Sapporo Day Three

* It must have snowed non-stop again because the snow ploughs are out this morning! We made it to breakfast and after a semi-slow start we headed out to look at the snow sculptures.

*Unfortunately because of all the snow, most of the little ones were covered and we couldn’t tell what they were. The large sculptures had to be taken care of by the professionals!

* We decided to quickly move on to the second plan of the day – the Sapporo Beer factory. I came here before but they have just released a new chocolate beer! The factory was good but the beer tasting was even better. We ended up drinking our beer, eating the random cheeses snacks the give you and chatting for over an hour.

* By this time Sammy was getting restless and so when we left he decided we to get us back by starting a huge snow ball fight. I think the people watching must’ve thought we were mad. The snow was so deep in places that we were falling over just trying to run away from each other. Davd was the first to fall on his ass – I knew he would be! That was probably my first and only beer-snow buzz – weird but fun!

* We were all slightly merry (from the beer), cold (from the snow fight) and hungry. Ramen once again seemed to be the choice so I took them to “ramen alley” – another famous eating place in Sapporo. It is literally an alley full of ramen shops. People dip in, eat fast, and move on!

* It was a brilliant idea to bring a 5 year old with us because they often need a nap and then we can just use that as an excuse for us to have a nap too. I am loving this relaxing holiday. I did watch the weather report and it has snowed 60cm in the last 24 hours – wow!

* Sammy must’ve been supper tired after the snow ball fight as he didn’t wake up and so tonight it was me, Dawn, Carrie and David. We decided to see more of the sculptures (there are 13 blocks worth) before finding another of Terry’s recommendations, Orrizonte, for dinner.

*Orrizonte was an Italian restaurant and I can honestly say I think it will be a long time before I eat an Italian meal as good as that again. Between the four of us we ordered the house salad, 2 calzone pizzas, a mixed cheese pizza, a sausage pizza, 4 cocktails, a pot of herb tea, 5 desserts (a mix plate) and 2 coffees. It only cost us about 15 pounds each which was a total bargain. The staff were super friendly and so we were cheeky and asked for a group picture before we left.

* It is now midnight I am marveling at how perfect the last few days have been. I feel like a kid again in the snow and I have eaten the most amazing food. It just goes to show that when things are a little crappy, getting away from it all can really help. Unfortunately I think I’m getting a cold. I’m sleep and sneezing – time for bed!