After the terracotta army we had a slightly strange time in Xian. Advised to not move during golden week we spent 13 nights there. We stayed in a friendly hostel in the middle of town and met and chatted with new friends including a family from Lyon traveling the world for a year. The 4 kids were very happy to play together and not be stuck with boring parents. But we were there so long we saw people come and go and had 2 chances at the evening activities! We didn’t do much sightseeing after the first few days but used the time to have some Chinese lessons and catch up on school work, mostly in Starbucks!
On the second day, and before golden week began, we cycled the city wall. A great experience and we found the wall almost empty with plenty of space to practice « no hands ». The 13 or so kilometers took us almost 3 hours with plenty of stops to look at guard towers and gates and wedding photography and so on!
After that it was a lower key 10 days. Apart from making dumplings in the hostel (twice!) and school work we visited Caligraphy street a couple of times (in sun and in rain), had a go ourselves (with the hostel and with our Chinese teacher).
We also managed to see a temple, the great mosque and to admire the drum and bell towers from afar without getting too crushed. We were particularly impressed by the amount of booze offered to the god of wealth (best to check the theological details yourselves).
Another feature of Chinese cities is their Parklife. Tai chi in the mornings, dancing morning and evening, and men whipping spinning tops feature highly and make for a pleasant wander after dinner. One afternoon we also found some ageing fairground rides with a certain back-in-time charm.
What blog would be complete without a construction section? In Xian the public electricity wiring is a thing to behold. A tangled mass of black wires and junction boxes, sometimes with vines growing through them, runs along every street apparently delivering current without problem to this enourmous city.
A last nod goes to Xian north train station which puts most European airports to shame in its size and the amount of seating. And I couldn’t resist another picture of these amazing high speed trains to finish with.
PS stay tuned for Xian’s Muslim quarter, lots of pictures of food and a gallery of 2 and 3 wheeled transport!
Xi’an – Muslim Quarter and Food
The other big attraction in Xian is the Muslim quarter. One main street with a crowd, mostly of Chinese tourists it seemed, morning, noon and night; and around that a series of smaller alleys and streets getting gradually more « everyday » the further you go from the main drag. We spent hours wandering and watching, getting photographed and saying hello. Pauline would have liked tbe bag selection.
Above all though it is about food. In China so far we have been astounded by the quantity and diversity of food for sale in restaurants and stalls all over every city (so far). Working out what and how much to eat when is a bit of a challenge but in a good way. The difficulty is not trying everything, remember « on est foutu on mange trop« . Its hard to capture the abundance, but this might give some idea…
Xian in Golden Week
After the terracotta army we had a slightly strange time in Xian. Advised to not move during golden week we spent 13 nights there. We stayed in a friendly hostel in the middle of town and met and chatted with new friends including a family from Lyon traveling the world for a year. The 4 kids were very happy to play together and not be stuck with boring parents. But we were there so long we saw people come and go and had 2 chances at the evening activities! We didn’t do much sightseeing after the first few days but used the time to have some Chinese lessons and catch up on school work, mostly in Starbucks!
On the second day, and before golden week began, we cycled the city wall. A great experience and we found the wall almost empty with plenty of space to practice « no hands ». The 13 or so kilometers took us almost 3 hours with plenty of stops to look at guard towers and gates and wedding photography and so on!
After that it was a lower key 10 days. Apart from making dumplings in the hostel (twice!) and school work we visited Caligraphy street a couple of times (in sun and in rain), had a go ourselves (with the hostel and with our Chinese teacher).
We also managed to see a temple, the great mosque and to admire the drum and bell towers from afar without getting too crushed. We were particularly impressed by the amount of booze offered to the god of wealth (best to check the theological details yourselves).
Another feature of Chinese cities is their Parklife. Tai chi in the mornings, dancing morning and evening, and men whipping spinning tops feature highly and make for a pleasant wander after dinner. One afternoon we also found some ageing fairground rides with a certain back-in-time charm.
What blog would be complete without a construction section? In Xian the public electricity wiring is a thing to behold. A tangled mass of black wires and junction boxes, sometimes with vines growing through them, runs along every street apparently delivering current without problem to this enourmous city.
A last nod goes to Xian north train station which puts most European airports to shame in its size and the amount of seating. And I couldn’t resist another picture of these amazing high speed trains to finish with.
PS stay tuned for Xian’s Muslim quarter, lots of pictures of food and a gallery of 2 and 3 wheeled transport!