Yakatabune - Boat Trip

On Sunday 25th September, I and approximately 30 other customers from my local hostelry (Elwood's Bar) went on a boat trip in Tokyo Bay. These boats, called yakatabune (meaning 'roofed boat'), are a popular excursion for Tokyoites. Rather surprisingly, most of my fellow passengers had not yet actually been on one.

Yakatabune used to be popular amongst the cream of Japanese society many centuries ago, but are now popular amongst the hoi polloi. Great background information to yakatabune can be found at the following link. The interior of these vessels are supposed to invoke the memory of days gone by - tatami flooring, low tables, wooden windows, and paper lanterns around the exterior of the boat. Very nice indeed!From what I can gather, most yakatabune serve traditional and high quality Japanese dinners. However, the main source of sustenance on our vessel was monjayaki and okonomiyaki. Much cheaper, and in my opinion, much more tasty. The unlimited amount of beer available was also very welcome.It was quite a pleasure to eat and drink in the boat, with the views of Tokyo gradually changing as the evening drew in. A very pleasurable day out on the water, and one which in my mind finally signalled the end of summer.A great day out which I would recommend to all.

Earthquake - 6 months later

Well, it has been 6 months since the massive earthquake hit the east coast of Honshu - a useful point to reflect. Looking back, I am still more than happy with the decision for Clara and I to relocate for a week in Hong Kong. Radiation is still spewing from the nuclear plant up in Fukushima and I am therefore hoping my biggest mistake will not prove to be returning so quickly.

A small section of Japanese society has actually lambasted and mocked many foreigners (referred to as gaijin in Japan) for pulling out to more stable climes. For a time, we were rechristened byejin or flyjin. I am not criticising anyone for steadfastly staying put in Japan, but I think the criticism aimed at those who left is a bit rich. The Japanese have proved to be one of the most discerning and sensitive nationalities when it comes to world travel. Again, that's fine by me. Just don't criticise others for doing their best to preserve the safety of themselves and their family members, especially in a land where the Tokyo mayor advocates imprisoning Tokyo expats if a major disaster were to strike.

The cleanup in northern Japan seems to be progressing in fits and starts. Some areas look like they are ready for reconstruction whilst others are still covered in mounds of debris. Perhaps a bigger challenge will be persuading people to move back.... Since the problems with the nuclear power stations, there has been a big public backlash against the use of atomic energy. Let's just see how long this backlash lasts.....people forget very quickly.

There are still regular aftershocks, but they appear to be lessening in their intensity. People are slowly returning to their normal lives with the ever-present tension felt in the months immediately after the earthquake and tsunami decreasing steadily. In the back of my mind though, there is still the threat of the next big quake forecast to strike Tokyo. Some seismologists state that the risk has increased since the quake on March 11th, as discussed in the following link.

Fingers crossed for an extended period of stability.

And finally.....Hakodate

Our last night in Hokkaido was the 24th August. We left Sapporo early in the morning and headed to the nearby town of Otaru, famous amongst the native Japanese for the glassware made there. Otaru is famous amongst the foreign expat community in Japan for an entirely different reason - a lawsuit aimed at lifting the ban on non-Japanese from using some of the local onsens. Fortunately, one of those banned from the onsens (Debito Arudou) for not having the right ethnicity, took umbrage and won his anti-discrimination case. Despite such a victory, it is still not yet illegal to exclude customers from any premises in Japan based on race.

After our stop off at Otaru, the bus journey down to Hakodate was actually very nice. Lovely views from the road which followed the coastline south. We stopped off at a couple of places en-route and arrived at our hotel in Hakodate at approximately 5.30pm. Our hotel, the Bourou Noguchi, was very impressive indeed! A great blend of traditional and modern Japan. After arrival, we had to quickly eat dinner and then rush to join the bus once again to experience the night views from the top of Mount Hakodate. This rush meant we didn't have time to eat desert.

