Japan 2025 Bridge Cruise

Our 2025 journey to Japan started on 10/10/25 flying to Japan via Singapore Airlines landing at Haneda Airport.   We then took a taxi to the Hyatt Regency Yokohama which was a 5 minute walk to our embarkation point.  In 2024 we went to Japan to see the cherry blossoms.  This time we are in a group of 44 people who are in Japan for a touring cruise but also to improve our Bridge.

12/19/25            We have the morning to ourselves; we decide to walk down to the park on the harbour.  There are over 1000 dogs being wheeled about in prams. It is a NaACtional holiday weekend  called ‘Sports Day.  It celebrates the opening of the Tokyo Olympics on Monday 1/10/1964.

 

Our embarkation point has moved from a 5-minute walk to a 15 minute drive which takes an hour because of Octoberfest celebrations.   At dinner that night we meet other 42 members of the Bridge Group.

13/10/25            Day at Sea.  Our 1^st Bridge Lesson 3 hours!!! I am rooted.  1^st lecture by Dr John Freedman. Very Impressive.

14/10/25            Hakodate Vivienne goes to Fish Market and meets an octopus.  That afternoon I go to the IT desk to sign up to the Internet.  I am only allowed to connect 1 device at a time unless I pay US$30/day.  I am in disbelief and complain during the Seabourn Welcome to Newbies Cocktail Party.  Result is the letter to the Seabourn Chairman at the end of this email.

15 /10//25 Akita is the birthplace of Japan’s National Dog.  Loyal Hachikō became legendary after waiting every day for his master to return at Shibuya Station in central Tokyo.

 

 

We go for a walk and end up petting a couple.  There is also a Wind Expo promoting the use of Wind Turbines.  Can’t help myself and argue against them to several distributors but logic and science fail to convince them.  When I say the only thing renewable about renewables are the government subsidies they get quite upset,

16/10/25            Nigata Pouring with rain stay on ship and play bridge.

17/1025              Day at Sea 2^nd Bridge Lesson

18/10/25            Tsuruga – Polish Jewish Museum   See blog Courage: the most important virtue

19/10/ 25           Sakaminato Before the cruise starts, we are asked if we'd like to  book any excursion trips.  When I looked at them I thought they were incredibly expensive.  For a four-hour tour it was US$400 which is A$533,  for 2 of us the total would be $1000+, Like many Australians on the cruise , we bucked up at the price.  So we would just take a shuttle bus into the town centre and walk around.  But I did book one excursion, which was called Daisen and its Temples. Daisen is a big mountain near Sakaminato.   The coach trip took an hour to get to the base of this mountain. It was a steep climb and my mobility is not as good as it used to be so we dropped out.  We managed to get a taxi back to the boat   That evening I met someone who also gone on the same excursion.  He was about half my age and said, "You never would've made it.   It was unbelievable rocky, the path was very, very tortuous and difficult; be glad you didn’t go."

 

20/10/25            Busan finds us ending up with a terrific Christian Korean woman who spends an hour with us searching for and finding a store that sells men’s urinary pads that I need because my prostate was removed in 2014.

21/10/25            Cruising Kanmon Strait 3rd & final Bridge Lesson

22/10/25            Kochi Pouring with rain stay on ship play Bridge.  It rains a lot in Japan.

23/10/25            Wakayama   Go to and climb to top of Wakayama Castle. Grab and keep the free Bamboo walking stick.  Am I glad I had it.

I picked up thse two bodyguards in Wakayama

 

24/10/25            Kobe Disembark and  taxi to Hyatt Regency Kyoto.  It’s a great hotel. Recovery day.

25/1o/25              We had a great time in Kyoto. The concierge was incredibly helpful.   My wife said the pillows were the best she'd ever slept on in her life.

As part of our package, we were given free tickets to the shrine next door to the hotel Rengeo-in Temple (Sanjusangen-do) .  Also known as Sanjusangen-do, this 750-year-old temple features 1,001 Senju-Kannon (female statues housed in a 120-meter-long hall.  1,000 Buddhas are wooden female statues painted over with gold leaf arranged in 5 tiers.   The final buddha is  a large gold stature in the centre.    At one end of it was the god of thunder and the other the god of wind.

 

You don’t think these guys are merciful and loving like you think the Christian God is; they are pretty ferocious. And there were five-year-old girls kneeling and praying before these gods. -

26/10/25            The two things you have to see in Kyoto are the Golden Temple and Nijo-Jo Castle.  You don't go inside the Golden Temple, but it's located on a hill top over looking over a lake.  It makes for a great photo.

 

Nijo-Jo Castle is nearby 5-minute taxi ride and is enormous.   It needs 3 hours to walk around the circumference.   Its claim to fame is that it is where the samurai warlords handed over power to the Emperor for  all of Japan.

Two Restaurant recommendations:

My wife, Vivienne, is a coeliac. Dining out in Japan where soy sauce is a common ingredient, is hard work.

Here are two gluten free restaurants courtesy of the Hyatt Regency Concierge.:

Gion Tempura Koromo which uses only rice flour and rice oil and serves the only gluten-free tempura in Kyoto,’

Both restaurants are 5/5,  The food and service were excellent

It was the first time my wife had tasted tempura.  She loved it.

