Fuxing Park and Mengquing Park in Shanghai

I decide to explore some new parks this trip to Shanghai.  I've heard of Fuxing Park and even walked by previously, but, now, it's time to visit.  Fuxing Park is right in the middle of the colonial-era French Concession and around the corner from the former residence of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, first president and founding father of the Republic of China.  Sun Yat-sen was instrumental in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) and was appointed Provisional President in 1912.  Meanwhile, Fuxing Park (this is a story about Fuxing Park) was built around the same time, in 1909, with a lake, fountains, gardens, and covered pavilions covering about 10 hectares (0.4 square miles).

Fuxing Park and Gardens

I enter the park through the main gate at the intersection of the Fuxing Road and Chongqing Road (South), I immediately start to walk down the beautiful paths meandering through the gardens.

 Park paths and gardens

Wandering further into the park yields tranquil scenes for resting, contemplation, meeting with friends, or just hanging out.

Resting areas and lake

And, even further into the park, I arrive at the fountains.

 Fountains

And, of course, in June, in Shanghai, no garden is complete without wedding party photography in process.

Wedding party photographs in the park

And, as I get close to the upper exit of the park, I find people ballroom dancing, across from an imposing statue of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, created to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the death of Engels on August 5, 1985.

 Ballroom dancing in the park

Statue of Marx and Engels

Leaving the park, I head over to and up Suzhou Creek to the Mengquing Theme Park on Environmental Protection of Suzhou Creek (quite a mouthful!).  Suzhou Creek was cleaned up and rehabilitated between 1998 and 2008 and the park was established to celebrate the cleansing of the river with a theater, displays, and an exhibition hall, all emphasizing environmental water science education.

But, I wander through the park for its gardens, sculpture, and activities.

 Sculpture and gardens in the park

 And, of course, a stop to listen and appreciate a singing group practicing in the pavilion.

Group singing

As we are getting close to the Chinese National Dragon Boat holiday, June 9-11 in 2016, the park is being set up for Dragon Boat races on the river in a few days.  The Dragon Boat holiday is a national Chinese holiday occurring on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese calendar, thus alternately called the double fifth festival.  This festival is said to have originated from locals paddling out on boats to scare the fish away and retrieve the body of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who drowned himself in 278 B.C.  The holiday has been held annually for more than 2,000 years and the dragon boat races are a symbol of the attempts to rescue and recover the body.  Dragon boats are so named because the front and back are both in the shape of a traditional Chinese dragon.

Dragon Boat Tournament coming soon

On the way to the park exit, I pass a children's play area with playground equipment and a large collection miniature vehicles.

Play area

Now, it's back along the Suzhou Creek to the hotel and on with my day.

Walking Along Suzhou Creek in Shanghai

I'm back in Shanghai in the spring and it's time for another morning walk.  Today, I decide to walk along Suzhou Creek (also called the Wusong River), from the Shanghai Railway Station to the Bund, where the creek flows under the historic Waibaidu Bridge into the Haungpu River.  The Shanghai Railway Station is northwest of People's Square, about a 45 minute walk (or 3 stops on Metro Line 1 if you're in more of a hurry).  On the way, I pass the new Natural History Museum and through the Jing'An Sculpture Park.

 Shanghai Railway Station

 The Shanghai Railway Station was renovated in 2010 for the Shanghai World Expo and serves locations to the north, south, and west of Shanghai, including the main Beijing-Shanghai trains.  On previous trips, I have caught the high-speed train from this station to Suzhou and Wuxi to visit factories in those cities.  Along with the renovation, the landscaping around the station was updated, providing a restful and attractive environment in contract with the busy station.

 Updated landscaping near the Shanghai Railway Station

 From the Railway Station, I walk several blocks over to Suzhou Creek and follow the path along the creek toward the Bund.

 Path along Suzhou Creek

 Even though we're in the middle of a very large city (Shanghai's estimated population is 24 million people), the path is peaceful and quiet, an calm oasis in the craziness that is large city life.

Gardens along the path

Partway down the river, I spot an interesting wall on the side of a building and cross the street to see what it might be.

 Continental Bank Warehouse

It turns out that the Continental Bank Warehouse was the site of a four-day battle with Japanese troops in 1937.  The building was recently renovated and the design of the west wall reflects the bullet holes from that battle, overlooking an outdoor memorial square.

A block or two closer to the Bund, I spot a ferris wheel peering over a building near the creek and take another slight detour from the path.  The new Joy City mall has installed a ferris wheel, called the Sky Ring, on top of the mall.  The Sky Ring is less than one-half the size of the London Eye, but is quite striking and offers great views of Shanghai.

Sky ring above the new Joy City mall

But, enough diversion, it's back to the path along the creek, where I'm approaching the Bund.  The historic buildings and bridges near the top of the Bund serve as backdrops for commercial and wedding photography.

