My Visual Travel Experience: Shanghai

Shanghai, with a population of over 17 million (excluding its suburbs), is not just China's largest city, but is also the city with the largest population in the world. My wife and I spent almost a week in Shanghai in 2013. My wife's sister in law was staying there at that time, and she and her family were perfect hosts to us. I was really impressed by what Shanghai had to offer - a mix of traditional China, and modern glitzy China at its very best (especially in Pudong)!

Huxington Tea House, Yu Gardens

In the 19th century, Britain and China went to war, and the outcome was the Treaty of Nanking, which allowed the British free trade across various ports in China, including Shanghai. Shanghai was divided into different concessions and the foreign nationals lived in these concessions. The Bund, with its grand European buildings, is a reminder of that period in Shanghai's history. The Bund lies along the river Huangpu, and along it, lie grand colonial era buildings like Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, Peace Hotel and Customs House.

Peace Hotel at The Bund

The Bund at night, with the HSBC Building
and Customs House

Lion Sculpture at HSBC Building, The Bund

Bas Relief at Peace Hotel, The Bund

Pudong lies across the Huangpu River, and one gets a great view of it from The Bund. It was formerly a poor quarter in the city, but in the 1990s, the area was redeveloped as a Special Economic Zone, with numerous skyscrapers, some of which are among the world's tallest. It reminded me of Manhattan. The landmarks at Pudong include Oriental Pearl Tower, Jinmao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center.

Oriental Pearl Tower
at Pudong

Jinmao Tower 
at Pudong

Oriental Pearl Tower houses the Shanghai History Museum, which depicts the city's history through wax figures. On display are figures showing what the common man did for a living. There are also models of some of the city's landmarks, and modes of transportation that were popular in the city in a bygone era. It's an interesting museum indeed, and gives a good glimpse of what life in the city used to be like in the late 19th century.

Close-up, Oriental Pearl Tower

Model of a city tram at 

Shanghai History Museum

Vintage Car, Shanghai History Museum

Wax figure of a person

on a wheelbarrow at 

Shanghai History Museum

Yu Gardens and Bazaar is a Ming Dynasty complex that consists of shops, restaurants, gardens, a lake, and a popular tea-house - the Huxington Tea House. The complex also has the City God Temple. Dumplings are a speciality in the market there, with a huge range on offer!

Dumplings, Yu Gardens

Entrance of City God Temple, Yu Gardens

City God Temple, Yu Gardens

Hall of City God, City God Temple, Yu Gardens

Jing'an Temple is one of Shanghai's most sacred temples. The temple is used for ancestral worship and to pray for financial success. Jing'an Temple has a Four Lions' Pillar, a Silver Buddha, and a white jade Sakyamuni.

Jing'an Temple

Silver Buddha at Jing'an Temple

White Jade Sakyamuni at Jing'an Temple

Four Lions Pillar, Jing'an Temple

The Jade Buddha Temple was built in 1882 to house two famous jade Buddha statues, a reclining one, and a seated one. After a fire, the temple was shifted to its current location in 1918.

Jade Buddha Temple

Buddha statues at the Jade Buddha Temple

Xujiahui Cathedral is Shanghai's main church. It was built in 1906. It has twin 50 meter tall steeples. The church was partly destroyed during the cultural revolution, but it was subsequently rebuilt.

Xujiahui Cathedral

Pieta at Xujiahuia Cathedral

Shanghai Museum is the city's principle museum. It was set up in 1952, but it moved to its current location in 1995. It has over 120,000 objects from the neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty. The museum has a fine collection of jade sculptures, furniture, coins, clay and ceramic vessels, and stone sculptures.

Equestrian figure, Shanghai Museum

Child Shaped Pillow, Shanghai Museum

Head of Lokapala, Shanghai Museum

Ox Shaped Wine Vessel, Shanghai Museum

Dish with bird design from the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai Museum

Sun Yat Sen’s Former Residence is a popular site for people interested in the history of modern China. He lived in this villa from 1918 to 1924. Many of his personal belongings lie here. Sun Yat Sen was born in 1860 and he was at the forefront of the efforts to overthrow the last Chinese dynasty. He spent 15 years abroad from 1895 after a failed uprising in Canton. After the Qing Dynasty fell in 1911, he was made president of the new republic. He died in 1925, before being able to set up an independent government.

Sun Yat Sen's Former Residence

Sun Yat Sen's Statue at
Sun Yat Sen's Former Residence

Fuxing Park is a French park in Shanghai. The French bought this private garden in 1908 and did it up like a Parisian park. It was called French Park then, and was renamed Fuxing Park in 1949.

