August 28, 2025

An afternoon taking in Kobe!

The port city of Kobe, Japan was a good size with lots of shopping, a huge ChinaTown, a nice waterfront area and super friendly people. This is also the home of the famous KOBE BEEF! Bosco and I headed out at 11 am to explore, hoping we could brave the heat for a few hours to get in a few of the sights.

Of course we had to check out the IKUTA SHRINE, can never have enough good intentions!

We splurged on Lunch to try out their famous Kobe Beef..

After lunch we needed to walk off the yummy meal, so we headed to the port area.

The town gave a heart warming send off from the port berth, right next to the Ship. The Local Kobe Fire Band  played and were fantastic with great acoustics in the port. The people are so nice and welcoming!

SHIP SHENANIGANS - CLUE PARTY

By Pat Patrick • September 16, 2026
It's never a dull Sea Day on the Odyssey! We have such creative residents, that are always coming up with new ideas to entertain ourselves and have a good time. This plot was the calculating of Eddie and Michelle - a Game of Clue! The rules were simple - find the party venue at 8:30 pm, come dressed as a character, weapon or room from the game and solve the mystery of who stole the Ship's bell.

TERRACOTTA ARMY - XI'AN, CHINA

By Pat Patrick • September 16, 2026
In March of 1974, some local farmers outside Xi'An, China are digging a well and accidentally hit one of the great archaeological sites in the World! They were paid one day's wages for the find, roughly 4 USD! The Terracotta Army was dubbed the 8th Wonder of the World by France's President in 1980 when he came to visit and wanted to meet the farmers, the oldest was then, 89 years old.

XI'AN, CHINA - WALLED CITY

By Pat Patrick • September 15, 2026
Xi'An, China has been on my must do list , for awhile. The story of the Terracotta Army has fascinated me, since I first heard it. What I didn't know too much about, was the actual City of Xi'An and the walled inner City that remains today. It was built from 1370 to 1378 during the Ming dynasty on top of the older Tang dynasty foundations. There are 9 miles of City walls, they are 39' high, 45' to 50' wide at the top and 55' to 60' at the base. There are four main gate towers and the only draw bridge restored is at the South Gate. There are 98 ramparts, watchtowers, battlements and a wide surrounding moat. It one of the oldest and best preserved fortifications in China .