ‘Kathedral Notre-Dame’ (in Luxembourgish, yeah apparently that is a real dialect), but also saying ‘Cathédrale Notre-Dame’ (in French), and ‘Kathedrale unserer Lieben Frau’ (in German) because these poor buggers live in a strange little confluence of culture that is smack dab in the middle of France, Belgium and Germany… all the while they seem to be trying to keep their own thang alive.

Construction first started on this cathedral in 1613… so it’s kinda shiny and new compare to Metz yesterday!

Some very cool carved beasties in the western portal.

While the church is predominantly an example of late gothic architecture, it also has many Renaissance elements and decorations. I love these high vaulted ceilings in these beautiful old churches. I can’t imagine what medieval people (I know I’ve ranted about his recently but it bares repeating), who had no mass media in their day to day lives, made of these extravagant buildings.

The organ gallery is unusually at the very front of the church, above the main entrance. It is not a very large cathedral all things considered, so I guess it doesn’t need to be located closer to the main altar place where masses would be delivered.

Luxembourg Cathedral has some frescos, which appear to be in high medieval style, but they are in such good condition, I suspect they may be latter additions. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of English information to go by in this visit.

I love the enormous vaulted ceilings.

There were a couple of rather bold mosaics in some small altar spaces either side of the main nave… again, I couldn’t ascertain how old these mosaics were, but I can confidently say, they are not as accomplished as many of the high medieval golden religious mosaics I have seen in many other churches and institutions, leading me to think they are also a rather more recent addition.

The stained glass windows around the central nave are in keeping with the original construction time of the church – approx 17thC, however the glass towards the towers at the front of the church are of much later, added in the 1930s and then replaced in the 1980s after a fire caused one of the towers to be severely damaged.

Even modern stained glass is beautiful. It’s surprising we don’t see stained glass elements included more in modern architecture… but I guess everything comes down to cost these days.

The enormous columns throughout the cathedral have different patterns carved into them. I can’t say I’ve noticed this in other medieval religious monuments. I mostly recall seeing plain, smooth columns, or in some cases fluted columned, but these have knotwork or diapering patterns carved into them, and hardly any of them match?

Below the Cathedral is the crypt which houses the remains of many important Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses of Luxembourg… the oldest being a tomb for John of Bohemia (1296-1346), and then a long line of modern Dukes and Duchesses: Marie-Adeliade (1894-1924), Marie Ann the Infanta of Portugal and Consort to William IV (1861 – 1924), Felix, Prince Consort of Charlotte I, and a bunch of others up until like five years ago.

The small chapel where the royal family of Luxembourg gathers for the farewells is under the Cathedral and not really open for public use.

The tomb of John of Bohemia mentioned above (1296-1346)…

The exit brings you out onto the main square of the Kneudler – or basically the altstadt (but we don’t call it that in Luxembourg because we are being all Luxembourgish.

The Kneudler is the area surrounding the Place Guilliame II, who is depicted on his horse here.

In 1923, this memorial to the Luxembourgers who volunteered in WWI was created by artist Claus Cito. The very noticeable Gëlle Fra (or Golden Lady) overlooks the Place de la Constitution. 1923… feels like maybe they probably wished they’d waited a few years to build this one; could have saved themselves having to build a second one to honour the volunteers of the next clusterfuck.

Luxembourg is a city built over an enormous ravine with huge towering bridges spanning the two plateau’d areas that comprise the old city and the new. So many streets we wandered along had very high drops down to the river below.

Many walking and biking trails line the river and wind up the steep paths to the city. I dare say building housing in this area would be expensive, hazardous and potentially a flood risk, so it’s all enormous public park spaces.

Grand Duchess Charlotte (1896-1985), who ruled in her own right from 1919 to 1964.

The Grand Ducal Palace, which is rarely open to the public and was most definitely not open to the public at the moment as the family is in residence due to it being the Duke’s birthday, like yesterday.

Complete with beautiful carved stone turrets, and beady eyed guards staring suspiciously at tourists and having to tolerate us wankers taking their photograph.

Around the corner – literally – from the Grand Ducal Palace is the Luxembourg National Art and History Museum. Best thing about it : it’s free! Luxembourg seems to like free, they have entirely free public transport here, since 2019. All local trains, trams and buses are 100% free for locals and tourists alike, so the city seemed to have hardly any cars in it, and we found when walking the streets, there were plenty of paid parking spaces available as most people were using the free public transport.

