Mike and I spent a night down in the Izu Peninsula in celebration of our 13th year Anniversary. A fellow coworker from the hospital had given Mike some gift certificates to the Shimoda Beach Resort in gratitude for Mike 's willingness to take on extra call last year. I don't know what it is about our timing but I recall that it rained on our getaway last year as we headed up to Hakone. The drive was still beautiful as we drove along the water the entire way down the eastern side of the Izu Peninsula. It was just nice to have some alone time together after a summer full of activities. I can't say that the inside of the hotel was updated or even that nice looking. It was actually a bit older than we had anticipated and a bit dingy but our room was pretty nice. We opted to spend a little extra to request a room with a private onsen on our deck. The view was beautiful down to the "white sandy" beach that was advertised on the brochure. I think if it weren't for the fact that we were on the tail end of a typhoon the beach would have looked a little better. It didn't really matter though because this trip was all about relaxation and hanging in the onsen, sleeping in, and enjoying each other's company. Since we didn't arrive until the early evening time we missed being able to sign up for massages at a decent hour so we headed to dinner at the Japanese restaurant. It was interesting and very traditional. It wasn't really my cup of tea the stuff we were eating but I managed to eat some of it. Even the dessert wasn't that great. I had to keep reminding myself that it was all about the experience. I was glad that Mike agreed with me on that one. There were some things even he wouldn't touch. We had our own private eating area so we were able to completely relax and just talk...and make fun of how much traditional Japanese food sometimes is just not that great. I am not sure how much my palate agrees with so much fish. At the end of the meal there was this crazy looking fish. I would not even touch it but Mike tried it and then after it snapped in half he just had some fun with it. I am glad that he can find humor in most everything. That is one of the things that I just love about him. It is never a dull moment when he is around.
It was nice to sleep in especially because we usually don't get to sleep in on the weekends past 6am because of our long runs on Saturday and church on Sundays. We went for a run, ate breakfast at the same not so great restaurant and then headed down to the beach. It was still a bit overcast and the weather was cooler than I would have liked so I passed up getting in the water. Mike grabbed the boogie board and got right in. The waves were pretty strong and after some great attempts to catch the waves he realized that he really needed flippers. We headed back to our room to relax in the onsen before heading out. On our way home we decided to take the more mountainous route back through the center of the Peninsula. We stopped to see a really powerful waterfall, saw fields of wasabi plants, and even tried a moche covered strawberry which was delicious. It was a great little trip!
