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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCelery and potato soup -mouth watering!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because I did not have the steak course like everyone else, I think they prepared the “rest of the fish” that we ate earlier. There wasn’t a lot of meat on it, but the concoction that it was cooked in was surprisingly scrumptious. Amazing that the chef could make a fish carcass taste that great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And… Dessert!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And here we are, stomachs and taste buds fully satisfied:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spending the day with Norie felt great. We were both remarking on the fact that in our daily lives we are not able to make time for strolling through museums, yet today we made the time to stroll through them together. It was nice having someone to share the experience with. She insisted on treating me to everything even when I tried to pay. She said that I had already spent so much money to get here to come and visit. It was incredibly generous. It was also a bit surreal having our kids, who are both adults now, meet each other. Maybe one day Maria will make it to New York and I will go to visit her there :).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I will finish off this post with a pic of a present I bought for myself this afternoon that I forgot to post earlier. As we were strolling through the historic quarter, Maria wandered into a tiny shop that you could barely notice from the outside, but for some reason, the small table in the doorway caught her eye – there wasn’t even a display window. It was a store which sold incredibly delicate pieces that were replicas of different flowers and natural items like leaves with tiny acorns and berries. They were so incredibly realistic, I was completely captivated by them. As many of you know, I do not wear a lot of jewelry, but I felt compelled to buy a leather necklace with this simple, yet beautiful pendant which reminds me of Japan in June when Hydrangea season is in full force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I went to pay, the owner showed me this information sheet which explained how he captured the natural beauty so accurately:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, that is part three of my beautiful day with Norie. After checking out of my hotel, I was lucky to have found this cafe which allowed me to hang out for hours using their excellent free wifi, documenting my day from yesterday. I will explore a bit more of Kurashiki this afternoon, hope to have an interesting supper and then will meet up with Erez for our weekend adventure to Onomichi and Innoshima. I am in the home stretch now. That will be my final adventure before heading back home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Once we left the Achi Shrine, we headed to the station to meet Erez. He was delayed by a bit of traffic, but we didn’t have to wait too long. We headed directly to a restaurant called Brasserie Aile. Maria … Continue reading <\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n