Now unfortunately, this was going to prove to be one of those museums where if you don’t speak one of the languages that they seem to want to embrace (French, German, Dutch and Luxembourgish!), details were going to be scant, but we did what we could.

Merovingian clasps, fibula, buttons and brooches.

I love how the temporary little sign informing visitors that an object has been removed is written in English – when hardly any of the other descriptive panels are!

Cruiciform Fibula – Zwiebelknopffibeln. 😐 Yes, that’s the level of information we got here. lol
Oh and that they were worn by high functionaries and officials. But no where or when…?

Merovingian jewelled pieces, gold and garnet. Clasps and necklace pendants. Bertrange.

Buckets c.560-570 AD. One extant, one reproduction. Bertrange.

Merovingian belt buckles

Merovingian era beads.

And suddenly we jump to some glassware, 1stC Found at a necropolis for nobles in a different find in Bertrange.

Orfevrerie Merovingienne. 6-7thC of local provenances.
A collection of gold and garnet fibula, ornaments, buttons and accessories. Some from bracelets, necklaces. Motifs are inspired from Germanic art, and early Christian design.

Spoons! Merovingian also, and they’re quite petite compared to spoons seen in other museums. Approx 50mm in length.

Carved monuments from ‘La Colonne de Jupiter’ – a regional monument that was devoted to the population. Objects are all 1stC and made for Jupiter Optimus Maxium and to honour emperor Nero.

Fragments of decoration from a funereal monument, c.2nd-3rdC.
Cal air, Wasserbillig op der Spatz.

Seals of various Luxembourg nobles, ranging from 1340 to 1530. Impressions all taken in 1851.

Official regalia and medals of various noble and marital orders:

Busts of Jean l’Aveugle and Elisabeth de Boheme, Pierre Blanc, c.1872

Reliquary of the True Cross.
Gold and various gemstones, c.1230-1240

No plaque for this one… le sigh.

Virgin and Child surrounded by Saints – Crucifixion. Oil on wood.
Paolo do Giovanni Fei, (1345-1411).

Virgin and Child surrounded by Saints,
Lorenzo do Bicci (1350-1427), oil on timber.

Virgin and Child,
Unknown Venetian painter. 15thC, oil on timber.

Saint Bernardino of Siena and Saint John the Baptist,
Giovanni Ambrogio Bevilacqua, (1481-1512), oil on panel.

Madonna and Child surrounded by Angels and Saints (freaky looking saints!)
Giacomo del Piscano, c. 1475, tempura on panel.

Group of Saints – Heligengruppe.
Don Silvestro dei Gherardcci (1339-1399), tempura on board.

Crucifixion.
Simone del Crocifissi (1350-1399), oil on board.

Virgin and Child.
Unknown veneto-byzantin artist. 13thC-14thC, oil on timber.

Holy Kinship, Frans Floris (1516-1570)

The Adoration of the Shepards,
Joachim Beukelaer (1533-1574). Oil on canvas.

Saint Jerome
Attributed to Joos van Cleve (1485-1540), oil on board.

Charity
Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), c.1538. Oil on canvas.

A Boy and Girl with Their Pigeons in a Loft – the only ‘domestic’ scene in the entire museum.
Henri Voordecker (1779-1861), c.1833, oil on canvas.

The Temple of Vesta in Tivoli,
Attributed to Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld (1758-1846), oil on canvas.

Francesca de Rimini (1255-1285) and her brother in law, Paolo Malatesta (1246-1285), embracing while reading – both were married to other people but fell in love. When Paolo’s older brother discovered the affair, he killed both his wife and brother with a dagger, (a story originally told by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedies, 1320).
Sculpture originally attributed to Antonio Canova (1757-1822), c.1790, but since determined to be a work by Tito Angelini (1806-1878), an important Italian Romantic sculpture.

Isaac Blessing Jacob,
Argus Wolffort (1581-1641), oil on canvas.

Bacchus and a Follower,
Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678), c.1645, oil on canvas.

Roman mosaic of the Muses of Vitchen.
10.3 x 5.9m. Polychrome mosaic, 1stC AD.

Grand Marble Vase, 2-3rdC AD.
61cm tall, 70cm diameter, carved from a single piece of white marble.

