When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part Last)

 Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture

 

Hidden treasures close by always leave me slapping my head thinking “Why haven’t I visited here before?” … but so do mosquitoes around a re-hab center.

 

Only a 3 hour drive from where I live; Matsumoto in my guide book is described as:

The city has a somewhat lazy, dishevelled feel to it, though the coming of the 1998 Winter Olympics will probably force the people to spruce things up a bit.

Hey! those “lonely planet” books are expensive!

 

 The city has a fascination with frogs for some reason.

 

 Matsumoto Castle is one of the Top 3 Castles in Japan. I’ve visited the other 2: Himeji and Kumamoto before.
I didn’t mean to, things just happen like that to me.

Built in 1504 and completed in 1614, it’s pretty old. It was scheduled for the scrap heap when the Meiji Restoration period was in full swing; but some locals thought that would suck, so the city bought it … and the rest is history … but so is the past.

Why was it called the “Meiji Restoration” when they went around wrecking and tearing old stuff down? Stupid Meiji Restoration!

 

 The castle somehow looks better in black and white.

I took this photo from one of the sniper windows, while slowly … ever so slowly … winding, shuffling, and climbing my way to the top of the castle, in my socks and everything!

Those are all the people who joined the line after I joined the line.

The castle looks like it has 5 floors, but there are really 6: one is secret. (you’re going to have to scroll back up to check this out, because I don’t have any more photos of it)

 

From what I saw Matsumoto looked like a very nice city, but with limited time before joining the final traffic jam of the trip there wasn’t time to explore anything else. I’ll definitely go back again.

 And that was the end of this year’s Golden Week adventure.

Another vacation packed away in a can along with all the other vacation memories in my head.

 

 

note: arriving home it was all the usually post-trip stuff: laundry, lawn mowing,  photos, milk purchases, and distributing the obligatory omiyage (souvenirs) to my neighbour and co-workers.

 

 

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Out Of Sight, Out Of My Mind

 

Nice day,  innit?

Tammy  over at The Tessarae  wondered if I missed anyone while I was off on vacation.

“Missed” is a pretty strong word, … so is “strong” or “blue cheese“.

Did I think of any of you at all a little bit even fleetingly on my excursion? No, not a bit.

I didn’t think of S. Le  over at I Feel Unusual  at all … which is unusual.

 

 I definitely didn’t think of S. Le‘s witty line to Cynical Scribble  about “alcologic“.

 Tammy   never passed through my mind at all while taking this shot of flowers by a strange bridge thingey.

 

 

 Tacky Raccoons   was the furthest thing from my thoughts, although I thought about his cousin the Drunk Tanuki a little.

 

 Epicurienne   didn’t cross my mind or palate.

 

Bonnie Luria   never crossed my palette or my mind.

 

 sweetiegirlz   and her old buildings never entered my head once.

 

 

 w1kkp  and her photos of normal from a different angle didn’t enter my head once with this shot looking up into the sky over ground zero in Hiroshima.

I must have had amnesia about Buck Frain  while snapping this shot of an art poster outside of … someplace … somewhere.

 

 razzbuffnik   never floated through my head while taking this shot of the floating torii at Miyajima. It only floats when the tide’s in though I guess.

 

 Dennis the Vizsla  never entered the doggie door in my head while I snapped this one.

 Turkish Prawn  and Prairie Flounder  were completely absent while looking at the seriously old guns from the 1500’s tucked away inside Matsumoto Castle.

 

I really didn’t think of Doraz  while extremely happy and warm and fuzzy.

 

I didn’t even remember Hot Lard  while taking this one … which is very difficult to do … because they are just rude.

 

I did think about Jim’s Muse  though.

… and Tony  was always a little out of my mind … but I’ve deleted those photos.

I usually just thought about myself the whole entire time.

 

note: I “heart” all of you  in my blogroll … in a manly non-physical way.

 

double note: I’ve missed out a lot of people on the blogroll. I thought of you constantly, but didn’t take any photos … of  skittles, very strangely organized stuff, funny wordplays, penguins, etc … . (sad face)

triple note: I’m sorry if I haven’t caught up on all your blogs, I will shortly (smiley face)

quadruple note: if I’ve offended anyone by not mentioning them, I haven’t meant to.

 

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