Walking along Lake Dushu

Today I walked home from a meeting at school and decided to check out the local church which is situated along Lake Dushu.  There were many, many couples having their wedding photos taken so I didn't get the best views, but you can see that it is very nice. 

Morning walk in Suzhou

About three weeks ago I was out walking early one morning when I stumbled on this lovely garden.  I walked right in and took these amazing photos.  As I left the gardens, the guard looked at me funny, but he didn't say anything.  Later that day I was showing a friend of mine around this part of town and he informed me that the 'garden' I walked through was actually the play area for the middle school. 

To think, I thought it was such a good idea to have the local library inside a garden, encouraging locals to visit the gardens and library at the same time.  Well, the lights went off and I realized why the guard was looking at me funny earlier in the day.  Clearly, I was not supposed to be in the gardens.  Opps!

 

First Trip to Shanghai

Last week I made a trip out to Shanghai with a friend who will start a job there after the National Holiday.  I took some pictures and wanted to share them with you.  My overall impression of Shanghai is that it is a very large New York City.  I only visited three areas so I really can't say too much about the city.  I will make a longer trip to the city next week and share with you my thoughts then. 

This is a view of Pudong, which is literally the 'East of the Huangpu River'.  This is the new area that many foreigners think of when they talk about Shanghai.  I apologize for the picture quality, it was a really clear day, but my camera had some issues with a number of photos.  I may have had some dirt on the lenses and didn't realize it.

This is a shopping district just west of the Huangpu River, close to the famous 'Bund' neighborhood.  I believe this was a non-denominational church.

This is an area just north of the financial district.  You can see a lot of English and French influence in the older sections of Shanghai.

This is a photo taken on the famous 'Bund'.  Again, my apologies for the poor photo quality.