[First published April 28, 2015] Well folks, in the last two weeks Ross and I have visited Boshan, (reported on below), Heze, Weifang, and Qufu. So for this upcoming May Day long weekend, we're putting our feet up! I've got some catching up to do with the blog posts. I was going to post last night (I usually post around 10 pm, which is your early morning back home). But last night we were watching the new Poldark series and it was so sad I forgot all about posting. So here goes.....
Recently we visited nearby Boshan district -- which we've visited before -- for a local village peach blossom festival. "Bo" means "many" and "shan" means mountains. Boshan is an area of lakes, rivers and small mountains where farmers squeeze a living out of every available inch of land. Many hills are terraced for crop planting.
One of those crops is peaches, so some steep slopes are covered in little peach trees. So, beautiful Boshan in peach blossom season is utterly charming. And I wish I could show you exactly how charming but, on the day we went, it was a cloudy, misty day so the photos aren't clear. But people come from miles around to admire the peach blossoms and hike the mountains. Last semester I had the honor and pleasure of teaching medical English to a group of doctor specialists and they have been extraordinarily kind and welcoming to Ross and me. Several of them live in Boshan and we were to come admire the peach blossoms. They didn't mention the hiking part until we got to Boshan. Luckily the mountains are small!
One of those crops is peaches, so some steep slopes are covered in little peach trees. So, beautiful Boshan in peach blossom season is utterly charming. And I wish I could show you exactly how charming but, on the day we went, it was a cloudy, misty day so the photos aren't clear. But people come from miles around to admire the peach blossoms and hike the mountains. Last semester I had the honor and pleasure of teaching medical English to a group of doctor specialists and they have been extraordinarily kind and welcoming to Ross and me. Several of them live in Boshan and we were to come admire the peach blossoms. They didn't mention the hiking part until we got to Boshan. Luckily the mountains are small!
We drove from the old city to the countryside and assembled at an outdoor restaurant at the foot of a mountain. The tables are set out under thatched pagodas, and from the vantage point of this picture, it looks like the restaurant is flooded. Actually there is a stream (or creek as we would say) running through the restaurant and the tables are set on the creekbed. You get to your table by crossing the water on paving blocks. You can imagine how nice this would be on a hot summer's day.
Little pools hold live fish for the diners to select. Ross was surprised to see rainbow trout swimming around.
We found ourselves on a hiking trail before we knew what was happening and started working our way up the mountain. Many small groups of hikers, often dressed with identical shirts, with a leader carrying a flag, passed us going up and down. They were surprised to encounter a foreigner on the trail and would often pull out their cell phones and ask to take a picture with us. This was the perfect excuse for me to pause and catch my breath, so -- no problem! Cheese! Or "qiezi" as we say in China, which actually means, "eggplant."
My Chinese friends supplied me with a large branch for a walking stick, which really helped.
Little pools hold live fish for the diners to select. Ross was surprised to see rainbow trout swimming around.
We found ourselves on a hiking trail before we knew what was happening and started working our way up the mountain. Many small groups of hikers, often dressed with identical shirts, with a leader carrying a flag, passed us going up and down. They were surprised to encounter a foreigner on the trail and would often pull out their cell phones and ask to take a picture with us. This was the perfect excuse for me to pause and catch my breath, so -- no problem! Cheese! Or "qiezi" as we say in China, which actually means, "eggplant."
My Chinese friends supplied me with a large branch for a walking stick, which really helped.
The day was cold and a little drizzly, so while the pictures from the countryside aren't clear, they do suggest that sort of misty mountain quality you see in a lot of Chinese art.
Then back down the mountain, pleased with ourselves for having done the climb, and we enoyed lunch al fresco with our friends, followed by birthday cake for Ross.
I tasted some peaches last year and frankly prefer the Okanagan variety, which are soft, sweet and juicy. The peaches I've sampled were harder and drier. However, the sight of the low mountains of Boshan all abloom with peach blossoms on a misty spring day leaves a sweet memory.
Then back down the mountain, pleased with ourselves for having done the climb, and we enoyed lunch al fresco with our friends, followed by birthday cake for Ross.
I tasted some peaches last year and frankly prefer the Okanagan variety, which are soft, sweet and juicy. The peaches I've sampled were harder and drier. However, the sight of the low mountains of Boshan all abloom with peach blossoms on a misty spring day leaves a sweet memory.
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