Today started with my Chinese lesson which totally overwhelmed me.....too much..too fast....I think I better tell my teacher I am a sloooooow learner..... By the time my lesson was finest (my head felt like it was going to explode), Tim had already put in a 1/2 day of work. The rest of the day was a "Tim and Debbie" day. We rediscovered an "artsy" area in one of the back alleys of Shanghai. We walked around this area during Chinese New Year last Feb. but most of the shops were closed. It sort of fell off our map until today. This area is being converted into restaurants and small boutiques. The shops a scattered among homes where people live. It is a fascinating mix of old and new.

This is one of the small alleys where we had lunch

This is my lunch date.....

More of the alleys......the lady on the right is selling flowers off the back of her bike....

More of the shopping alleys...

After shopping in the alleys we went to an Antique market and from there we went to the Portman (Ritz Carlton) Hotel so I could get my hair cut. Tim had a foot message while he waited for me...

After my haircut I walked through the hotel to meet Tim. There was a "girl band" playing in the lobby.....they had very traditional instruments and played beautifully. I also discovered a sidecar motorcycle on display so I took Tim back to have a look...

It is a small world...the guy that makes these "convertibles" is the music manager for the hotel. We talked with him for a while about his manufacturing process......i.e...my eyes glazed over and I listened to the girl band while they talked.

We got back home just in time to have dinner that Xiao Zhang had prepared.....okay...okay...I am really spoiled!!!! Dinner was delicious!!! My contribution.....I lit the candle on the table.