I arrived in Shanghai after an overnight sleeper train of 14 hours (ouch!). Wow, I love this city! So different to Beijing and much more cosmopolitan, vibrant and modern, and it's not even the capital!
I started the day in downtown Shanghai where the Oriental Pearl Tower is, one of the tallest in Asia. It's the spiral pink one in the picture. I queued up to go to the top to the viewing platform and the glass floor. Scary, but fun! The view was amazing, it was a clear day and I could see right across the city.
Next I went to the market area for lunch and to look around, followed by a visit to the Yu Gardens, which is a tranquil place in the middle of the city. It's surreal as you have old and new right beside each other; the ancient temples and the modern skyscrapers.
The Bund area by the river is so European/Parisian in feel with it's grand old buildings and architecture. It really did feel like being in Europe somewhere! Then the highlight for me.....as dusk fell, the skyline lit up. I walked up the steps to the river and WOW again, amazing! The Shanghai skyline is really impressive and on a par with others I've seen such as Hong Kong. As the night gets darker the lights came on brighter and brighter, followed by the Oriental Pearl tower last at about 7pm.
Off I went to get a river cruise, which was packed with like minded people. It went down the river, turned around and back again, so I got a great view of both sides.
Shanghai, I'll be back! See more on my vlog here.
