Last images of London

View of the London Bridge and Eye of London at dusk. In the background is Big Ben.


And the Temple of the Templars.

Air monitoring station?

Well, that is what the sign says on this funny looking gazebo. Would be fund to have them around Houston...well, perhaps a bad idea cause it would make some Houston public officials not very good.

Liverpool Station

Not too far from here is Spitalfields, a sort of an outdoor market. Very interesting place.

London Highgate Cemetery

Interesting that in the 1800s in London people were buried close to the living which casued some health concerns. Therefore the city of London established that several city cemeteries be constructed on the edges of the city, thus the Highgate Cemetery was one of 17. It was built in the 1830s or so and has lots of residents.

It appears it has been abandoned and it is currently under preservation. It is beautiful and speaks of its time period.

Hyde Park

Picture of Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park. On Boxing Day, the day after Christmass there is a one-mile swim race at this late. I think it has gone on for about 100 years now.

There is something to be said about London's quality of life. Taking a walk along Hyde Park is a very pleasant experience, can enjoy nature and people doing all kinds of activities. Of course, the rose garden is super nice for a slow and thoughtful walk.

Freemason's Hall of London

The Grand Lodge of London located off Queen's Road. Built in the 1920s it is an incredible structure.

London Tower

A pic of the Tower Bridge.


An a not so common view of the Tower of London, well the entrance anyway. And in the background is the Swiss Re building.

Rainy London Part II

What is new. Noon time and it is rainy and a bit cold. Got to love London.

NEVER Alitalia

Meaning that if there is a choice, Alitalia should not be it. I was starting to have ba little faith in Alitalia till the plane in Milan was late, for safety reasons they said... sure sure sure...

Got to London and then it took Alitalia almost two hours to get the luggage out. Probably safety reasons again or like the airport luggage lady said 'Alitalia does not have it all together.'


Picture above, check the name of the plane "Cristofor Colombo"? I wonder if he had similar problems getting to the new world.

But it is nice to hear people speak Italian.


There is a song by ELO 'Last Train to London.' Waiting for Alitalia to get its act together made me hope that I would be able to take the last tube to london. I did. Not bad, for only £4 the tube got me home. Why couldn't Houston provide the same convinience?

So, a lovely and thoughtful commute via the tube and back at Marco's place.

Night view of Shanghai

A view of Shanghai at sunset from Pudong.


Had to make a quick visit to People Square on my last night in Shanghai and take a couple night pictures. This is one of them.

Farewell Shanghai. Till next time.

Between Shanghai & Suzhou

I think this fellow was getting a traffic ticket. Over load maybe?

Last three days was out of pocket...

On Monday while walking Yuyuan Gardens and ran into the old fellow I met on previous visit, a retired man that enjoys his time talking to tourists. It was nice chatting with him again. If in need of a guide in the Yuyuan gardens or other China tips he can be reached at..

Cullen Zhang
13611682274 (mobile)
cullenzhang@yahoo.com.cn

After a day of picture taking in Shanghai on Monday headed to Suzhou China's garden city. It has some beautiful gardens but don't expect Suzhou to be a nice garden city per say, try 6 million people where the gardens are a memory of ancient China.


Picture taken at the gardens of the North Temple Pagoda.

After a busy day in Suzhou and dinner in Pudong it was time to prepare the return trip to London.

Beijing 2008 Olympics

Ever wonder the effect that an even such as the Olympics have in a city or country. The area where I was staying in Nanjing was new (roads, parks, hotels, "Olympic" stadium, subway, etc..)

It makes me wonder how much is for the Olympics and how much is to impress but the Beijing Olympics site can be located at Beijing 2008 Olympics and the cities participating.

Nanjing, between temples and rivers

Last day in Nanjing was a green day. Went to the park (huge park) and got tired of walking. Then went to the temple to visit Confusious and walked around the commercial area full of shops and a river. A bit unexpected but very nice visit and some very nice pictures as well.

