Shanghai, China Part IV

Sunday, March 3, 2019    Shanghai, China Part IV

We arrived at the Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Shanghai at 7:00am. After passing through customs we took the one hour shuttle into the Bund. 

Larry and I took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel to Pudong, the financial district of Shanghai. 

                                                          Crazy amusement ride colors!

                                                           The escalator coming out of the tunnel

The area 25 years ago was a swamp. Today on reclaimed land, the tallest structures of Shanghai rest on the banks of the Huangu River in Pudong.

                                                                 

Larry and I planned to walk to the Jinmao Observatory, the third tallest building in Shanghai and the 28^th tallest in the world. We passed another Shanghai landmark,

The Oriental Pearl Tower, a revolving restaurant. Built in 1994 and once Asia’s tallest tower, its futuristic shape makes it one of the city’s most enduring icons. It displays a spectacular light show in the evenings before 10:00pm.

Our walk took us on an above ground bridge that intersected a walking roundabout in front of the 
Disney Clock. Traffic moved swiftly under us.

                                              Scenic gardens were laid out to observe from above

We pass the World Financial Center Observatory, 11^th tallest skyscraper in the world and the Top of Shanghai Observatory, 118 floors and the 2^nd tallest in the world and the tallest sky scraper in China.

The morning rain had subsided, letting the sun peak through the clouds and the smog…… so we headed into Jinmao Observatory. 

The gardens were covered with tiny lights....this must be a glittering  site at night.

 We meandered through a maze of numerous escalators and several elevators…finally arriving on the 86^th floor. 

                         What a view…smoggy but still a tremendous landscape of skyscrapers, 86 floors up. 

After enjoying the sight we took the elevator to the 57th floor’ where we photographed the striking architectural innards of the Jinmao. This building had to be an engineer’s nightmare due to the spiraling floors that rose inward. We were impressed!

We passed back through the tunnel and walked down the famous Bund Riverwalk....

seeing several wedding parties having pictures taken

                                    What a spectacular city view of Pudong from the Bund!

We found our way back to the shuttle bus arriving back to the ship around 5:30pm. With the Westerdam overnighting in Shanghai, we fortunately have another Shanghai adventure planned for tomorrow.

Monday, March 4, 2019      Shanghai, China Part IV 
After breakfast we took the one hour shuttle into the Bund…the city center of Shanghai. Larry and I were excited to see the sun shining in Shanghai this morning. This had been a rare event during our past visits in this city.

We enjoyed a grand walk down the riverside of the Bund all the way to the end.

                              The place was clean as a whistle...the brooms they use in China.

                

It led us to the Yuyuan Garden, a five acre urban garden designed in the classical Ming Dynasty gardening style. 

                                Locals were enjoying some music at the entrance of the park.

                                          We passed through a graceful bamboo forest. 

                                          There was a small lake of bright orange gold fish.

This park was a nice escape from the city bustle.

It was interesting to find many cats walking about in the park. 

Old and new architecture

After passing through the garden we walked through a large part of the Old Town of Shanghai. 

                                              We saw all kinds of sights.....and smells in Old Town!

Lots of small shops lined the streets. Tiny restaurants were dispersed down the street. 

          It was interesting to see the old town with skyscrapers towering over the older structures.

What a colorful display!

                                                              Massage anyone?

                                         It's 5 o'clock somewhere.....in Old Town Shanghai!

                                                  A pleasant entrance into an apartment!

We spotted the cutest little bunnies in cages....but guess what was hanging on the second floor above them...…..

We started to see more and more things hanging from other second floor apartments.

We had a fun conversation with a lady who spoke a little English. I wanted to find an art store for some watercolor paints and she said that she could help us. She wrote everything we said down in English…but she just didn’t understand what we were looking for. She tried to help us but her English was limited and we could not get across to her what we wanted….water color paints. The experience was a hoot! 

We walked back to the Bund...just one block from the  Old Town  was modern China with water fountains and high class stores....what a contrast! 

Another view of Pudong...with the sun shining!

                                                              Pudong in the sunshine!

We walked back down the Bund riverside taking the shuttle back to the ship that was pulling out at 5:00pm. What a beautiful day!