Roman amphorae
1-3rdC AD, terracotta. Diverse provenance – used for the commercial transport of wine, oil dates, and that fishy stuff the Romans loved but I can’t remember the name of right now…. Garum! Remembered. 🙂

Oil lamps, GalloRoman 1-3rdC AD.

Fragments of large fresco-style mosaics popularised in GalloRoman restaurants.

All museum’d out, we went for some drinks and were having a lovely time with some Long Island Iced Teas and some Pisco Sours – until a bunch of French people came along and reminded us of how Europeans still love to chain smoke! Yikes! Happy B’Day Angus.

Dinner was at a local French restaurant called ‘Copin D’abord’. We had a delicious meal made from local produce. Entrees: clothed foie gras and mango chutney, and scallops in Galician sauce. Mains: Beef Bourginon and rump steak with Forrester champignon sauce. Desserts: unstructured Lemon Tart and Crème Brûlée and Panacotta. Delicious!

Kenruok-en Gardens and Shirakawa-go Village

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The Kenruok-en Garndes (Garden of Six Attributes), is Kanazawa – we have been here before and all I can remember is it was 1) beautiful, 2) stinking hot and humid and 3) there were more tourists here than I would prefer (given I was one of them, I am acutely aware of the irony here). Kenrrok-ej was a strolling garden designed and constructed during the Edo period by teh Manda Clain. It was conceived in the 1620 and continuously mainted since then. Kenroku-en is considered one of the Three Great Gardesn of Japan, noted for its beauty across all seasons. The gardens are pread over nearly 25 acres, and feature a landscape of meandering paths, two large ponds, several tea houses, and one of Japan’s oldest fountains.

It is a site of uncommon beauty and tranquility. It has been open to the public since 1871. I just love this place – I’ve been here in summer, but I think I may have to come back in winter to see it in yet another season. Their cherry blossom area is quite small – so there are many more impressive places to go for cherry blossoms.

This is just some leaves on the pavement that I thought were pretty.

Toyama castle. We went through here last visit, so didn’t go through for a second time. = it’s one of those things you do when you are travelling… decide to visit a place more than once or try to press on and see something new. After leaving Tokoyama we head towards Gifu Prefecture – the views were gorgeous around every turn. High speed photography isn’t my favourite but I did manage to grab some half decent shots of the landscape. And then we came out of an 11km tunnel* and it was snowing again! 😮

*an 11km tunnel whereupon a cheerful conversation ensued as to what we would do if we were forced to evacuate the tunnel due to an accident or disaster… 😐 I haven’t packed for full on snow… but glad I bought my Merrell, gortex hiking boots with me!Oh so cold, but so beautiful.As we left Toyama and head towards Gifu Prefecture, we decided to stop at Shirakawa-go.

Shirakawa-go is one of Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Hmmmm… wonder if there is a Bingo Card for collecting UNESCO sites?!). The cultural area consists of three historic mountain villages over an area of 68 hectares in the remote Shogawa river valley, stretching over the borders of Gifu and Toyama Prefectures. Shirakawa-gō (白川郷, “White River Old-District”) is located in the village of Shirakawa in Gifu… the village is like an open air museum, but people still live and work here, so there are many private homes interspersed amongst the public museum buildings that tourists might come to visit.The thatched roofs are really impressive:

The valley where Shirakawa-go is located is in a mountain region that experiences considerable snowfall every winter. This village is well known for it’s clusters of farmhouses that are all constructed in the traditionally architectural style known as  gasshō-zukuri. These buildings are designed to easily shed snow from their steep thatched roofs.Ω

Interesting info from Wikipedia:

“Even today, there is still a system of joint work called “yui” for re-thatching thatched roofs of gassho-zukuri. The thatch replacement was done every 30 to 40 years, and the labor and expense involved was enormous (simply converting the labor cost to today’s value, it is said that the cost to replace one side of the roof alone would be more than 10 million yen), but it was done without compensation.

The procedure for re-thatching was rough as follows.

・Preparation begins at least three years prior to the work.

・The amount of thatch needed and the number of workers are estimated based on the area of the roof.

・Set a date for the work and go around the village to ask for help with the thatching and when it will be done.

・Cut and store enough thatch for the work in advance (a common “thatch field” is reserved for this purpose).

・Determine the division of roles (i.e., those who collect thatch, those who carry it, those who sort thatch, those who prepare ropes and other tools, etc.).

