Bit of a quiet weekend but nice to spend some quality time with Mr Bamboo Bear too :) We had a slightly sombre day on Saturday as we joined the crowds on the Cathedral Square walkway into the city centre, open for a couple of days so the people of Christchurch can say goodbye to the beloved Cathedral before the deconstruction begins. It was a strange visit. I didn't take the camera as it wasn't something I wanted to document. I felt it was a very personal experience that could only be felt, and not expressed in words or photographs. I am very grateful we had the opportunity to see the square, as we presumed we'd never get the chance while we were here; but I would have loved to have seen the Cathedral whole and unbroken. For me, it was the embodiment of everything that has happened here and a stark reminder of the sometimes brutal nature of Mother Earth.
The following day, we took a trip with our German and Czech housemates to a special Japanese Day at the Riccarton Market. After about 20 mins trying to find somewhere to park, we arrived to an extremely crowded row of stalls. I was slightly disappointed to say the least, as I had been looking forward to taking lots of nice photographs of geishas and kimonos, but I managed to angle the camera over the crowds enough a couple of times to get decent-ish pictures of the lanterns and decorations. Some visitors had really made an effort to dress up. There were some beautiful kimonos and every now and then the odd cosplay outfit too. I would have loved to have got a shot of the lovely little Japanese girls in their traditional dress. They looked so pretty.
Back home in the evening, our new housemates were lovely enough to cook us a traditional Czech meal of Knedle (a type of dumpling), caggage and pork. I didn't get chance to take a pic before I emptied my plate, but here's an example of what it would have looked like...
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