Saturday we had a leisurely morning which included a trip to the onsen. Since there were 5 of us staying at the Huttons' apartment, we couldn't all shower. Or we could, it would just take a lot of time. So we went to the onsen and got cleaned up and relaxed and hung out. We definitely needed it after walking all day Friday.
Friday afternoon, we jumped on the train and headed out to Otaru for the snow/ice candle festivals. My boss is from Otaru and he told me I needed to go. I was expecting to go to the canal and check the ice candles floating down the canal. But I was in for so much more!
It was really hard to take a picture with no flash and not have it be blurry...especially while wearing gloves.
This is an ice candle...and there's maple leaves stuck in it. And there's a real candle inside lighting it up.
The best part was finding an igloo (even though it was tiny and we could hardly get in).
And then finally we got to the canal...and it was a zoo. Just enough energy left to push through the crowds to snap a picture before heading to Bikkuri Donkey for some parfaits!It was a wonderfully fantastic way to spend my birthday weekend. I felt blessed beyond measure on my birthday weekend--Great food, lovely sights, and awesome friends!
Looks like you had a lot of fun on your birthday!
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