Kappazushi which is located in the Punto Cho. This restaurant is part of national chain.

 

Conclusion

I would not go on a Carnival-related cruise again.   I prefer to pay more money upfront and then not be hustled during the cruise. 

Carnival owns the following lines: 

AIDA Cruises

Carnival Cruise Line

Costa Cruises

Cunard Line

Holland America Line

P&O Cruises

Princess Cruises

Seabourn

And here is the letter I sent to the Chairman.

 

20 October 2025

Mr Mickey Arison

Chair of Seabourn

450 3rd Ave W Seattle, WA 98119 United States

           

Dear Mr Arison

 I am currently a passenger on the Seabourn Quest sailing a circumnavigation around Japan.

I am writing this letter to basically make suggestions to both your head-office marketing and IT teams.

On your website Seabourne is positioned as the ‘Ultra-Luxury Resort at Sea’.  The staff on the Quest are terrific; the meal I had at Solis was the best meal I have had on a cruise ship and the rest of the cuisine has been excellent.

  “The CEO of company sets its culture.”

Captain Joris Poriau may be standing on the shoulders of his predecessors but I cannot think of single thing that would improve the culture on this boat.

However, you do seem to be emulating Viking in saying your passengers are not ‘travellers’ but ‘explorers’.  More on that later

But first I must commend Swenja Henrich, Guest Services Manager, who has been particularly helpful.  She has senior level management potential.  You can tell that by the respectful tone in the voice of the staff when talking about her.

When I signed onto the ship’s internet, I was astonished to find that I was restricted to only one device unless I paid US$30/day and the same applied for my wife.  I have a PC, mobile and Kindle, and my wife has an iPad, phone and Kindle.

The internet, like the GPS system was developed by US Military, courtesy of the US taxpayer.  Subsequently the US Federal Government gifted free access to these two systems to the world.   Two of the best of the many gifts the USA has provided to all the people of Earth,

It must be 10 years now since hotels have included basic wi-fi access as a free service.  Now the airlines are introducing WIFI and it was free on Singapore Airlines flight I used to get to Japan.  There are volume charges but free access is available to all devices.

So my first suggestion is that this policy of free access for every device be adopted by your IT Department

I raised this issue at the Welcome to First time Seabourn party and at least 5 people came up to me afterwards and declared they were in total agreement. 

Numerous people have since given me various examples of additional charges being made or attempted.  One was someone who went for a massage at your Wellness Clinic and discovered 25% had had been applied as a “automatic gratuity”; he  thought the massage alone was already expensive. And he is telling everyone that the massage does not provide value for money. 

Another attended two 30-minute lectures: one on improving your metabolism; the other on treating knee-joint pain.  The first 15 minutes were excellent, the second half was a series of repeated closes, simply  asking for the order, trying to sell a 5-day consultancy program.

The repeated close technique is good for the Carnival demographic who buy emotionally on impulse unless they are in the top 5 percentile for IQ.  If they are, then they are described as quick decision makers.

The Seabourn demographic are older with high net worth (HNW) and usually high IQ.  They use a lot more logic in their purchasing decisions and techniques like cost-benefit analysis and risk-return analysis, The Repeated Close technique irritates them.  Instead, they like to be making the decision themselves and you should use the minor alternative closing technique.  Eg “Do you want a hybrid or pure electric model for your new car?”

Personally, I like many other HNWs prefer to pay a full investment price with very limited add-ons like Regent, Ponant, and Viking do.  For example, if asked to decide between Seabourn and Viking I would choose the latter.  Limited add-ons/Full Investment pricing would be one reason.  Another would be Viking are a true “Explorer” cruising line.  At every port a complementary free excursion is offered in the morning and every afternoon there is an “expert” lecture.  Finally, you can connect your laptop, mobile phone and Kindle at the same time to the Internet.

So my second suggestion is that the Seabourn Board should so a review of its marketing (especially pricing) policy.

In conclusion when I was a Divisional General Manager of an Australian multi-national favourable survey results were nice but what I wanted was suggestions from all my stakeholders on what improvements we could make.  I particularly liked those that would improve my ROI. That is the secret to successful Kaisan.   I have provided two; what you do with them is your decision.

Yours truly,

Chris Golis MA (Cambridge) MBA (with distinction, London) FAIML

7 Rickard Avenue, Mosman, NSW 2088. Australia

Mobile +61418222219

Email cgolisau@gmail.com

 

 

USA 2025 Cruising the Mississippi

 

© Christopher Golis 2025

Summing up San Diego

Vivienne and I had a pretty hectic time socially.

We are staying with my sister in one of the most affluent suburbs in San Diego (Mission Hills) and yesterday we had lunch at the most affluent, La Jolla.

The majority are Democrat’s convinced Trump is going to destroy the USA.   We reply, surrounded by unbelievable wealth, that actually life does not seem that bad here.

