I know some of you have seen the photos of our most recent little trip away, so here are some of the stories that go with the pics.
Sapporo, on the big northern island of Japan, was really quite fun! Unusually for us we were up and about early each morning (and early to sleep - missed dinner a few times)!! Saying that it did get dark at about 4pm and pitch black at 4:30pm.
Snow: Yep - there was lots of snow! An interesting powdery snow that doesn't compact - very difficult to make snowballs, and easy to become knee-deep when walking. Dan was more careful than me when walking as he was wearing shorts (well, what did you expect?) and material shoes. We both managed to stay warm.
The thing that is always forgotten about snow is the slippery, muddy, slushy mess it turns into after everyone's walked through it. But I guess that's all part of the fun too! Dan and I both managed to stay on our feet the whole time.
Drinking coffee while watching the snow: this was one of our favourite pastimes while in Sapporo. We went to a number of different cafes - on the street and overlooking the city. It was also fun watching huge chunks of ice slide off cars while they were moving..
The Zoo: beautiful and exotic creatures, although many were in small (by Australian standards) enclosures. The highlights were the polar bears and sea lions. They were very playful and seemed to be enjoying the cold weather. Some of the big cats were fun too - but seemed like they didn't really have enough room to stretch their legs. The lions and some of the other bears just appeared cold.
Festivals: our trip coincided with a German beer festival and the "Christmas Illumination festival" (Christmas lights). This was just a few minutes walk from where we were staying. We did enjoy nice beer and snags on a number of occasions.
Other things we got up to: exploring the city, investigating shops and going up a ropeway (time for another coffee?).
The hotel: really nice with the most comfortable bed we've ever slept in. The massage chair was quite nasty, but Dan seemed to enjoying it... but it did look painful!
So, all in all, a great time away. We kept busy but enjoyed the time together.
