Day 1 2021.3.18

The weather forecast says it will be raining for the next few days. Whether it is Wuhan or Suzhou, it will only clear up on Sunday. Maybe it's because I have a good character, or maybe it's because God has favored me that it's not easy to travel. It didn't rain when I left the house in the morning, and it didn't rain when I arrived in Suzhou.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was not raining, I arrived at the hotel at 1:30 in the afternoon, put down my luggage and rushed to the Suzhou Museum (at 2 o'clock, only 15 minutes before and after the appointment). The ancient city of Suzhou is exquisite and small, as are the museums. In an hour, I visited the museum and Zhong Wang Fu.

After Mr. Mu Pei's name passed away, Su Bo's architecture is indeed extraordinary, integrating ancient and modern, both freehand and interesting. The modern museum does not seem to be at all incompatible with the neighboring Wang Fu during the Taiping Rebellion period. One is elegant and elegant, and the other is graceful and spacious. Wandering in it, I actually feel like traveling through history.

The second time I set foot on Pingjiang Road, I didn't follow the established tourist route. Instead, I walked for a while and then turned into the alley next to me. I like to watch the narrow alleys where ordinary people live. That is the real fireworks world. Pingjiang Road is too commercial, with shops one after another, densely packed and dazzling. However, if you have discerning eyes, you may be able to find what you want. I bought two small tea cups in a porcelain shop, each for ten yuan. I originally wanted a large inlaid cup for fifty yuan, but the owner refused to give in, so I simply bought two small non-inlaid cups. Plain cups.

After buying it, we continued to move forward, turning left and right, and suddenly we reached Lotus Garden. I thought that since I was here, I'd better buy tickets and take a look. Unexpectedly, as soon as we arrived at the entrance, a group of elderly teams were queuing up noisily. On second thoughts, we should forget it and didn't want to join in the fun. Continuing forward, we reached the Huancheng River, and not far ahead was Xiangmen.

Xiangmen is not in my plan for this trip. In order to save leg strength and my stomach is a little hungry, I think I should go back and go home. Back in Lion Grove, I ate a bowl of fresh shrimp noodles, and I felt refreshed again. I planned to return to the hotel, but I walked to the hotel door and learned that crossing the river at the entrance of the hotel was Pingjiang Road. Unreconciled, I wanted to walk again, so I crossed the bridge and walked for a short while before going back to the hotel.

I haven't lived in Rujia for years. I came to Suzhou this time because I wanted to book a B & B with better conditions opposite Lion Grove. Unexpectedly, the price actually increased a lot a few days later, so I changed to Home Inn, which is a hundred meters away. Coincidentally, Home Inn is actually across the river from Pingjiang Road. Moreover, this place is quieter, the environment is better, and the price is half cheaper.

I hope I can sleep on the river tonight and continue to travel Jiangnan in my dream.

The next day 2021.3.19

I arrived at the Suzhou Park Railway Station two hours early and prepared to go to Shanghai to meet my husband. Two hours, no more or less, can just finish today's homework and allow your legs and feet to rest for a while. Now, my physical strength is no longer than in previous years. Going out to play is actually a bit tiring physical work for me.

Okay, let's cut the nonsense and get back to the main topic. Let's briefly record today's itinerary for most of the day. Although it seems like a running account, I still want to write down it like this first so that I can slowly polish it in the future. After all, a good memory is not as good as a bad writing.

I wanted to sleep until dawn, but I still woke up at dawn, tossed and turned, and got up until six o'clock. After washing up, I went out immediately, wanting to see the small bridges and flowing water in the rain and the homes. Cross the river from the hotel entrance to Pingjiang Road, and then head in the direction of Humble Administrator's Garden. In the early morning, there were no tourists except for two or three locals riding by. It was extremely quiet and perfect for walking alone.

After wandering around for half an hour, I arrived at the snack bar that I had watched in advance last night. The master was unloading the door panels. In order to catch all Suzhou specialties, I asked the master to specially make me a bowl of wonton noodles (originally sold separately, wontons are wontons, noodles are noodles), and add a cage of soup dumplings so that I can walk when I am full.

Lion Grove opened at 7:30 at the earliest. When I arrived at the door, there were still three or four minutes away. It's good to get up early. I'm the first tourist to enter the park. It's such a rare luxury to have a garden to myself. There are really many cleaners in Lion Grove, there are every corner, and they are all older uncles and aunts, about the same age as my parents. When I see them, I always take the initiative to say hello to show my sincere gratitude.

Lion Forest is named after its huge number of strange stones and its shape like lions. Yanyu Hall is the main hall of the whole garden. The building is tall and magnificent. The furnishings in the hall are elegant and luxurious. The decoration in every place is unique, elegant and decent, and is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Taking advantage of the scarcity of tourists, I walked around carefully, back and forth, left and right, and did not miss a single attraction. Emperor Qianlong visited the garden many times, and I was there. I imagined the grand occasion of the southern tour more than 200 years ago. How fortunate it was.

After visiting the garden, I returned to the hotel, renovated for a while, and checked out. Seeing that it was still early, I decided to walk nearly two kilometers to Metro Line 1, and wanted to see the residential houses in Suzhou along the road. When I was approaching the subway, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a house on the roadside with the words "Suzhou Champion Museum" written on it. Haha, how can I miss this? Suzhou's style of writing has flourished since ancient times, with celebrities and top scholars, of course, there are many top scholars. I had only seen the plaque of the second-ranked Jinshi Tan Hua before, but this time, I was eye-opener and finally saw the true appearance of the "No. 1 champion".

Suzhou Eslite is the first store opened by Taiwan Eslite in mainland China. Most people come here just to check in, but I really want to buy books. What book is it? Naturally, you can't buy it online! Although the price was high, I still bought three books published in Taiwan: Jiang Xun's "Walking Age", Zhu Tianwen's "Witchcraft Words", and Lin Wenyue's "Landscape and Classics". All three books are vertical versions of traditional Chinese characters. Unfortunately, there is no simplified version in China. This will test my literacy ability. There is no way, live and learn.

At this point, the trip to Suzhou is coming to an end. See you in Shanghai next stop.