 Summing up Memphis

We spent 4 days walking in Memphis and our hotel was only a 5-minute walk from Beale Street.  On day 2 over lunch, Mayer calmly announced that Memphis is the homicide capital of the USA, per captia, and Beale Street is one of the most dangerous streets in the USA.  This was corroborated by the Trump appointed Director of FBI, Kash Patel who had declared during a press conference that this was the most surprising thing he had learnt during his tenure. To revive the town, Memphis is trying to develop a tourist industry around its historic connections to Blues, Soul ad Rock &Roll ad this was a dart to the heart.  Forget the warning, Memphis is a terrific place to visit.

Summing up the Mississippi

It is a big river that gets bigger every mile to San Orleans.  We did the cruise on Viking Mississippi, only 2 years old and staffed only by Americans.  Viking’s market niche is top of the market, no kids, no casinos, and the emphasis is on exploring and explanation.  This trip was excellent value and made you realise how important the Mississippi has been in the history of the USA.

Summing up New Orleans

Although it was hit with the double whammy of Hurricane Katrina and Covid, the city is rebounding well.  Stay at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter.  Forget Bourbon Street.  My favourite story was that 10 inmates escaped the nearby state prison.  The main Casino and Newspaper immediately organised a lottery on which inmate would be the last one caught.

 

Thurs 15 May 202

The trip begins with a 21:30 flight Sydney to San Francisco,  Our taxi to Mascot that normally takes 30 minutes took an hour as our driver brilliantly drove us through a very heavy thunderstorm.  We get to the check-in counter where the assistant immediately called in her supervisor.  She took one look at me and asked if I had a medical certificate to travel.  On Monday I had a BCC removed from my right eyebrow, I also had the stitches taken out for a suspected BCC on my forehead removed 7 days earlier,.  Unfortunately, the suspected BCC was an SCC and not all of it had been removed.  The doctor said I needed to see a plastic surgeon, unbelievably I saw the surgeon at 8:45 am the day and he decided to remove it that afternoon.  The result was a massive black eye.  So I ended up in a video conference with a specialist in Los Angeles who ultimately gave me clearance to travel. 

Viviene then returns to the check-in counter to be told that while I could get on the plane she could not.  She did not have a ETSI Visa, Fortunately I had a hard copy of her visa approval and soon we were good to go.  In the Business class lounge we polished off a bottle of champagne in 30 minutes.  We arrived in San Fracisco early.  Because I brought my cane and requested a wheelchair we shot through customs in 10 minutes.   Unfortunately, the plane to take us San Diego arrived late, we missed our take off slot, we then had to wait 90 minutes before another slot became free.  Then just as we were about to land in San Diego 3 hours late the pilot hit full throttle upwards.  We started another circle and the pilot announced that the reason the first attempt was aborted was that we were outside the safety parameters to land.  We all quickly disembarked 3.5 hours late in silence.

Friday 16 May 2025

We spent the day recovering from the trip.  That night we attended a concert at the newly refurbished Jacobs Music Centre.  The first part was the Saint-Seans Piano Concerto No 5.  The soloist like the composer wss French, Jean-Yves Thibaudet.  Most of you have heard him play.  He is the pianist in the latest film version of Pride and Prejudice.

 After the interval the orchestra played the rarely performed Shostakovich Symphony No 7 The Leningrad.  I thought the first movement excellent but the rest had too many notes.  However, when I researched the history of the composition I changed my mind.  It is a fascinating story, The siege of Leningrad began in November 1941 and Shostakovich began composing it shortly afterwards.  The first movement depicts the beginning of the siege with the advance of the Germa Army.  He finished the symphony in December and the rest of the symphony depicts the ambiguity of many ‘victories’.   For Leningrad this was certainly the case.   The siege lasted 3 years and over a million Russians died.  The symphony was performed over 60 times in its first season, an amazingly high number for a first composition.   80 years later it is rarely performed.

Saturday 17 May 2025

Sunday 18 May 2025

Wendy throws her weekly dinner party for 10 people.  Somehow our conversation moves from psychotherapy (everyone in California is in therapy) to people profiling that most of you know is a subject close to my heart. Ooe of the female guests asks me to profile her using my 7MTF technology ,  I begin by saying there is some manic in her temperament,   She stands up, aggressively sucks in air and  then screams ‘‘I am not a Manic!!!’  Later on, I profile her husband who scores me 10/10 for his profile, and the same score for his wife when she is out of ear shot. 

Monday 19 May 2025\

Wendy has organised for my stiches to be removed in the morning and I concurrently receive messages that both cancers have been removed, that afternoon after touring San Diego we go to lunch in La Jolla, the most affluent suburb in San Diego if not the USA with two food friends  of Wendy: Davis & Sharrie. 

Tuesday 20 May 2025

We have a chill-0ut day.  8 of us meet for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, The link between the two groups is Catherine Mayer, Anthony’s sister and a great fried of my sister when they both ere studying at Bath Tech.  Another great night.  

Wednesday 21 May 2025\

We fly to Memphis via Dallas a massive airport and hub for American Airlines.  We make all the flights with no food till we get to our hotel.   A quick dinner then it is off to BBKings in Beale Street which is just around the corner, Vivienne and I hit the dance floor when the excellent band start playing Tia Turner’s Simply the Best.  Vivienne turns in a=fantastic performance (She has always been a great dancer) +and we walk off to applause from the audience which turns into stunned silence when I yell out ‘You should have seen us 60 years ago.’  When people discover we are in our 80s they start shaking our hands in amazement.

