Shanghai

After a week in the heart deep and spicy of China we arrive to Shanghai and WOW! It's like being beamed into another universe. More modern and sparkly than a European capital, with shops and cosmopolitan restaurants at every street corner, it seems well capable of satisfying any caprice. For the following 7 days, the Seventh Heaven, found in a French guide abandoned in Sim's library, will be our home. We are on the Nanjing Dong Lu, once a dangerous quarter frequented by sailors, now the most famous shopping street in China. The first 24 hours were definitely positive: we were pleasantly surprised with the first real cappuccino after the last one drank in Sardinia last September. Later we bought 1000 Nintendo DS Games for 60 euro, to Nina and Sara's delight.

We don't have any special ambitions for the next few days, we just want to explore the city at our leisure and take it easy. The days on the river have been intense, packed with excursions and guided tours, all laced with a cold that challenged even our extreme weather gear. Keeping an eye on our daughters while surrounded by water required our constant vigilance. Whenever given the chance, Sara ran on deck mimicking Kate on the stern of the boat, maybe hoping that Leo would save her, but having to settle in the end for her parents' telling off.