Relaxing in the garden.
The garden is beautiful, everywhere you look.
Crowds at the Yu Yuan market.
A fun sculpture at the local Tea House.
Michael braving a Shanghai taxi ride.
View from the harbour tour.
Ben with the Pearl TV tower in the background.
The colourful subway ride under the river.
It was great to go down for breakfast and see our travel group again. (We were in the mountains with just our family and one of the fathers from another family.) The kids were very happy to heap their plates with familiar food at the buffet breakfast.
The hotel room continues to surprise us. Between the bedroom and the bathroom is a glass wall that can be frosted or clear with the flick of a remote control. Potentially very embarrasing, so we have to remember to bring the remote with us if we want to ensure privacy!
Today, we were off to downtown Shanghai by way of an interesting subway car ride under the river. It was quite hokey, but the kids thought it was cool with flashing neon lights all the way through. After that, we went on a boat tour of the harbour and had a fantastic view of the city. In the 3 years since we were last here, there are many more architecturally remarkable skyscrapers. The Pearl TV tower (the tower with the round balls in the photos) used to be the second tallest building next to the CN Tower, but it is dwarfed by many others now.
Next was more shopping at the Yu Yuan market, and Michael headed off to the Canadian Consulate to get some documents for work. The four of us then tried to enjoy the beautiful Yu Yuan Garden. We got in, then the girls and I waited on a bench while Ben headed off to find a washroom. After 20 minutes, Ben wasn't back yet, and I was having a mild panic attack!!
The hotel room continues to surprise us. Between the bedroom and the bathroom is a glass wall that can be frosted or clear with the flick of a remote control. Potentially very embarrasing, so we have to remember to bring the remote with us if we want to ensure privacy!
Today, we were off to downtown Shanghai by way of an interesting subway car ride under the river. It was quite hokey, but the kids thought it was cool with flashing neon lights all the way through. After that, we went on a boat tour of the harbour and had a fantastic view of the city. In the 3 years since we were last here, there are many more architecturally remarkable skyscrapers. The Pearl TV tower (the tower with the round balls in the photos) used to be the second tallest building next to the CN Tower, but it is dwarfed by many others now.
Next was more shopping at the Yu Yuan market, and Michael headed off to the Canadian Consulate to get some documents for work. The four of us then tried to enjoy the beautiful Yu Yuan Garden. We got in, then the girls and I waited on a bench while Ben headed off to find a washroom. After 20 minutes, Ben wasn't back yet, and I was having a mild panic attack!!
The girls and I raced around the garden looking for him, Lianne and Laura trailing along trying to take pictures of the beautiful garden. After another half hour, we headed out to the meeting point, and eventually Ben came along without a care in the world :-) He had gotten turned around with all the paths in the garden, and when he ran into the Thompson family (our surrogate grandparents on this holiday) he decided he should stick with them.
With our shopping bags full, we headed back to the hotel to meet up with Michael again. The girls went for a swim, then we all headed up to a suite on the 37th floor for a pizza party. Two of the families had been upgraded to suites so we invaded and enjoyed the view.
That evening, we went to the Shanghai Acrobatic Show, and were all amazed by the dancers, gymnasts, and contortionists. The finale consisted of 5 motorcycles speeding around in a huge metal sphere, where we all holding our breath! The best part, though, was watching the kids' faces throughout the evening as they were all on the edge of their seats.
That evening, back at the hotel, it was a fight for who got to have a bath in the fancy tub with their own private TV :-)
With our shopping bags full, we headed back to the hotel to meet up with Michael again. The girls went for a swim, then we all headed up to a suite on the 37th floor for a pizza party. Two of the families had been upgraded to suites so we invaded and enjoyed the view.
That evening, we went to the Shanghai Acrobatic Show, and were all amazed by the dancers, gymnasts, and contortionists. The finale consisted of 5 motorcycles speeding around in a huge metal sphere, where we all holding our breath! The best part, though, was watching the kids' faces throughout the evening as they were all on the edge of their seats.
That evening, back at the hotel, it was a fight for who got to have a bath in the fancy tub with their own private TV :-)
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