China 606-607 The Bullet Train to Tianjin!

We have had so many epic China adventures already, each day the kids have said 'this was my favorite day so far!'.  To see them lost and entranced at the Kung Fu show in the Red Theatre last evening is something I will never forget.  I have always loved live theater, and have spent countless hours in rehearsals as a director of high school shows, and as an actor and director in community theater. To share a love, with these two little loves... well, my heart is full.

Though my tank may be nearing empty!

We were up and at it early this morning, packed our backpacks,
grabbed an 'egg pancake' from a street vendor, and we took the 
subway to BeiJingNan (the south railway station) to catch the 
bullet train to my favorite China city, Tianjin!

To say they were excited, is an understatement!

Though we arrived before noon, we were able
to check in at the Holiday Inn Riverside to
drop our bags off before we set off exploring.

Our first stop was a ride on the Tianjin Eye :-)

About another 25km down the canal is the
Bohai Gulf and the sea.  Tianjin is a port city
and ironically, Royal Caribbean is docked there
half the year, doing cruises to Japan and Korea.

Exactly at the top of the Eye!

Tianjin is a 'small' city of only 15+ million.
In the distance you see the Tianjin Radio and TV Tower, 
which has an observation deck for some city views.

I think up in the Eye, situated over the canal is the best view of the city;
 on a good air day, that is. The complex you see in the foreground is
Dabei Buddhist Temple and Monastery which is right next to our hotel.
We plan a visit to the Temple after breakfast tomorrow morning.

There is a marble boat docked south along the canal.
The kids will get to see a more impressive marble
boat when they visit the Summer Palace on Monday.

I love that the kids now choose to visit the locals
without my suggestion.  They wanted to take a
walk along the canal to watch this man pulling
 in  his nets. Some of the fish he pulled in were
GOLDFISH- I kid you not.

We began to enter the Italian Concession.  One
of the reasons I love Tianjin so, is because of the
influence of European architecture.

We stopped along the Concession to watch the old
guys playing Chinese chess. I don't understand :(

The clock tower marking the entrance to Italian town.
It's kind of like Chinatown, only different!

My favorite restaurant in Italian town is Bavaria-
a German restaurant. Go figure. China is so weird.
The kids chowed down on the German sausages,
fries and pretzels- and still had room for Italian
gelato for dessert!

We savored our gelato,
then hopped a trolly for a little tour.
Mimi's knee was killing her!

While at a stop, I counted a fleet of seven Rolls
Royces driving by- impressive!

Because there were once nine concessions in
Tianjin, there are many Christian churches-
something you don't readily see in China.

One of the Catholic churches has an old Army tank
and several statues and artillery guns out front!

They had no trouble burning off some more energy while
I sat on a bench to give my aching knee a rest.  I was
hobbling at this point.

It's strange to see Chinese characters
in front of a Catholic church :)

Next we crossed the street to the
Ancient China Cultural Center...

Which really isn't 'ancient' at all- it's just another outdoor
market where the kids had a ball driving a hard bargain-
especially Eli! That kid is ruthless!  He was so serious
and dang cute about it all, though, the shop keepers got
disgusted, 'smacked their lips' (it's a Chinese thing)
and ended up giving him what he wanted. Too funny :)

The main river walk is lined with a series of
bridges, each with their own architecture style.
This one is one of my favorites, "the Lion Bridge".

Every lion statue on the bridge is unique and
we all had fun making up our own titles
for each statue.  This one is "Talk to the Paw!"

This one is, "Son, you're on my last nerve!" as the
baby lion is biting the daddy's paw :)

We had fun with the crazy street signs, too....
like "No fighting on your cellphone while driving!"
(The Chinese do get loud and animated while driving)

Eli nailed this one- "Don't drive sleepy"

For dinner we went to my favorite pizza joint, "Pizza Bianca".
On our way there we passed a Peking Duck restaurant,
where the kids got to see the ducks being traditionally
baked in a wood burning oven.  Yes, kids, they leave the
heads on- it typically is served last.  Save the best for
last as it is considered a delicacy.  Not for this Mimi.

After dinner we walked back down to the
river to see the Eye lit up at night.

The river was filled with lighted boats giving night tours.

The Tianjin Eye is the only eye in the world built ON a
bridge.  The bridge is lined with street vendors, and at
night it is a carnival-like atmosphere. Perfect for families.

Now THAT's some cotton candy!

Stephanie found a hot date with a frisky bear!

Beautiful :)

We let the kids burn some energy in the pool, and Eli
met a little buddy.  

