Arrived last night at about 9:30 p.m. and after clearing UK customs made my way from Heathrow to Kilburn Park on the London Underground. This is a quick trip – just three days in London and one day on Paris. I want to see as much as I can and time is tight, so I before the trip I searched on “London in 3 days” to plan the trip itinerary. First stop … the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben …
… and then a walk over to Westminster Abbey.
Next I walk up Whitehall, past No. 10 Downing Street, to Trafalgar Square.
I duck into the National Gallery to see the collection of Canaletto’s, the great Venetian landscape painter.
For lunch it’s takeaway enjoyed on the steps of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, followed by a walk up the Strand to Covent Garden.
It’s a short tube ride from Covent Garden to Charing Cross station and a nice afternoon walk down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.
I jump back on the tube at Hyde Park Corner and ride to Tower Hill station, hoping to tour the Tower of London. But I arrive just after the 5 p.m. closing time and miss the tour. Instead, I opt for the sightseeing cruise on the River Thames from Tower Hill to Westminster, passing Tower Bridge …
… and Big Ben on the way.
It’s getting late, so I walk back to Covent Garden and finish the day with a fish and chips dinner.
Many Chinese begin the day with Tai Chi, so we’re up early visiting a park to watch.
We spend the rest of the morning discussing Chinese life with our guides Simon and Solomon. Then meet in the lobby to load our luggage …
… for one more bus ride …
… to Shanghai International Airport.
We’ve been hearing about bird flu in the news the past couple of days and our flight is delayed for two hours while the plane is disinfected. The good news is that, despite the delay, I make it to Chicago for the connecting flight to Dulles. The bad news is that my luggage isn’t so lucky. After the long flight, it’s good to get home and I’m already looking forward to the next adventure!
Sunrise on Day 9 reveals Shanghai as a complex combination of modern high-rise apartments buildings and older neighborhoods.
On a dark and dreary morning we start with a walk along the Shanghai Bund and stop for a group photo …
… Then view the famous and somewhat obscured Shanghai skyline on the Huang Pu River Cruise …
After a tour and lunch at the Hua Ling Silk Exhibition Hall, we visit the Yuyuan Garden …
… And then brave the throng shopping at Cheng Huang Miao Market.
Of course, shopping is always better with Starbucks!
After foot massages at the Astor Hotel (an incredible experience!), we take in the Shanghai evening on our last night in China.
A short post today. Day 8 is mostly a travel day. We board the bus to Guilin Airport and then take Shanghai Airlines flight 9336 to Shanghai Hongchou Airport. After a late lunch at McDonald’s (again!), we visit the Yufuo Si Jade Buddha Temple.
Later we walk through the streets of Shanghai from the Liagna Hotel to dinner at Shanghai Daijicun Restaurant.
I’m up early thanks to a rooster crowing outside the hotel. Last night we arrived in Guilin after dark and had no idea what the city looked like. It’s a foggy morning after the surprisingly clear skies of Beijing and Xi’an, but, as we’ve seen so often in China, the city skyline is characterized by row after row of tenement buildings. What’s different here is a geography marked by striking karst formations soaring above the cityscape.
After breakfast at the New Century Hotel we take a bus to the Zhujang Wharf and board a small river boat for the Li River Cruise. During the river cruise lunch is prepared in a small kitchen on the back of the boat. We can’t see the kitchen on our boat, but we can see the kitchens as we pass similar river boats on our way down the river. Lunch features turtle soup and snake wine!
This is a popular vacation destination for the Chinese. The scenery is stunning …
The river cruise ends at a small town in Yangshuo County. We stop at the Riverview Cafe for coffee and I can’t resist ordering a Chinese coke …
It’s a 2 hour bus ride back to Guilin. On the way we stop to tour the Reed Flute Cave – sort of like the Chinese Luray Caverns …
Tomorrow we head to Shanghai.
View from the balcony ...
Michael S. Liberman