It's a good thing my parents are younger so they can trek all over Shanghai with me. ;) I needed to make sure they saw all the amazing parts of our little town- the food, the funny, the amazing.
The day after we got back from Beijing, we said adios to most of the family as they went to work and school, and we hopped on a bus to take us to the train to walk a few blocks and boom! We were downtown.
Every time we had people come visit us here, we had to bring them to Yuyuan Gardens. Each time I go, I find something new and gorgeous. It's hard to describe how cool it is to have this garden that was built in 1577 among the most modern skyscrapers in the world.
I know ya'll have likely seen this pics before, just with other people in them. So feel free to ignore this post or simply enjoy the pretty buildings again. :)
This is my dad right outside of the entrance of the Gardens.
So this is the courtyard just outside of the Gardens. So it's behind the building above, but not inside the actual Gardens yet. Makes sense? I feel like I'm even confusing myself...
This is a tea house just outside the Gardens, but inside the courtyard. Never did end up having tea here... oh well.
This bridge to go into the Gardens has been crossed by my feet soooo many times. This was the first place we visited right after we moved to Shanghai to see the celebration for Chinese New Year. I have walked this bridge when it's packed to the gills and we could barely squeeze through and walked it when almost no one was there. I think this is my favorite place to see here. And they have a Starbucks in the courtyard. So that helps me feel close to home to have guaranteed good coffee. ;)
The old with the new. In the background is the new building being built. Supposedly going to be one of the tallest buildings in the world when it's done. And then in the foreground this super old tea house. Kinda cool and perfectly describes Shanghai. Wanting to be the most modern while trying to figure out how to simultaneously embrace their ancient roots and culture.
My parents inside the Gardens. Pretty rocks. :)
Every time I see a Chinese sign translated into English, it is hilarious. Every. Single. Time. This was a sign for a bathroom. It had sinks, so maybe that's why it's "More than toilet". But delicious and happy??? Pretty sure something got lost in translation there... ;)
I have seen this metal dragon on top of this wall many times, and likely posted it before, but I just love it. It's so quintessential China. I can't imagine it was easy to make and place this guy up there, but I'm glad they made the effort. He's gorgeous.
We ate lunch at a restaurant that was connected to the Gardens, inside that courtyard. My dad likely got something very Chinese to eat. My mom and I went way easy with fried rice and Corona. ;)
And you can't leave out our little leaping friends here, who were for sale in a wet market connected to the Gardens. These were a common sight at the wet markets. Selling them for pets, you ask? No no no. Likely for soup. Frog soup is definitely a thing. Yup. Ben has had it. Not me (shocking, I know).
Over the weekend we filled the days with visiting the Jing'An Temple (the oldest Buddhist temple in Shanghai, built in AD 247), seeing the Pearl Tower, taking in the Flower Market and celebrating Sophia's birthday again with a party full of school and home friends.
Once again, this temple is such an example of Shanghai embracing the old and new. See the giant hotel in the background of this old old temple?
So the temple has an outside area that you pass though (see above) which brings you to the courtyard inside. In the courtyard there are incense places where you "pray". It smells good, but I am glad I do not have to "pray" a certain way for my God to hear me and answer me.
This tall metal object, you throw coins into for "luck". The higher you can get your coin, the more luck you get. People were constantly getting pelted by coins that were bouncing off it. ;)
Not sure what he was doing, but he was very concerned about keeping this fire lit in the rain.
Inside the temple there are several large rooms, each with a statue like below. Each statue represents a different god that can help you with a different issue. Health, wealth, infertility, employment, etc. You have to give them a gift (usually fruit), then kneel and pray in a certain way for each one.
This shows you that inside courtyard and the city beyond. The temple is right in the heart of downtown, It was a rainy day so not very busy. Outside of the temple, on the sidewalk by the gates, were so many people begging. People that were ill, with physical disabilities so they couldn't work. They rely on the generosity of others as they may have been abandoned by family and struggle to get help from the government. Makes you grateful for our country.
Some beautiful woodwork
May parents inside the temple courtyard
Off to see the Pearl Tower. We decided to not spend the money to go up it as you would only be able to see clouds. So, there it is... ;)
Time to be brave and have some street food again! This seemed like something I would even brave. They were these thin pancakes with veggies and some kind of sauce drizzled over it.
I did it! And it was really good!! I have no idea what was in that sauce, and I likely don't want to know, but it was goooood, people. And it cost like 50 cents. Seriously.
After we were fed and had a nice restful cab ride, we found ourselves at the Flower Market. Another favorite place of mine, if nothing else than because it's so pretty and smells good. It is, however, quite noisy with all the crickets they are selling (in teeny wicker cages- they are, again, for luck).
Back home, Sophie painting one of her birthday presents. I just added this in cause she's cute. ;)
Out to dinner to Coconut Paradise, our favorite Thai place on Fumin Road. Their coconut pineapple fried rice.... soooo good! Although they did serve fish as a whole fish- skin, head, eyes, all of it.
A walk around the Bund
On my parents last day we held a party for Sophia (and Cooper) with our friends and some of her school friends. There were a LOT of kids, but we knew our adventure here was ending soon so we had a good time with it and went with the flow. And this was a bunch of our friends were able to hang out with my parents one last time.
The next day they flew home and, I'm sure, kissed the American soil as soon as they were on it. ;) My greatest hope for them coming to visit, was that they would see we were ok, we were safe, we were happy and had friends and that this is a really amazing country!
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