He was so good playing with him, that I can imagine
he is an awesome big brother to baby Marley <3

Alicia and I had a delightful conversation while the
kids played.  We exchanged Wechat, and she has
contacted me twice while she has been in the 'jing
on business. She was hoping we could get together but
I have been at school each time.  One day we'll reconnect :)

The next morning after an incredible breakfast we decided
to visit the Dabei Buddhist Temple and Monastery. If you go
Tianjin you must stay at the Holiday Inn Riverside-
the perfect location by the Temple and Eye, great views of 
the river from your room, and a breakfast beyond compare!
We were fortified for another day of touring :)

It was a beautiful blue sky Saturday morning, and the Temple
was busier than usual, with many worshipers. The kids
were very curious and filled with questions.

In spite of the language barrier, a group of Chinese women
were gracious in helping us figure out all of our birth year animals.

Eli was not thrilled to discover his was a rooster.

He knows Mimi hates roosters!

Stephanie was the year of the rat :)  I am the rabbit.

I explained the three sticks of incense that they burn when
offering up their prayers.  While it is different in each of the
traditions, sometimes it is for past, present and future. Often
 times one is for Buddha, another is for Dharma (Buddha's
teachings), and the last one is for Sangha (the community
of Buddhas).  Eli felt that it was somehow 'wrong' to see
them praying to these statues (thou shall not have any
idols before me). Trying to explain world religions to
a ten year old was a bit of a stretch, but for me, it seems
very similar- like praying to God, praying for the Word
of God, and praying for all of God's people.
Seems all about the same to me, only different :)
The kids got it.

Many people were laying plates of fruit
on the alter of Buddha, too.  I wonder what
happens to ALL of those apples?!

Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil :)

The kids had fun trying to hit the top of the
tower with coins.  It's kind of like a wishing
well, but again, only different ;-)

Many locals were taking pictures of the kids
(of course) and they kept feeding them coins to throw!

I wonder what Stephanie was wishing for?!

old and new

We hailed a cab to the Drum Tower, (Mimi was
was completely done with walking on a bum knee)
but sadly we couldn't go up in this one.  I love
the Drum and Bell Towers in Beijing.

Oh, but there was another outdoor market for the kids to bargain!

Next a cab took us to Xisi Catholic Church.

While it is not nearly as impressive as the cathedrals the kids
 have seen throughout Europe, it is always a delight to
see a Christian church in the country of China.

How about that rat's nest of wiring?!  Looks scary to me!

We consulted a map, and it looked as if our
next destination was within walking
distance (it really was NOT). We asked this
sweet girl to point us in the direction of
Porcelain House.  She GRABBED my
hand (literally a death grip) and offered
to take us there.  She had to have walked a
mile in the opposite direction of her own
destination.  I kept trying to stop her- it was
HOT, we all were sweating, and this was
nowhere near where she was headed.
She would simply take my hand again
and say, "No, I will take you there."
Her name was Sue, and she was lovely.

And this is Porcelain House- literally a
home completely covered in pottery.

The story is a wealthy man and his family had
all of their possessions stolen in the Cultural
Revolution.  Has parents were collectors of art.
Many years later, in an attempt to regain all
that was lost, he started collecting pottery
that was made before the revolution.  In an
effort to preserve it, and not have it destroyed
or stolen again, he began covering his property
in it.  His entire home is a work of art!

You are looking at the ceiling of his front foyer!

He used shards of pottery IN his home, too,
to frame windows and doors, the banister of
his circular staircase, and more.  Unreal.

The 'fencing' over his windows were also made of pottery.

I guess when the exterior of your home looks
like this you don't have to worry about scraping
and painting it every few years!

Stephanie and the kids wanted to go back to
the Ancient Culture Street for some more
souvenir shopping, and I could park my
swollen knee on a park bench.  This
guy makes candy suckers to look like art.

Stephanie had an elephant, of course.

Late in the day we took a final stroll along the river back to our hotel.

The dad and mom were working the nets from his fishing boat
and the two little girls had their catch in plastic tubs to sell.
They were playing with the fish like pets, and Eli joined in.

Ewwww... what kind of fish is THAT?!

Though we were checked out of the hotel, we sneaked
 the kids back into the pool for a final swim. We then
hopped a cab to the train station.  Stephanie
and the kids were 'jailed' in the back seat, lol.

Our backpacks were loaded down with all
of their treasures.  They are starting to look
like world travelers, after all!  I love this
clock in the roundabout by the train station.

As the sun went down, the lights came up on this beautiful city.

Even the train station is pretty at night.

We ate the last of our snacks on the 33 minute bullet train ride back to the 'jing.

And on the subway ride home, though my knee was completely
shot and the kids were worn out from the adventure, this
Mimi's heart could not have been more full <3

I am so very, very blessed.


G'nite, y'all!