Thursday 22 May 2025\

In the morning, we go to the Museum of Rock and Soul which just across the street from the hotel.  It is a terrific museum.   Two big learnings: there was a gradual buildup of blues and soul music singers being signed up.   But when Sun signed Elvis and released ‘That’s All Right’ Memphis exploded; It was radio that provided the mass appeal of Rock & Roll combined with the voice and pelvis of Elvis.

Before dinner we went to the Hotel Peabody, and saw the famous ducks.

Friday 23 May 2025

We go to Graceland, the home of Elvis and the 2^nd most visited tourist site in the USA.  See the Jungle Room.  Should be on everyone’s bucket list,

In the evening, we go to the historic Lafayette’s Music Room for Delta BBQ and Delta Music.  Food was mediocre and band was awful.  The problem is this.  If the band plays covers of old famous songs, it gets carried along by the memory.  If the band plays new, recently composed songs, they are quasi heavy metal i.e. crap.  On the way back our tour leader plays a song from his band and then ‘Walking in Memphis’.  I rest my case,

The next evening on the Viking Boat the show was a beautiful black female singer, Keia Johnston, who just sang old hits, was terrific and got rapturous applause.

 Saturday 24 May 2025

Morning is spent visiting Stax Museum (former recording studio) which was interesting (it has Isaac Hayes's Gold-Plated Cadillac), and Sun Records (still a recording studio) which was brilliant.  You heard the first recording Elvis made.  He was singing and recording a gospel hymn as a birthday gift for his mother.  The Sun secretary, Marion Keisker, was doing the recording.  She tried to get the producer to sign up Elvis and failed.  Elvis came in a second time to record ‘That’s All Right’ as a demo tape and the secretary was again managing the recording.  The producer, Sam Phillips, was just walking by, was impressed by the voice, and took over the recording session, the rest is history. 

We board our ship, the Viking Mississippi.  Very impressive.

Sunday 25 May 2025

We start our cruise and moored in Greenville whose main claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Jim Henson, the creator of Kermit the Frog.   I decided to give it a miss and have a chillout day; and stayed on ship.  I try to read a book relevant to every trip I take,  A key meme of the Mississippi is the role it played in the US Civil war.  The book I chose was Grant Moves South, 1861-1863 by Bruce Catton.  This is the first part of the military biography of Ulysses S. Grant and follows Grant from the summer of 1861 when he takes on his first Civil War command through battles at Belmont, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg to the summer of 1863. 

Monday 26 May 2025

We are moored at Vicksburg a key Civil War battle site.  This was another victory for Ulysses S.Grant.  The ultimate realist after two attempts to take Vicksburg by force had failed  he laid siege and starved the Confederates out who surrendered the day after Gettysburg.

Tuesday 27 May 2025

We are moored at Natchez, a attractive tow that describes itself as the Bath of the South.  Having been born and bred in Bath I beg to differ but it I attractive if dead.   The tour highlight was Magnolia Hall, a magnificent townhouse residence, that has been restored by the people. Of Natchez.  Why so wealthy?  Natchez stayed neutral during the Civil War and was the major slave trading port of the Mississippi.

Wednesday 28 May 2025

We are moored to a tree near St. Francisville.  We visit the Rosedown Plantation.  Our first plantation, 400+slaves, magnificent house and tour.

Thursday 29 May 2025

Baton Rouge, State Capital of Louisiana, State Museum is again very good, and another claimant to be the birthplace of rock & roll.

Friday 30 May 2025

We moor to a tree and disembark on the grounds of the Houma House Plantation.  I spend the morning at the ship’s medical centre and succeed in getting a 5-day course of antibiotics.  My shaven tooth felt infected.  Last night on the boat drink too much.

Saturday 31 May

 Day begins with walking tour of French Quarter of New Orleans.  Guide is excellent.  City is clean but lots of pavement needs repairing.  Need to walk looking down.  History is a mix of French, Spanish and British History.

We transfer ro the Hotel Monteleone.  Highly recommended and the place to stay.

In the afternoon a coach tour of The Big Easy.  I think our guide was tipsy at the start and never dries up.   1^st bad experience of the trip.

Anthony had been complaining that there had been no cock-ups on the trip.

We agree to have dinner at The Rib Room starting at 17:30.

By 19:00 Anthony was still a no-show.  After complaining the whole trip that there have been no cock-ups, one finally happens.  At 7pm he finally turns up for dinner.   Instant karma.  His suitcase and computer bag have gone missing.  They show up in his room at 23:00.

Sunday 1 June 2025

National WW2 Museum.  Very impressive.  See the plane my father flew dropping bombs on Germany.  He flew some 25 missions and somehow survived.

That night Katherine and David again rejoin us for dinner.

Monday 2 June 2025

Anthony departs for London; we have a chillout day. 

Tuesday 3 June 2025

We return to Jackson Square and visit two more Museums.  I am beginning to suffer from information overload.  Hurricane Katrina was big storm but New Orleans has a hurricane every year.  The problem is that much of the city is behind levees and below sea level.  Mardi Gras is also a big event.