・The above is exclusively the work of men. The women prepare meals for the workers, snacks for the rest, and gifts to celebrate the completion of the work.

・Rarely are both sides of the roof sprayed at the same time, but only one side is completed in two days.

・It takes 200 to 300 workers daily, and it is spectacular to see more than 100 people climbing on the roof.

In recent years, depopulation, the decline of primary industries, and the aging of the population have made it difficult to maintain ties. On the other hand, the National Trust and volunteers from the general public have begun to gather from various parts of the country and work together to re-thatch the roofs. In Shirakawa-go, the organization that performs the tethering is called “koryaku,” and the scope of the tethering is not limited to re-thatching roofs, but extends to all aspects of daily life, including thatching, rice planting, rice harvesting, weeding, chopping firewood, weddings, funerals, and ceremonial occasions.“

That’s nuts!!!This statue depicts a person in a ‘Japanese raincoat’ made out of straws. They were particularly common due to availability of materials, well up until the early 1900s…

There is even a Pokemon based on people wearing these pointed thatched raincoats…

Shirakawa-go is pretty cool – there are still people living and working here, unlike some of the open air museums that are set up with some of these types of buildings just for tourists to visit. The village caters pretty well to visits, though it seems less so at this time of year – less cafes etc open.


Gorgeous area, well worth visiting, even if it wasn’t’ for the historical village.

More snow and more tunnels on the way to Takayama.I’m assumed this said: “Do you need snow chains, stupid?!” But it actually use makes mention of the tunnels ahead. Boring.

And some lovely coloured leaves I found on the ground near our ryokan…

Hiroshima

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Mr K and I have Japan Rail Passes for this week because we knew we were going to be heading out of Osaka a fair bit, so you can buy a pass which gives you unlimted travel for a certain duration… which sounds good in theory, but it also means if you want to reserve a seat, you can’t just book it online to your rail pass, you need to go to a ticket office at a Shinkansen station and have someone do it for you in person.  When we were in Tokyo, Mr K wanted to book seats in a reserved carriage for today’s day trip to Hiroshima and the customer service lady said, ‘You’ll be ok you won’t need to book there are plenty of unreserved carriages’, but as we learnt on our transit from Yokohama to Osaka, those handful of unresreved carriages can end up like sardine tins and this little black duck is not even remotely physically capable of standing for a two our rail journey on a bullet train.

So we turn up this morning bright and early and pop in to the ticket office on the off chance there might be some available seating on the trains to Hiroshima to see that the next half a dozen trains between 0900 and 1100 are fully booked except of course the first in first served, first three unreserved carriages. So off we go and line up to get on one of those.  Only the trains are coming from Tokyo and are well and truly full by the time we get on, and we end up having to jump on and stand in the aisle thinking we should be able to get a seat when people get off in Kobe, about 10 mins down the track…. but what actually happens is that hardly anyone gets off in Kobe and I end up standing on the bullet train for nearly an hour.  I’m standing there in ever increasing pain thinking over and over, ‘I’m so fucked. I’m so fucked. My back. Argh. Shit. Maybe I should just sit on the damned floor, emergency hazards be damned. Breathe, breathe. I’ll just squat for a bit and that’ll relieve the tension on my lower back. Maybe I should try something in Google Translate and see if I can ask someone to offer me a seat. I’m so fucked. I’m so fucked. Breathe, breathe, breathe…’ and so on and so forth. It’s really hard to advocate for yourself in situations like these when you look like you have nothing wrong with you!

One of my biggest problems, when my pain is arcing right up, is my habit of not breathing… It’s like when you kick your toe and you go ‘Shit!’ and then you take a sharp intake of breath and you kinda hold your breath against the pain…  Yep, like that. But for as long as the pain refuses to abate – and it just does not.  Which leads to lightheadedness, perspiration not associated with ambient temperature, dizziness, and eventually fainting and/or nausea.  So I was getting pretty damn desperate by the time people got off in Okiyama and I finally managed to get a seat.  We had a big day ahead and I was feeling totally screwed by the time we got there  🙁

We eventually arrived at our destination.  While Mr K went to the ticket office to try and book us some seats on a train for the return trip in an attempt to avoid this same drama re-occurring on the way, I wandered outside and saw these beautiful and very western European statues – I have no idea what they were celebrating/commemorating, as the plaques nearby were not in English and the Googles have failed me.  Still rather lovely, and Mr K had some moderate success and managed to secure a single seat on the 1722 train back to Osaka in a reserved carriage which immediately removed a huge pile of impending stress!

