Hawkridge Holiday in Hangzhou

We have just got back from three lovely days in 'the nearest place to heaven on Earth'!  Hangzhou is a small (pop 6.1 million!)  town to the south west of Shanghai.  It is famous for its beautiful lake and traditional Chinese scenery (amongst the tower blocks!).

We left Shanghai on the bullet train which was fantastic.  The station and organisation of the train was amazing and the journey only took 45 minutes.  At times we reached top speeds of 356km per hour! As we arrived at Hangzhou station we were instructed over the PA to 'take all belongings with you but not other passengers'  so the holiday began with a smile!  That was quickly wiped off our faces as we were ripped off in a taxi for the first time.  Ten years ago when traveling, that would never have happened but throw two small children in to the mix and we'll pay anything to get to our hotel!

  

Our hotel was excellent and very near to the famous lake.  Oliver and William were delighted with their loft bed and have already requested to take all visitors there.

We spent the first day getting our bearings, feeding William and Oliver food that was far too spicy and being photographed walking along the lake!

The following day we went on a boat trip to the island and had a lovely walk followed by a fantastic lunch in a lovely Chinese restaurant - a bit less spicy than the day before! 

After eating we went off in search of the famous pedestrain shopping street.  We were not disappointed.  It was a fantastic street with lots of stalls and shops selling tea, chopsticks and a variety of other goods.  One of the highlights was a Chinese chemist that was a museum and still a dispensing chemist.  By the mid afternoon Oliver and William were tired and in need of an ice cream so we sat by the small canal while they ate it.  Well, we might have been at one of the biggest tourist attractions in Hangzhou but we eclipsed that!  Suddenly we were surrounded by people firing questions at us (in Chinese!) about the boys and stroking their hair!  Apparently Shuāngbāotāi (we've quicly learnt the Manderin for twins!) are a big attraction especially when being so cute eating ice cream!  After much photographing we managed to shake off the crowds and return to our hotel. 

Lunch on our final day was fun.  We found a very local restaurant and ordered by pointing to pictures!  We all drank tea with our lunch and when stiring the soup we had an Indianna Jones moment as a chicken foot surfaced!  William and Oliver were delighted and wanted to have a good look at it!

Our train journey home was as execllent as the one there and this time we paid the correct taxi fare to the station!  It was lovely to arrive back in Shanghai and for it to feel like coming home.  Gao Yi came to the platform to meet us and William and Oliver were delighted to see him which makes us feel that they are really settling in.  It was also lovely to come back to a clean house and a freezer full of dumplings!

 

Swimming, rugby and afternoon tea

Sam took the day off on Friday and we spent the first half of it in Ikea!  Its exactly the same as in the UK but a bit cheaper!  We got some bits for the house, but more importantly, had meatballs for lunch which is a firm favourite with Oliver and William, especially as they can watch the trains going by.

In the afternoon, now free from coughs and colds, we made use of our gym membership and took William and Oliver swimming.  They loved the children's pool but much prefered the warmth of the large jaccuzzi pool!  They spent half an hour jumping in and out with Sam while i did some lengths! (this week has seen Sam start running 2 miles every morning so I can't get left behind!).  I joined them in the jaccuzzi (definately the best pool!) in time to see both boys swim accross it!  All the activity wore them out and they were in bed asleep in time for the babysitter.  Sam and I enjoyed our first evening out together in Shanghai.  We walked round the corner for a meal and for some reason ended up in Carrefour  looking at bikes afterwards!  Sam certainly knows how to show a girl a good time!

Over the rest of the weekend we met up with some friends and went to an excellent Chinese restaurant where we had fantastic noodles and dumplings - William and Oliver are certainly broadening their culinary horizons! 

Sam had his usual night out for the rugby and enjoyed watching England, Wales and Italy all win.  On Sunday it was the girls turn and we all went for afternoon tea at the Shangri-la.  This is a monthly event, the aim being to try all of the top tea places in Shanghai!  Next 6 nations, the girls will be going out for the rugby and the boys for afternoon tea! 
This week we have been getting ready for our trip to Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo as the 'closest place to heaven on earth'! We are hoping it lives up to this praise!

My big fat fake wedding!

Following on from our blog about fakes a few days ago we have now discovered an even better fake:  the fake wedding!  You hire all the outfits and a photographer and head to somewhere scenic and create your 'dream' wedding!  Apparently couple who have no intention of marrying do it for fun and those already married do it to creat alternative photos.  Ever fancied an outrageous style of dress or colour of suit - come to Shangahi.  Watch this space for our 'alternative' album...Matt and Vanessa if you want some 'different' wedding pics see you in Shanghai!

Spring has sprung in Century Park

It is safe to say that spring has arrived here in Shanghai.  The weather has been lovely and sunny and the locals have been out in their pajamas (a Chinese sign of spring!).  Another sure sign we were told was the blossoming of the plum trees - quite a local attraction.  Therefore on Saturday we decided to head off for a picnic in the park.  Despite the sun the wind was quite chilly and we were worried that we were being typical Brits.  However, on arrival at the park we were pleased to see we weren't the only crazy ones, lots of familes were doing the same.  In Shanghai at the weekends there is a great sense of families and friends out enjoying themselves.

Century Park is Shanghai's largest park and is an excellent day out.  You can hire a variety of bikes from tandems to ones which seat six!  Although as Oliver discovered they can be a hazard!

There is a small amusement park, lots of rocky areas for climbing and a boating lake.  We enjoyed our picnic and then had a walk. 

William and Oliver enjoyed climbing the rocks and scooting round the park.

For more photos of our day in the park follow the Century Park link under 'Photo albums'

The Mother of all Fakes!

China is well know for its fakes.  Over here you can get films on DVD as they are going in to the cinema in the rest of the world and they are so cheap, the other week I bought The King's Speech for £1!  You can get Ugg boots, North Face jackets and Omega watches, Ipads, ipods and iphones and the quality, if you search for it, is excellent. 

However, we couldn't believe our eyes at the weekend when we went in search of a pizza restaurant.  Pizza Manzano looked familiar from the outside but when we got inside we realised that we were in a fake Pizza Express!  The decor and tables were the same.

They even had La Reine (Alice and Charlie!) and Caprese on the menu!  The prices were pretty much the same. Everything tasted the same. The only difference was the name:  Pizza Pizza Express!