Wednesday 4 June 2025.

We fly to London overnight,  Long day but we got to London at lunchtime and Vivienne’s sister at 2pm Thursday where we are staying for a week. Sunday night we had a great meal at Ma Cuisine in Kew.  Great meal and the ambiance of Paris Left Bank Bistro,

I am stopping the blog here and will add any photos here.

Cooking Crepes at the Courtyard of Two Sisters 

 

Travel Blog Europe 2024

 

12 July: Friday

The 14 hour flight on Emirates Sydney to Dubai was terrific, on time, great food and service.  We then had a 3 hour stopover in Dubai before catching the flight to Lyon.  We left the terminal on time and were moving to the main runway.  Suddenly the pilot announced we had to return to the terminal and unload several pieces of luggage wrongly loaded onto the plane.  Ten minutes later he announced that the luggage had been unloaded.  90 minutes later we finally started to move. 

One of the great benefits of flying Emirates is the unbelievable network they have developed to the various European destinations.  It is simply staggering the number of flights departing Dubai listed on the departure board.  However there is a downside.  Miss your takeover slot and you have to wait, and wait, and wait for a free slot.

13 July Saturday

We made it to Lyon and the Villa Maia which was recommended by a friend, Gary Tilsley, and now highly recommended by me.  The hotel is located about 100 metres below the Basilica at Fourviere and overlooks Lyon.  

Again we followed his recommended restaurants.  Our first dinner was Daniel & Denise, in Vieux-Lyon.  We were jet-lagged and walked down the hill to the restaurant.  It was the only time we did it and after that it was a return trip on either of the two funiculars serving Fourviere.  The restaurant was simple and non-pretentious; the meal was terrific. I have the first of my many glasses of Provence Rose.

14 July Bastille Day Sunday.

We climbed up the hill to the Basilic, went inside where about 1000 people were attending a French Mass and singing away beautifully.  It was terrific to see a thousand people practicing their religion and not hearing chants of Allahu Ackbar.

We caught the down to Vieux-Lyon and a light lunch where we saw and talked to the French doppelganger of our younger daughter, Laura. 

That night we ate at Tetedoie, one of top restaurants in Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France.

It was an amazing meal.  Vivienne had a deconstructed ratatouille.   I had a veal chop served with grapes and miniature mushrooms.  At 400 Euros not the cheapest meal I have ever eaten but then again it describes itself as the most refined restaurant in Lyon.  That night there was a massive fireworks display fired from the top of the Basilica that Vivienne saw while I watched Spain deservedly defeating England in the Euro 2024 final.

15 July Monday

We decided to walk across the Bonapart Bridge to the Place Bellecour.  It is a massive pedestrianized public square.  Actually,it is  not that attractive.   In the centre is a massive statue of Louis XIV on horseback.

That night we ate at The Rooftop Tetedoie.  Half the price and less pretentions than its sister I actually thought the food was better.

16 July Tuesday

We travel to Chalon-Sur-Saone by train & taxi which cost us 86 Euros in total including taxis while we been quoted 200 Euros to go by car.

We were on Avalon P0etry 2.  First impressions were a well-designed boat and a mostly East European Crew who were very friendly.  We were joined on the boat by my sister Wendy and our good friend Antony Mayer.  92 passengers (max 130) and 30+ staff.

17 July Wednesday

Our first stop was Tournus, rightfully describing itself as the Pearl of Southern Burgundy.  It is a very attractive village of 7000 people; especially the medieval centre, with its narrow alleys, old stone houses, artsy shops and restaurants. The highlight is the 10th century benedictine Abbey of Saint-Philibert de Tournus, the oldest surviving church from the 10^th Century with some beautiful mosaics.

In the afternoon we did a tour of the Macon region on the southern border of burgundy and famous for its Pouilly Fuisse which was famously introduced into the White House by Jacquiline Kennedy.  We went to a tasting in the cellar of Chateau de Pierreclos

18 July Thursday

Morning we cruise down the Saone to Lyon for lunch.  No question the Saone is more attractive the Rhine and Danube rivers except the Wachau Valley.

In the afternoon we did an excursion to the Basilica at Fourbreve.  The guide pointed out the Pencil, the Eraser and the Box.  These are the Lyonnais nick names for the 3 towers puncturing the skyline of Lyon.

Then we had a 30 minute tour of Vieux-Lyon.  Really only 3 streets.  We went through several traboules which are secret passages linking the streets.

19 July Friday

We are still in Lyon.  I had a rest morning while the other 3 in our group (Vivienne, my sister Wendy and our good friend Antony Mayer) all went to Les Halles de Paul Bocuse.  They came back raving about it an convinced me to go in the afternoon.  It was very impressive but I must confess I not a window shopper.  The food was very impressive and puts Mosman’s Fourth Village in the shade.

20 July Saturday

 We go to Tournon, one of France’s oldest medieval towns.   Our guide George was from Lyon and we spent most of our time talking about Lyon.  We then went downstream to Viviers, another French village.  I gave this tour a miss having had a good walk in the morning.

