Shanghai and Zhangzou

Our last stop was Shanghai.  When people say that Shanghai is China's window on the West, they aren't kidding.  As you arrive and drive through the city it is clear that Shanghai is one of the largest, and most vibrant metropolis in the world.  If you like New York; if you like neon; if you like hustle and bustle, Shanghai is for you.  After Zhangjiajie, it was a huge change in pace and feel.

The first day in Shanghai brought us to a small gem -- the Jewish Refugee Museum.  We went there mostly on a lark, because Paul wanted to.  What surprised us was how informative and evocative the museum was.  We hadn't known that Shanghai was one of the few places, if not the only place in the world, to accept stateless Jewish refugees from Germany.  By 1937 they had more than 40,000 Jewish residents.  Of course, it became much harder to get to after the Japanese invaded and capture Shanghai in 1937, but still, Jews were able to live out the war in relative safety.  [Remarkably, the Japanese actually turned down a Nazi request to return the Jews to Germany -- odd given Japan's otherwise pretty violent approach to the war.]  The visit also gave us a chance to talk with Kyle both about the Holocaust and about the Rape of Nanking.  Perhaps most interesting of all, we found 18 different Rosenzweigs who had escaped to China -- maybe they are long lost relatives?

Our next stop was the Shanghai Museum.  What a =great= museum.  Wonderful collections of jade, calligraphy and even ancient Chinese bronze.  Katy and Paul could have spent the entire day there, but we could tell that Kyle was a bit bored.  So, after a sumptious lunch we went to the Jin Mao tower.  Jin Mao is one of the 10 tallest buildings in the world, and only the 3rd tallest in Shanghai.  If the day had been clear the views would have been great.  Alas the smog/haze/pollution obscured the view -- but we did get a nice look at the Financial Tower being built next door.  When it is finished it will be #2 in the world.

The days end found us at the Lost Heaven on the Bund restaurant.  The food is Yunann style -- sweeter and more salty than the spicy Hunan, but very good.  By now Kyle has become an expert in using chopsticks and has decided to disdain the offered fork.  [In fact, at breakfast Kyle is now eating individual Cheerios with a chopstick.]  After dinner we had a nice walk along the Bund by the water.  The lights, the energy and the pizazz of the place are unmistakable.

The next day, our last in China, saw us off to Zhangzou -- a water town billed as the Venice of China.  It isn't.  It's a nice enough little community with some small canals and interesting culture -- but its being overrun by tourists (there even was a Starbucks nestled in the old village).  Perhaps it was the weather that made us grumpy (100+ degrees and 70% humidity is NOT fun) but this was one of the few "misses" on the trip.  Not bad -- just not worth the 90 minute drive.

And especially so when we got stuck in one of the famous Shanghai traffic jams on the way back.  Stuck in traffic for 2 hours, our car overheated and we had to abandon it for the Metro.  Fortunately, Shanghai Metro is cheap, new, air-conditioned and easy to use, even for English speakers.  We converted the problem into an adventure and had great fun.

Our last stop was Century Park -- a large park in central Shanghai.  We went looking for "mini-golf" which we thought meant putt-putt golf as a way of amusing Kyle.  Our bad -- it really means Par-3 regular golf, so the trip was for naught (though we did ride a small roller coaster).  After another Metro home, we had dinner in the hotel (at the rooftop rotating restaurant -- talk about old school) and then went to bed.

And so the trip ends.  The next day we left our hotel in Shanghai at 830 AM for the airport.  Traveling through San Francisco, we completed our round-the-world trip and, 24 hours later, arrived safe and sound back home at Dulles.