Finally. A successful upload of spring break pictures! VPN slips in and out, daring me to try and upload. Photos that I swear have uploaded disappear from the media files. Oof da. I continue to try again.

It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon here. Elle is working on homework, while Art’s across campus in his office preparing for the week ahead. I’ve got laundry spinning in our little Whirlpool twister, and “to do” lists going on my desk. At this point (mid April), we are set, settled and staying put in Chengdu until school lets out in June. Art has a few Fulbright-related trips to make, and Elle has a class trip, but aside from that, we don’t have any more family trips for a while. Routine, routine. We work well this way.

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Shanghai is a combination of rich history and ultra modern transformation, and a very hip energy in every direction. Divided by the Huangpu River, there’s distinguished Puxi and the French Concession on the east side (the “old” side) and on the west is shiny Pudong with its extraordinary modern skyline and screaming nighttime light displays. In particular, there is Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, and 3rd tallest in the world (maybe it is the second tallest in the world; conflicting reports abound). It’s a building that barely existed when we gazed at that skyline in 2011, and actually sort of does not exist right now because although it has been “complete” for nearly a year, it has not yet opened. And I cannot find the reason why. But it does exist, and at least from the outside, it is exquisit.

Art couldn’t take his eyes off of the skyline or that Shanghai Tower. Here. See this. Really. It explains a lot: Shanghai Tower time-lapse!

You can’t visit Shanghai without walking along the Bund (more than once) or taking a Huangpu River cruise. For us, we also couldn’t visit Shanghai without staying at the Astor House Hotel, nor without visiting the beloved Blue Nankeen Textile Gallery.

I guess there are a million other, better, reasons to visit Shanghai, but we’re easy. The funky old hotel where we stayed in 2011 (with Chinese breakfast buffets in the Peacock Room), walking along the Bund (especially at night), a stunning river cruise under sunny skies, the Tianzifang alleys on a rainy afternoon, Blue Nankeen, and Yuyuan Gardens/Huxinting Tea House on Tomb Sweeping Day. Pretty umbrellas, peonies bursting everywhere, sunshine. Western food at Element Fresh and the Bund Brewery because we needed it.

I’ve slowed down on picture-taking, and on trying to write about our adsvenstures, trying to work instead on other essays. On walking. And taking care of our days. For now though, here are my Shanghai memories, starting with Blue Nankeen. (Note: I didn’t get many pictures of the actual textiles at Blue Nankeen. Eh? What’s with that?). And it was raining on the morning we visited, so there were no blue fabrics flapping on the clothesline outside, but still my heart fluttered as we made our way down the pebbled alley to this surprising little shop/museum. It was just exactly as I remembered it, including the endearing man and woman who run the place, and who posed with us again.

Note: I think pictures can be enlarged by clicking. Also note: that bicycle hasn’t moved in five years.