21 July Sunday

Avignon known in Italy as the city of the False popes and the home of the Palace of the Popes.  If you visit the Palace, (and if you are in Avignon it is almost mandatory,) it does require climbing and descending a lot of steps.  There were only 3 of us in the ‘White Walkers’ or slow group so we had the equivalent of a private tour.  In the afternoon there was a tour to the Chateau du Pape Winery but I gave it a miss.  Wendy toured the famous Pont de Gard (Roman Aqueduct) in the morning.

22 July Monday

Arles:  Anthony Mayer had arranged a tour and lunch managed by a former work colleague Bill Hennesy and his partner, Zoe.  First stop was the famous Amphitheatre and site of many a Roman Gladiatorial Circus and now used as an occasional bull-fighting ring.  Very impressive and well used movie and TV set.  We had lunch at Le Galoubet. Highly recommended and excellent food.

23 July Tuesday

We transfer to Nice via Aix.  We do the Tour of Aix and learn about Le Roi Renȇ who is seen as the founder of Aix which becomes the capital of Provence. There are around 100 fountains in Aix.  And the architecture is quite stunning.  It is a university town comprising 30,000 students in a population of 150,000.  We arrive in Nice around 4:30pm staying at Le Meridian hotel.  That night we host our Cruise Director Amilie for dinner at the roof top restaurant located in the hotel.  The view of Nice Harbour as the sun set was sensational; Amilie has been terrifically efficient and has a delightful sense of humour,  

24 July Wednesday

On Antony Mayer’s recommendation we go to lunch at the Villa Ephrussi, a mansion and gardens set o Cap Ferrrat overlooking the harbour of VilleFranche.  The restaurant is beautiful and the salads are highly recommended.  The mansion overlooks a long rectangular pool containing fountains that rise and fall to the sound of opera.  

25 July Thursday

We fly to London Heathrow to stay with Vivienne’s sister and family in Chiswick.  At this point I will finish the blog.

If you enjoy river cruises (and at our age what’s not to like) the trip down the Rhone is probably the best in Europe.  Every stop has an interesting history; the scenery is delightful.  Similar to the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympics you are immersed in a journey through French culture and values.   No matter how you slice it what the French have created in so many fields: Opera, Dance, Music, Food, Architecture, Fashion, etc France is the best epitome of style.  Unlike Paris in this case the weather was so much better.

BBC Best Bits of the Opening Ceremony

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cw4yepmknkpo

 

Japan April 2024 CHerry Blossom Cruise

 

Japan 2024 Travel Blog

Thursday 28 March

We arrived at 8:20pm met by driver Alex at Haneda Airport and taken to Grand Prince Shin Takanawa hotel.  First impressions were that Tokyo had an amazing road system and Brutalist architecture office and apartment blocks.  It was raining. cold & bleak.

Friday 29 March

Great excitement as the first cherry blossoms have appeared and the season is officially declared to be open.  Perfect timing.

We met our tour guide Alex at 10am and started with a visit to the Tokyo Tower.  This is a pseudo-copy of the Eiffel Tower.  The French connection was exploited to the degree that you could buy s Tokyo Tower Camembert and Brie package.

Next stop was Emperor Palace and park but you need tickets to get in which you need to book in advance.  As it was pouring with rain, we told Alex we had not desire to go for a walk in the park.

So off we went to the Asakusa Shinto Shrine located at the end of a long street containing masses of shops and restaurants and masses of people.  On the other hand, the weather had cleared and walking down the street had a real buzz.  Over 37 million people live in Greater Tokyo and people are everywhere.  We had a good lunch where the staff were very helpful in choosing gluten free food for Vivienne.  Here Vivienne met her favourite dog in Japan and we found the biggest Hello Kitty shop in Japan.

 

The next stop was the Shibuya Sky Tower which has great views on the 40^th Floor but you need pre-reserved tickets to get there which we did not have.  But we did get to the 14^th and we went to an NHK exhibition.  (NHK is the BBC of Japan.)  The exhibition was incomprehensible but we got fantastic views of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. 

I have been on many tours but no question Alex was the most laconic I had ever met.  He was very courteous and had a good sense of humour.  On the way back to the hotel I asked Alex if he was doing 2-day tours every week and he replied not really.  I then asked if it was his 1^st time ever as a guide and replied in the affirmative.  All was now explained.

Saturday 30 March

A beautiful sunny day and the temperature reached 28°C.  Alex dropped us off at the Emperor Meiji Park for an hour’s walk.  Across from the entrance there was a large Uniglo shop.   Our consumption needs won and we went shopping.  I bought a pair of shorts and Vivienne found some T-Shirts for the grandchildren.

Next we went to the Ginza which is the high fashion shopping street in Tokyo.  We were walking along and when we saw a Grand Seiko store.  I have a Seiko Kinetic that I purchased some 50 years ago and it has been a terrific watch.  Unfortunately, like me it is reaching the end of days and Seiko no longer carries spare parts for this discontinued model.  So I went in and explained this to the Grand Seiko staff that I needed to buy a new watch.  They took one look at me in an old T-shirt & aging ill-fitting jeans and directed us to the Seiko shop down the street (shades of Pretty Women).  Anyway, the staff there could not have more helpful.  I wanted a kinetic watch as you do not need to wind it.  But they are no longer made by Seiko.  However the assistant explained that they had placed solar powered panels in the clock face that charged the watch.  Secondly the watch has a GPS chip and automatically resets the watch when you go to a different time zone.   Finally, the watch was duty free 10% off so I bought it.

