sundogg99

No one can deny the visceral human impact of Anne Frank’s story, and it’s a moving experience to visit her house. But the experience is compromised by the sheer number of visitors to the place, and I can’t unconditionally recommend it to other people.

We visited at opening time on a Friday morning in early February – hardly prime time – and were still stuck in a slow but inexhorably moving queue through the whole house. No opportunity for stopping, for reflection, just a constant moving stream of humanity.

Not entirely certain what I had anticipated – certainly not a fun time, but at least a thought-provoking one – have to confess that, overall, this was a disappointing experience.

Despite its name, Hongqiao is the airport for domestic flights within China. For international flights, you’ll likely be flying into or out of Pudong Airport, which is located about 50 km (or about an hour in typical Shanghai traffic) from Hongqiao.

In other words, if you’re on an international flight with a connecting flight to or from Shanghai and some other city within China, make sure you allow sufficient time to get between the two airports.