24 Hours in Shanghai--A Photo Essay
The Seven Seas Mariner was docked in a prime location in Shanghai for three days—May 3 through May 5—although we were in Xi’an for the Warriors Overland Excursion during the first two days. Once we returned to the city, we went out to explore. Shanghai’s skyline and streets were photogenic, and I was busy not only looking but also taking photos of the textures, patterns, and colors that caught my attention. Here is a photo essay of the ordinary and the extraordinary, beginning when we were flying into Shanghai late on the second night until the ship pulled away from the dock late on the third night. 24 hours in Shanghai.
As we drove through the streets of Shanghai on our way back to the ship after spending two days in Xi’an, the lights were stunning.
Unlike Hong Kong’s skyline light show, which lasts for 8 minutes, Shanghai puts on this electric extravaganza all evening long. Shimmering lights, color changes, and patterns emerge and fade on the skyscrapers’ surfaces. It is a tremendous visual event.
A brief interlude in Shanghai’s photos for a more personal moment: Upon our arrival in the stateroom after our Xi’an trip, we discovered surprises waiting for us in our room. The crew had decorated it in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Sherpa’s and my first date.
On the third day in Shanghai, Sherpa and I took a half-day excursion to a temple and art market (next post), during which the bus drove past a lovely park area. I managed to capture a quick shot of this moment of beauty.
Rain accentuated the moody colors of this strip of shops. I loved the inconsistent “Lucky Pub” among all the other shops with storefront names in Chinese characters.
Sometimes, a bus window offers a totally eerie perspective of the outside world. Here, the rainy scene became even wetter when the photo was captured through the rain-streaked glass.
Following our morning excursion, we had a quick lunch onboard and then went out for a walking wander. We could see the North Bund Riverside Green Space from our stateroom balcony, but finding our way proved difficult. Fortunately, two young women noticed our confusion and offered directions. “Walk through the parking garage, go past the billboard and up a flight of stairs.” They were spot on, and we exited onto the parkway, with our destination in sight.
One might wonder just what is allowed after reading this enormous sign of lengthy “Do nots…” One of our favorites was the prohibition of square dancing. One wonders what event precipitated the necessity of this exclusion!
This was our destination! We could see the Paulaner sign from our balcony. We noticed it the first night we were in port and knew it had to be within easy walking distance. We would have preferred that the rain had held off while we explored the park, but no worries. We had our umbrellas!
We stopped at Paulaner Wirtshaus North Bund for beer and a pretzel for Sherpa, while I ordered Jasmine tea and a piece of carrot cake. The German-themed setting was a bit unusual for Shanghai, but Paulaner has been brewing beer here since.
Sherpa was initially reluctant to include a Paulaner-branded beer as his Destination Beer, but relented upon discovering that it was brewed locally and that they were promoting a Maifest beer. He was very happy that he decided to give this place a try—the beer he drank was one of his highest-rated beers on the World Cruise Destination Beer list.
Sherpa’s Take: Paulaner Brauaus Shanghai, a May Festbier. “Smooth with modest bitterness but lively on the palate. Strong malty flavor, more deeply roasted than other Asian beers I’ve had. The level of hops provided a nice, complex flavor, and the beer has character—there’s nothing bland about it. The aftertaste lingers and turns from malty to slightly bitter, yielding a very enjoyable finish. 8/10!”
Our ship didn’t leave the harbor until after 9 PM, so we hoped to see a light show extravaganza comparable to last night’s show. The inclement weather did not wane, and we enjoyed the light through a haze of fog and rain. Still, it was quite spectacular!
We loved what we saw of Shanghai and it’s a city we’d like to return to for a deeper dive into her culture and history.
Next post: One more Shanghai!
Another excellent photo essay - Shanghai seems to be rich so much to see and do. It’s a pity about the rain but I’m glad it didn’t drown out joy! Thankful you guys didn’t opt for square dancing considering that wasn’t allowed! Ha! Also, I loved the state room celebration of your first date! So sweet.
Mmmm Paulaner! Our favourite beer, but generally drunk on home territory, preferably Weissbier. But cheers and well done for finding it😉
With reference to the 'Square dancing' I am wondering if it loses something in translation and refers to the hobby of ballroom dancing in all kinds of open spaces there in Shanghai? We came across couples who set up a loudspeaker playing music to dance to and then created quite a show, especially if other couples came to join them in a waltz, foxtrot or two! Of course, this would then take over quite a large open space and I can see why they might forbid it in some places meant for walking through rather than around...
So glad you had a wonderful time in China - we shuddered at the Xian experience which must have left you exhausted!