And now, Qingdao

Returning to Beijing after Inner Mongolia, I took a couple days' rest and hit the road again.  Well, the high-speed train tracks to be more precise.  I have never in my life taken Amtrak after my 21 years of existence being born and raised in the states, but have probably spent more hours on Chinese trains this summer than I would have liked to.  

My travel itinerary for the next couple weeks.

 After about seven hours, I made it to my hostel in Qingdao and began to explore the surrounding area.  The next day, Joseph joined me from Korea and we went from tourist attraction to tourist attraction via bus and foot using my handy Baidu maps and Baidu travel apps.  The days were tiring but full as there was really a lot to see!  Qingdao is a coastal city in Shandong province which was once colonized by the Germans, so it is well known for beaches, German architecture, and, of course, Tsingtao beer.

Walked along the pier near our hostel.

Recognized the Tsingtao logo.

Hi Joseph.

Toured around the naval museum.

The famous Chinese poet Lu Xun has a beautiful park here in Qingdao.  And yes, that is me on the rock.

Qingdao was named after Qingdao Island which is off the coast of Qingdao.  Qingdao Island is an island shaped like a violin.  Here we're facing the neck of the violin and catching a beautiful, albeit foggy, view of the city.

May 4 Memorial

Day 2: We hiked up a hill in Signal Hill Park and got this view of the city.

Of the German-looking buildings, many of the nicest ones are churches.  This is the charming protestant church at the foot of Signal Hill Park.

Within the church.

The former German governor's mansion.

Tsingtao beer factory!!

Tsingtao everywhere.

Beer street at night.  In August, there is an annual beer festival here with beer from all over the world.  It seemed crowded enough on a normal night.

And that was all in less than two days!  More to come on Qingdao.