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Blogs have been blocked by the Chinese government for the past few months. One of the annoyances of the whole No-Freedom-of-Speech/Press rules.

Recently though, huge riots against the Communist party have broken out in western China (not any where close to us) and for this reason, Facebook has been blocked.

Now this was going too far. So we did something about it.

Where there is a will, there is a way...and how are you supposed to live with out Facebook!? So, needless to say...with some sneaky ways, we are back to open access internet.

Love this Place

How adorable is this cafe?

Even though we've been pick-pocketed here,

we aren't going to let that stop us! Now I just sit with my purse on my lap. That will teach them not to mess with us!!!

Back in Business

Our camera is missing....needless to say we haven't taken any new pictures.

However, we found our old camera! The last time this camera was used was almost exactly a year ago. This is what our lives looked like this time, last year:

Our back porch... Getting ready for Norwegian Independence Day! The 17th of May!

Sunny Norwegian day...not many of them! But we enjoyed every single one!

The town beach.

In town, looking toward the sea. I'm so glad we found these pictures. It is so strange to think how quickly life changes. Enjoy every minute!

Being Artsy-Fartsy on Taiking Lu

Recently, we have joined forces with a fun group of people. They are showing us the in's and out's of Shanghai and seem to know all of the really cool spots.

First lesson: Eating Duck. Wonderful...love it.

Second lesson: Brunch is a weekend must.

So our first brunch to join them, they took us to Taiking Lu (Lu means street). From the main street...this place looks very shady. However, once you get into the alleys it is amazing! It is a crazy combination of old and new. The bottom floors of the old homes have been converted to cafes, art gallery's, photography studios, boutiques...you get the idea. The upper floors are still homes. VERY COOL.

View of some cafes.

Here are some pics of the new group! Bohemia was our brunch spot. Yummy.

After brunch we wandered the area and got some pretty "different" pictures. I seemed to have taken more pictures of the strange stuff...and not so much the whole idea (or new, normal stuff) of the place. But as I've already explained, we are not the best tourists.

Love the lanterns.



Random arched alley way.



Birds in the upper window!

Laundry hanging above all of the alleys amongst cafes and art galleries. Strange...I told you!

Loving the birdies!

A larger view. See the mixture!

Pantie Chandelier!

Last but not least...........


Chicken anyone? Need I say more?

I'll leave you with that. Another day in the life of China.

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