 Photographers using the Former Union Church and Waibaidu Bridge as backdrops

And, after passing under the Waibaidu Bridge, Suzhou Creek flows into the Huangpu River and I round the corner onto the Bund, seeing the classic Shanghai sights on both sides of the river.

 On the Bund

That's enough wandering for this morning, it's time to go to work.

Al's Birthday

Our brother-in-law, Al, plays in several bands, including the Rubinoos, an American "power pop" band formed in 1970.  Best known for their singles "I Think We're Alone Now" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", they're still playing and touring.  It's Al's birthday and one of his traditions is that he gives a concert on his birthday at the Kensington Circus Pub in Kensington, CA (in the East Bay, in the hills just above Berkeley).  This birthday, the Rubinoos join him under the name "Al Oha and the Royal Hawaiians."

Kensington Circus Pub

Tonight, Al Oha and the Royal Hawaiians

The Kensington Circus Pub has a great selection of British and Irish beers, local beers, and traditional English dishes as well as local food (fish and chips, bangers and mash, sheperds pie, fish tacos, burgers, sandwiches, ...).  We get a pitcher of Fullers ESB ("continuously voted England's best bitter") and fish and chips for me, chicken-pesto sandwich for Laura.

The pub is packed when we arrive early for the concert and everyone is watching the Warriers game.  Our server tells us most people will be leaving after the game, but they stay for the concert and the small venue is packed.

Al (and the Royal Hawaiians) play to an appreciative audience.  Several of them have brought in albums from the Rubinoos to get them signed by the band.  Our only regret is that they must end by 10 so the neighbors can sleep.

Al Oha and the Royal Hawaiians

We order another pitcher of beer and keep on enjoying ourselves.  What a great and diverse place we live in and people we know!

 Enjoying the concert

Winding up the Long Weekend in Paris

Spring in Paris -- bring an umbrella!  Spring rainstorms drift across the city through the day and, while the showers are not severe or long, the umbrella keep us dry through all of them.  Even if the day looks clear, we see people carrying an umbrella as they head out.  They know it could change any instant, and, sometimes, every hour or two.

Passing Parisian shower

The Champs-Élysées looks more gloomy in the rain, with the Grande Roue de Paris ferris wheel, located in Place de la Concorde, in the distance.

Champs-Élysées, rainy and clear

But, April showers bring May flowers, and they are coming out all over the city.  Here are a few of the delightful surprises we run across.

 Spring flowers emerging everywhere!

And, in the park, the ponies are out for rides, but with few takers on a cold, rainy, spring weekday.

Ponies in the park

We'll share a few street pictures.,

 Modern street on the right bank

 Cobblestone alleyway on the left bank

And one more museum, with lines extending outside in the rain.  We watch one father instruct his daughter, as they come out the Metro station, how to keep an eye out for puddles and walk around them.  They then get in line at Musée Jacquemart-André for the exhibition L'atelier en plein air - Les impressionnistes en Normandy (The open air studio - impressionists in Normandy) with 50 or so paintings, from private collections and museums in Europe and America, of the stunning and diverse landscapes of Normandy painted by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Boudin, Morisot, Caillebotte, Gonzales, Gauguin, and others.

Line at Musée Jacquemart-André

 Entrance from inner courtyard at Musée Jacquemart-André

We have not been to this museum previously, although we walked past many times, but this time we buy tickets and enter.  The museum is in a 19th century mansion, with rooms furnished in the style of that period.  Now owned by the Institute of France, it has a fabulous collection of collection of paintings, sculptures, tapestries, objets d’art and rare furnishings, in addition to serving as a host for other exhibitions such as this impressionist collection.

One of our last stops in Paris is Ladurée, a luxury bakery and sweets house dating from 1862.  Ladurée is one of the world's best-known premier sources of macaroons, selling more than 15,000 each day.  We stop in at their  store on the Champs-Élysées and load up to treat our friends when we get home.

Ladurée entrance and macaroon counter

Buying perishables definitely marks the coming end to another great adventure.  The next day, we wheel our suitcases the 2-3 blocks over to the Arc de Triumph and catch the Air France bus, renamed Le Bus Direct on May 12, 2016 and now run by Paris Aéroport, back to Charles de Gaulle airport and head home.  In prior trips, we've traveled to/from the airport by rental car, taxi, RoissyBus operated by Paris RATP to Place de l'Opéra, RER regional train, and the Air France bus.  If our hotel is near the Air France bus stop (which it has been these last few trips), the bus is the way to go.  Le Bus Direct runs ever 30 minutes, take 45-60 minutes to get into the city, and we can buy our tickets over the Internet before we leave home.

Air France bus, now Le Bus Direct

At Charles de Gaulle, we check in, head through security, and settle into our seats for the trip home.  Tourism is currently down in Paris and that means that we get an empty middle seat between us and can spread out and enjoy the flight more.