Pathway, Fuxing Park

Marx and Engels Statue, Fuxing Park

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum lies at one end of Nanjing Street, Shanghai's main shopping street. It has wax figures of numerous Chinese and international celebrities, including the likes of Bruce Lee, Audrey Hepburn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Julia Roberts, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tiger Woods, Ayrton Senna, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Lady Diana.

Barack Obama, Madame Tussauds

Michael Jackson, Madame Tussauds

Audrey Hepburn, Madame Tussauds

For animal lovers, there are two places in Shanghai that are certainly worth visiting. Shanghai Ocean Aquarium has a vast collection of underwater life. It also boasts of penguins, It lies close to Oriental Pearl Tower in Pudong. Shanghai Zoo has an impressive collection of wildlife from across continents. The wildlife on display includes tigers, zebras, hyenas, ostriches, flamingos, bisons, kangaroos and penguins, to name just a few.

Hyena, Shanghai Zoo

White Tiger, Shanghai Zoo

Kangaroo, Shanghai Zoo

Lionfish, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium

All in all, it was an exciting visit. In very few cities across the world have I seen such a beautiful amalgamation of the past and the present coming together. Language was certainly a problem, but I had my DK Eyewitness book with me, which made life easy. The extensive metro system in Shanghai also made transportation very easy. A highly recommended trip!!

A night view of the skyscrapers at Pudong

My Visual Travel Experience: Barcelona

I've had the good fortune of visiting Barcelona on three occasions. In 1988, my parents took us there when I was just 15. In 2004, I went there again when I traveled around France and Spain. Then in 2014, my wife, Reshmi, was pregnant and the doctor had advised her to avoid flying; I was in a bit of a predicament, because many years ago, I had promised myself that "I'll do at least one international trip every year"; it seemed hard to manage one that year, without causing a major ruffling of feathers; then as it happened, my wife's 12 year old talented nephew, Romir, got an opportunity to go to Barcelona to play a football tournament at FCB, and his mother, Laily, was very nervous about his travelling alone; she voiced her concern, and I grabbed the opportunity and said "For the little fellow's sake, I'll go along", and that's how I managed my international trip in 2014 without ruffling feathers, because I was, after all, going ONLY because of my wife's nephew!!

Barcelona Cathedral

Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million inhabitants and the capital of the state of Catalonia in Spain, is a fascinating sea-side town. It is vibrant (particularly along Las Ramblas, one of the liveliest streets anywhere!), it has beautiful architecture (the work of the renowned architect Antonio Gaudi can be seen all over the city), it has a lot of history, it is an art lover's paradise, and it is practically a pilgrimage site for sports lovers (with the FCB, and with the Olympic Stadium dating back to the 1992 Summer Olympics). One thing that one has to be wary about though, are crooks who are eager to con tourists and take off with their valuables - unfortunately, that's something common to otherwise amazing cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon and Rome.

Sagrada Familia is a church that is Barcelona's most iconic landmark. The work was given to Gaudi in the late 19th century. He didn't finish it in his lifetime, and even a century later, the church isn't fully complete. The church has some beautiful bas-reliefs along its exterior, depicting scenes from the life of Christ.

The Nativity Facade along the
exterior of Sagrada Familia

The interior of Sagrada Familia

Crypt Ceiling, Sagrada Familia

Barcelona Cathedral was completed in the 19th century. It is a Gothic cathedral, with a large central steeple. It has a large cloister and an open courtyard. The cathedral has a beautiful alabaster sarcophagus of St Eulalia from the 14th century in its crypt.

Sarcophagus of St Eulalia at the
crypt of Barcelona Cathedral

Ceiling, Barcelona Cathedral

Las Ramblas is an avenue that starts from Place de Catalunya and ends at the Christopher Columbus Monument near the sea (the monument was erected at the spot where Columbus arrived in 1493 after discovering America). The avenue is full of souvenir stalls, restaurants, cafes, and designer stores. The central part of the avenue is pedestrianized. Las Ramblas has well known city landmarks like the Bouqueria (a well known food market, covered with a wrought iron and glass structure), the Erotic Museum (with its numerous exhibits of eroticism through the ages), and Museu Cera (a wax museum with figures of Spanish personalities as well as international celebrities).

Chunks of meat displayed at
La Bouqueria on Las Ramblas

Plaza Reial (a beautiful city
square) off Las Ramblas

Christopher Columbus Monument, Las Ramblas

Kamasutra Painting at Museu Erotica,
Las Ramblas

Alonso V at Meseu Cera,
Las Ramblas

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya lies within a beautiful domed building on Montjuic Hill. The building was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. The museum's main highlights are the beautiful sculptures and church murals from the 11th to 16th centuries. There are also paintings by masters like El Greco and Rubens. Other notable museums in Barcelona include the Museu Picasso (famous for Picasso's numerous modern renditions of Velazquez's masterpiece "Las Meninas") and Fundacio Juan Miro.

