Day 25: Zhujiajiao, Including Imagining the Gondolier’s Tour of the Canals

Hello!  Yes, yes.  Welcome to Zhujiajiao.  What?  Yes, ok, more slowly then: Joo-Jeeaw-Jeeow.  I know what you’re thinking – it looks like Venice, yes?  With canals and gondolas and so many people everywhere.  But trust me, you’re still in China, heeheehee!  Do you see the lanterns and architecture?  It’s like I told you – still in China!!

Day 24: Shanghai Museum

By popular one individual’s demand, a few more shots of the Shanghai Museum of Art.

Day 24: Shanghello

The Shanghai Museum is architecturally marvelous.  And this building, which looks like it could be a Jedi temple with its stable foundational blocks and a huge ring that surrounds it like a halo, houses some amazing ancient pottery – they have shards from 6800 B.C., which blows my mind.  Ancient Buddhist sculptures, elegant silk paintings, the history of the silk road shown through the evolution of the coins exchanged.  Very cool museum.

Day 23: Adios, Qingdao; Ni hao, Shanghai

We wake up surprisingly refreshed after yesterday’s, well, depravity. Given our recent penchant for studying all day to prepare for the bar, I think I drank more beer yesterday than in the previous three months combined. But we stayed up late enough and ate enough delicious, delicious Ali Baba chuanr that we weren’t spinning when we went to bed. So there is no hangover to ruin our sublime hotel buffet.