Hangzhou

Possibly more than anywhere, Hangzhou has suffered a bit with the weather. It is clearly beautiful, the people are welcoming and charming (and not bothersome at all) and in the West Lake it has an icon of China - showing what vision, age and mass labour can achieve. But in the cold (snow!), rain and fog, it is fair to say that everything was a little off-colour

This is a little garden on the biggest island (there are several, all man-made many years ago) in the lake. Beyond it are interesting pavilions, including the stamp engraving museum. Surprisingly interesting, and not that big a jump from the stuff they try to sell you on every street corner

The view down from the Yellow Dragon Park. A great walk, although why I am volunteering to climb hills is beyond me.

A glimpse of the tower in the park with Hangzhou beyond


One of the many pleasant and gentle bridges joining causeways to islands.

This is another place I should love to visit again