And the views from Mount Hakodate were certainly impressive - supposed to be amongst the three best night views in Japan, for which I wouldn't necessarily disagree. However, there were thousands of other people pushing, shoving, and shouting to get a glimpse of Hakodate below. The night view was certainly impressive, the experience depressing. I much preferred the experience of Mount Inasa in Nagasaki when we visited almost 4 years ago. Similar night view, but much more restrained and civilised. I wasn't at all unhappy to get back on the bus and return to our hotel.The room at the Borou Noguchi Hotel was one of the best I have stayed in. As can be seen from the picture, we had our very own hinoki (cypress) wooden bath on our balcony. Soaking in the bath was the usual pleasure and the Western style bedroom and Japanese style lounge were very tastefully done with little expense spared. However, the same problem existed as I experienced in Sapporo the previous evening. By the time we had returned from the night view and had an onsen, it was too late to explore the city of Hakodate (even if I did have the energy from the marathon day we had just experienced). So, similar to the night before, I was in bed asleep by 10.30pm.It was a terrible shame we were all so rushed. I spent approximately 8 hours in the Borou Noguchi Hotel, 6 of those hours were spent sleeping. It seemed to have defeated the purpose of staying in such a lovely place as we never had a proper chance to enjoy all the hotel had to offer. Shame.

Before our flight back to Tokyo the following day (25th August), we still had the chance to spend half a day wandering round Hakodate. I skipped breakfast in exchange for an extra 30 minutes in bed and then split from the rest of the tour and found a quiet watering hole to sit and have lunch with a couple of beers.

In summary, Hokkaido is certainly a fantastic place to visit and I was lucky to have a brief glimpse of what the island has to offer. I would recommend it to anyone. On the other hand, if you want to really understand and have a deeper appreciation of Hokkaido, it would perhaps be best to hire a car and explore at your own pace.

To Sapporo

On the 23rd August, we had a full itinerary on our epic journey from northern Hokkaido towards the south. Amongst other things, we stopped off at some picturesque waterfalls and spent about 3 hours at Japan's most popular zoo (Asahiyama Zoo). Going to a zoo seemed a little inappropriate to me - there are plenty to visit in any country or city around the world. I also feel uncomfortable that the animals are cooped up for their lives in small spaces purely for the enjoyment of humans. Clara loved it though and I must admit that watching the polar bear diving into a pool to retrieve fish was fascinating.

After departing the zoo, our journey continued to Flower Land. Not overly exciting and for me, a little disappointing. The large field of sunflowers all had drooping heads and I think that the famous fields of lavender had also already reached their peak a week or two before. The light rain was also a slight irritant.

The real prize for me was our stay in the city of Sapporo. Sapporo is world famous for the Snow Festival held each February - another good reason to make a return journey to Hokkaido one day. However, I was also interested to see the city as it is supposed to be unique amongst other Japanese cities as it adopts a more American style town plan.

Soon after arriving at our hotel in the Susukino area of the city (within the entertainment and red light district), we walked about 15 minutes or so to see Odori Park. The park is one of the well publicised images of Sapporo, so I was keen to get a quick glimpse before our search for a suitable place for dinner and drinks.

The only downside during our stay in Sapporo was the hectic schedule we had to stick to. We had woken up early (again) that morning and had spent an extremely busy and tiring day travelling to the aforementioned attractions. We also knew that there would be another early start the next day. Before the holiday, I was really looking forward to a good night out in Sapporo. Reality meant that I was in bed and fast asleep by 10.30pm. By trying to do too much, I actually failed to do some of the things I most wanted. Just too tired to explore the city, made worse by fear of being stuck on the bus the next day with a thumping hangover.

So similar to Shiretoko, Sapporo was a nice place to visit. In order to really appreciate it though, I will have to return one day.

Shiretoko Peninsula

For as long as I can remember, I have always yearned to visit the Shiretoko Peninsula. I imagined raw and unspoilt scenery, an abundance of wildlife, and only a smattering of people. My expectations proved pretty accurate.The only problem was that we were on a bus tour - a simple and often stress free way to see a new place, but one that sticks to a rigid schedule (especially in Japan) where you cannot linger.

Perhaps the most memorable memory of my whole trip was simply sitting on the beach for 5 minutes next to Clara. The air was fresh, the waters in the Sea of Okhotsk were clear, and the amount of bird life around the coast was a reminder of the relatively untouched wilderness we were visiting. Shiretoko was fantastic - but our brief visit was nowhere near long enough. I regard our visit as a taster - I will return sometime in the future for at least a couple of days. The scenery in winter must be breathtaking.

On the short return walk from the beach to the car park, I noticed a large cluster of thistles (called azami in Japanese) - how could I not take a picture of the flower of Scotland? A few years ago, I remember being quite surprised to learn that thistles were commonly found in northern Japan. The parallels don't end there - Scotland and Hokkaido are almost exactly the same size with almost identical populations.

