HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!
Today, Saturday, March 17, we sailed into our first stop in China – Shanghai. Around midnight we embarked the pilot and navigated through the outer shipping lanes, before beginning our 6 hour trip through the inner shipping lanes, narrow channels and the Yangtze River to our berth in the heart of the city. What an amazing location to dock!
Exact population figures for Shanghai are not available but it is easily China’s largest city. The world’s only other cities of comparable size are Tokyo and Mexico City. Shanghai’s attractions are legendary, from exquisite temples and museums to strolling along the Bund. The city is also the gateway to the Grand Canal and the famed cities of Wuxi, Suzhou and Zhujiajiao. On a previous visit to Shanghai, we toured Suzhou and because we will return in October to tour Shanghai in depth, we chose to take the 90 minute drive to Zhujiajiao.
Zhujiajiao is located on the banks of Dianshan Lake, connected by so many crisscrossing rivers that the town has been called the “Venice of the East”. We began our day by walking and exploring the cities old, historic narrow streets on foot. On our walk we visited the Qing Dynasty Post Office, the Fishing House, and many of the 36 bridges built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including the 400-year old Fangsheng Bridge. This is Zhujiajiao’s longest, largest and tallest stone bridge. We had a short time to shop and barter (by calculator – they put in a number and then we put in a number, back and forth until agreed upon price) and then took our canal boat ride, reminiscent of a gondola ride in Venice.
Having finished our tour of Zhujiajiao, we began the return trip to the outskirts of Shanghai. The next stop was at the Tianhou Silk Factory. This would end up being a very memorable day!!!!! The tour of the Silk Factory was very interesting and the fashion show a lot of fun. And the shopping was going well as we picked out a silk duvet and pillow shams. Then Cindy tripped over a 4 inch platform hidden by a silk coverlet and fell. At that time, she thought she had probably sprained her ankle/foot. She hobbled on to the restaurant for a very late but delicious lunch served family-style and made up of traditional Shanghai-style dishes.
Our scenic drive continued thru the outer 3 ring roads of Shanghai and into the city center to the People’s Square for a short photo stop. People’s Square is the site of Shanghai’s municipal government headquarters, museums, exhibition halls, and shops. We travelled back to the ship passing the famous shopping street, Nanjing Road, closed to auto traffic as it was a weekend day, and along the Bund, one of Shanghai’s most recognizable landmarks.
The day ended with a visit to the ship’s doctor and a fractured bone in Cindy’s foot – no walking until further notice………
