French Concession walk
The days have been blue, chilly and gorgeous with the leaves beginning to drop and whisper over the ground as the wind whips down the street. The holiday season is beginning in the expat community here with a host of bazaars around the city where all kinds of vendors show up to sell their goods to the foreigners. I was meeting my friend Kathleen at one in the French Concession and decided to walk. Oh, there is so much to see walking the streets of Shanghai! Down Changle Lu I walked by an alley with a large blue sign offering blue and white crafts. Not quite sure what to expect, I walked down the lane. It ended in a gate and indicated to walk through the gate and go right. At the end of that lane I found this sign. (Click on it to make it larger and perhaps actually read what it says)
I continued following the directions down a very narrow lane that ended in a wall, but when I turned left, it opened up into this courtyard where blue and white hand dyed and printed fabric was wafting in the wind. I walked toward the legs I saw under the sheet and said "Ni hao". Right at that moment I saw a door to my left and entered a lovely work shop that had a bit of a museum of batik-like printmaking instruments and different examples of old batik. A little store was attached with all kinds of clothing, purses, coin purses, stuffed animals, table linens, etc. It was a fun find.
As I walked out the shop door to head back on my adventure I was greeted with this stunning sight. Sorry for the bad camera and color, but it was quite a sight.
I walked the streets and found cashmere shops where you could order anything in any color, carpet stores with Tibetan, Chinese and Mongolian carpets, house stores filled with new and old treasures, a hole in the wall store with trinkets of every age, size and kitchyness where two men were smoking and playing cards just waiting for the customers! As I finally made my way to where the bazaar was, I knew I had found it. I saw mini vans lining the street with drivers sleeping in the front seats or standing outside the car getting in their smoke. It was very comical to see so clearly where all the foreigners were! Everyone has drivers that take them all over town, and the drivers just hang and wait for instructions to the next locale. We have been taxi and subway movers, but now that it is getting cold, dark early and wet we have decided to break down and get a car and driver just 3 times a week when the girls stay after school and don't get the bus home. It is not easy to get a taxi in the rain, and on a Friday night it is near impossible. The traffic is horrendous and it can tear away at a happy attitude and an empty end of the day tummy. A couple of weeks ago the girls and I waited for 45 minutes in the rain before we were able to snag a cab. They have become quite the city girls, though, and handled it very well. They were on one side of the street trying to hail a cab while I ran to the other side to get one, not caring at that point which direction it was heading in! It really is a luxury to have someone waiting for you as you come out from collecting the girls at school. Our winter months treat. The rest of the time I am a happy walker and subway taker.
I continued following the directions down a very narrow lane that ended in a wall, but when I turned left, it opened up into this courtyard where blue and white hand dyed and printed fabric was wafting in the wind. I walked toward the legs I saw under the sheet and said "Ni hao". Right at that moment I saw a door to my left and entered a lovely work shop that had a bit of a museum of batik-like printmaking instruments and different examples of old batik. A little store was attached with all kinds of clothing, purses, coin purses, stuffed animals, table linens, etc. It was a fun find.
As I walked out the shop door to head back on my adventure I was greeted with this stunning sight. Sorry for the bad camera and color, but it was quite a sight.
I walked the streets and found cashmere shops where you could order anything in any color, carpet stores with Tibetan, Chinese and Mongolian carpets, house stores filled with new and old treasures, a hole in the wall store with trinkets of every age, size and kitchyness where two men were smoking and playing cards just waiting for the customers! As I finally made my way to where the bazaar was, I knew I had found it. I saw mini vans lining the street with drivers sleeping in the front seats or standing outside the car getting in their smoke. It was very comical to see so clearly where all the foreigners were! Everyone has drivers that take them all over town, and the drivers just hang and wait for instructions to the next locale. We have been taxi and subway movers, but now that it is getting cold, dark early and wet we have decided to break down and get a car and driver just 3 times a week when the girls stay after school and don't get the bus home. It is not easy to get a taxi in the rain, and on a Friday night it is near impossible. The traffic is horrendous and it can tear away at a happy attitude and an empty end of the day tummy. A couple of weeks ago the girls and I waited for 45 minutes in the rain before we were able to snag a cab. They have become quite the city girls, though, and handled it very well. They were on one side of the street trying to hail a cab while I ran to the other side to get one, not caring at that point which direction it was heading in! It really is a luxury to have someone waiting for you as you come out from collecting the girls at school. Our winter months treat. The rest of the time I am a happy walker and subway taker.
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