Fahrt nach Hangzhou

Today I am writing under difficult conditions because Google doesn't work in the hotel in Hangzhou, so I have to go through the company server in Germany to log in.

This morning we took the bullet train from Suzhou to Hangzhou. We were a little bit uneasy at the train station, considering the crowds of people and the rather sparse English signs. Among the thousands of Chinese, we were the only Europeans.

The journey was fast and quite comfortable. We arrived in Hangzhou on time. The train station there was even bigger. How were we supposed to find our guide? Incredible crowds of people swirled around us. The best tactic: just stand still and wait. As fairly tall Europeans, we already stand out among thousands of Chinese. That's how our guide, the smallest Chinese person we have met so far, found us.

Our hotel is located in a new district that is architecturally very impressive. Our hotel symbolizes the sun and opposite it is the concert hall, which is shaped like the moon. This creates a harmony of Yin and Yang, and the square in between is seen by the Chinese as full of positive energy and is called the 'place of life'.

The hotel is also a real eye-catcher on the inside. The sphere is hollow inside and all the rooms are on the outside. When we arrived, we were upgraded to a suite. It is larger than our ground floor at home. The living room is at least 30 sqm. Of course, we didn't say no to this generosity.

After resting a bit and having dinner in the free club lounge, we bravely set out to take the subway to Westlake.

As you can see from the pictures, we succeeded. The subway is really well organized. You tap on a large screen where you want to go and the price is displayed. Once you have paid, you receive a card that allows you to go to the platform. It is practically impossible to get on the wrong train. The train displays bright spots to show you where you are. We had to transfer once, which was also very easy. At the exit, you insert the card into a machine and can leave the station. The card is recycled and you don't end up with old cards in your pocket.

After the walk at Westlake and the subway ride back, we went to the hotel and thus ended this beautiful day of travel.