SUP & M50

Last weekend we discovered a new corner of Suzhou: the Yangcheng Lake. A friend of ours, who owns 2 Stand-Up-Paddle (SUP) boards, had the idea for a little Saturday picnic by the lake. After breakfast, with watermelon, cake, and a friend in tow, we hopped on our bikes and headed towards the lake, which is about 15 km away from our apartment. Initially, we didn't plan on going into or onto the water, as the water quality at Jinji Lake is usually pretty bad (visibility < 5 cm, greenish tint, and sometimes it even smells). But the Yangcheng Lake was surprisingly clean, so we decided to give SUP a try. By the way, dogs can also ride on the front! Along with the picnic, it was a very relaxed afternoon with many familiar faces!

The following Saturday, we were in the mood for art: in Shanghai, there is an artist district called M50 with many small art shops and galleries. After arriving in Shanghai by train, Simon came up with the idea of renting bikes to ride to M50, which is about 1.5 km away. In all Chinese cities, there are rental bikes from various providers that can be rented spontaneously for about 12 cents. The bikes are located all around the city and can be parked anywhere as well. There usually aren't fixed stations. If you're looking for one, you can simply use the corresponding app to see where the nearest bike is on the map. The bikes have a GPS sensor and solar panels in the basket. To use a bike, you simply have to scan the QR code on the handlebars and the lock will open. With the bikes we used (Hellobike via Alipay), we were even greeted with a "Hello!" when we were finished :-) When you're done, you just park it, lock it, and you're done!

But back to art: M50 is housed in an old factory complex, which together with the various galleries has a great charm!

Here you can find all kinds of art: classical Chinese art, abstract art, bronze casting, tailoring and textiles, photography, graffiti, and much more. In the end, we spent almost the whole day there.

After seeing everything, eating, and spontaneously calling Simon's sister at M50, we grabbed some bikes again and rode to a nearby park since our train was leaving a bit later. While walking through the park, which is right by a river, we made a special discovery: a small turtle!

After a few minutes, it disappeared into the green water again, and after a little reading break, we had to head back to the train station.