Yuyuan Garden

WARNING: This place is really cool but we are horrible "tourists". So we didn't really take any pictures of important things. You'll see what I mean.




Today we went to Yuyuan Garden to take a look around. This big tourist spot is the place always shown on the Travel Channel when they visit Shanghai.


First stop,



Starbucks.

One of the neatest things about Yuyuan Garden is the architecture. This is how I always pictured China. Ironically, in Shanghai, this is the only area like it and it is a bit crazy to see skyscraper's standing tall around this 5-acre area in the middle of the city. If you want to read more about it here is the wikipedia link: Yuyuan Garden.



Like most things we've seen so far, this too is centered around yummy food and shopping!


This lady is making steamed dumplings. They are one of our favorite.


A dumpling for lunch! Through the straw in the middle, you sip out warm soup. Then devour the dumpling. (Excuse the remains of my last manicure.)

A bit of shopping in the markets.


Steve, this one is for you! Add this one to memory: 218 Anren Jie, Huangup District, Shanghai, China.

So apparently, other people have gotten much better pictures. If you would like to see more pictures taken by people who know what they are doing click here: Yuyuan Garden Photos.

Hometown Hero

Seeing THIS GUY everywhere, makes me feel like singing:

>
Here we go Rockets, here we go! (clap, clap!)

Fabric Market & Other Updates

We picked up our clothes! Much to our surprise....they turned out great.

Except for the shirts John ordered. They were a bit too snug. A sudden need to grab a dropped pen or to reach out to take something from a co-worker, actually, moving his arms within 6 inches of his body and he would be wearing a ripped shirt. That is not even considering if he tried to move or slouch his body. They looked great and would be perfect for a robot though.

So we will pick up his NEW shirts later this week.

Here are my two new coats and John's pants:


Coat #1: Heavy...very heavy but short and can be worn dressy or casual. It also has a belt which is tied behind my back in the picture. This coat is already being used every day. (Please excuse the closet.) LOVE IT!

John's pants: Candid Shot! Pants fit nicely and look really nice! I can't believe they only cost 20$.

Coat #2: Not-So-Candid-Shot. The coat is light weight and great for spring or fall! I can't wait to wear this coat!

Pants From Behind: (Honestly...not-so-candid-shot either. We crack ourselves up.) He got three new pair of these dress pants in different colors. This is the light cocoa (my favorite), charcoal gray, black with a shimmery white thread.

And in Lucy News:

Lucy is doing well! She is finally making new friends at our twice-a-day doggie group.

This is Anna and Lucy. These two have been playing chase alot lately.

This is Sweetie, Lucy crept out of the picture, but you can see her tail.

Don't get me wrong though...

...her tennis ball is still #1. BFF.

As I'm typing this, I just went into the living room to check on Lucy, and there she is, curled up with her ball again. This is a very common pose.

DVD's of the Week:

Revolutionary Road, My Best Friend's Girl, Into the Wild, New in Town

Weekend Adventures

As John and I are still trying to "figure out" Shanghai we thought it would be best to use an off weekend for exploring.

And exploring we did!

We began our adventure by taking a ferry across the river to Puxi (the west side). Oh, the ferry cost was a whoppin' 40US cents. Love it!

First stop: South Bund Fabric Market


Here you can have clothes made to fit perfectly. You pick your fabric and styles from samples or magazines. They measure you, take your orders, barter an agreed price then give you a pick up time.

We will return on Saturday to pick up 2 coats, 3 pairs of dress pants, 4 button-down dress shirts! All for about $190 total!

Next, we headed to the Fake & Pearl Market. Here they sell just what it says...fakes & pearls.

They have everything from clothes, purses, luggage, jewelry, accessories, even golf clubs. AND they have every type of brand you can imagine. Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Abercrombie, Polo, you get the idea. Once again, we shopped!

SUNDAY we walked around the Bund (the river walk),



took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel under the river (Super Cheesy "laser light" show tunnel)


then had some dinner on the river!


We followed up the weekend by relaxing and watching some of our newest DVD purchases: Twilight and Yes Man.

Lucy in Hiding

Lucy has been playing pretty hard lately.

There is a dog group in our compound who meet twice a day to let the dogs play off their leashes. And boy do they play....not Lucy of course. She just wants me to throw her tennis ball. Go figure. But needless to say, she works up a pretty good slobber.

With that being said, Lucy needs a shower.

So John called her to the bathroom.

No Lucy.

He called again.

Still no Lucy.

So we looked behind our bed.

No Lucy.

We looked behind the curtains.

No Lucy.

Then we peeked across the room.

And this is what we saw.

A bit closer...

So we did what any dog parent would do. We laughed, took pictures and let her think that her scheme worked.

Well, I guess it did. No shower for Lucy.

Lucy, We're Home!

We are officially in Shanghai, China!

And here begins our newest adventure!

Lucy and I met up with John just under a week ago and were so excited to see him waiting for us at the airport. He has been here for about a month...just enough time to work out some of the kinks* that go along with moving to a whole new country, once again.

Our newest home is in the Shimao Riviera Compound. While a compound may not sound too inviting, it basically means western community. To me it feels like I'm on a cruise ship or a resort in the middle of a city. There are seven high-rise buildings surrounded by pools, parks, gardens, and two club houses...and that is what makes up our "compound."

Here is Photo Tour 1 of new home.

Welcome home! 45E. That's right, 45th floor. We are pretty high up there.

This picture was taken in our foyer. Behind me is the front door shown in the first picture above. To my left is the semi-private elevator, which drops us off right here inside the foyer of our apartment. To my right is another table and mirror much like the one above. (Confusing, I know)

Okay, now I'm in the house. See the door to the foyer/elevator at the left? You can choose to go to the left toward the closet or to the right. On this tour we are going to the left.


Dining room which opens to living room too.

Here is the living room! Love the floral couches? So do we. ;) Honestly though, awesome view of the river and all of Shanghai. Pretty nice tv too.

Master bedroom from living room entrance.

And another angle...with the Luce-inator creeping into the picture!

Master bathroom...complete with bidet and tv. I wish the water was clean here and that we could just use the bidet as Lucy's water bowl! How easy would that be? Am I sick? No? Maybe?


And the opposite view from me standing in the tub!

Photo Tour 2 will come later when I have the patience to upload them onto here. It will feature the kitchen, guest rooms, other bathrooms and scary maid's quarter.

*kinks include: finding a place to live, negotiating club house membership, finding places to eat, figuring out how to get around when everything is in a different language with different characters, deciding how to plug-in our electronics with plugs from the US, Norway and China....and most of all kinks include finding a hair dryer and hair straightener with ceramic plates. Way to go Johnny!