Crazy Kentucky Winter

It has been such a wacky winter in Kentucky and, well, all across the country. It has easily been one of the coldest winters in Kentucky (the coldest in 70 years to be precise), and we've had more snow than I've seen in our eight years here, but we've also had a few of those strangely warm weekends that we've come to expect during winter.

We had one of those crazy weekends in January (right before an entire month of snow and ice), so we walked the mile and a half to the Arboretum and enjoyed the time outside while we still had the chance.

The kids were especially attracted to the thick layers of ice covering all the water fountains. It reminded me of our winter days at Baihua Park in Jinan.

This weather is so strange, we are bewildered.

The Public Garden

Lutece and I decided that this was the year to re-visit Boston's Public Garden and ride the swan boats again. It was a peaceful ride around the pond and probably the quietest 15 minutes of our entire three days together. (I think she was hot and tired, but also affected by the calmness of the pond).

I took this series of pictures of her, and I think it may be one of my favorite ever of Lutece.

To me, these pictures capture what Lutece is like right now at nine years old (almost 10).

Also, she's so stinkin' cute. Boy, she knows how to push my buttons, but I just adore her.

Classic Boston.

She also hopped right onto Mrs. Mallard's back (Make Way for Ducklings) and even smiled for a picture (gasp).

She sure has grown up since the last time we visited the Public Garden!

Back to the Springs

We were so delighted with our recent discovery of Five Dragon Springs, that we took another trip back last Saturday. The kids wanted to do some more rock climbing, and I had a feeling there was more to see.

 

 We walked around the springs again, feeding the fish and enjoying the scenery.

 

I was fascinated by the schools of koi fish. They are so vibrant and beautiful in the clear spring water.

The previous time we visited the springs, I noticed a group of preschool-age children carrying pails and water squirters (it's a Chinese thing). I knew there must be a section of the park that we hadn't yet discovered. So we poked around a couple of smaller paths on the other side of the park until . . . voilà!

The wading pool! The kids were in heaven. They took off their shoes and socks and walked around the slimy, silty water for at least 45 minutes. After they had both slipped and fallen in the water three times (my limit), we were ready to leave. It was fun while it lasted.

p.s. We leave for Beijing in four short hours! It has been a stressful couple of days getting ready to leave our home here in China. I have a few more posts from Jinan ready to go, and then we'll see how consistent I am after that :).

Five Dragon Springs

Would you believe that less than two weeks before we move back to the US, we discovered a fantastic new park? True story.

We headed down to a fancy Chinese mall in the center of town last week to look for dressy clothes for the kids, and I bribed them with the promise of a visit to a "new" park. Said park is actually an area of the fresh water springs for which Jinan is famous. It sits just north of Baotu Springs and southwest of Daming Lake, both places we have visited with some frequency. How did we miss this little gem in between?

It is called Five Dragon Springs and there was was an admission fee. We had to fork over $2.50 for all of us to get in.

The park was large and green with meandering paths and lovely springs of clear blue water and canals and ponds filled with koi fish.

There were also cool rock formations skirting the edge of the largest spring, perfect for climbing on . . . 
 

. . . and low stone bridges, perfect for laying on.

In short, the perfect Chinese park for children.

Outtake number one.

When you find something this perfect, you need to take a picture.

Outtake number two.

Perfection indeed.

Revisiting the Favorites

As you may have guessed from our recent visit to Qianfo Shan (Thousand Buddha Mountain), we have been revisiting our favorite places in Jinan before we leave at the end of this month. Spring has been a good month to get out of the apartment and walk around (not least of all because it has been warmer outside than in our apartment).

The first time we discovered Black Tiger Springs was in the winter. We have walked along it's banks many times since then, and it is even more delightful in the Spring.

Lutece and Phoenix now know to bring small, buoyant jars and containers with which to amuse themselves while Stayc and I sit on the rocks and talk.

On the way home from Tiger Springs, we decided to bid farewell to one more of our favorites . . . our favorite Sichuan (Szechuan) restaurant.

We will sorely miss this delicious food. American-Chinese food is just not the same.