Shortly after lunch and our brief sojourn to the beach, we got back on the bus and went to see the fairly interesting Sea Ice Museum near the town Mombetsu. Every winter, the Sea of Okhotsk freezes over due to the continuous influx of fresh water from the Russian Amur River, thus lowering salinity. It must be quite a sight to see in winter!Shiretoko was everything I had hoped it would be - a real gem. Next time I visit, I won't be in such a rush to leave. Fantastic!

Sapporo Classic

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Sapporo Black Label (kuro label) is generally my beer of choice in Japan, but as I was in Hokkaido, I thought it more appropriate to drink Sapporo Classic. Classic is not sold anywhere else in Japan, only Hokkaido.

Hokkaido - Akan National Park

Our long anticipated holiday to Hokkaido finally arrived when we flew up on Sunday 21st August. After a short bus journey from Kushiro Airport, our first night was spent beside Lake Akan, famous for green balls of algae called marimo. The area of Akan is also the last bastion of the indigenous people of Japan, the Ainu.

I have actually been to Lake Akan once before, about 14 years ago accompanied by vacationing university friends (Grambo, Bash, and Hank). We travelled up to Hokkaido on board the MV Blue Zephyr under clear blue skies, accompanied most of the way from Tokyo by dolphins. Unfortunately, this ferry service from Tokyo ceased some years ago - not at all surprising as we were practically the only passengers on board. As my friends and I all had such a great time during our visit in June 1997, I was excited to retrace some of my steps and see whether or not anything had changed - nothing had.

Memories of my last trip to Lake Akan are:

• hiking to the top of Mount Oakan (and cutting my leg)
• sleeping in the tent with the fear of being attacked by black bears
• sitting relaxing and chatting by the campfire
• bathing in the local onsen (and scaring the other patrons away)
• a marathon pedalo trip on Lake Akan to a small island
• listening to the hand over of Hong Kong on my small radio

This time, we stayed in the slightly more salubrious surroundings of the New Akan Hotel. The room was very nice and the dinner and breakfast buffet were certainly good for a fussy eater such as myself. After dinner, we wandered around the village for an hour or so looking at the usual tourist traps and paraphernalia - below is a picture of the famous marimo.

Clara is adamant that the marimo on sale are actually fake. She said that there is a little old lady who makes the green balls from regular algae and then puts them into jars for gullible tourists - I am inclined to believe her.

The best memory of our most recent trip to Lake Akan has to be the late night onsen and jacuzzi on the roof of our hotel. Very relaxing and peaceful.

Trip to Hokkaido

A holiday to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido beckons. We all really cannot wait.

Hokkaido is the last unspoiled area of Japan, so it will be soothing on the eyes to see some wilderness as opposed to the Tokyo cityscape.

Our rough itinerary is:

Depart Haneda Airport tomorrow (21st August)

Stay at Lake Akan

Visit Shiretoko Peninsula

Various places through the center of the island

Sapporo

Otaru

Finishing off with a night in Hakodate (25th August)

I will obviously be taking the camera along so there will be some blog postings shortly....may even try and do a few updates whilst we are in Hokkaido.

I am most looking forward to Lake Akan, where my university friends and I stayed about 16 years ago. I have always wanted to visit Sapporo, so that should also be a highlight.

Clara is in very good form as she is looking forward to more travels. She has also just bought a new Pokemon game for her Nintendo 3DS so she is on cloud 9.

I am now a dot.com

Hello All

In a sign of an overinflated ego, I have simplified the web address for this blog. It is now:

www.kanedavidson.com

The old address should still work indefinitely, so you will not need to update your favourites. Not long until Hokkaido - more blogs to follow.

Clara's 2011 Scottish Odyssey

Clara is now safely back in Tokyo after spending another fun-packed holiday in Scotland. My parents loved having Clara around the house and accompanying her on the numerous excursions around Inverness and the West Coast.

