Quaint harbor filled with Chinese junks* [First published August 6, 2014] Ross and I just got back from in Qingdao, a beautiful seaside city that is less than two hours away from Zibo by fast train. Qingdao was briefly colonized by the Germans, who used their time efficiently (natch) to found a brewery and build some beautiful houses and public buildings. Ross and I walked through the old town admiring the buildings and parks until we could walk no more. We spent more time down at the water, enjoying the ocean breezes.
The modern section of Qingdao, where our hotel was, is really not pedestrian-friendly. People park their cars on the sidewalk and you have to weave around the cars or step out in the street, dodging traffic. It made me conclude that Qingdao was a great place to visit, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. It is beautiful, though. Walking through the hilly streets with Ross reminded me of our honeymoon in San Francisco. You could sit on the boardwalk at the harbor and imagine yourself at False Creek in Vancouver. There are plenty of Chinese-themed buildings, of course, including a beautiful temple we visited in the old section of town. But some are an intriguing combination of West and East, like the mansard-style roofs with Chinese tiles.
The modern section of Qingdao, where our hotel was, is really not pedestrian-friendly. People park their cars on the sidewalk and you have to weave around the cars or step out in the street, dodging traffic. It made me conclude that Qingdao was a great place to visit, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. It is beautiful, though. Walking through the hilly streets with Ross reminded me of our honeymoon in San Francisco. You could sit on the boardwalk at the harbor and imagine yourself at False Creek in Vancouver. There are plenty of Chinese-themed buildings, of course, including a beautiful temple we visited in the old section of town. But some are an intriguing combination of West and East, like the mansard-style roofs with Chinese tiles.
Our hotel was great, especially the kind and attentive staff. After the pathetic, trickling, gravity-fed shower supplied by our evil landlord, the shower in the hotel room was sheer bliss!
The hotel was decorated with lots of Chinese antiques but had a modern sensibility. We skipped dinner at the highly-rated restaurant attached to the hotel; it looked expensive and the food looked a little too haute for our tastes; what Ross and I call "precious." We got some of our meals from market carts, like squid on a stick, and took public transport instead of taxis whenever we could figure out where to go and sometimes even when we couldn't.
Sometimes just drifting around leads you to unexpected pleasures, like the ramble we took through a park which led us to the hilltop site of the old observatory built by the Germans, now an uber-cool youth hostel. A few steps further and we came to a very eclectic coffee shop, so we paused for a cold drink and to admire the view from their hilltop patio. And to sneak a photo of their sign.
The hotel was decorated with lots of Chinese antiques but had a modern sensibility. We skipped dinner at the highly-rated restaurant attached to the hotel; it looked expensive and the food looked a little too haute for our tastes; what Ross and I call "precious." We got some of our meals from market carts, like squid on a stick, and took public transport instead of taxis whenever we could figure out where to go and sometimes even when we couldn't.
Sometimes just drifting around leads you to unexpected pleasures, like the ramble we took through a park which led us to the hilltop site of the old observatory built by the Germans, now an uber-cool youth hostel. A few steps further and we came to a very eclectic coffee shop, so we paused for a cold drink and to admire the view from their hilltop patio. And to sneak a photo of their sign.
Then it was back to our hotel for a nap before heading out in the evening in search of a seafood dinner. Unfortunately the restaurant I picked was a disappointment but I console myself that there are a lot of squid and clams in our future. As darkness fell, we went down to the boardwalk again to people-watch and enjoy the light shows playing across the fronts of the downtown high-rises. There were very few foreigners in town although perhaps more will arrive for the International Beer Festival later this month. However, there were plenty of Chinese tourists enjoying this seaside resort.
*Ha! Kidding! The harbor was filled with yachts. There's a Lamborghini and a Bentley dealership in Qingdao. TINYFCC.
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