Day 218 Exploring Shanghai

Jeanette and I started out Saturday morning in divide and
conquer mode...we had places to go, things to see.
First stop?  Shanghai Museum.

Fishing canoe from Lanyu Island, Taiwan. The painted designs on the side are clan marks.

What a gorgeous bed- I loved the furniture :)

 If I knew my Chinese characters better, I might be able to take a guess at which dynasty is represented by the calligraphy. The Chinese value the tradition and beauty of writing in Chinese characters.  It is not uncommon to see the elderly Chinese practicing their calligraphy on the sidewalks with water and a special 'mop'. I do know the writing on the right is their cursive script.  It had the 'official red stamp'- kind of like a seal of approval, only different ;)

This is a glazed pottery statue of a
tomb guardian beast from the Tang
Dynasty, A.D. 618-907. 

Had to take a pic of an ancient camel
statue for my daughter, Jennessa :)

Beautiful painted porcelain- SO OLD.

We wandered through the jade and painting galleries,
and chose to pass on the coins and currency.
As we left the museum, this was the view
of the beautiful grounds and cityscape.

We walked around the Jing'an Temple next.

I really need to learn how to read Mandarin :/
It could say, "Welcome to the Temple of Heavenly Peace."
Or, it might possibly say "Bird and Fish Market on Saturday"
Or the general rule of thumb in China, "Bring your own tissue to squat."

You know me, I have a THING for doors, especially
really old ones...who passed through them before me?

Though it was overcast, rainy, and cool- spring was in full bloom :)

Next stop was Tian Zi Fang, which is a maze of narrow alleyways full of artworks, dining,
jewelry, boutiques, candy shops, bars, coffee and tea houses, and packed with CHINESE people!

This is how you buy yogurt in China, to drink with a straw :)

Squid, anyone?

And in the midst of the chaos, as we were being pulled and pushed along by the
sea of humanity, I looked down and there was Rob and Lulu from Beijing!
What the what?!  Nearly 1000 miles from 'home', in a city of 24+ million
people, and we run into a co-worker?!  Who says it's not a small world?!

This was the staircase leading up to the coolest coffee
house! It was a TINY place, with about three tables on
each platform 'floor' that all eventually led to the rooftop.
I would not want to navigate these stairs after anything
but a cup of coffee.  Jeanette scored on some whole beans :)

Whether you looked down, around, or up- there was always something interesting
to see- even if it was Grandma's bloomers hanging to dry over the alleyway, lol.

This was the more popular drying technique; from bars
extending out one's apartment window.  I can't imagine
they get that sunshine smelling fresh scent hanging
outside in the polluted Shanghai air :( 

After an afternoon of wandering the alleyways, we hailed a cab to....

wait for it....

an Old Navy!!!!  

You would have thought we had died and gone to heaven, lol.  Now those of you who know me well also know that I generally take no pleasure in clothes shopping.  My daughters will tell you that their father was far better suited to taking them to the mall than dragging me along.  Maybe it was the fact that an Old Navy was like a sweet taste of home, I'm not entirely sure. 

  It is also quite possible that because my youngest daughter just posted this pic on FB last week, I

  just HAD to have that adorable summer dress- from you guessed it- OLD NAVY!!!

I will say this, we tried on armloads of clothes, worked up a good sweat in the frenzy, and left the store with two bags each and a new spring/summer work wardrobe for less than $200 :)  Now THAT's my kind of shopping!!!  Just in case you're wondering, I bought the exact same dress :)))

One happy girl :)

We worked up quite the appetite, so we hailed a cab
down to The Bund- a beautiful and ritzy area along the
river, where all the fancy hotels and restaurants are. I looked
out the cab window and saw a lotus flower on a rooftop!

We chose to dine at the Char, a rooftop restaurant.  Sadly,
the pollution was up, then the rain set in, but the lights
were still amazing.

What a view!  I loved looking at all of the boats :)

And now, for a little food porn.  I had an amazing Icelandic redfish,
Jeanette had scallops, and we shared the banana cheesecake for dessert :)
We were stuffed...and too pooped to party.  Nothing sounded better
than a hot shower and a warm bed.  We have a list to conquer yet tomorrow :)

G'nite, y'all!