After Ginza we went to the Tsukiji Nippon Fish Market for lunch.  Again it was packed and buzzing.  At the end of the long street is the Sensoji-temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

Finally we went to the harbour where that was another park/shopping mall which had an exact copy of the Stature of Liberty.  We started Tokyo with a copy and we finished with a copy.

Sunday 31 March

We boarded our cruise ship the Norwegian Jewel.  The great news was that we managed to get an upgrade to a balcony room that was 2x the size of our previous room and we moved up from Deck 5 to Deck 8.  Every stateroom was taken.  There were 2,400 passengers on board: 1000 from the USA, 600 from Oz and the rest from some 30 countries.

Monday 1 April

Nagoya Castle, Hommaru Palace and Atsuta Shrine.

Beautiful Cherry blossoms on the trees. 

The castle has two gold Kinshashi (imaginary dolphin) weighing 44kg each on the roof.

The palace is made of a special type of cypress the hardest wood in Japan. It has spectular rooms and the floorboards creak to the sound of nightingales.

The shrine is a sacred site for the Shinto Religion.  There is a 1000 year old camphor tree with sacred snakes for whom the pious leave eggs.  Most Japanese practise both religions: Shinto is the happy religion celebrating births and marriages; , Buddhists the sad part e.g. Funerals.

Our guide Kay was the complete opposite to Alex.  Totally manic and could not stop giving us information.  On the way back to boat she stated explaining the 3 different alphabets used by the Japanese and teaching us various phrases.  On the wedding day the bride wears a white kimono and a Tsunokakushi which is a Traditional Japanese wedding headdress made of white silk shaped as a big hood and whose job is is to hide and contain the wives horns.  According to our guide for her the horns kept growing and she got a divorce.

Tuesday 2 April

8 hours in Kochi replaced with 5 hours in Wakayama.  We stayed on board and had a rest day.  A sunny morning followed by a bleak rest of day.

Wednesday 3 April

Kagoshima

As recommended, we skipped the cruise tour and caught the shuttle into town.  Then we caught the ferry to Sakurajim Island which is an active volcano and the main tourist attraction.  We caught the Island View Bus and because of the low-lying cloud and height of the observatory saw nothing but thick fog.  The trip to an hour and we caught the ferry back to the town.  Did some essential shopping and back we went on board as the rain began to pelt down.

Thursday 4 April

Busan

For Busan we were to dock at 12 noon,  We thought to beat the crowds using the Cruise ship tours we would try a private tour.   Japan Expo Tours had offered us for US$559 a private tour “for both you and Vivienne together without lunch. You will have Mr Jung who speak (sic) English and a driver with a private minivan.”  Two other people had already booked the tour,:and they kindly accepted having us join them.

“The well-laid plans of mice and men often go astray”; Tell me about it.

Disembarkation of 2400 passengers through a single choke point took about an hour.  It started at 12 noon and we finally got off the boat at 1pm. We then discovered the following.

Jung, our tour guide, spoke poor English and demonstrated he had limited experience as a guide during the tour.

Our driver, Wendy, did not drive and also had limited English.

We did not have a Mini Van booked for whole tour.  Instead, we were to catch taxis which at least 500 or so of our fellow passengers wanted to do.  We finally got taxis after 45 minutes and departed on our tour at 2pm.

The first part of the tour was a visit to the tallest building in Busan (100 floors) located at Hyundae Beach known as X in the Sky.  Living in a city that has some 50 beaches this was ironic but the good news was for the first time on tour we got tickets to actually get to the top.  In Tokyo we failed on 4 occasions to get tickets.  The contrast with Nagoya could not have been starker where twice when we needed tickets, they had been be pre-booked by the guide.

The tower was good and you could see why Busan was becoming a tourist “hot spot” according to Trip Advisor.  Inside the tower was the "Schocking Bridge" which was transparent glass that looked down 100 floors and scared everyone who did.

Around 3pm we then went to the Blue Line Train Station to catch the train to the Haedong Yonggung Temple that claims to be the most beautiful in Korea.  After waiting for 15 minutes, we were then informed by Jung that the only tickets available were at 5pm.  At that moment a rebellion started among the four tourists and we ended up catching taxis to the temple, The drive was spectacular winding around the various coves through masses of cherry trees that lined the roads and all were in full bloom.  The area we drove through, Song Jeong-Dong, would have to be the most expensive suburb in Korea,

The temple was good and the setting spectacular.  Of course, there were other travel groups but this was a blessing because we could overhear the travel guides, all speaking excellent English, providing commentary. 

It was now around 4:45pm and the decision was made that we should return to the boat.  Our taxi driver back to the boat was very amusing and told some brilliant jokes off his phone.  He had a brother in Melbourne so we had a bond.  He told us that traffic in Busan during rush hour is so bad that our return trip to the boat of around 45 minutes would have taken at least 2 hours.

