sundogg99

Saint-Vincent is a few miles east from the main city of Aosta, nestled at the base of the Matterhorn (called Cervino here in Italy). Nice town with a pedestrian-only central square, a casino, and some pleasant walking streets.

Although I agree that Zermatt (or, more accurately, the surrounding landscape) is worth visiting, next time I go I’ll save money by booking lodging down the hill in Tasch or one of the other towns along the road. It’s an easy matter to take the morning train up to Zermatt and day trip on the trails, and that way you can avoid the crowds and high prices in Zermatt itself.

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.

There’s a Chinese saying to the effect of “heaven above, Hangzhou on earth”, and there’s some justification for that boast. This is a most attractive, laid-back city. The West Lake area is very popular, for good reason, and you will find lots of folks strolling along the numerous paths surrounding the lake area.

The Buddhist temple on the hills above the lake is among the most amazing I’ve ever seen: an enormous smiling Buddha statue on one side of the soaring temple, and on the other, an amazing tall stone wall carved with dozens and dozens of figures. Fantastic spot and well worth a visit.

Stroll along the tree-lined boulevards, take a boat ride on the lake, visit the stone carvings near the temple – it’s all mellow, all beautiful, all good.

More than 2000 years ago, a Chinese emperor died, and his mausoleum was protected by a great army of thousands of terracotta soldiers. Sound familiar? The surprise here is that we’re NOT talking about the famous figures outside of Xi’an, China. This is an entirely different terracotta army, dating from a slightly later dynastic period, and rediscovered in the Chinese city of Xuzhou (Jiangsu province) in 1984.

Xuzhou isn’t a common tourist stop, but if you find yourself in the area, don’t miss the impressive array of miniature terracotta warriors. Unlike the lifelike and lifesized Xi’an statues, these are small (12-18” in height), more stylized figures – yet still remarkably individual and unique. They’re housed in a pleasant museum complex quite close to the center of the city.

Not surprisingly, you’ll find no giant parking lots, tour buses, and very few western tourists here. An interesting alternative to the admittedly more spectacular Xi’an site.

Don’t try to walk across the insanely busy traffic circle that surrounds the Bell Tower. Use the underground passage (called the Subway) that takes you safely beneath the madness to the Tower grounds. There’s a booth in the Subway, too, where you can buy your admission ticket.

One word of caution: the Subway can be crowded, and it’s a popular spot for pickpockets. I chased off a guy who was trying to reach into my backpack. Pay attention to your cell phone, handbag, or backpack!

If you’re heading out from Xi’an to visit the Terracotta Warriors site, Huaqing Hot Springs is a good secondary destination. Located at the foot of Lishan Mountain, the hot springs at Huaqing have been a favored location since early dynastic times and was enjoyed by a succession of dynastic leaders.

Today, the park is a combination of restored (in 1959) Tang-style buildings and ancient excavated structures, all located on a scenic hillside surrounded by pleasant gardens. Admission was reasonable – 30 or 40 yuan, as I recall.

My favorite story about this beautiful spot is of the Tang dynasty emperor Yang Guozhong, who spent so much time here diddling his favorite concubine that his military judgment suffered, leading to the eventual success of the An Shi rebellion, which in turn is credited with contributing to the ultimate downfall of the Tang dynasty – a situation which cannot possibly have looked good on Yang’s resume.

Rent a bike to see the wall.

Good, cheap eats, and colorful atmosphere, but I was kind of disappointed at the proliferation of touristic junk available for sale. I don’t doubt that hidden somewhere amongst the mini-terracotta warriors and peasant paintings and faux jade bracelets was some fantastic stuff, but I’m not enough of a shopper to bother trying to find it.