Shanghai Express

Or should I say express Shanghai? The truth is that China is so big and in our 2013 Summer Trip we wanted to see so many things, in different parts of the country, that 2 weeks weren’t enough and we end up doing some express sightseeing. Neither in Shanghai nor in Beijing, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Feng Huang and Honk Kong we have spent more than 3 days, but it was enough to see the coolest things. To arrive to Shanghai coming from our flight from Tokyo we catch the Maglev, the bullet train that literally floats and takes passengers from the Pudong International Airport into the city center in only 5 minutes. For my engineer guy friends this was when the cool things started; for me the best was yet to come. That same afternoon we walked for hours along the Bund. The word Bund means embankment and this is exactly what this extensive waterfront area in central Shanghai is. And although it might look close and little in some maps, don’t let them fool you. Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world, the largest in China and, of course, in here nothing is close or little. So, if you are heading to Shanghai prepare yourself to “lose” a whole afternoon in this area that is as photographed and enjoyed by tourists as it is photographed and enjoyed by locals (the first thing we saw when we put our feet in the Bund was professional photographs taking pictures of newlywed with the Pearl Tower in the horizon). And, to end this beautiful promenade with glory, I would suggest you take an early night boat along the river to have a closer look of some of the buildings that make Shanghai skyline the best skyline I’ve seen in my life. Or you can also cross the river, towards the financial district, and go to the Pearl Tower. From the windows (and floor) of the Transparent Observatory, 259 meters above the ground level, the view of the day setting on this huge city is unforgettable. 

But because part of Shanghai's charm is given by the fact of it being a city of contrasts, don’t forget to visit its most traditional side: the Yuyuan Gardens; the Flower, Bird, Fish & Insect Market; the French Concession and, why not, Zhujiajiao (the Venice of Shanghai). 

And leave the best for last! For the perfect closure, I advise you to visit Tianzifang, a former hutong transformed into a modern little village where every door is a cool and hip clothing or decoration shop, a bar or restaurant and where you can find several art galleries. But, if you are really an art freak like me, you definitely have to visit M50 Creative Park before you leave. This second place also resembles an old hutong, but this time it was turned into an art district where every warehouse is now an art gallery. It is a little bit out of the city center, but it totally deserves the extra minutes you spend going there with the metro and then walking from the metro station to the Creative Park. During my visit I felt in love with Hu Shunxiang work, that I came across in Suomei Art, and seeing my passion the lady from the gallery actually offered me the catalogue from the exhibition. A beautiful book with hard cover that I carried in my backpack for the following two weeks everywhere we went around China. 

So, as you can see, despite the short amount of time we had to spend in each city I think that we did a pretty good job discovering Shanghai.

 

And also to see more pictures (taken from me, but without the LOMO fish eye), please check here. 

Peekaboo

And talking about Japanese artists… There you go some pictures from Tokyo, the first city we’ve visited during our 2013 summer tour in Asia. But if some of you (and by “you” I’m actually referring to my friend Ivan [you asked to be mentioned in my blog, and so you were]) are already getting confortable in the sofa, preparing from what is about to come, I’m sorry to tell you… not so quick! The rest (and the best) is yet to come. Just not today! Today I only bring you a taste of the capital of Japan. 

Despite the briefness of our stay in Tokyo we were able to see the “All You Need is Love” exhibition in the Mori Art Museum (this very cool modern art museum is inside the Mori Tower, one of the tallest buildings in town and the best sightseeing point, which is exactly why we went there in the first place), where I came across with this art installation. It is called “Love is Calling” and is from the Japanese visual artist Kusama Yayoi. You can learn more about her in here and about the piece in here and hopefully feel what I felt… how it perfectly reincarnates the spirit of that amazing city: colorful, vibrant, fun, slightly childish, modern, interactive… perfect from anywhere you see it!

Meanwhile in Madrid

The Retiro Park is one of my favorite places in town! On my free days I usually walk from home until the park just to sit there for a while, reading a book, sunbathing (even during the winter… aren’t those sunny and warm winter Sundays one of the most amazing things that Madrid has?!) and listening to the sounds of nature. But the best part of this “ritual” is that I always get surprised. In the middle of the Park is the Glass Palace, an oasis of creativity in the very heart of Madrid. It is actually just a glass greenhouse, but a couple of years ago the Reina Sofia National Art Center bought this place and often uses it as a shelter for some cool art installations. The coolest I saw in there so far was last winter, it was called “Two Golden Rings” and it was an installation from the Czech artist Jiří Kovanda with wires and, of course, two golden rings that really suited this place giving it an even more ethereal feeling. 

And this spring/summer (until the 2^nd of September) there is also another very interesting intervention. Mid way between the art installation and the architecture, “Imagined Memories” is a piece from the Japanese Mitsuo Miura. It is actually very discrete, only a dozen of circles with washed-out colors distributed by the space and crowned by hanging circles in the exact same color. But the way both sets of circles are placed in the floor and ceiling of the Glass Palace creates vertical lines that, depending from each one memories, remind us of imaginary columns… or trees. 

I came across it a couple of weeks ago, when I was in town for a weekend between travels and, once again, I though “spot on”! The art installations in the Glass Palace never disappointed me and this time was no exception. Actually this minimalist piece, that creates an invisible (but yet very tangible, because as you can see from the pictures, no one steps the circles that lay on the floor) “forest of columns”, makes more sense in here that in any other place. Because it brings together concepts such as nature/organic, urban and culture it totally benefits from this location. Nowhere else but here the piece could change depending from the month and the time of the day. The light that comes from outside, and that neither the tall surrounding trees nor the glass can filtrate, contributes to change the colors in the chromatic surface of the circles, transforming this installation in a brand new piece every time you see it! Judge by yourselves… Isn’t it beautiful the way the structure of the place and the different elements of the installation complement each other?!

Eden

Another reason I went to Paris was to go to Giverny, which the biggest touristic attraction is Monet's former house and garden. 

This little village had been in my “short-list” for a while now and last May I finally had the chance to go there. The time couldn’t be more perfect: May, sunny but not hell warm, Spring, blooming flowers… Or at least so I thought. The flowers were blooming (luckily!) but the weather was far from being perfect. Nevertheless visiting Monet’s charming house and his garden was still amazing. Despite the rain, walking among the colorful tulips, orchids, and other flowers (please, don’t ask me to name more, I’m Portuguese not British, so not so much into gardening) was idyllic. I wonder how it will be to do the same when it is sunny. It must feel pretty much liking having died and being in heaven. 

It was the most beautiful garden I have ever been in (even more beautiful than the Bothanical Garden in Rio de Janeiro, and I really liked that a lot… Even more than the Marjorelle Garden that, as you can see in here, is pretty awesome). And what to say about the fact that it was the source of inspiration for one of my favorite paintings, the Water Lilies?! 

So, it is a highly recommended experience. And even if the picking of the day might come as a lottery, and the real water lilies might be dry already, I can guarantee Le Pont Japonais will always be there and will look gorgeous any how.