As we left Nanjing the air was thick with pollution – and the odd burning rubbish bin makings a unique contribution!
Jo was the official tour guide and given that her sense of direction is questionable, getting lost together was on the itinerary!
The train pulled into the station after a 2 hour high speed journey and we were off on our Shanghai walking tour…
First stop was the famous Nanjing Road – seemingly if you haven’t been shopping on Nanjing Road you haven’t been shopping – well we didn’t go shopping!…but we soaked in the atmosphere as we walked down Nanjing Road in the direction of the Yangtze River and the Bund…
The closer we got to The Bund – the famed waterfront promenade, the more we felt that we were anywhere but China.
The buildings were European buildings …standing tall and imposing… the streets really wide, adorned by majestic naked trees and of course the promenade….surely we were somewhere in Europe?
For those that don’t know, Shanghai has a colourful history of colonisation by the British, Americans, Japanese, Russians and French from early 19th century.
Across the Huangpu River, a man-made tributary of the Yangtze, we could see a futuristic skyline that would make the Jetsons jealous …and a couple of the buildings looked pink!
Of course there was the inevitable layer of Chinese pollution but even so the vista was spectacular….18th Europe to the right of you and futuristic Jetsons to the left…breathtaking!
oh and rubbish in the river floating by ….REALLY?
Our tour guide led us through Gucheng Park, literally meaning Ancient City Park, clearly a popular resting place for locals and tourists alike …
…but as we left the park we suddenly stepped out of Europe and in to Old China.
Seriously narrow meandering streets in no particular direction – shops lining the street level and appartments dotted above with the laundry out flapping in the fresh air!…sometimes along side drying fish and an assortment of vegetables.
Foreign smells.…a cacophony of sounds…people working, sitting and eating in the streets just as they have done for hundreds if not thousands of years.
This realestate is worth millions today!
Suddenly the street opened up into Shanghai Chenghuang Miao… (City God Temple). This temple has had a very turbulent history and also hosts some of the best eateries in Shanghai but tourists beware…the food halls look cheap but I could eat for a week in Nanjing for what it cost us for a light lunch!
The temple area is full of shops tailored for tourists and so much fun to just wander about…no money to buy anything after the lunch experience!
We walked on and entered what is called the French Concession – the French didn’t like the other colonial rulers along the Bund – they wanted their own area and wow it really does feel French – large beautiful homes, now no doubt housing more than one family, but the facade has been retained…again wide open streets and majestic naked trees….and there in the middle was the outdoor cafe our tired legs were looking for!
Coffee tea or wine?
We had been blessed with a beautiful winter’s day, and no real crowds…it had been really wonderful but our legs were tired and it was a long way home so we had our refreshments and headed back to the station!
Thank you Shanghai …I will be back!
Oh and Jo – she scored a perfect 10 as our tour guide!
Happy Bumbering!