Spring at Baihua Park

The trees have been in bloom these last few weeks. Baihua Park has been lovely. Stayc and I recently decided that of all the parks we've seen in all of China, the park nearest our home is by far the prettiest and most well-tended.*

It is also one of the only parks in which we've ever seen playground equipment for children. (There were a couple in Hong Kong). What a huge blessing.

Phoenix earned a pair of dart guns a couple of weeks ago when he completed his piano practice chart. The kids took them to the park and carried them around like crazy gun-toting Americans. As if people don't stare at us enough already.

Fortunately, everyone thinks they are so cute, what with their light hair and light skin and BIG eyes, that they overlooked the guns.

Stayc met us at Baihua Park before heading off to his Chinese class. I took a picture of him with his bike because I realized I never did a bike post (and because the tree in the background was so pretty). This is not Stayc's first bike, which was stolen on the university campus a couple of months after he bought it. This is bicycle number two. Whereas the first one was new, this one was bought used. So much the better, I say. Now he has two locks for it. We just hope it lasts for another three months.

* You may think we are biased, and perhaps we are a bit, but seriously, it's a really clean and pretty park.

Qianfo Shan Revisited

"Come on Lutece. Let's do a silly pose."

We hiked up Qianfo Shan (Thousand Buddha Mountain) for the second time recently. We didn't set out to hike all the way up. We just happened to be in the area after visiting the Shandong Provincial Museum (post to come), and the kids wanted to see it again, so we paid the entrance fee and just kept walking until we were at the top.

"Seriously Mom? Whatever."

The first part of the path is lined with huge stone Buddhas, all of them uniquely quirky. The Chinese definitely have a sense of humor when it comes to their Buddhas. I think it may be because Buddhism seems to be more of a cultural phenomenon than a religious one. You don't see any "silly" Buddhas in Thailand.

 

The other reason the kids wanted to visit Qianfo Shan was so that Phoenix could buy a bamboo sword like Lutece's. He has coveted her sword ever since we bought it on our first visit those many months ago.

For some reason, the kids had it in their minds that Lutece's sword cost just 10 yuan (it cost 20), so when Phoenix asked the woman at the shop how much the sword was, and she started at 25, he was distressed, to say the least. In fact, he started crying. Not a tantrum, just a mournful type of teary-eyed sniffling crying.

Anyway, it worked in his favor. When Stayc offered 20 yuan, the woman said, "Oh no, he can have it for 15!" Hmmm, it seems we have discovered a new bargaining tool. If we ever want a lower price, one of us can pinch Phoenix for some good tears :).

 

It was a windy day at the top of the mountain, which was fun for the kids, but freaked me out a bit as the parent. The kids were getting whipped all over the place and there is not a lot of protection at the top of Chinese mountains.

It was also not the clearest day this year. Still, it was not the smoggiest either. Pretty average.

When I noticed Lutece lounging on this rock, I was pleased to get a picture of her without too much fuss.

"Awww Mom. Enough already."

Yuyuan Garden

Our morning with Shawn started out with a visit to the Yuyuan Garden, a famous classical garden that, according to my guidebook*, is "relatively new." As it turns out, "relatively new" means 1577, the year in which it was completed. We Americans have a different idea of what "new" means.
 

However new or old it was, the Yuyuan Garden was a lovely little enclave filled with narrow paths through stone caves, bridges crossing koi-filled ponds, and ornate tile-roofed pagodas.

It was a good place for children to hide and explore.

At one point, they saw a woman trying to touch the fish in one of the ponds, and they thought that was a great idea. Natch.

Phoenix was pleased to have "touched the biggest fish right between the eyes." I was just happy that neither of them flopped face-first into a koi-filled pond in the middle of Shanghai.

The garden was fairly small and not entirely uncrowded, but we were able to find some peaceful areas and moments.

There was lots of time for conversation, and it was fun to spend the morning with Uncle Shawn half-way around the world.

* I have become progressively disillusioned with the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for China. Since I glean most of my travel information and recommendations from the internet (TripAdvisor, blogs, forums, etc.), our main use for the guidebook is the pictures and ideas of where to visit while in China. However, I had hoped it would also provide useful historical information on attractions. Apart from the most cursory information, it has been quite useless. What I really need is a smart phone. Sigh. That will have to wait until our return to the US.