Clara had a quite extensive itinerary which included ice skating, visiting Landmark adventure park, staying two nights on the Isle of Harris (thanks to Neil and Rhoda at Blue Reef Cottages), visiting family on the Isle of Skye, a 3 night stay in a caravan at Embo, and messing about in the evenings with her Scottish friends. Too many events to remember.I hope the pictures and video will be able to express what a wonderful holiday she had back in Scotland.
Many thanks to my parents for putting Clara up and giving her such a wonderful time.We will all travel up to the northern island of Hokkaido on Sunday 21st August for 1 week. Although I have been to Hokkaido once before, I cannot wait to reacquaint myself. I will take my laptop computer with me on our journey and will try and do some updates as our holiday progresses.

A380 - Viewed at last

Running out of time to get a July blog done, so here it is.....with perhaps another to follow in a day or two. It has been a pretty busy and very interesting month here in Tokyo. Temperatures are rising but we were lucky enough to have a couple of days respite with cool temperatures, courtesy of a passing typhoon.

Clara is now about half way through her annual month long stay in Scotland - very strange not to see her, but she is having a great time with her grandparents and it will do her English language skills the world of good. Looking forward to seeing her in a couple of weeks.

As my brother Mark is also in the midst of a long summer holiday, he decided to visit from Hong Kong for a few days. Great to see him, but I spent the days after his visit in detox catching up on lost sleep. Still, in true Skye style, we managed to put in a good shift at the coal face. We found a good place to sup beers very close to my apartment - between the hours of 4pm and 6pm, beers were 99 yen a pint (or 50p in real money).

Apart from the obvious good banter when Mark is around, meeting him at Narita Airport finally allowed me to catch a first glimpse of the Airbus A380 superjumbo. Once they become more common, hopefully my journeys back to Europe will involve of these behemoths. The Korean Air aircraft in the photo only started serving Japan early this month, and a week after I took my photos, it was involved in a rather dicey landing incident at Narita Airport, as seen with the following small image. More crew training perhaps required......Apologies to readers who are not interested in aeroplane titbits - I will try and do a more crowd pleasing posting very soon.

Not too long until Clara returns from Scotland (accompanied by my mother), a week away in Hokkaido, and a short visit to Shimogo in Fukushima. Lots to look forward to, and many good stories to come. Bye for now.

Glasgow to Skye - 184 miles

Quite a remarkable display of stamina and determination by Sgianach Donnie Campbell.

Elwood's Bar

My watering hole of choice over the past year or so has been Elwood's Bar, a few minutes walk from the house. I like a fairly chilled bar where I can quietly sit and have a drink or two and Elwood's Bar certainly fits the bill.

It is nice to either use my broken Japanese on the other customers, just relax and watch the live Premiership football on a Saturday night, or reflect on the previous week over a good pint of draught Guinness. The bottle of spiced rum also gets closely inspected at times.

Wherever I have been, I am not really one for a packed pub or busy club (although that really hasn't stopped me in the past...). I'm more of a pipe-and-slippers man that enjoys quiet and simple pleasures. The other customers seem to be of the same ilk which makes for a great place to unwind.The bar owner, Keisuke, is also a good chap - very friendly, hospitable, and has keen interests in football and alcohol. What more could you want? With the summer really starting to heat up in Tokyo (temperatures are expected to be around 32C next week), I am sure my consumption of Sapporo lager will go through the roof at Elwood's Bar.

Clara is lucky enough to have lots of travel plans this summer. She will climb Mount Fuji with her class on Tuesday (and stay overnight), then she will travel to Scotland with her grandparents for 1 month, and then she will join us all for a week away on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. I really can't wait to travel around Hokkaido - beautiful scenery, interesting history, and more benign summer temperatures in comparison with Tokyo.

There are a lot of other things going on behind the scenes at the moment, but I am unable to blog about such things. Hopefully in a month or so. Thanks for reading.

Hakone and Gora

Happy to say that the weekend was excellent. Got home much earlier than usual on Friday, long overdue haircut, and then a couple of pints in anticipation of our trip away to Hakone and Gora. All good.

The main reason for our weekend away was to celebrate the 63rd birthday of Yuki's mother. Although I have been to the Hakone area a number of times, there were still many new places for us to visit. We were also looking forward to our stay at the Setsugetsuka Hotel which promised nice rooms, a selection of onsen, and great food. We were not disappointed.Before we arrived at our hotel, we stopped off to eat some soba and then the nearby Lalique Museum. I have always had a mild interest in Lalique, probably a result of watching the BBC's Antiques Roadshow each Sunday evening when I was growing up. The exhibits were certainly very nice, but not nice enough to get the pulse racing. To be honest, I was more impressed with the museum buildings and the immaculate lawn next to the cafe. I would have been happy to have sat there all day enjoying the sunshine and the cool mountain breeze. Very relaxing.