Talking about the unexpected. Was rush hour when had to head to the railroad station so the hotel attendants suggested to take the subway instead of a cab. What, subway in Nanjing? Appears it was recently constructed. After a 15 minute walk found the subway station. Amazing how much development/construction goes on in China.

So, a nice subway ride to the train station all for about 50 cents US and a three hour train trip to Shanghai.

Nanjing Day 2 Presidential Palace

Picture shows the Presidential Palace.

Downtown Nanjing is a commercial development with restaurants and bars calle 1912. Intrigued why the name 1912, maybe China had something to do with the Russian 1912. Next to it and separated by a wall is the Presidential Palace. As it turns out in the 1930s China was at war with Japan and Nanjing was the location where the president relocated to oversee the war. It is amazing the gardens and also the structures. Forget about the bomb shelter - I rather face the bombs than get in a concrete block/room 100 feet below ground.

Then walked down the main street with lots of activity. Still amazed by traffic. Forget about traffic rules, if it can be done drivers in China will.

City of Nanjing

Picture shows Nanjing's public library.

Okay, another huge city in China with all the new infrastructure - highways, sky scrapers and very nice residential developments.

Went to dinner to an Italian sounding restaurant and the (Chinese) food was great. And to top it all we had red bean ice cream? OK... this is what it is... a plate with a volcano like thing, inside is shaved ice, outside red beans with condenced milk... pretty nice taste. At least it is sort of low cal.

And after dinner went to Masso, some kind of night club/bar. Unique thing about the place, looks like bar policy limits folks to buy a bottle of chivas per table. I think it was very expensive, close to US$100 but if the bottle is not finished they will close it off, tag it and put the name on it. Save it for the next visit. Creative.

New Train Station in Shanghai

It is amazing to discover China and its modern infrastructure. Went to the new train station to catch a train to Nanjin and found this great looking metal and glass structure.
Was forgetting that in China a first class ticket entitles the ticket holder to special treatment, like air conditioned waiting room.

Hanging in Shanghai

This week is a national holiday in China. Something to do with the moon festival. So, there are a number of weddings going on. Many cars with pink flowers on the streets (wedding parties) and many restaurants are booked with them weddings. And there are moon cakes for sale all over the place.

Will be heading to Nanjin today for few days.

London Milan Shanghai

First of all, not sure if Alitalia is a good choice. It is not bad but it is not that great. When landing in Milan appeared that the pilot was about to miss his turn but the plane breaks came to his rescue, a hard stop that would have sent any object forward with some force and a sharpt left turn gots us back in the right path.

So, had about 3 hours of wait time at the airport of Milan. It is neat to hear people speak Italian.

Oh yes, almost 10 hours to Shanghai. It is still a long trip. Plane food was uncreative and sort of plain. There were two fellows - thanks god they turned out to be from some other country, other than the US. At first they look like army brats but turned out to be two young disruptive drunkers. Of course, if they would have done that in a US carrier they might have been put in jail. The Italian crew was more forgiven.

Welcome to Shanghai for the second time this year.

Rainy London

A nice and rainy day in London kept me at home...but when in London the best refuge from the rain is the tube... so, have to head to Heathrow early AM to catch Alitalia to Shanghai but I get to stop over in Milan which will make it for a long trip.
Be can in London October 10.

18 Miranda Road

Marco's place is very nice. Early in the morning can hear the birds outside the window. And the area is superb. Up and around went walking to the Highgatge Woods and then had lunch at a pub in Highgate - surprisingly the food was rather tasty.

London Tower

Looking back on photos taken on previous trips to London I often wondered why I don't take enough pictures, such as the Tower of London. So, got up early in the AM, got on the tube to the London Bridge Station and took some very interesting photos as I walked from the London Bridge to the Tower Bridge along the south bank.
It is so nice to see observe people jogging or cycling...enjoying the place... of course, London weather came to the rescue if it was one and the rain got me back to the house.