Hanami in Izu Peninsula Day 2 - 伊豆半島で花見

Bicycle: 18.3 km
Train: 180 km

Route: Hokkawa - Kawazu

Total riding time: 1:17 h 

Total ascent: 282 m 

Average speed: 14.1 km/h

Weather: Very Sunny, some wind, perfect weather,  16 C

Day 2 of this adventure out onto Izu Peninsula, saw us riding much less kilometers, but seeing much more flowers. But flowers aside, I think the highlight of the day was this onsen, just a few km before riding into Kawazu in Imaihama:

But we got up very early in the morning, with the plan to see the sunrise... (See minute 35:48 in Ecce Bombo)

... well, we did technically not wait on the wrong side... but still didn't get any sunrise, due to the clouds... but instead after the sunrise we were observes of the morning fish "market". 

The fishermen just had come in with the catch and the local restaurant and shop owners (we guess from the amount of fish they bought) flocked to the containers with fish like sea gulls would do and picked out the best. The rest probably went to the market in Tokyo. 

But there was enough even for the village cats... and they well knew:

When we made it on our bikes, the first task was a steep one, to get up the hill, but with this kind of sun, it was a real pleasure riding today:

We had less than 18 km to ride... but still enough opportunity to shoot photogenic landscapes:

That tree above, did remind me very much of some bonsai I had seen last weekend. We even got a perfect group picture with it... but I gather we were more important than the tree in the background.

After a perfect soak in the above mentioned onsen, we road down the last few kilometers into Kawazu and to the cherry blossom festival. Got a very good yakisoba, ate and then leisurely strolled along the river gazing at the flowers and enjoying our conversations (sounds very old fashioned, I know).

After a last relaxing food bath, which oddly enough reminded me of kneipp baths (but no, it WAS hot), we took a train to come slowly back to Tokyo.