Our first stop was to Hiroshima Castle…

Originally built on a low lying delta, Hiroshima Castle, was the home of Mōri Terumoto, the daimyō (feudal lord) of Hiroshima region. The castle was constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing that occurred on August 6, 1945. The castel was rebuilt in the 1950s with a complete replica of the original, which now houses a museum of Hiroshima’s history prior to WWII.

Being a low lying area, the moats were not as steep or as impressive as the Osaka castle defences… originally the castle had a three concentric moats, the outer of which had a much higher in water level – it was built such that they could destroy the very outer moat wall easily and flood any enemy camp that might be holding the castle under siege.  Now the two outer moat areas have been filled in and overtaken with urban developments.
The Castle houses an extensive collection of pre-Reformation era displays – swords, armour, household objects and historical items, however, photography is prohibited and there is no English guidebooks, so I can not share most of what we saw inside. Some reconstructed rooms as they would have been in the late 1500s when the Mōri family ruled the castle. The views from the top of the castle are quite impressive – you can imagine how the advantage gained as the countryside was largely flat.

On the Castel grounds is the Hiroshima Gokoku Jinja is a Japanese Shinto Shrine.  Today is a special day – the Emperor of Japan is abdicating in favour of his eldest son and with his abdication begins a new era, and the people are out in a celebratory mood and paying their respects at the various temples located around Japan.

There was an inordinately long line to visit the temple, people were paying their respects or paying homage to crying babies or something? I couldn’t quite figure it out. There seemed to be a lot of grandparents about holding small children who were uncharacteristically for Japanese children… crying very loudly!

The queue to spend 30 seconds or some at the temple was inordinately long. Then I saw this sign and realised it was actually something to do with crying babies… but it didn’t make a whole lot more sense. Eventually I found some information in English that read:

“Crying Sumo – The rule of it is the baby win who cry first.
Baby is a treasure for them family, local and country.  As the proverb goes say “A crying baby usually prospers”.  According to medical science, crying is important efficacious for baby.  It develops them cardiopulmonary function, they grow up in good health.  Tradition says that baby’s energetic crying voice lay a ghost since ancient times, baby’s crying voice exorcise evil spirits and incur good luck.  It’s the religious services what exorcising evil spirits and incur good luck for baby’s healthy growing by divine protection.”

So now, I’m thinking all those parents and grandparents were going around pinching these babies to make them cry!

Nearby was the Carp Temple which wasn’t as busy as the main shrine.
Here is where you can find the famous statue of a Carp Swimming up a Waterfall. Hiroshima castle is also often called Carp Castle.  The statue symbolises the following types of good luck:
Success with a difficult challenge
Achieving a goal
Good luck and success in business.

These two Carp Swimming Up in Harmony symbolise these kinds of good luck:
Family well being
Happy marriage
Fulfilment in love

So you should ‘please make a wish and touch this statue’.  All of which seems a bit whimsical and nonsensical but far more benign compared to other world religions. Votive plaques where visitors have written out their wishes for the future after visiting the shrine. Close by is one of four known ‘atomic trees’, this one a pussy willow that survived the atomic blast in 1945.  It is located 740m from the epicentre of the blast.  It is quite remarkable that any trees remained given the buildings were completely flattened. The castle complex directly after the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6th, 1945… image (in a rather circuitous route) via the United States National Archives via japanairraids.org
The outer keeps.
After we left the Castle complex we stopped momentarily at the Hiroshima Museum of Art, and were contemplating going in, but it turns out this museum was full of European artworks, so we merely stopped for a cup of Elderflower soda and some sake cake before moving on.

