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Letter 36
Monday 16.09.13 8,12 km
I woke up in the night and looked outside. It didn't look that bad.
But now in the morning the wind rip off the trees in front of us and the rain is
dense curtains waving.
TV shows nothing but the typhoon
At 7am I think it's worst. Around 8 it calms a little - I think. Until I go down
for breakfast. The rain is pouring down wipping the windows. My room is
sheltered. From the wheather forecast it looks as if it won't be over until this
afternoon at 3.
I thought I'd be able to check out at 10am and continue at noon. But typhoons
have their own ways... A glas of juice and a cup of coffee... Here they
don't put sugar in the coffee the way we do, but pour in a transparent syrup in
small cups like cream/milk.
It sound as if Kyoto has been hit the worst of the rain. There's massive
flooding. The waves out at the coast are up to 9 m.
I've been down to pay for an extra night, so now it can just go on raining...
At 1pm it's stopped, but there's still a fierce wind. Quite convinient? I'm
struck by a tummy bug and lie down with nausea and end falling asleep. But if it
has to be, it cannot fit better, I have nothing to do.
Late in the afternoon I have recovered so much that I go to the postoffice to
withdraw some money. There's a postoffice in every little village, and they
always have an ATM. When I go back I see the pagoda on the mountain opposite to
Fuji San again and decide to go looking for it. There must be a fine view
towards Fuji from there.
The stupa........
.....and the view to the city
It's like in Sendai, a park high up over the city and the view is excellent.
It's a stupa, where the buddha sits inside. There are also a bell tower and
statues, which I unfortunately cannot read who are.
The misty silhouette of Fuji San - as the japanese call it
On my way back to the bike I'm spoken to by a japanese lady, who starts with
"Where are you from?" but immidiately continues "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" Quite
surprising. We do mostly speak english her german is a bit rusty. She also
speaks a few french words. She's an architect living here in Gotemba and has
been to Germany: München, Köln and a city more I couldn't understand. She owns a
danish table. She likes danish design. At the end she reveals that her german
teacher has a
restaurant: Lindenbaum, and she put a dot in my map. It's a bit out of town. If
he's german I never ask, but I go to look for it. I don't find it. Maybe it was
a bit further ahead, but there was a giant downhill and I would have to all the
way back up... And my stomach it's for german food today, that is, IF they have
german food. It could be nice to know.
On the way back - it's getting dark - I buy two yogurts. That has to do for the
dinner. I have also some apples left.
Even I've done my best - with Nori's camera - it's nothing compared to reality
Now I sit by my window looking at the cone shaped silhouette of Mt. Fuji in the
faint blue sky rimmed by reddish clouds. You don't get anything better!