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We had a grand day in Kobe today and I like this city even more now. We woke up a tad late at 10am and we were a bit sore and stiff from the hard bed but we were keen to get out and explore the city some more.
We started with a walk to the station and a delicious bakery breakfast where I had a most fresh sandwich. After that we caught the subway one stop to get to the base of the Kobe Ropeway. From here we caught the ropeway to the top to get some superb views of Kobe. At the very top is the Herb Garden where we purchased some teas and flavoured cooking salts and enjoyed some tea in the cafe. There are some lovely gardens at the top and they have different blooms depending on the season. Being winter we didn't have much in bloom but there were some roses and also the trees still had their autumn leaves which was lovely.
We walked through the gardens and down the hill to the mid station before hopping back onto the ropeway for the last part of the trip down.
We decided from there to go to Kobe Harbourland which is basically a shopping area right on the harbour. It was only a few stops away and once we arrived we found some ramen for lunch. It was probably one of the better ramens we have had this trip we lots of tasty toppings. Mine had minced meat, spring onions and some pork chunks and it was spicy and delicious.
After lunch we strolled down to the harbour and decided to go on a ferry ride around the port. We got a combo ticket to go up Kobe Port Tower as well. The boat ride took about 45mins and we did a loop around the port and enjoyed a drink. It was very relaxing and it was just on sunset so we had some beautiful views.
When we got back to the dock we walked to the Kobe Port Tower which was only a few hundred metres away and presented our tickets to get up to the top. There were five observation floors so we checked out the view from each before settling into the 3rd floor where we could enjoy a drink at the revolving cafe. The sun was setting even more now so we got some awesome pictures of the town coming to life. We took two revolutions around the tower before heading down.
There was a department store nearby where we spent an hour or so shopping and actually bought some good stuff. I got a skirt for ¥150! And Shannon got two pairs of pants, a shirt and some manga.
We headed back to our home station after that and tried to find some dinner. We weren't too sure what we felt like so we strolled around a bit before heading back to the hotel to google things. I searched for restaurants near the hotel and looked up a place around the corner that we had walked past. It seemed to have some okay reviews and Shannon reluctantly agreed to go. It was literally around the corner and it's called Green House Aqua. The outside entry is all decorated in greenery and when you walk in you make your way down a narrow corridor before turning into the main restaurant. It looks like a converted garage and is hipster slash industrial in its decor. The waiter offered a few options for seating and we chose this mezzanine area that had a comfy red couch for us. It was quite cool. We ordered some pizzas, chicken and an avocado dip off the menu and the food was promptly brought out. The food was all very good but I have to say the avocado dip was the highlight for me. It had hints of wasabi and plum and it was so yum! The four cheese pizza with honey was also a stand out. I've convinced Shannon to go back again for dinner tomorrow night and we are already planning what to order.
Such a great day! I love Kobe!
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