religion – Page 4 – Roving Sun

November 28, 2023February 5, 2024

Braving the Hordes at Tofuku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera

We headed out in the morning from the Hyatt Place Kyoto for quick walk through a tiny part of Kyoto Gyoen on the way to breakfast. After eating, we visited Tofuku-ji, one of Kyoto’s most well known fall foliage viewing sites. It was crazy! And because we didn’t quite get enough madness, we headed back to Kiyomizu-dera for the nighttime illumination which was absolutely ridiculous! But quite beautiful and absolutely worth the trouble!

November 27, 2023December 13, 2023

Daytime Kiyomizu-dera and Evening Kodai-ji

We ended up waking up early at the Hyatt Place Kyoto and headed out to Kiyomizu-dera, hoping to beat the crowds. We were successful but the morning light wasn’t great due to the proximity of the mountains. We ended up visiting three times throughout the day hoping for better light! Later, in the afternoon, we walked over to Kodai-ji and stayed for their nighttime fall illumination event.

November 6, 2023November 20, 2023

Domodossola and the Sacro Monte Calvario

We decided to spend our last full day in Switzerland in Italy! The easiest city to reach is Domodossola, partly thanks to a relatively early EuroCity Trenitalia train that makes minimal stops on the way. We headed up to the Sacro Monte Calvario, a UNESCO World Heritage site, along the Via Crucis. Afterwards, we had Italian food for lunch, walked around Domodossola a bit, and headed back to Montreux.

November 5, 2023November 14, 2023

The Two Castles of Sion

We headed out today to see the two castles perched on hills above Sion. The Château de Tourbillon sits atop one while the Basilique de Valère sits atop the other. It ended up raining the entire time we were there but we still made it to both!

November 4, 2023November 13, 2023

Cheese and a Castle in Gruyères

We headed out in the morning to Gruyères, home of Switzerland’s Gruyère cheese. As the forecast was calling for rain in the afternoon, we first headed to the castle atop a small hill near the small town. After exploring the castle and having lunch in a nearby restaurant, we returned to town to check out the Gruyère cheese museum and shop.