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CHINA

As an active member of the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce when they asked me to sign up for a trip to China, I said, “How fast?”

We flew to Beijing. Nowhere in the world can you find such a fascinating mix of ancient and modern architecture. The most lavish Imperial Palace, The Forbidden City, is jaw droppingly beautiful. We went on to experience Suzhou, a 2,500 year old city, on the edge of Lake Taihu, with pavilions of winding canals and stunning gardens. We loved Zhouzhuang, ‘The Venice’ of China and photographed it under ancient bridges in a small boat. The shopping was seductive throughout Beijing offering the best of pearls, silk, and jade.

The Great Wall is 2,000 years old and 6,350 km East to West. If we didn’t walk it, we would have to do the walk of shame, so quite amazingly, we actually did walk most of it. Then felt 2,000 years old!

Shanghai is indisputably China’s most cosmopolitan city. We took stunning photographs of the bridges and neon lights. Later we painted the excitement of this pulsing city. Probably the best part of China was what we lovingly brought back to Connecticut, lifelong friends.