I cannot tell you the relief Vivienne and I felt as we drank our first G&Ts.

Friday 5 April

Nagasaki

The first port to be open to Westerners, the setting for “Madame Butterfly” and oh yes, the site where “Fat Boy”, the second atomic bomb, was dropped at 11:02 on 9 April 1945.

Today’s tour comprised two parts: a visit to the museum and then a walk around the Peace Park.  The museum mainly showed the devastation caused by the bomb which was 30% more powerful than ‘Little Boy’ the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.  The bomb was exploded 500m above ground zero.  The devastation was from three sources: the blast, the heat, and the radiation.  There is an actual size replica of the bomb which also explained how it worked. 

One interesting section was a series of some 50 podcast interviews with survivors.  The final interview with Frank Chick who was an Australian POW working at the Mitsubishi munitions factory.  In contrast to the other interviewees he maintained dropping the bomb was a good thing.  He said his treatment by the Japanese Military was terrible and that it was the second bomb that ended the war six days later.  The then Japanese culture was based on Samuri culture summarised by the phrase “The true samurai has no scars on his back.”  To become a prisoner was the ultimate disgrace and the true warrior fights till he is killed. 

This was particularly demonstrated at the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa where Allied forces suffered significant greater losses than the Japanese.  This led to estimates that the invasion of Japan would result in at least 2 million Allied deaths plus even more Japanese deaths.

At the time the Japanese Military controlled the government led by a dictator, General Tojo.  Emperor Hirohito while the spiritual leader was a weak puppet.   After the first bomb the Military claimed it was a one-off event.  But then after the second, Hirohito said enough was enough, commanded the military to surrender and then to make sure they did went on the radio and said the country was surrendering to the Allied forces and the was over.  This occurred 6 days after the Nagasaki bomb.

The Peace Park is located next to Ground Zero, there are a number of “Peace” statues, coming from the usual suspects such as the Soviet Union and the GDR.  Perhaps the most interesting was a stature originally from the people of Freemantle but the widened to various other communities including the Aboriginal Community based at Maralinga where the UK government did A-bomb testing in South Australia.  There is a plaque written in what looks like Aboriginal language which is ironic because the Aborigines did not invent any written forms of the some 600 languages spoken by the Aborigines.

Saturday 6 April

Day at Sea.  The weather was bleak all day.

Sunday 7 April

Kobe & Kyoto

We docked at Kobe and then got on the coach for another tour “Highlights of Kyoto.”

Kyoto is the 2^nd largest city in Japan.  We saw another temple and another castle.

The temple was Kinkaku-Ji founded in 1397 by a Buddhist Monk and known as the Golden emple,  The grounds are regarded as the most beautiful in Japan and they are stunning.

After an interesting lunch we then went to NiJo-Jo Castle famous for where the founder and First Shogun of Togugawa Shogunate started his reign in 1603 after 100 years of civil war, Then followed 260 years of peace.  In 1867 the 15^th Shogunate transferred power to the Emperor Meiji also at the Castle.  Lots of rooms at different levels with drawings of tigers and leopards.

I asked the guide Hiro who was excellent how long she had been a travel guide.  She replied she got her licence to be a Travel Guide in 2008 but really only started taking groups in 2015.

Monday 8 April.

Into Kobe and into more shopping at Uniglo.  2 pairs of trousers, 2 pairs of shorts, 3 pairs of socks for A$110.

Tuesday 9 April

Pouring with rain and several tours cancelled.  However we finally started 1 hour late.

We started at the Momijiyama Japanese Garden in Sumpu Castle Park.  It had a replica representation of the sea harbour and Mount Fuji.  We then went to the Temple of the First Shogun where he died.  7 separate temples represented gods of health, business success, victory (for soldiers but now for sports), academic success, etc.

Finally we went to the Shimizu harbour for the best view of Mt Fuji.  Unbelievably the rain had stopped the clouds cleared and we had a great view of the snow- capped summit.  70 years ago I climbed Mt. Fuji twice; my father was in the USAF and he was transferred there for two years in 1954.

Out guide,Set, was again excellent and I continued my inquiries about Licenced Travel Agents.  Turns out you have to pass 5 exams, General, Japanese History, Japanese Geography, English Proficiency (regarded as the toughest).  It generally takes two years to study and qualify.  Set said she had a head start because she formerly was an English School Teacher for 30 years who had just retired.

Wednesday 10 April.

We disembarked at 9:30am and as our flight was not until 10:20pm we hired Alex to take us to Kamakura to see the largest Budda in Japan.  

This was followed by a visit to Tsurugaoka Hachimango Temple which also has beautiful grounds and a lot of upward steps.  

We decided it was time to return to the the Golis-Mayer tradition of finishing our trip with an excellent lunch.  Alex took us back to the Airport, dropped us off at the wrong terminal, but fortunately realised his mistake and got us to right one.

Sort of summed up the whole trip.  What is really impressive about Japan is the discipline of the people.  We never saw any graffiti the whole trip.  From the age of 4 the children spend the last 5 minutes of every lesson cleaning up the classroom.