The Setsugetsuka Hotel was certainly a great place for us to stay. Large and comfortable rooms (each with a private outside bath on the balcony), the usual fantastic range of outdoor and indoor baths (onsen), and exquisite food. It is a terrible shame that I dislike seafood so much - I therefore have to appreciate the artistry of the sushi chefs. At times, food in Japan seems more like an art with all the amazing shapes, colours, and textures.We enjoyed our dinner very much, although I perhaps made a small mistake of also taking the 1 hour nomihodai option. As you can see from the link, nomihodai means all you can drink within the alloted time. I calculated that in order for this option to be economically viable, I would need to drink at least 3 beers during the 1 hour time limit. I ended up drinking 6, which was fun, but which contributed to me falling asleep on the bedroom floor whilst The Hurt Locker was blasting from my laptop computer. All good fun and a great way to de-stress from the rigours of city life.

I woke up this morning feeling remarkably fresh after an approximate 8 hours of sleep. Instead of going down to the large hotel onsen baths, I decide to try out the bath on the balcony of our room. The smell of the wooden bath, the sound of warbling birds, and the sight of trees swaying in the wind made for a quite satisfying experience. I can say without a doubt, that Japan is certainly is the traveller's paradise. After checking out this morning, we did a couple of touristy things before the drive back to Tokyo. The main event was taking the cable car up a volcanic mountain. This excursion started off badly as we had to suffer 5 screaming kids on our journey up the mountain - mothers and fathers oblivious to the irritation of their fellow passengers. It was also unfortunate that visibility was poor which prevented us from seeing Mt Fuji. Shame.Despite the poor start, once we arrived at the top station, I was very interested to see all the volcanic activity, the yellow sulfur which had formed around vents, and famous black eggs which are purported to give added longevity to those who eat them. Another great trip away from Tokyo. I will probably be visiting Scotland for a few days next month in order to drop Clara off at my parent's home in Inverness for her summer galavanting. The next big trip will be towards the end of August when we are all scheduled to travel up to Hokkaido (Japan's northernmost island) for a week. I can't wait for that one! Wishing you all a good week ahead. More to follow soon.

Sports Day

Clara had her school sports day on Saturday. I have already done a post a few years ago where I have explained the events and my general feelings. The previous post can be found by clicking on the 'Sports Day' tab at the bottom this entry. I'll just add a few pictures today to give you a general idea of what went on.The first picture shows one of the only events where kids actually (almost) compete one versus one. Clara was quite happy to come second in her sprint.This is one of Clara's classmates. He seemed really nice and was asking where I was from etc. I am hoping that he is a typical Japanese child as he seemed completely at ease and accepting of a foreigner. Hopefully a good omen for the future of Japan.The aim of this activity is to snatch the cap off the opposing jockey. Looks like fun, providing you are the jockey. I don't really like things like this. I can only imagine how many kids get hurt each year demonstrating group harmony.And with a final bow, it is all over. It was certainly a lovely day and Clara and I have a bit of sunburn. I'm not really sure if it really was a sports day as there were few recognisable sports that appear in similar events in Scotland. My image of school sports are track and field related events with a possible team tug of war thrown in for good measure. Perhaps the day should be renamed Group Activity Day. Kind of fun, and the training was certainly good exercise for Clara.

Another working week beckons.....

Back to Japan, but not before.....

In a blink of an eye, it was time to start thinking about my return flight to Japan. With all the events over the preceding days, coupled with the fact I was laid low with food poisoning for a few days, I again found myself short of time and having to rush to do the things I needed to do, and see the people I needed to see.

I made a day trip from Inverness to Skye on Tuesday 3rd May as I wanted to pop up to Staffin House Residential home to pass on my thanks, see my Great Auntie Annie, and visit my Auntie Marie. As I was trying to achieve multiple goals in only one day, I was kept busy and was quite tired when I arrived back in Inverness that evening.

As can be seen in the photos, the weather was fantastic. When the sun is shining, Skye really does make your heart skip a beat.

