Ceriana

Driving from Baiardo to San Remo we passed through the village of Ceriana. The shortest way from Baiardo to San Remo was to drive down the valley on the other side from where we came up. 

The road is a little wider here and it is also where the bus goes. 

Cinque Valli.

Driving from Ventemiglia to Baiardo took us through some beautiful villages.. 

Apricale derives from "Apricus" meaning exposed to the sun. The town rises up majestically on a hill as you drive up the mountains from Ventimiglia. 

The old bridge is the symbol of Dolceacqua. The bridge featured in a painting by Claude Monet in 1884 (defining it a "jewel of lightness"), and this view is one of the most picturesque and famous views of the Ligurian inland. 

Isolabona is situated after Dolceacqua and is the last village before you start climbing up the mountains. 

Bajardo

Bajardo, 900 m (3000 feet) above sea level . 

Pop 306 (jan 2008)

Baiardo is a comune in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria. 

The ruins of the church of San Nicolo. 

Here, just below the small village of Bajardo is where my colleague and her husband live out their Italian dream. In this stone house that has been built almost from scratch after purchasing the land in 2007, is where we lived and breathed Italian village life for a week this summer. It is so peaceful here, you see a few cars and hear a few horns each day, but most of the time it is just you and the birds. Every now and then we would hear someone rattle in the dry forrest around us, and I was expecting a snake or a wild pig showing up, but that never happened. The only one showing up in our yard was a rather big mouse, but he never tried to enter the door..

Baiardo is a 5 minute drive north on very winding roads and you have to honk the horn before every turn. This little village has a few restaurants but they are not open all day so make sure you visit them at the right time, or you leave pretty hungry, which we experienced already on our first night there. Italians serve lunch around 12.30-16.00 and dinner from 19.30. Most of the restaurants did not have a menu but we learned that for lunch they serve pasta first and then you choose a meat that is served with potato. Wine is served at all meals of course..

This little car took us around to a few villages and cities during the week. You have to have a car here otherwise you are pretty stuck. It is convenient to have a small car as the road is narrow and winding. 

Cheers to Italy! 

We had hot, sunny weather every day, good books and each other. I guess that is all you need.. 

Kyoto

"The Golden Temple"/"Golden pavilion" or Kinkaku-Ji is one of Japan´s best-known sights. 

Any trip to Japan should include both Tokyo and Kyoto. We chose to spend 4-5 days in each city. Kyoto is said to be the place to go to see what Japan is all about. 

The city has ancient temples, colorful shrines and sublime gardens. 

According to Lonely Planet Kyoto is even the place where the Japanese go to learn about their own culture. 

Kyoto has 17 Unesco World Heritage Sites, more than 1600 Buddhist temples and over 400 Shinto shrines. It is one of the world´s most culturally rich cities. 

Population: 1,47 million. 

Kyoto receives close to 50 million domestic and international tourists a year. 

The area of Kyoto called Northern Higashiyama is one of the city´s richest areas for sightseeing. You can take the metro up here and walk around for hours. 

This red-brick aqueduct inside the Nanzen-Ji temple area is so picturistic. 

Nanzen-Ji and the surrounding area is among the temples you must visit. 

The Ginkaku-Ji tempe lies at the end of the Tetsugaku-no-michi (the Path of Philosophy). The Path of Philosophy is a pedestrian path that runs along a canal near the base of the Higashimaya.

Lots of Hortensia´s at the hotel. I guess somebody was having some sort of celebration!