They were eight days of travel, evenings, pagodas, drinking and conversation ... By the way at a time when I needed it. I was extremely pleased by Cicero to a friend, at the same time having fun with my Chinese and trying to explain the "why not" that animates the people of this middle ground, scompisciandomi to see the full distance with the " British culture "now absorbed in massive doses by my traveling companion. In addition, the work that will give me the other day much less free time for China to show the customers, making these very special day. Hence, I have found another excuse not to write on the blog ... but I do forgive by writing a brief summary of what we did with photos attached.

Day 1
Arriving late at the airport I find it perched on his suitcase, now you rest. Hotel, the first beer and dumplings, a chat about the possibilities of the next day, quiz night in the Western public.

Day 2
Attack by one of the must: Tiananmen, the Forbidden City. We are leaving for hours to the rest of the day only time a first introduction to bargain for a prize of a shirt. The night we ate with Giuliano and other friends in a restaurant in Sichuan, a type of spicy cuisine. I would say two nice moments of the day: the restaurant Hutong south of where Alberto has tasted real food "rustic" and when the Chinese, obviously late for dinner, he had cut his scalp because it "did not take it anymore." The guys in the barber asked why I wanted to have his hair cut since they were already short.

Day 3
We use our last full day in Beijing to go to the Great Wall. Albert began to report a metabolic disorders, drinking gallons of water fail to find a bathroom every 5 minutes. Day ended nicely with a visit to the restaurant a must "original" for the Peking Duck, one stage for a massage (aromatherapy him, I Bonecrusher Chinese) and a first introduction to Sanlitun, the city's entertainment district, where we long chat between us, the bartender, the Italians who went to the bench.

Day 4
New Year! Here comes the year of the pig! I was invited to lunch hosted by the university believing a "typical" lunch, and then found in a BBQ restaurant. Never mind, we flew to the Summer Palace where Albert has decided to run along the "Corridor dellalongevità" so that he almost missed the tower. Thai restaurant in the evening with a lot of AIESEC interns with whom I spent one night luuuuuuuuuuunga chat, fires, countless Black Russian. The city at midnight was "on fire". No fire held, but everywhere. After losing one after the other members of the crew Alberto and I are at the end got home at 7 am for a dinner-breakfast with 24 hour chaofan to my favorite restaurant.

Day 5
Tonight there's a train! We have invested time in half for a visit to the Temple of Heaven and its park. The amazing little traffic in those days Beijing has allowed us to arrive in time for the train to Shanghai. Great experiences on the train between fights for "something", changes in disability various places, restaurant on board with party "private" train crew for the first year (baijiu and beer included, invited drivers).

Day 6
Shanghai! We lose a little 'time to go through my house, buy the sheets near the school where I'll spend some time. Then we borrow it from my roommate the Lonely Planet with maps and wrong after we lost in the French Concession end up in front of the Pearl Tower, a symbol of Shanghai, we decide to visit. Do not do it on a day of national holiday, we went out six hours later. Coming back we went to Nanjing Road, the Bund and Pudong seen with all the thousands of lights on and walked through Xijiahiu. Italian evening "relax" with pasta with true grit (oooh!), bottle of Cabernet and final spritz. Albert fell after the bottle of Chinese wine bought in a 24 hour near my house (I like my house!).

Day 7
We leave for Suzhou, known as the Venice of the East. Rationally lose the train of nine in the morning, but the train is just the next available 2. We had only arrived 3 hours before taking the train to Beijing. When ordering, we asked what we could quickly see in so little time to train our neighbors, two girls out of the station (showing the note given to us by train) which involved a colorful mass of people who stopped to see and to their contribution. The result was a bus into the unknown from which we removed without seeing water or bridges for exhilarating Hot Pot (pot where things stamps at your table). Once out, quite by chance we find "Venice", but too late for a boat ride. Without a walk through the streets to pay the ticket (worth it) and take a taxi to the train ... To find out which is only 5 minutes from the train. Oh well, another random experience in China.

Day 8
The night before we finished the beer in the restaurant car, so we ripiagato dressed for a game of cards with the terrible and characteristic baijiu (badly translated as "wine" of rice by the Chinese, in fact, better not tell you how it's done) We arrive eight o'clock in the station. Take the bus to the airport where after a coffee Greeting Albert. Too bad that Air France (I told you I do not trust the transalpine) it has informed the staff of the airport outside the dense fog has stopped all flights. When I left the airport was about 11 and Albert, left China, he could not go out with his visa monoingresso, I think it started at 18.30.