Week 43 - Hongqiao Flower Market

This week I went to the Hongqiao Flower Market, for the first time since moving to Shanghai, 4 years ago - loved it!!  How and why have I never been here before??  Has everything, and does not have the same feel as the fake markets, but can still find a bargain as well.  

The flower section was beautiful and had everything from potted plants, to cut flowers and stunning orchids.  These gorgeous little flower arrangements are especially for Christmas, as the Hongqiao Flower Market really caters for expats, not locals.  They said these would last for one month, so I'll have to go back next week to get one, as we went a few days before the 25th!!

Week 42 - Shanghai Zoo

Took the kids to the Shanghai Zoo, with some reservations with reports of poor conditions for the animals, and ended up being pleasantly surprised.  The gardens in the zoo were lovely, and it was a great spot to see some autumn colour.  Most of the enclosures provided a reasonable amount of stimulation for the animals in the outside sections but the inside enclosures tended to be a little bleak.  Despite no feeding signs, it infuriated me to see people leaning over enclosure walls reaching to the animals and throwing in human food, usually junk food.

I loved the red panda - in Chinese it's name translates to Inferior Panda, but I think it is just lovely, and this name makes it really seem like the poor cousin!

Week 41 - Step into an Optical Illusion

The old Shanghai Slaughterhouse was an abattoir built in 1933, and is now called the 1933 Building. It is made of brushed concrete, and is a series of ramps, bridges and staircases, basically in a spiral, but with a vast number of paths down.  The ramps are quite steep, but rough and ridged to prevent the cattle slipping, and the staircases apparently provided workers with a continuous line of sight to the cattle, while keeping away and safe from the stampede.

The space is now used for exhibitions and functions and is a secret delight of Shanghai that we enjoyed visiting.  That's me and the kids posing on the distant bridge!

Week 40 - Trick or Treat

Here we all are dressed up for Halloween.  My family are all pirates and my friend's family are all witches and wizards.  We had a great night trick or treating around the Green Villas compound, and the kids collected a huge amount of loot!!

Happy Halloween!!

Week 39 - United Nations Parade

This is Didi's class, all ready for the annual UN Parade.  His school has children from more than 60 countries, and his class of 16 manages to represent 12 countries!!  

Don't they look beautiful??

Week 38 - Sports Day

Hang on to your hat... first time these guys are having proper 'competitive' sports day, and in the sprints, you wouldn't want your hat to come off... even at the expense of first spot!!

Week 37 - Dead Things Museum

The Dead Things Museum, officially known as The Natural History Museum, really is just that...  hundreds of preserved dead animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures which have been in some fluid and have truly had all colour leached out!  There are also a couple of models, for example a big whale, and a poster demonstrating human ethnicity focussing on different noses!!

This is the most impressive room with the dinosaur skeletons... but it looks like it was curated in the 1930s, and hasn't been touched since.  It wouldn't be a surprise if Prof Indiana Jones stepped out with a group of students.