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Wednesday 26 October 2011

I'm back

After a lovely week in China, we are home again. It was great to be back in Shanghai and to catch up with friends and go to the markets as well as having foot massages!

In Beijing we mostly spent time with DD and her young man! We got to see their new apartment as well as DD 's classroom; very new and high tech. When I went to school, we had a black board at the front of the classroom. My kids had white boards but now they apparently have smart boards, which - I had it explained to me - are interactive white boards. 

It was nice to see my Dr. Seuss quilt again
and DD was happy with the quilt I brought her.  
As we've been in Beijing several times, we didn't do any touristy things. But on Sunday we had a lovely breakfast and then a stroll through the Hutongs. Although it rained, it was a blessed relieve as finally the air was "breathable" again after three days of very heavy pollution.
Just to give you an idea of how bad the pollution was. Take a look at these photos. This one I took from the hotel window when we arrived 
 and this one - as luck would have it - on our last day. It's mid morning in both pictures.

It seems "the kids" have settled very well in Beijing. In any case they do eat like the "locals"!!
How about a little scorpion for a snack? Not for me, thank you very much,  although they tried very hard to convince me to try one. Apparently they taste like potato chips. Then why not eat potato chips, I ask you?

I hope your week is going well too.
Vreni x

14 comments:

Jess @ Scrappy n Happy said...

Sounds like you had a great time...I'm glad you got to breath some clean air even it was after a couple of days of suffocating!
I think I would rather eat potato chips too!

Janet said...

No, no, scorpians are sooo wrong but then the Chinese make use of anything edible.
Did you wear masks on high pollution days? I'm glad you caught up with family.

Silvia said...

Uauhhh!!!. How like you are being in back to Shanghai..How a good regards from there. I hope you have enjoyed with your family out there.
How nice , going to the markets, cheap shoppings...this is the best of going to that countries...
Hugs

Shirley said...

We have a tv ad here that shows a little girl having a stick of barbecued insects and she won't eat them until the vendor sprinkles them with hundreds and thousands, maybe that is what was missing from your delicacy. I would have declined too. There is also a song that tells of the 9million bicycles in Beijing. Sounds like you had a great time despite the pollution.

meli B said...

My Mum has been trying to talk me into going to China with her. That pollution looked pretty scary. Worse than the scorpion!

blauraute said...

Liebe Vreni,
Deine Abneigung gegen Skorpione kann ich gut verstehen. Schön, dass Du wieder wohlbehalten gelandet bist, und dass Deine Tochter den neuen Quilt gleich eingemeindet hat. Es ist doch immer wieder schön, wenn man seine eigenen älteren Quilts wieder sieht.
Sicher wirst Du jetzt bald an die Weihnachtsvorbereitungen gehen. Vermisst Du nicht die Weihnacht in unserer schneereichen Gegend?
Dir noch eine schöne Restwoche und liebe Grüße
Roswitha

Geckoboxes said...

Your quilt looks great on your daughter's sofa! And what a contrasts there are in this country: a super modern class room and old traditions on the street. That makes it such an interesting part of the world, forget about the smog...

Rossana said...

Beijing is really a "special" city!
I see an Italian flag on your photo (bikes' shop):it's great!
The DD Quilt is beautiful on their sofa!!
Hugs

Heather said...

Thanks for the little trip back to China. I lived there a few years ago and your photos sure brought back memories - but no scorpions on a stick for me thanks!

Lynda said...

The quilt really looks good on your daughter's sofa. I'd opt for the potato chips too! What great pictures...I know I'll never make it over there myself.

LintLady said...

Willkommen "zu Hause", Vreni *g*
Du kommst ja richtig viel rum in der Welt, auch wenn Skorpione für uns nicht so das Lieblingsessen darstellen und unser Smok weniger schlimm ist. Schön zu lesen, dass es dir und deiner Familie gut geht.
LG Doris

Vickie said...

Hi Vreni. What a fun post! It was lovely to see you, your daughter and both those great quilts! Love the orange couch, as well. You made a good choice on the quilt for it. Hugs!

Lynne said...

Glad you had a good time. It's good to travel to see family.

Wendy said...

Oh wow, the Hutongs are still there? I was in Beijing in 2003 (love it!) and was told the hutongs were being knocked down for the Olympics which I thought was a great shame as I loved walking through them, such atmosphere.