Sunshine in Shanghai

I'm a person that loves sunny days.  No, I mean I really love sunny days, like my life will end if I don't get enough of them.  That's how winter is in Shanghai - gray, dreary, drizzly, cold, and downright depressing.  So imagine the city's joy when the sun finally peered through the smog.  Everyone was out, at the zoo, sitting in cafes, meandering on the sidewalks, and they looked happy!

On Saturday I did my own strolling down Shaanxi South Road because I had seen several cute stores from a taxi.  It was a successful shopping trip: big plush towels (the whole transaction was in Mandarin - I was quite proud of myself), a few houseplants, and fun window shopping into gift-knick-knack-houseware stores that we just don't have in our neighborhood.

On Sunday I ventured over to Pudong (across the Pu River) with Lisa and Dani to enjoy a divine little lunch in the Park Hyatt hotel on the 92nd floor of the World Financial Center, currently the tallest building in Shanghai (but due to be outsized by a new project - right next door).  It was a brisk walk from the metro station, but the wind created the perfect scene for flying kites.  From above the city we could appreciate the thick layer of smog and haze separating the city from the true blue sky.  Ick.  No wonder I've been suffering with a sinus infection and constant congestion for weeks.  Despite the haze it was a beautiful weekend (more photos here), and a much needed respite from the long Shanghai winter.