Weekend in Shanghai

My husband and I really try to make a concerted effort to find time alone.  And at least once a year, if not more, we try to get away altogether.  Obviously, this can be challenging with five kiddos.  But God has provided wonderful and supportive friends and family who have helped us in this endeavor.  Last weekend, we were able to give some kid-free time to our dear Aussie friends by watching their four kids...and this weekend it was our turn, as we switched!

We were able to see the kids off to school, then caught a taxi to catch our flight.  I could not believe how relaxing and enjoyable the airport was! We were through in no time, and decided to eat an early lunch.  As we sat at the restaurant I took a deep breath and took it all in.  We were early enough that there were no crowds, and... I looked forward to eating my lunch in peace, conversing with my husband, not worried about anyone else.

Well, they were a bit late bringing us our food, so we were in more of a hurry than we would have liked getting to the gate.  Not stressed, though, since we were not carting around five other people and at least five other pieces of luggage.  No...the stressful part came when we made it to the gate-just in time-only to find out that the gate had been CHANGED! All I could think about as I was sprinting through the airport, looking like one of those crazy people I feel bad for, was we were NOT missing this plane.  Luckily, we got to the gate and they hadn't even started boarding.  I was a sweaty mess...but we were on our way!

One of the reasons we chose Shanghai is because Andy has been traveling there for more than a decade...and loves this city.  He would always come back with great stories and pictures, so when we had the opportunity for me to go with him, he was so excited to share it with me. When we arrived at the hotel, we quickly checked in, then took the 5-10 minute walk to his office so he could check and see that he could get into the office Monday (holiday for China)and so I could meet some co-workers. It was such a beautiful walk, and I immediately took note of green grass and gorgeous flowers.  HK has some flowers...especially out where we live...but I just wanted to soak in the grass...ahhhh.

After our quick trip to the office, we were back at the hotel, changed, and out to eat.  We had taken the recommendation of a friend to go to a restaurant called Lost Heaven.  They make Chinese Yunnan food.  It was amazing!!!!  We ordered too much food, but enjoyed every single dish...thank you, Carly Spiers!!!!

   Then it was off to the The Shanghai World Financial Center. When this opened in 2007 it was the second tallest building in the world, and the tallest in China...standing at 492 meters or 1,614 feet.  Yes, it is tall!!! But, the crazy thing is that it sits across the street from the Jin Mao Tower, which is an 88-story building which at the time was the fifth tallest building...and then on the other side is the Shanghai Tower, which is scheduled to be completed the end of this year.  It will be the second tallest building in the world at over 2,000 meters high and 121 stories high.  Anyway, you get the picture.  Any one of these structures would have taken my breath away...but all three are on the same block!!!

Jin Mao Tower from SWFC

The Peal Tower from SWFC after Jin Mao went dark

Shanghai Tower,  Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center

We closed down SWFC and got the last picture taken.  The next morning was leisurely...with a nice breakfast and then off to the Yu Gardens...a beautiful area of weeping willow trees and old structures from the Ming Dynasty that have been restored.  This area was beautiful, and right in the middle of Shanghai! Then we decided to walk to the Urban Planning Museum.  We did take the "scenic" route, but didn't mind since there was no whining involved:) The Urban Planning Museum is in a beautiful area located near the Shanghai Museum and the People's Court.  We really enjoyed reading about the history of Shanghai from a development standpoint, and had a great time checking out the HUGE model of the city...pretty remarkable.

Met a local who shared some calligraphy with us

Yu Fashion...markets leading up to Gardens

Yu Gardens

A little old with a little new...Shanghai Tower overlooks everything!

Model to scale of Shanghai

Haven't seen this in a long time!

That night we had planned to go out with one of Andy's associates, his wife and his brother, who was visiting from Ireland.  They were on their second expat assignment to Shanghai and we really enjoyed hearing about their experiences and comparing notes.  We started with drinks in the Jin Mao Tower at a bar called Cloud 9...I think we were on the 88th floor?  What a view!!!  We were there for sunset and it was gorgeous.  Then it was off the the other side of the river to the House of Roosevelt...yes, we still love Western food. There, a we were joined by Dutch neighbors, who were relatively new to Shanghai.  We also had a spectacular view of the Shanghai skyline.  Unfortunately, as Andy was suggesting I get the picture, some of the lights went out...at 10 o'clock...this was NOT like HK:)

sunset from Cloud 9

Cloud 9 after sunset

Our view from Roosevelt's

Just missed all the skyline lights!

Our fun crowd:)

Finally, after great company, a great meal, and incredible view...it was time to go back to the hotel.  Especially since I was getting picked up at 5:30am.  And even though I could have stayed longer, I am always ready to get home and see our kids.  One way I know I have changed since this adventure has started is that traveling alone, even in and out of China, doesn't make me anxious.  I had an easy time getting through all the hoops.  I flew through the HK airport, and I was back home by lunchtime...where everyone was still alive:) and having a very good time (thank you, Savy's!!)

A couple things this trip taught me 1.) It is still necessary and fun to go away with my husband 2.) I would like to go back to Shanghai - so much more to see!