Last month in November, we were visited by some friends from Beijing. The great thing about showing people around somewhere you are already familiar with is that through their eyes you get to see it for the first time again, and whole discover new aspects that you'd completely overlooked. We we also lucky to catch the last throes of Autumn, enjoying a long weekend of crisp blue skies and pleasant temperatures.
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| Qingdao Train Station |
A day of glorious sunshine and healthy air quality. Will and I were mobbed outside the station by a gang of map sellers while waiting for our friends to arrive. When it became apparent that we were not going to buy maps, they hung around anyway to ask Will his height and if he was a basketball player. Except all questions were directed to me and I became a spokesperson of sorts. Ah well, practice is practice.
Now these photographs might leave you feeling confused; I thought Holly was in China and it is Winter there? Correct and correct. Although the pictures may look warm and Australia-esque, it was still under 10'C. But ain't nothing gonna stop a man with determination and a pair of speedoes. Even in mid-November, men in just shorts saw fit to play a game of beach volleyball. Rather them than me.
Discerning readers may recognise the pagoda at the end of the pier, and if you did, well done, because it looks like every other pagoda in China to me. Except that it's on the end of a pier. It is, in fact, the small pagoda icon that appears on every bottle of Tsingtao beer. Despite being a popular tourist attraction, it was thankfully lacking the herds of tourists complete with flag-waving megaphone-blaring tour guides. As it happens, our Beijing friends managed to escape from the Beijing hubbub and unwind listening to the sound of the waves lapping against the base of the pier.
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| Subverting the State? Me? Never. |
Next stop on our quick tour of Qingdao's old town was the Naval Museum. The map was extremely useful, revealing that currently over 80% of the site is under construction. The museum of artefacts was more an exhibition of mildew and rising damp, but that didn't stop intrepid explorers like us, oh no. Because outside was a collection of tanks, planes, fighter jets, a submarine, two warships and piles of unexploded missiles that I was reluctant to approach. To reach the warships, you had to cross over a rickety bridge of wooden planks that gave slightly underfoot, and through the gaps you could see the ocean swirling far below. It was like being in a Final Destination instalment. The ship itself was... shippy. When I learn know something intelligent about ships/naval warfare/the Chinese navy, I'll let you know. But for now that's the best description you're going to get. At least I know I won't be pursuing a job with the Royal Navy.
How do you relax after all this sea-based excitement? Head to Daxue lu (University Road), perhaps the most chilled street in Qingdao. Both sides of the road are lined with mature plane trees, and colonial architecture sits beside traditional Chinese buildings. My favourite feature has to be the charming coffee shops. One has to be entered through a tunnel of bamboo, and inside is decorated like a beach hut, with a pair of cats cuddling up to customers. Another boats a glass roof, which allows you to fully enjoy the towering plane trees that filter in dappled light onto the shop floor. The coffee is pretty good too.
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| Ice Mocha-licious |
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