Here and there but not quite everywhere!
We went back to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens today after visiting for the first time this year two weeks ago. We once again saw a variety of flowers and birds. We in particular had many Orchard Oriole sightings as well as many swallows as usual, though unfortunately no Baltimore Orioles.
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It has been about 6 months since our last visit to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in NoVA. We missed cherry blossom season this year but were still able to see many beautiful flowers today. And, of course, a variety of birds, including the sometimes elusive Baltimore Orioles!
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After waking up at the Conrad Tokyo and having breakfast, we checked out and took the Shinkansen to Odawara. From there, we took two local trains to Gora in the Hakone region. We checked into the Indigo and took a funicular along with two gondolas to reach Lake Ashi. We boarded a pirate ship to cruise the lake and landed at Hakonemachi. We walked through the Onshi-Hakone Park, with views of Mount Fuji, and ended up at Motohakone, still on the shores of Lake Ashi. From there, we took two busses to complete our loop, returning to Gora to enjoy our in room onsen!
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Beitou, in northern Taipei City, is known for its hot springs. We visited to take a look at the thermal area and to soak at the Radium Kagaya, a hot spring hotel. We also had some good food throughout the day and ate at Din Tai Fung, possibly Taiwan’s most famous restaurant.
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After a nice breakfast at the Hotel Belvedere, we walked over to the Grindelwald First gondola and took it up to First. From there, we checked out the scenery from the First View platform and then did the First Cliff Walk. Next, we hiked over to the Bachalpsee, a pair of alpine lakes. From there, we returned to First and took the gondola back down to Grindelwald where we had dinner and ended our day.
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