Thursday, July 31, 2014

Green Smoothie

What You Need
-  Kale
- Parsley
- Ginger
- Peach
- Pineapple

Make it
Put all fresh ingredients in a blender!

My Comments
The first time I had this smoothie was at Faberge during a brunch. The waiter simply gave me these ingredients. I used one peach and half of a pineapple. I tried different quantities of kale, parsley and ginger.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

2013 - Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

DAY 18 - September 26, 2013 - Little Shanghai

Arrival to Wuxi (無錫) in the afternoon, this city is located in the south of Jiangsu province, half way between the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing, with Shanghai 128 km to its east and Nanjing 183 km to its west.

3 Kingdoms City (三國城)
Located in the southwest suburb of Wuxi City, I first visited a filming site: 3 Kingdoms City. Built as the background by CCTV  for the shooting of the TV series "Romance of Three Kingdoms (三國演義)", a part of Jackie Chan’s movie "The Myth (神話)" was also shot here. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is one of the Four Classic Novels (四大名著) in Chinese literature including: Journey to the West (西遊記), Water Margin (水滸傳) and Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢).


I arrived around 4PM. I made it on time to watch a show then a boat ride in the battlefield. The architecture was designed as in Han Dynasty. I did not have enough time to visit this whole site. I left around 6PM. It requires at least 1 day.











Xue's Garden (薛家花园)
In the evening, I visited the former residence of Xue. Fucheng Xue (薛福成) was one of the well-known ideologists and diplomatists in the late Qing dynasty. He was also one of the leading exponents to create the national bourgeoisie reform. Built between 1890 and 1894, this private garden covers a total area of  21,000 square meters including 6,000 square meters of building.

(Picture to come)

DAY 19 - September 27, 2013 - Lake Tai (太湖)

Lake Tai (太湖) is the second largest freshwater lake in China. It has an area of 2,250 square km.




Souces: english.cntv.cn, en.wuxi.gov.cn

2013 - Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

DAY 19 - September 27, 2013 - Chinese Venice

I arrived in Suzhou (蘇州) in the afternoon. This ancient city is known for the canals and the private gardens. The duration of the rainy season varies between 150 and 200 days per year. The highest temperature reaches to 42C during the months of July and August. The coldest temperature goes down to -6C.

Lingering Garden (留園)
N31 19 0 E120 27 0
338 Liuyuan Rd, 金阊区


Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage, this residence was owned by 3 families: Xu (徐), Liu (劉) and Sheng (盛). The garden covers a space of 23, 310 square meters. The buildings take over one third of the total area. Since it rains abundantly in Suzhou, roofs were built above the hallways. The columns are made of wood. In order to cut off the humidity connection to the wood, the floor contains a few layers of stones. The windows are all open and framed. Each frame is designed differently.


(More pictures to come)

Snack Time!




Sunset Boat Ride
During the boat ride, the guide explained:
In the past, the people lived near the water. The houses contain 2 stories. The floor is made of a few layers of stone at the bottom. The bedrooms are located on the second floor. When the people lie down on their beds, they can see the boats passing by. They feel like sleeping above the river. There was no toilet in the houses. The dwellings poured the waste into the river. Nowadays, it is difficult and expensive to build toilets due to the stones. As a result, the middle class people move into apartments. Only the rich and the poor remain there.

Sources: en.visitsz.com/

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

2013 - Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

DAY 17 - September 25, 2013 – Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum & Confucius Temple

This morning, I woke up around 4AM to catch a flight at 8AM to Nanjing. In this city, do not mention any Japanese related issues. The local Chineses do not like Japaneses due to the most shocking incident in Nanjing history: Nanjing Massacre (南京大屠殺). During World War II, the Japanese Army carried out a six-week killing spree. The Japanese soldiers seize Nanjing from Chineses troops in December 1937. Then, they committed large-scale killings and rapes in Nanjing, resulting an estimation of 300,000 victims. Nowadays, Japan still owes an apology to China.

Mausoleum of Sun Yat-Sen (中山陵)
Zhongshan Scenic Area, Qixia District
栖霞区钟山风景区
Free entrance; open Tuesday-Sunday 8:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

This site is one of my favorite scenic areas due to the fresh air we can breathe. Nanjing is the birthplace and the resting place of the founder of Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Built from March 1925 to spring 1929, the mausoleum was designed by a famous architect Yanzhi Lu. The distance from the memorial archway to the coffin chamber is 700 meters; it has 10 terraces and 392 steps between them. The main buildings include the memorial archway, the mausoleum gate, the tablet pavilion, the sacrificial hall and the coffin chamber.


The influential Chinese revolutionist died of lung cancer in 1925. He was buried in Zijin mountain, in the east of Nanjing. The Kuomintang (國民黨) spent 1.5 million yuan to build an 80,000 square meters mausoleum. Tourists are not allowed to visit Sun's coffin chamber in person.

Ming City Walls (南京明城墙)
The Ming City Walls are one of the ancient architecture remaining from Ming Dynasty. The original perimeter was around 35 kilometers with a height of 14-21 meters. Today, about 21 meters of length remain.

(Picture to come)

Confucius Temple (夫子庙)
1 Qinhong Road, Fuzi Miao Pedestrian Street, Qinhuai District
秦淮区夫子庙景区步行街秦虹路1号

This scenic area for the Qinhuai River is reputed as a center of culture, shopping and entertainment.

(Picture to come)

DAY 18 - September 26, 2013 - Yangtze River Bridge

Built in 1968, the Yangtze River Bridge (長江大橋) is the first Chinese double-decked road-rail truss bridge. Consisting a part of the National Highway 104, its upper deck measures 4589 meters of length and 19.5 meters of width. Its lower deck measuring 6772 meters by 14 meters completes the Beijing-Shanghai Railway.



Sources: www.cityofnanjing.com, www.zschina.org

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

2014 - New Hampshire, USA

Live free and drive!

The beauty of nature embellishes the White Mountains region in New Hampshire. It includes many parks and trails for hiking. New Hampshire is a fantastic state for road trips, driving along its scenic byways. I did a section of the Northern Loop and the National White Mountains Scenic Byway.

www.visitwhitemountains.com

Rt 112
Route 112 has many scenic spots to take pictures.


Mount Washington
1 Mount Washington Auto Road / Route 16, Pinkham Notch, Gorham 03581

Mt Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern U.S.A.: 6,288 ft (1,917 m). Many of my friends hiked to the summit. I haven't climbed it on my own feet yet but I did the Mt. Washington Auto Road: 8 miles. I got my bumper sticker!

mtwashingtonautoroad.com









The Tip Top House was built in 1853 and renovated in 1986. It is the second stone house constructed on the summit. This historic site was first used as a hotel than different operations through its life span such as a printing office for "Among the Clouds" newspapers and to house employees and hikers.


The world's first mountain-climbing cog railway was built in 1869.




Franconia Notch State Park: The Basin
I-93 (Exit 34B) Franconia 03580

1 1/4 mile north of the Flume is the Basin, also known as the Old Man's Foot Basin. This large pothole in the Pemigewasset River has a diameter of 30 feet and a depth of 15 feet.



Franconia Notch State Park: The Cascades 



www.nhstateparks.org
franconianotch.org