Byodo-In

Today we had a chunk of time between appointments and meetings in Honolulu, so we jumped in the car and went out to Byodo-In, a replica of a Buddhist temple by the same name in Uji, Japan, located in the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park in Oahu.  It was just a quick 20-ish minute drive from Honolulu, but felt like a world away.  What a beautiful side trip, thanks to my aunt for the recommendation!

Beautiful day, beautiful temple.

Nestled in the mountains, it is almost too pretty.

Here we are!


In goes the dollar...

...and ring goes the bell!!

Flowers in bloom in March.  Hawaii is awesome.

An offering for the Oakley Family.  We'll take all the love we can get.  :)

Koi feeding frenzy!!


Manicured garden.

Many people have left their mark in the bamboo here.

One last look before we head back.  How beautiful!

Rio Getaway!

To celebrate my friend's birthday, we spent a long weekend in Rio de Janeiro!  It was my second trip, but my first as a tourist.  I visited before in December for my job, and I worked the whole time.  I saw the Christo from a taxi, and that was about it.  This time my friend and I set out to see things that we couldn't bring our kids to, since it was a rare trip without them.

Starting the day off right at Stabucks.  Olin?  That would be me.

Fresh produce in a street market.

This is the Metropolitan Cathedral downtown.  Very modern.

Stained glass inside.

The top.

Next we found this Presbyterian church, so we had a look there too. 

Beautiful and peaceful.

Following this we proceeded to get pretty lost.  Getting lost can be fun too, though.  :)

After getting our bearings and grabbing some lunch, we had a tour of the Municipal Theater.

Stained glass inside.

The ornate interior.

 Dinner brought us to Via Sete, where I had this burger with pesto, cherry tomatoes and burrata.  What a day!

The Mt. of Olives

After the Old CIty, we drove to the top of the Mt. of Olives to see the views before heading back to Tel Aviv.

This looks like a Christmas Card contender to me!

Kylie was such a good girl all day!  Two happy ladies!

Temple Mount

That's one cool baby!

One last look.

Jerusalem - Jewish Quarter

After our walk through Jerusalem's Christian Quarter, we visited the Jewish Quarter. 

We stopped here first.  We got to spend some alone time with the famous wall, as this part is lesser known and no one was there.

A glimpse through the passageway.

Eric and the wall.  Kylie refused to make a nice face, so she did not get featured in the photo.

 Prayers tucked into the wall.

Back out in the winding souk, an incense vendor showcasing his wares. 

The Western Wall, the holiest place in Judaism.

Another perspective on the Wall.  It was not as large as I thought it would be.  It was also segregated between men and women.  Fascinating place.

 New old buildings facing the Wall.  A lot of this area was destroyed during the war here, but much has been rebuilt, and it has been rebuilt to match the Old City's character.

An archaeological site just off Temple Mount.

The Dome of the Rock.  The Muslim Quarter was not accessible by non-Muslims, so our only photos of this building were from far away.

Old buildings rambling through the Quarter.

Roman ruins.

La familia Oakley blending in!

Olive trees in the courtyard.

Flowers blooming on the terrace.

Smile!

Back into the Christian Quarter for lunch.

Looking around the Old City.

 

A camel tapestry in the market.

Life around the streets of the Old City.

Cheese!!

The walls of the Old City from the outside.