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

A 12th century crucifixion statue at
Museu Nacional d'Art de Calunya

El Greco's Christ Carrying the Cross, 
Museu Nacional d'Art de Calunya

Rubens' The Virgin, St Isabel and St John the Baptist, 
Museu Nacional d'Art de Calunya

Forment's Apostles Group

Some notable buildings completed by Gaudi across the city include Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. There's also his Parc Guell, an innovative creation commissioned by Count Guell in the 1890s. Parc Guell has iconic structures like a long snaking balcony with colourful murals, the Warden's House and the Porter's Lodge. Gaudi's House can also be visited at Parc Guell. He lived there from 1906 to 1926 - he died in 1926 after being hit by a tram!

The Warden's House and the Porter's Lodge at Parc Guell

Gaudi's House, Parc Guell

Lizard Sculpture at Parc Guell

Gaudi's Casa Batllo

Parc de la Ciutadella is a popular park which was the venue of the 1888 Universal Exhibition. The park's most notable site is a fountain with a triumphal arch. The Arc de Triumf and Barcelona Zoo (ranked very high among zoos across the world) also lie around Parc de la Cuitadella.

The fountain at Parc de la Ciutadella

Cascade Sculpture, Parc de la Ciutadella

Arc de Triumf

Llamas at Barcelona Zoo

Zebra at Barcelona Zoo

Byson at Barcelona Zoo

Camp Nou Stadium is the home of FC Barcelona, one of the world's best football clubs. The large stadium has a capacity of almost 100,000 and it was built in 1957. It has hosted a number of important football matches in some of the world's most prestigious tournaments.

Camp Nou

Tibidabo lies up on a hill and is reached by the Blue Tram, followed by a funicular railway. It offers splendid views of the city. The Church of the Sacred Heart and a popular amusement park are the major attractions of Tibidabo.

Church of the Sacred Heart at Tibidabo

Amusement Park at Tibidabo

Upper Chapel at Church of the
Sacred Heart, Tibidabo

A little outside Barcelona, an hour's train ride away and barely 60 km northwest of the city, lies the Monastery of Montserrat, which was established in the 11th century and rebuilt in 1844. The monastery lies up on a hill. From the railway station, one can get to the top of the hill either by cable car or by funicular railway. The monastery houses the famous wooden statue of Our Lady of Montserrat, which according to legend, was brought by St Peter in 50 AD.

The Monastery of Montserrat

High Altar, Monastery of Montserrat

Facade, Monastery of Montserrat

Sculptures of the Apostles, Monastery of Montserrat

Cable Car Station, Montserrat

Two towns in Catalonia that are not far off and are well worth visiting are Figueres and Girona. Day long bus tours can take visitors to both towns for a charming visit.

Figueres lies about 140 km northeast Barcelona and has a population of about 45,000. It is famous for housing the Salvador Dali Museum. The museum has a huge collection of the eccentric artist's work. The town was heavily bombed in the Spanish Civil War in 1938, but was rebuilt.

The Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres

Dali's Venus Di Melo at Salvador Dali Museum,
Figueres

Dali's Palace of the Winds at Salvador Dali Museum, 
Figueres

Dali's Moses and an Octopus at
Salvador Dali Museum, Figueres

Dali's Abraham Lincoln at Salvador Dali Museum, Figueres

Girona is a city with a population of 100,000. It lies about 100 km northeast of Barcelona. It boasts of two famous churches - Girona Cathedral and the Church of St Felipe. Girona is a charming little town to walk around in. Girona Cathedral is approached by a flight of over 80 steps and lies at the spot of an ancient cathedral that was used by the Moors as a mosque and was rebuilt after their expulsion.. Church of St Felipe is a Gothic church with a facade dating to the 14th century. The church has the tomb of the valiant Alvares and a chapel dedicated to St Narsissus. 

A view of Girona with the Church of St Felipe 
and the Cathedral

Church of St Felipe, Girona

Altar of St Narcissus, Church of St Felipe, Girona

Cathedral, Girona

Interior of Cathedral, Girona

Barcelona is certainly one of the most interesting cities in the world. The city's architecture, inspired by Gaudi, is the icing on the cake, but other attractions like the vibrant Las Ramblas, the churches, the museums and the buzzing markets all contribute in making Barcelona the joy that it is!