Shanghai - 11.04.19

A day marked by contrasts and superlatives ...

In addition to the Yu Garden, another neighborhood left a lasting impression on me last year, the 'French Concession'. Shanghai owes the nickname 'Paris of the Far East' to this neighborhood with its avenues and mansions influenced by French style. This neighborhood wants to be cool, hip, and elegant at the same time. While strolling through the streets, we completely forgot that we were in the metropolis of Shanghai. We didn't have to share the sidewalks with crowds of people, and in terms of traffic, a car passed by 'once in a while'. Due to the lack of crowds and traffic, it was quite peaceful. Since there were many cyclists on the road, we noted for next time that this neighborhood could also be explored by bike. There were many opportunities to turn left and right from the main path and enter small alleyways to get a glimpse of how the locals live in this neighborhood. I was surprised to see the same mailbox next to every entrance door. Biggi explained to me that these mailboxes are not for mail, but for milk delivery. A special highlight in this neighborhood is the area called 'Tianzifang', where you can find numerous entertainment and shopping options in a labyrinth of old stone houses. The many small shops are very modern and offer many unique products. Last year, Biggi showed us a store by a photographer who sells beautiful and impressive city, landscape, and portrait photographs. Even if you don't plan to buy anything in this store, you just have to buy something ;-). The picture I bought last year will now have some company. When it comes to finding a place to eat, you have to look at the colorful pictures in the menu and hope that it tastes good. And it's always exciting to see if what you get on the table looks like it does in the menu. For our lunch stop, we chose a restaurant that was busy and had a green smiley face at the cash register, which means that the reviews were very good. After quickly scanning the plates of the other guests, we ordered based on the pictures and made a delicious selection. Since this was a restaurant where a lot of soup was eaten, the noise was very Chinese. People slurped away. And of course, there were burps too.

After lunch, Biggi and I went our separate ways because the children would be coming home from school/kindergarten. My path led me to Pudong, as we didn't have time to explore this neighborhood last year. Pudong is the new Shanghai, where the city's economic powerhouse is located. This neighborhood is located on the southern bank on the Bund, the river that divides the city, and is one and a half times larger than the rest of the city. The neighborhood is dominated by impressive skyscrapers, which house offices of well-known companies and banks, as well as 5-star hotels. Contrary to the calm and tranquility in the French Concession in the morning, there was a lot of hustle and bustle in Pudong. First, I walked past the famous Oriental Pearl Tower, a three-legged tower that is considered a landmark of Shanghai. In this neighborhood, modernity dominates. Pedestrians don't have to walk at street level, but an elevated walkway was built above the street, so you can take photos of the skyscrapers from countless positions. After a round on the promenade, I walked along the Bund with a view of the old part of Shanghai, which was also very interesting because last year we only looked from old to new. My tour of Pudong ended at the foot of the Shanghai Tower, which was the tallest building in the world until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai opened. Well, being the second tallest building in the world, at 632 meters, is also not bad... Just like last year, the weather was gray and cloudy this afternoon, and the top was surrounded by a smog cloud, so it wouldn't have been worth the money to go up the tower because you couldn't enjoy a breathtaking view. What a pity! Not again...

When we were here last year, the opening of the world's largest Starbucks wasn't far behind, so we would have had to stand in a kilometer-long queue to get into the cafe last year. That was incompatible with our tight schedule. This year, my schedule is flexible, so I went back to old Shanghai from Pudong and wanted to see how long the queue is this year. After finding the cafe again - well, not so difficult considering its size - to my delight, I found that there was no queue at all. The first moments in the cafe were already very impressive. The cafe has two floors, several counters for drinks and cakes, a sales area for various coffee varieties and accessories, and countless seating options. But the unique thing about this Starbucks is that there is a roastery where various coffee varieties are roasted, packaged, and prepared for delivery to other Starbucks cafes, all in front of the guests. Well, I admit that when I entered the cafe, I thought that the facilities were just for show. But after I had secured my afternoon snack and a spot with a good view, I was proven wrong because coffee was really being roasted, etc.. I may not drink coffee, but the smell was divine.

I left the cafe with the thought of making my way back home. But since the grayness and smog cloud had disappeared and the sky was blue, clear, and the sun was shining, I went back to Pudong, as there couldn't have been better weather for going up the Shanghai Tower. Even though the tower itself is only the second tallest building in the world now, the observation deck is still the highest in the world. It is located on the 118th floor. When I got off the elevator, I enjoyed an unforgettable view of the city at sunset. It was very impressive both in daylight and later in the dark, and I am very happy that the weather allowed it this year.

My day ended with an amusing taxi ride. I had taken the metro to the last stop and had to take a taxi for the last stretch. After I got one, I handed the driver the address in Chinese. Most taxi drivers are older and often have poor eyesight. In most cases, glasses would help. One thing led to another... We had to stop three times so he could read the address again and program his navigation, which he didn't do very well. Since I had already traveled this route several times, I showed him with gestures where to drive. With a little patience, we arrived at the destination. Well, what can you expect for less than 2€...