Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Day 2 Some sight seeing

Today was set aside to do some sightseeing in Taipei. We did all we could do and Rebekka stayed awake but was very tired when we were done.

We started at the Martyr Shrine for the changing of the guard. It is precision to watch these soldiers march and spin their weapons. We just happened to be going past the shrine (which is closed to the public for now) at the right time to see this. The shrine building is very impressive to see.

The second stop was at The Grand Hotel. It sits atop a hill with a very nice view. We just walked thru and looked at the photos of all the dignitaries that have stayed there and all the marble carvings. There is a restaurant there that is supposed to be very good authentic food but we didn’t eat there.

The third and final stop was at the National Palace Museum. We really didn’t get to spend enough time there. It is an impressive museum with very old calligraphy, stone carvings, gold shrines and much more. The rotate the exhibits since they have so many to display, so you can go back and see new items regularly. Of course “no photography” so no pictures there except in the kids area and the outside.

We went to late lunch / early dinner to Chili’s. When we left there was a heavy thunderstorm so we went into a dept store to find an umbrella stroller (which we can’t find) and hate ice cream at the cold stone creamery. They had a flavor of Tie Guan Yin Ice cream. It tastes like green tea, no kidding exactly like it. Great taste but not for ice cream when you can have something with chocolate and peanut butter.

We need Lynette C to e-mail us. We have a question about tea.

The three things we learned today:
1) There is one Harley Davidson shop in Taiwan and the bikes are 2x the price as in America. We saw the dealership today.
2) If you see a dragon with 3 toes (like in the picture) it is Japanese, If it has 5 toes it is Chinese
3) The garbage trucks play music just like the ice cream man. I actually heard them this morning and looked out the window and thought “we’ll take Rebekka for ice cream before breakfast” like all good parent do! But I didn’t see the truck.

Tomorrow I promise lots of pics. We have to be at the orphanage at 10:00 AM. We are so excited!
























































5 comments:

  1. You saw quite a bit today. The Grand Hotel is really something to see. I loved looking at the pictures there as well. Best wishes for a smooth transition tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So exciting! I love following families while they are in Taiwan. There is a good baby store in Taipei. The English name is Woodpecker-you might find a stroller there--if not, they have tons of other stuff. The hotel staff at the Westin wrote down the Chinese name and address for us, so your hotel staff may be able to do the same. Keep the pics and updates coming!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi! I am following everyday. I am so excited for you! Hope everything goes well tomorrow!
    Love You all - Chris

    ReplyDelete
  4. We purchased a stroller at Carrefour. It's like Walmart and they had many to choose from. Loved the changing of the guards. They also do it at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall which is one of the stops if you take the MRT. Can't wait to see your pictures with Owen tomorrow! Hope all goes well!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You guys look like you are having a great time! I'll bet you can't wait to spend time with Owen. All of you are in our prayers, can't wait to see you!!!

    ReplyDelete