Christmas Decoration in Beijing

This is the first picture as promised: one of our favourite restaurants in Beijing, serving Shanghai Dumplings (or Xiaolongbao). The decoration includes a see-saw with a penguin and sea lion doing the business.

Our first Thanksgiving

This fits with the whole Christmas build-up, but deserves its own post. Why? Because last Thursday we had our very first Thanksgiving. Our American friends took over the flat and prepared delicious dishes that would then within minutes vanish into people's bellies. I can see the appeal of the holiday: lovely food, everyone is together and afterwards everyone falls into a slight food coma from having eaten far too much.

On Saturday we then had our second (none in 27 years and then 2 in one week) Thanksgiving dinner at a Belgian household, where similarly delicious dishes were served. Again, everyone was together, this time discussing the choice of new Commissioners. For obvious reasons the Belgians were very happy!

So, this is a holiday to keep an eye out for, because you can always be thankful for something and if you keep the Adam's Family values in mind (or watch it after dinner), it's very entertaining too.

1st Advent and Preparing for Christmas

Advent is the ultimate German celebration: the family comes together on the last 4 Sunday afternoons before Christmas to eat cookies, play board games and generally prepare for Christmas. At least in our family.

So, lacking the German family, we invited some good friends of ours, and did exactly that: making and eating cookies, drinking Gluehwein and playing Trivial Pursuit. The decoration is out and making the place at least a little chrismassy. The green from the Christmas trees is hard to come by though, we has to try two markets before we could find some branches that didn't look like they had been fished out of last year's celebration and were not going by fantasy prices. It's funny when the little Chinese shopkeepers advertise their more or less pretty trees, saying that they're beautiful. I doubt that any of them know what we actually do with the trees and everyone probably finds it weird to have a tree in your flat for about two weeks and to then throw it out. Crazy Europeans....

There is one very christmasy event every year in Beijing: the Christmas market the day before 1st Advent at he German embassy. People queue for 2 hours to have a sip of Gluehwein, some Currywurst, buy and Adventscalendar and to east homemade cake. All the profits are donated to Charities in and around Beijing. The Christmas market and having listened to some Christmas songs this afternoon whilst baking cookies made me think of Christmas with all its glory and that it's time to come home for the holiday. The whole build-up, like Advent is just not the same in a country where the Christmas trees are mostly plastic and red (or blue, purple, silver, you name it). So, to make our days a bit more like the run-up to Christmas, we will post a seasonal picture each day before now and Christmas! Enjoy.....

Shopping in Beijing

This will be a post for the ladies I guess, I'm not sure whether many men have the stamina to go through with the whole shopping experience in China.

Firstly, there is a market for everything: clothes (of course) in all shapes and colours, shoes, bags, glasses, plants, lights, birds, furniture ... you name it! They come by descriptive names like Dirt Market, Silk Market, Zoo Market, Glasses Market and make every serious shopper's heart beat higher. There are just aisles and aisles of stuff in all shapes, colours and materials. You need some Gucci reading glasses but think that 500 Euro may be a bit steep? No problem, the girl in the shop will fit them and measure you eyesight for about 30, and deliver them to your house if desired.

You need some traditional furniture but speak no Chinese? The friendly old man in Gaobeidian will show you a warehouse full of things and deliver the next day, business card with address will be sufficient. New winter jacket, new shoes or tights? - Anything can be bought in Yashow, the touristy, yet convenient for every whim market on 5 floors. And if you want a custom-made skirt because you love the design of one you own already.... just pick the fabric

But once you have lived in Beijing you start noticing: Those expats with the really nice, good quality real-or-not designer bags, the Chinese girls with the custom-made shoes and the subtle amount of well-known British brands on people that have never been. It's time to take shopping to the next level!

You need to find someone who is in the know: There may be whispers of a lady that makes shoes to your specifications, a lady that sells bags in an office building or DVDs that you buy from a knitting shop, but is it true?

It's always good to be introduced to these merchants and having gone with my shoe-obsessed friend we visited the shoe lady, who also has a seafood restaurant on the other side of her workshop. Three trips later I owned a pair of red pumps that probably would have benefited from a bit of stretching, but there was my lesson: accept that these things may take several trips!

Then, a few weeks ago we visited the bag lady. She has her 'shop' in an office building, nothing gives away her beautiful business. Once the office door opens and closes behind you, you are in bag paradise. Anything you could dream of. Prices almost non-negotiable, but you're so dreamy about your new leather bag, that price is not an object, you feel like you still got a great deal. A trip before Christmas will be arranged.

Another office building at the other end of the city houses a well-known and well-loved girl's brand in a tiny little office, where you may not get every size, but certainly styles of the last two years. And a little cheaper, but still with British price tag.....

So, this lights up the faces of the girls around here. However, at one point or the other you'll notice that not everything that glitters is gold. And in these moments, I take refuge with my favourite beautiful clothing website and already put things on my wish list that will be ordered just before we get back to the UK. Take a look http://www.ascensiononline.com/Default.aspx

1st snow of the year

When we woke up his morning, the day after Halloween, the world outside was white and it is still snowing (and has been for at least 4 hours now). So, we got up early and went outside into a little park, just outside our compound and built a little snowman. Chinese people were using the opportunity to have photos taken next to snowy trees and bushes. Last winter it didn't snow until January, and then only for a couple of days, but this year it seems to be more moist, so hopefully we'll get some more snowy days this year!!!!!!!