high line
Outside Saga-Arashiyama Station 嵯峨嵐山駅 the driver gave me some stickers as a memento, took a few more happy snaps and was on his way again.
While waiting on the platform to return to Kyōto Station 京都駅 I met an Australian guy who'd also been at the monkey park earlier. We boarded the train and chatted while watching the afternoon view scroll by, comparing photos and notes about where we'd been and where we were going next. He was in Japan, also solo, to rent some fast cars and drive the mountain roads. It was nice to chat with another Aussie and it made the ride back a short one. There's nothing quite like that view of the city from the JR Sagano Line 嵯峨野線 as the sun sinks below the buildings.
Parting ways, I took the metro north to check in at my next hotel, Hotel Monterey Kyoto ホテルモントレ京都, then relaxed for a bit before heading out to explore the city and find a place for dinner. Not far from Karasuma Oike Station 烏丸御池駅 and located underground, I found a small and cosy restaurant called Haru's Kitchen which served a mix of Japanese and Italian food. The staff were friendly and it was just the right meal after a long day.