Adventures in Kyoto

The day after Halloween we got on a plane and flew a couple hours to Osaka. Then we took a train to the city Kyoto. It is a famous city for their ancient temples and shrines. During WWII the city was preserved because of its historical value.

Going on trips with kids is always an adventure and this one didn't disappoint. They sure make it hard, but hopefully we made some good memories.

We stayed in an Airbnb which worked out pretty well. I wish I would have taken some pictures of it. Here is the pic from the website...

The shower/bath room was cool. It kinda looked like this pic

Step out of the tub and the whole room is a shower (ours even had a mirror just like the picture- not a fan of the mirror in the shower).

The toilet was a "magic potty" as my children call them. Brooklyn went to use it and wanted to know what all the buttons were for so she pushed one. All of a sudden there was some screaming coming from the bathroom- and water spraying all over. She had pushed the button for the bidet and it shot right through her legs and onto the floor.

It kinda looked like this except the buttons were on the wall. Who needs a separate line for the sink when you can just put it right on top of the toilet. 

On the train to Kyoto: You have to treasure these tender moments when all the kids are happy and getting along!

While on the train Spencer said "Does this train have wings?" No. "Then are we flying?"

After our last trip there was no way we were going without a stroller. This one makes it so all the kids can ride necessary.

Day 1 was Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji temple (Golden Pavilion) and the Philosophers path. We took mostly buses and did a lot of walking. 

I wish I would have taken more pictures of this place. It was amazing. Apparently we were there about 3 weeks too early for the full Fall colors, but we still saw a few. 

I love this man so much!

Day 2 was on bikes- what a great way to see a city. Especially since the bikes were electric assisted. That made pulling a 50 pound kid (plus one strapped to you-for Curtis) possible for 6 hours. The kids said this was their favorite part of the whole trip.  

Kiyomizu Dera temple

This is the Fushimi Inari Shrine and the 1000 Torii Gates ( I think)- People come from all over the world to see this sight!

We are in a city that is known for their great food.....

And we eat at McDonalds. That's just how we role. While there I asked them to fill my water bottle with cold water. There was obviously some confusion in the translation because when they gave me my water bottle back it felt a little warm (it is an insulated water bottle). I was super thirsty so I took a drink anyway. It was scalding hot water!!!!! I sucked on ice for the next 3 or 4 hours and my tongue is still sore a week later. 

Day 3 was Arashiyama which is a short train ride from the city center. Here we explored the bamboo forest, although I'm not sure we found the actual one I was planning on seeing. By this point I was so tired, my feet hurt and both Curtis and I had a head cold so we didn't really care. 

Of course we had to play at the park because the kids don't care about anything else. It was funny watching our two kids on one end of the teeter totter with a 3 or 4 Japanese kids on the other end.

The kids did enjoy Monkey Mountain

You climb for about 20 minutes and at the top are "wild" monkeys that just roam around. You can feed them if you go stand inside the cage. The kids were too afraid to hold the food out, but Brooke would toss it close to the monkeys. I was pleasantly surprised she didn't freak out when she saw the monkeys were not in cages. We have come a long way!

The view from the top of Monkey Mountain

This place reminded me a little of Europe