Spring time in Kobe

We have had a glorious day wandering in Kobe, Japan. First we walked round the central part of town where the Port Line train took us ($2.00 each)from the port. Then we walked up and up until we reached the cable car station which swings you up the hills surrounding the city. It was a spectacular ride. On the way to the cable station we saw so many trees in blossom; it is cherry blossom time, how lucky could we be?!

We saw families on outings with Grandparents (see photo) enjoying the top of the 'mountain' after using the cable car, called the Ropeway. The views from the ropeway itself and from the top were incredible.

We had lunch in a Japanese restaurant....you realise we're becoming expert with chopsticks?! We both ordered soup and I had "buckwheat noodles" (that was the English translation) in mine. Our chopstickes were much smaller than usual and these noodles were really difficult to manage, my expertise came to naught and it must have been disgusting watching me slurp them up! But the soup was delicious; karrie soup, (translated it was curry soup). I had told George I felt like an Indian meal and he said 'you can't have an Indian meal in Japan!'...so I had Japanese karrie soup instead....

Kobe is a very attractive city and Japan is very North American in many ways; terribly efficient, clean and sophisticated. Strange that I didn't really care much about coming here and I love it! I have never met such helpful, kind people. I emailed a woman who lives in Kobe to ask some questions on virtualtourist.com and she has responded twice; i asked the way twice today (George won't because he hates to admit he's lost) and on both occasions the woman i asked walked with us part of the way to make sure we didn't make a mistake. In a shop where I was given the assignment of buying material for costumes for the play the sales-woman took me all over the place looking for what I wanted. Not one of these three women spoke any English except to say "Sorry" for not speaking it....I was bowing almost to the floor in gratitude!

We are supposed to be eating out tonight with Ted and having a 'dry' japanese meal of beef, which you grill yourself right on your table. He was lecturing in the Kobe Women's university today and isn't back yet and we're all getting hungry so we're off to possiby do our own thing!