Rain, Rickshaws and a Rollicking Dinner

Knowing that rain was in the forecast, we kept the curtains drawn as long as possible this morning.  Finally, the tug of the Breakfast Buffet became too great, though we made sure to sit by the toy table in hopes of further prolonging the proceedings.  Max was a great help in that regard.

Then we headed back up to the room because, well, we didn't have many options.  The good news is that it gave us lots of time to make videos!  As I mentioned yesterday, a tube of lotion is one of her favorite things.  She likes to apply it to Nina and me, as you will see here.

 

Finally, when housekeeping came by, we headed for the lobby and the march was on.  Despite her stature, she heads directly for the stairs and climbs.  Her method for descending is perfect for someone wearing a diaper - on her bottom.  Fortunately, she stopped long enough for a picture with Dad.  Today was the first day that she seemed comfortable being alone with me.  It was a great feeling.

Trust me, she seems happier in my presence than the expression in this picture would indicate.

Finally, the rain stopped and we headed to the waterfront to buy souvenirs and make Max's dreams of a family rickshaw ride come true.

 We leave Nanjing tomorrow and we have really enjoyed this place.  It is touristy for sure, though with few Westerners.  It definitely provided a sense of real Chinese life that we didn't experience in Beijing.  That really became clear as we came across this fellow as we walked to dinner.

We have eaten several meals at the same restaurant - our guide seems to have some relationship with them.  We haven't seen any other Westerners in there, and tonight it was especially hopping.  A neighboring table managed to knock wine bottles off their table twice.  Several diners from a table of six men next to us got up and went to the payment area to stop one another from picking up the check.  The shoving was a bit of a surprise.

 

This is the salty duck.  It lives up to its name.  It is served cold and was tasty - though awfully salty.

These are fried noodles.  The yellow bulbs are seeds from the Gingko Trees which add an interesting flavor and texture to an otherwise delicious dish.  Nina was a fan.  I could have lived without them.

Good old dumplings for Max.

This was an interesting dish.  Lotus root stuffed with something we couldn't recognize and somewhat candied.  It tasted like yams.  The presentation was about as nice as you can get for something brown and gelatinous.

With apologies to Billy Joel - Scenes from a Nanjing Restaurant.

Walking home, we felt fortunate that this was where we spent our first days together.  The mix of old and new on the streets somehow fit.

The front of our hotel - the Mandarin Garden



Tonight's final scene back in the room was a little more playtime.  See for yourself.