March
22, Thursday
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QING HE FANG STREET
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| Qing He Fang Street |
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| guess who? |
Well,
the weather changed overnight—sunshine and warming in the course of
the morning. By 11:00 we were ready to go out and enjoy the balmy
day. There is a preserved Song Dynasty (12th 13th
Centuries) street called Qing He Fang Street on the southeastern
shore of West Lake that is a popular tourist destination, so we
decided to go and look around the area. There is also a park on
Nanshan Road, Xueshi Park, near He Fang Street with a popular
teahouse that we wanted to try, and then a have lunch at a
recommended steakhouse called Slim's not too far from Xueshi Park on
Nanshan Road.
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| something to brighten up a rainy day |
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| guardian of the gate? |
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| silversmith at work |
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| corner house |
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| jolly god of happiness and abundance |
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XUESHI PARK
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| It's all about willows in Xueshi Park. |
We
took Metro Line 1 down to the old town area and walked along
Southern Song Imperial Street to the corner of Qing He Fang Street.
The crossroads was crowded and bustling with people and biz as we
walked along Qing He Fang towards the lakeside Xueshi Park. At this
time of the year the park is all about weeping willows, they are just
dripping spring green everywhere you look. Wonderful for nature
photography. Unfortunately, the teahouse we had planned try didn't
work out. We were unable to read the menu (all in Chinese) and the
wait staff spoke no English, so we left without ordering anything and
proceeded to look for Slim's. We found Slim's without much trouble
and found it open around 2 PM so we ordered some steaks which turned
out to be delicious.
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| old stone bridge |
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| the players |
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| Slim's Steakhouse |
March
23, Friday
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WESTERN CAUSEWAY
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| on the boat |
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| West Lake - popular for small boats |
Took
a boat on West Lake today. The weather remained sunny and warm for a
boat ride on the lake. The plan was to go by boat to the south end of
the lake and walk along the Western Causeway, thus circumnavigating
about 9/10 of the lake. The first stop was an island called Three
Pools Mirroring the Moon, then another boat to the southwestern shore
to pick up the long Western Causeway and walk back to the northern
end of the lake, about 2.5 km.; took a #7 bus back to the hotel.
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| Leifeng Pagoda from Three Pools Mirroring the Moon Island |
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| idyllic scene on Western Causeway |
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| lakeside pavilion on Western Causeway |
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| single oar canopied boat on West Lake |
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| a little light mango refreshment concoction |
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| water fountain in West Lake |
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| roast pork and dumplings |
In
the evening we decided to eat in at the Chinese restaurant on the
10th floor. The food was delicious and, although the
nagging colds persisted, we felt better and stronger after resting
and eating, so we went out after dark to see the Musical Fountain that spouts
high jets of white and colored water that look a little like
fireworks.
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Wyndham
Grand Plaza Royale
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