Shanghai (continued)

The following day, Tuesday Feb 17th, we decided to go to the French Concession, where Liz and her family had lived, and try to discover Liz's old school. She knew only the name of the road but not where it was on that road. We asked the Chinese lady at our field office, (for the duration of our stay in Shanghai), to write in Chinese script the road names we needed to give to the Taxi driver. She warned us that Huasung road was very long but off we went undeterred. We drove out of the city centre on to a freeway for few moments and then exited at Huasung road. Liz was sitting between Audrey and I on the back seat with George directing operations in front so it was hard for her to see both sides of the road. Although I tried to explain that we were 'there' I'm not sure that Liz heard me or realised. In any event she did not see the school and we were eventually dropped at the top of one of the 'walking' roads.

The sun was shining and there was far less wind than the previous day so the walk was very pleasant, however there was nothing that Liz remembered or recognised and we realised that we were probably in the wrong part of the very large Concession area. George is not good at 'wandering', especially when we had no real idea of direction, so after popping into a sort of short order restaurant where Liz and I enjoyed (read slurped up Chinese fashion) huge bowls of soup and we all had hot lemon tea we decided to go our separate ways. Liz and Audrey walked back to the road of the school and a little further than the taxi had taken us but had no luck in finding the building.

George and I wandered about the streets really enjoying the old thirties architecture of restored buildings and sitting quietly in a lovely old hotel situated in a 'compound' very much like the one Liz had described living in. There were four or five large houses surrounding a wide driveway with lawns and a fountain in the centre. It had obviously been built in Colonial times by the Germans, French or British. The Chinese have realised the value of restoring these buildings for tourists, so that much of the French Concession remains as it was in the early part of the 20th Century. However, just to confuse anyone who lived there then it has been modernised in parts with very high modern buildings. We found a large Starbucks with big comfy chairs, good coffee and Western loos! Starbucks also has a free Internet service so is popular with young people. By comparison with walking the previous day in the city the Concession was relatively quiet. No elbowing or shoving necessary.

Hardly anyone in China speaks English so everything has to be communicated with prewritten Chinese instructions or somehow using hands, faces and mime. We decided to eat out that evening and the two of us walked a little way from the ship and had a delicious supper in a real Chinese restaurant, full of two bus loads of people from up country we imagined, visiting Shanghai for the New Year Celebrations. We were greeted with great warmth and seated in a separate space up a few steps from the throng of people in comfortable easy chairs and a table. there was one non-bus family beside us at the one other table. A pictorial menu was brought but our neighbours had to help us with a couple of Chinese words: rice and thank you. One young woman seemed to understand a little English so gave us the words but was terribly shy and immediately looked away. However her parents were very friendly and smiled and nodded their heads at us as we stumbled through our order and spoke approvingly (but completely incomprehensibly) when the food finally came. They bade us a very fond farewell when they left.

They were replaced with yet another younger family with one of the most beautiful little girls I have ever seen. Round pink face, dark twinkling eyes, black straight hair but the biggest smile in the world. I took a family photo for them and she thoroughly approved of us and waved us an energetic good bye when we had to leave. I love these tiny social interactions: just the feeling of warmth and goodwill towards and from people we will never meet again and whose language we cannot speak. Another "happiness is..." situation.

Yesterday we decided to visit the Shanghai cultural museum. We had to queue up for about half an hour to get in and we understood why when we finally made it. It is most beautifully laid out and organised; we saw clothes and costumes of China and Tibet, scrolls and paitings next floor down, porcelain and pottery on the lowest floor. I had imagined that I knew what Ming porcelain looked like but I was way off. It is pale and delicate and utterly breathtaking. None of the more colourful china of the Ching dynasty. BUT our favourite display was the furniture of the Ming dynasty. I decided that Art Decco and Art Nouveau simply stole their ideas of simplicity, curves, rectangles and squares from the Chinese Ming dynasty! I think my friend Rob Diemert, master carpenter. would have appreciated it so much. Jo and Nora know who I mean. George and I could hardly tear ourselves away.

We bumped into Liz and Audrey who had left the ship much earlier than ourselves to avoid the queues....guess where? In the tea room! We sat together ooh-ing and aah-ing over the whole display. Liz had decided to give up trying to find her school and home and concentrate on enjoying present day Shanghai. Possibly a wise decision but I felt sad that she hadn't found at least something of her former colonial life.

George and I then returned to the Bund and had lunch in the Bund Brewery. It was practically empty and yet service was slow and forgetful! However when at last my food came (it was mine that had been forgotten) it was delicious....the best samosas and yoghurt sauce I have eaten for a long time. They were small, delicate and beautfully spiced. (Oh God, here I go again.........!)
We walked back to the ship in a biting, cold wind and I thanked my lucky stars I had found a cozy little wool hat in Kobe....what a Godsend.

We sailed from Shanghai at 10 pm last night. I had gone to bed early but got up and watched from of our patio door: both Liz and George stood out on deck (Liz for nearly an hour) to say good bye. The lights were beautiful and there were fireworks....for New Year, not for us! Now we are sailing in wonderfully calm azure seas and under sunny skies to Hong Kong, Liz's place of birth and one of my favourite cities on this trip.

Tonight we have another special dress up, sit-down meal, beautifully served by our amazing stewards. Most of the participants on this trip are away in other parts of China seeing the Terra Cotta warriers and the Great Wall and will rejoin the ship on our last day in Hong Kong. Those of us who are poorer (much!) and saving for future adventures are still on board....about 200 in all. So we are being spoiled.

More tomorrow.