After the recent passing of my granny, it was comforting to see new signs of life brought about by spring in Skye. The gorse bushes were in full bloom and new born lambs were scampering about the fields. I must have really looked like the tourists I used to make fun of when I lived on the island - walking round with a big zoom lens taking photos and anything that moved.A constant regret that I have when I visit Scotland is never having enough time to do the things I want to do. I would really love to spend a few weeks back in Skye, going with the flow, and reacquainting myself with island life. Instead, my visits seem like a whistle-stop tour where all I manage to do is tick boxes. Perhaps before I begin my next job (whenever that might be), I will be able to spend a month back in Skye and finally recover the level of familiarity I once felt.My last full day in Scotland was spent having lunch with my mother and then getting some essential shopping done - tea bags, deodorant, brown sauce, English mustard etc.

Over the duration of my visit, I also managed to drink a few good Scottish ales, but my appetite for beer and food quickly disappeared after my bout of food poisoning - a great way to save money. As I was feeling under the weather for the final 4 or 5 days of my visit to Scotland, I was unable to eat or drink much of anything. I feel guilty that when I visited Neil & Jen's new house, I was only able to pick at the lovely roast beef they had prepared. Sorry guys.

So, all in all, a mixed visit to Scotland. I will be making what will probably be another brief visit this summer as Clara will again spend nearly one month with her grandparents in Inverness. Looks like it will be another mad rush to do the things I need to do.

The Waverley

Although the funeral and associated events were saddening, my spirits were lifted by the absolutely fantastic weather. I am adamant that there is no better place on earth than the Isle of Skye when the sun is shining. The fact that this rarely occurs is therefore a major drawback.

Mark and I stayed an additional day on Skye after the funeral and drove back to Inverness on Thursday 28th April. As we were in no rush, we decided to drive the scenic Meoll (sp?) Road, just after the golf course at Sconser. The views across the water to Raasay were magical and the sight of The Waverley paddle steamer powering down the Sound of Raasay was as enjoyable as it was fortuitous. Certainly a sight to remember!

High Beech

The house in the center of this picture is 'High Beech', the home where my granny spent a large part of her life. The family have many happy memories of this home and it is therefore sad to know my granny will never return.

What makes 'High Beech' really special is the location looking out over Portree, Loch Portree, and over to the Cuillin mountain range. The view is priceless - my granny on a number of occasions had to turn away hopeful buyers who would arrive without warning on her doorstep offering random sums of money.

My most special memories of 'High Beech' were sitting on my grandfathers lap after primary school, Sunday roast dinners attended by the closest family members, and staying there during the long university summer holidays. Those times were some of the happiest in my life and it is now clear that with the passing of my granny, that chapter has come to an end.

My granny was rightly proud of 'High Beech' and would sit in her rocking chair lording it over Portree. From her vantage point in the living room, she could monitor and recognise (with the help of binoculars) cars entering and leaving Portree. Slightly more disconcerting was the fact that she could also monitor the number of tourists visiting the old Tourist Office where I worked for a few years during university summer holidays.

I suppose it is likely that 'High Beech' will eventually be sold off - let us hope that whoever ends up living there will experience as many happy memories as we had during our time there. Perhaps before that happens, I will be able to return a final time to get some photos from a really special place.

Inverness Airport

As we are both aeroplane buffs, Mark (my brother) and I spent a lot our time in Scotland sitting in the car on a quiet side road at Inverness Airport. I was also keen to see the results of the zoom lens which came with my new camera. Over the course of about 1 week, we visited the airport about 3 times and this posting simply aims to show a few aeroplane pictures taken on those days.

The pictures can speak for themselves and I am quite satisfied with the 250mm zoom for the camera. More pictures and postings regarding my time in Scotland to follow over the next day or two.Once I become familiar with the new camera software, I should be able to edit and improve the quality of the pictures. Until then, they will appear 'as is'.

Canon EOS Kiss X5 / 600D

Proud to say that after breaking my old Olympus DSLR on the ferry across Hong Kong harbour, I have now found a replacement. As per the title of this blog, it is the Canon 600D, known as the EOS Kiss X5 in Japan.

I have to say that it is a fantastic camera which really does take my breath away. In comparison to my old Olmypus, the photos appear much better and despite the size, it seems a little lighter. I have not had time to read the manual yet, so it will be on automatic mode until I find out more.

Mark and I have visited Inverness Airport a couple of times and have managed to get some great shots. Further updates to come shortly.