A walk along The Bund provides an excellent vantage point for seeing old Shanghai meet new on opposite banks of the Haungpu River. We waited to venture out until the sun went down, hoping 95-degrees would feel a little cooler in the dark and anticipating the nighttime fluorescent skyline. Our first glimpse evoked that ahhhh sound that fireworks inspire! We climbed the stairs to the pedestrian walkway and the blinking lights drew our attention to the modern architecture on the opposite bank, all built on former farmland within the last 20 years. When we turned around, the stately stone buildings built by the British after the opium wars dominated the scene. My lens is not wide enough to capture an image of both periods in one picture so if you haven't been to Shanghai, I encourage you to come see its 5000 skyscrapers for yourself.
There are definite advantages to traveling with Iowa (Aihua) as he has "cousins" in every port that instantly produce our admission tickets, or escort us to premium drop-off (off-limits to the public) points, or magically transport our bags to our hotel room without us ever seeing them upon departure or arrival at airports. Today Iowa's cousins really came through and admitted us to the Yuyuan Gardens before anyone else arrived, allowing our group to enjoy the serenity of these beautiful, 400-year-old traditional Chinese gardens. The gardens are located in Old Town Shanghai, a busy shopping center housed in traditional Chinese architecture - some original, some restored. It is the "Chinatown" of China, complete with Starbucks and McDonald's.
The early morning breeze made for a pleasant garden experience. Then along came showers to cool the air. We stayed dry in the Shanghai Museum which displays some of the most noteworthy pieces in ceramics, pottery, stone sculpture, jade, bronze and of Chinese paintings and calligraphy. It is amazing to see the uniqueness of these select pieces that span several thousand years.
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