Tired from flying, but still able to enjoy room service at the Hyatt!
Mum and Libby's first few days in China have been extremely luxurious - we lived like aristocratic ladies of the 1930s in Shanghai, indulging in shopping, decadent meals and relaxation in the spa and sauna. After arriving on Friday night after a day of travelling, we enjoyed room service in our hotel room overlooking the Bund before crashing, ready for a weekend of indulgence.
Libby looks longingly into Paul Patisserie
"Which scarf should I choose? ...... Or should I just take all of them?"
Our first stop on the tourist trail (after breakfast at one of my favourite places, Element Fresh) was the fabric market where we scoured the stalls for nice fabrics and looked for dress making motivation from the modeled outfits. The Shanghai prices, despite being cheap, are more expensive than Wuxi, so we bought fabric and will have things made up by Tony, my tailor in Wuxi.
A button stall at the fabric market
Wrought iron horse heads decorate the staircase of the old racing club
Next stop was the People's Park, which used to be the old race track in Shanghai's heyday. Here, we marveled at the wrought iron fittings and enjoyed coffee and cake on the roof top restaurant, with views of the smoggy skyline in the background. We then walked off our cakes by strolling through the park and stumbling across a rather unusual sight which requires its own blog entry later on. Whilst attempting to find the Shanghai Museum, we came across an intriguing exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, so we stopped by there to admire the fabric sculptures.
Coffee and cake at Kathleen's 5 on the roof of the old racing club in the People's Park
Sculpture exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art
Saturday night bought another splurge - the night began with G and Ts in our hotel room, progressed to dinner at New Heights on the Bund where we enjoyed fabulous food, wine, company and views, and ended with a spa bath at the hotel.
G and Ts on the Bund
On the way to the spa and sauna
On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a French breakfast of croissants and pain au chocolat at Paul, a French bakery in the French Concession. We spent the rest of the morning wandering through the tree lined streets, stopping for coffee at Sasha's with Ashley and later on, pausing to enjoy street side Portuguese tarts. Our time in the French Concession ended at Xintiandi, where old meets new. We visited a small museum that is set up as the home of an aristocratic Chinese family of the 1930s and wandered through the courtyards lined with trendy, modern restaurants. A plaque in the museum summed up the area wonderfully - '... a place that foreigners think is Chinese and Chinese think is foreign ...'
Wining and dining with Ashley on the Bund
The Bund at night
Our weekend in Shanghai concluded with coffee at the Astor House hotel, frequented by all sorts of famous people in the 1920s and 1930s. Here, as they did with many other buildings, Mum and Libby studied and made exclamations over the ceilings, the fittings, the doors and the general decor of these grand old buildings. It is always easy to imagine what life might have been like during these days with the merging of so many different cultures, all adding to the present day feel of Shanghai, a city where old definitely meets new.
Ongoing construction on the Bund (in preparation for the Shanghai 2010 Expo)
Sasha's - a stately 1920s home in the French Concession, now a bar/restaurant/cafe
Mum and Libby were landed back in reality last night when we arrived at the wet, cold and busy Wuxi train station. It was dumplings and Chinese tea for dinner, but the luxury resumed after dinner when we enjoyed a foot massage at Fushiwu. Of course, the indulgence may continue tonight, when we venture out into the cold to enjoy a 4 course Uberfood treat.
Coffee at Sasha's
Examining the detail on the ceiling at the Astor House Hotel
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