The Great Wall

We finally made the trek up to see Beijing.  Keith, a college friend, is here in Shanghai for a stretch and helped inspire a visit to the Great Wall.  It is every bit as remarkable and awe-inspiring as we hoped and we were thrilled to get a semi-clear day without too many other people in our area.  It got a bit hot and sunny, which affected our picture taking, but it was still very enjoyable.

 

 

How we got down from the wall

Kara was thrilled

Beijing was a wild ride full of new sites, busy sidewalks, and different food, although we left a lot unexplored.  The Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven were impressive sites, but getting there was a bit more nerve-wracking with traffic.  The girls did a pretty incredible job given all the walking and the train delays on the ride home.  It was an unforgettable trip, but we were happy to make it back to Shanghai.

 

Still wandering

The Naks continue to explore, trying new foods, seeing new areas of town, and finding new things down a street we've been on before.  Our best recent trip was when we brought our golden tickets to Zotter Chocolate Factory. We got to sample too much chocolate (Ben's faves were a pistachio-saffron mix as well as a whiskey-hot chocolate drink) and even got to make our own chocolate bars.

We heart Shanghai    ----     Cool buildings by our dentist (good checkups)

Random food alleys    ---    Cinco de Mayo

The girls had an entertaining Sports Day at school last week for a house competition.  Nina enjoyed many activities but was proud of her 3rd place finish in the championship race.  Vivian had a lot of fun with the tug-of-war and said she was a big help.

School times

One thing we have appreciated at YCIS is that on top of all the typical learning and lessons are events galore.  Activities on weekends, special assemblies, field trips, and house competitions have made the school community seem all the stronger. Kara has enjoyed recent trips to both girls' classrooms where Nina recently was recognized in the Year 2 Chinese handwriting competition.

Practicing their mad faces       ----       Homeroom silliness

House music competition   ---     Sports Day

Japanese shibori dyeing workshop with school friends and chic French expats

Both girls have also been busy attending friends' birthday parties.  Pip recently enjoyed getting to bake birthday treats at Harry's Kitchen.