Suzhou

Last weekend we took a trip to Suzhou. We visited temples, gardens, a canal, and a silk factory. Suzhou is a lovely city and I'd love to return. It's a little gem right outside of Shanghai (only an hour and a half away!) 

One of our first stops in Suzhou was at a silk factory. Well...it's more like a shopping mall with an attached factory. In any case, it was really interesting to see the silk making process. 

1. The worms hatch, grow up, and make their cocoons in only a few weeks. 

2. The cocoons are put into hot water joined into a clump. 

3. The beginning strings of the cocoons are combined and attached to a spindle. 

4. About five of these cocoons make only a single thread! 

5. From there, the threads are cleaned, dried, and spun so that they are ready to be made into clothes. 

One of Suzhou's most famous features is its canals. We took a short boat ride and bumped into this one. It's a pretty skinny canal. Along the canal are tiny shops and restaurants. Like Venice in China.

The food by the canals was crazy! People were eating entire squids on sticks (above). Graham and Dad  tried the Squidsicles. Below are a a couple pig dumplings and a jelly fish. So cute! Even better, they were vegetarian. 

La Boca de la Verita! In Rome we had planned to go to the famous Roman sign, but there were always lines of people waiting to visit it. Thankfully, Suzhou had their own version! It was fun.

At a Buddhist temple there were women walking around the temple in prayer. 

One of the other visits had a bell! We even got to ring it. Check out the damage on the red log. The paint has worn out on the front and the wall in the back has been hit quite a few times. It wasn't us :)! 

Flowers, Bonsai, Goose!

Spring is here! There are so many lovely flowers blooming! We've been spotting flowers in Suzhou, rock gardens, Buddhist temples, and around tea houses. 

We found this bloom in a Buddhist temple. The temple is hidden away from the bustling city. Along with decorated trees, there are some pretty cute cats. 

This fallen little dude was at the Yu Garden. 

Wisteria! This wisteria bridge is in Suzhou inside a large garden.

The gardens in Suzhou had huge Bonsai trees. They almost look like regular trees, except they are still pretty small. 

A goose by the Yu Garden. Just thought this post needed something extra. 

Kittens!

Our building has kittens! They are about 3 weeks old and they live in a cardboard box. The mama kitty seems to be getting a little stir crazy though because whenever we visit she practically jumps out of the box. The guards give her water and we have just picked up some kibble for her at Walmart. 

So cute!

Mama Kitty

The Sightseeing Tunnel

The Shanghai Sightseeing Tunnel is a three minute ride under the river to cross to Pudong. Only 30 years ago, the area of Pudong was rice-fields, today it's skyscraper central. If you've seen any pictures of Shanghai, they were probably taken in that area. 

The tunnel is different though. It is a bit like light shows of the holiday season, but instead of lit snowflakes and x-mas trees, there are tubes of lights strewn across the tunnel. 

I guess I would say that it is the combination of a holiday light show and a car wash. It might not be as epic as you hoped, yet the pictures can be really cool. 

We're Famous! *not really*

Welcome back to A Virtual Postcard! I have many adventures to report! We've traveled to the Bund, the Hyatt, the Sightseeing Tunnel, and the Shanghai Museum. Not to mention our daily adventures on bicycles and around town. 

Our day at the Bund was a bit smoggy, but there were still plenty of things to see! I think it's interesting how locals openly stare at you or take pictures of you. The photo below is of a tourist couple and their baby. Do you see the crowd? There are two women taking close-up shots and a huddle of men around. Now, I love babies too, but I have never experienced such a phenomena. 

Also, people like to strike up conversations and ask where you're from. It was a bit unsettling at first, but you get used to it. 

Musei Vaticani

This post is a bit late, but I couldn't leave Rome without mentioning the Vatican museums! Although I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the Sistine chapel, I snapped a few shots of modern, renaissance, and ancient Egyptian art.

I'd like to start off by saying that the walk to the Sistine chapel is a long one. First you buy your ticket and climb the main steps, then you go through hallway after hallway until you reach the chapel. 

The Sistine chapel is worth the walk though!

On the walk you can pass through the lovely Raphael rooms. They were commissioned by Julius II in the early 1500's and Raphael and his workshop covered the walls in frescoes. This is the School of Athens. 

Not only did Raphael paint ancient Roman philosophers, but he included a portrait of himself and Michelangelo. Michelangelo is the man in purple in the foreground. Raphael and Michelangelo were working around the same time, so it is likely that Raphael would see Michelangelo sketching plans for the Sistine chapel. 

The Michelangelo that Raphael painted is very muscular and is similar to the sibyls and prophets Michelangelo painted on the Sistine chapel ceiling. 

Here is a photograph of Jeremiah by Michelangelo. 

(http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Prophets.html)

The Vatican museums also houses a collection of modern religious works by artists like Diego Rivera, Francis Bacon, and Jacob Lawrence. This one is by Botero. Now, many people don't like his work, but I think this piece is just really fun. Everything seems to have been stretched, the priest, the trees, even the chubby cow. 

The collection of Egyptian art is fantastic! I really like these urns.  

The Belvedere courtyard was originally planned by Bramante, yet his project was built on top of and the existing lawn is much smaller than his original plan. 

This is one of the most famous ancient Roman sculptures today. The entire collection of ancient Roman artifacts is really incredible. 

The famous stairwell! The entire spiral staircase is covered in signs that say "Watch your step!" since each step gets bigger as you go down and the spiral closes. 

Noto!

Before leaving Sicily and returning to school I went to Noto. This small town was built in the late 1600's after an earthquake destroyed the city. The new city of Noto was moved a few kilometers away from the destruction and was built in a very baroque style. 

The main street is lined with churches, government buildings, and shops.

The sky was really pink on our first night! 

The balconies on the fancy palazzi have awesome figures like these horses. Others have mermaid looking people or little putti [cherubs].












This is a picture from the top of a church tower. The staircase up was a bit treacherous, but we made it to the top.

Cow!

We drove to visit the old, destroyed town of Noto. This was the view from the top of the town wall. As you can see, it was a very strategic spot for a town. 

Dad dropped his camera lens protector and it rolled under the fence and down a few feet. I climbed under the fence for it. 

I was so sorry to leave Sicily, but I know I will have to come back eventually. Maybe in the summer next time for some swimming and more sunshine. 

The Ultimate Nativity Scene

At the airport before leaving Sicily there was an old police fiat with a Nativity scene inside.

This combination of two Italian classics is perhaps the most original Nativity I will see for a long time. It may not have been easy to make, but the result is well worth any troubles.