The Orizuru tower.  Which is dedicated to those who lost their lives in WWII. Outwardly it is quite a spectacular building – this lovely crane design houses a growing art installation… visitors can go up to the top floor (for a fee) and create or buy a paper crane and drop it into the glass void so that it floats down and joins the thousands of other cranes left by other visitors.  Located directly across the road from the Hiroshima Peace Dome it, unfortunately, feels more like a tourist trap than a monument or place of dedication to the horrific loss of human life that occurred here.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial was originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly is more commonly known as the Genbaku Dome or the Atomic Bomb Dome.  It is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The ruin of the hall is a standing reminder to visitors of the people who were killed here in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima which precipitated the end of WWII. Over 70,000 people are reported to have been killed immediately and an another estimated 70,000 suffered fatal injuries from the radiation fallout.
This small monument beside an ordinary apartment building marks the epicentre of the blast.  The bomb was detonated 600m above the ground and the ensuing blast saw temperatures of 3000-4000C at ground level. The Hiroshima bombing on 6th August 1945 which killed 70,000 did not see Japan immediately surrender their position in the war, causing the US forces to drop more atomic bombs in Nagasaki (where the Mitsubishi shipbuilding yards were located) on 9th August 1945 which killed up to an estimated 246,000 people, at which point Japan capitulated.
Two aerial photos of atomic bomb mushroom clouds, over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right) in 1945.

Further into the Peace Park is the Children’s Monument for peace. It was built to commemorate a little girl named Sadako Sasaki and the thousands of unknown child victims of the atomic bombing. Sadako Sasaki, was a young girl who was exposed to radiation at the time of the atomic bomb at age 2, and died from leukaemia at age 12.
Children from all over Japan engage in making origami peace cranes and sending them to Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  It is a mission/endeavour designed to remind people of the necessity for peace and to commemorate the loss of life in WWII. Further down into the Peace Park is an eternal flame… not very visible in this image.

The long mall leads onto the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing museum – unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) the main buildings that house the museum displays are closed and undergoing earthquake preparedness reconstruction, so the many visitors that were in the park today were lined up to see half the collection and the line stretched for night on half a kilometer.  We decided we would very likely be coming back to Hiroshima one day and would like to see the collection in full.

There is obviously much, much more to the history of Hiroshima and the devastation this city experienced.  I think we all have an obligation to know and understand how these things impacted on their contemporary populations – if for no other reason than to stop the incessant posing for smiling selfies in these solemn places of commemoration.  I have seen it at Gallipoli, the Jewish memorial in Berlin and even at Auschwitz… people are ignorant, and I don’t understand how they can repeatedly pose, fixing their hair or makeup, with their best pouty winky faces, at a site where 70,000 people were killed in an atrocious act of war.  :'(

It was nearly 1600 now and we only just realised we hadn’t had anything to eat since 0700, so we head back to Shin-Hiroshima and went looking for something to eat.  One thing we noticed almost as soon as we got to Hiroshima was that okonomiyaki was king here!  There were more okonomiyaki restaurants than you could possibly count.  Some of which were mysteriously empty…?  And some of which had queues out the door.  We chose one with a short queue, but which had a substantial queue by the time we left.
Shrimp and calamari Hiroshima style (soba noodles added) okonomiyaki.  Very tasty and very filling.  I couldn’t finish it, which no doubt pleased Mr K enormously. While waiting in line at the 7/11 to buy some sake for the train ride, I saw this… Jump onto xe.com and check out the exchange rate, and weep a little.  These are shitty convenience store at the train station prices too!  We pay so much tax on alcohol in Australia. Also at the shopping centre near the train station – Hokkaido style cheese tarts with a local hint of Hiroshima lemony goodness!  A special treat that I felt was well deserved after standing on the train this morning and walking over 12.5kms today on hard concrete pathways.
Then it was back onto the Shinkansen to head back to Osaka.  We needed have worried about reserving me a seat, as it happens the trains heading back the other way were all largely empty, but I was eternally grateful that I had been carrying the knowledge around all day that I would not be tortured for hours by being forced to stand on the train ride back to Osaka.

When we got back to Osaka we went looking for the Hanshin Tigers merchandise store so Mr K could find himself a baseball cap from one of Japan’s premier baseball teams, and I found myself walking through a wine tasting wonderland.  There were hundreds of people in here with so much wine from all over the world to try.  People were working hard to shove wine at us, and I was so disappointed that there was not a single bottle of sake in sight!

A couple of the vendors were asking me if I wanted to try any wines, but they rapidly gave up after hearing I was Australian… I have a feeling the event was designed for promotion, education and sales of international wines, and they probably assumed that flogging wine to travelling Australians might be a waste of time and effort. We eventually got back to our Hotel Samurai at about 9pm…?  Ever such a long day and I was in soooo much pain.  Thank you past me for the suite I booked came that complete with hot tub!  So far, each evening has ended in a soak with sake.  Tomorrow is another day – and likely one that won’t have an early start!